scholarly journals Evaluating the internalisation of core values at a South African public service organisation

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanna M. O’Neil ◽  
Andre L. Horne
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Measurement Instrument ◽  
The Public ◽  
Service Organisation ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Organisational Values

Orientation: Fully entrenched and internalised organisational values have proved a competitive advantage for many leading organisations. The benefits range from higher profit margins to the improvement of employees’ commitment and ethical performance. Nevertheless, the process of value shaping is often no more than a management goal. It is rarely truly internalised by the whole organisation.Research purpose: This article presents an effort to describe a value internalisation effort within a South African public service organisation as well as the results of a subsequent evaluation to ascertain to what extent those efforts actually led to internalisation throughout the organisation. A set of actions and practices were implemented within the public service organisation; the intent was that they should enhance value internalisation in the organisation. A long-term strategy of value internalisation was followed that focussed mainly on the clear articulation and communication of the values through different communication mediums and platforms, such as road shows and branded value material hand-outs, as well as through extensive value internalisation training.Motivation for the study: Documentation of value internalisation processes and its evaluation, especially in South African public service organisations is extremely rare. To ensure that public service organisations do not repeat the same mistakes in their value internalisation practices and implementation processes, proper documentation of these processes in the public and research domains are needed. The need for the evaluation of value internalisation programmes should also be propagated as in many instances, programmes are implemented, but the subsequent success thereof is never evaluated.Research design, approach and method: A survey questionnaire consisting of a 5-point rating scale was developed to measure the extent of value internalisation after the implementation of long-term internalisation strategies. Employees at different levels and in different units of the organisation participated in the survey.Main findings: Results (N = 941) reflected lower than expected mean scores for each value component. In addition, differences in internalisation extent were found between two demographic variables, namely population groupings and organisational units.Practical/managerial implications: The results of this study confirmed certain shortcomings in value internalisation processes, such as the way values are identified, communicated and reinforced. Knowledge of the latter may help human resource (HR) practitioners to apply more effective value shaping practices.Contribution/value-add: This study provides specific guidelines that may enable practitioners to evaluate their own value internalisation practices. These guidelines include creating institutional value parity through employee engagement and encouraging leaders to facilitate both the emotional and cognitive interface of value internalisation efforts. Furthermore all leaders in the organisation should be exposed to training and development programmes that address the importance of leaders’ own credibility in efforts to institutionalise values within the organisation. The measurement instrument developed for this study may also provide HR practitioners with a means to evaluate the extent of value internalisation in an organisation.

scholarly journals Deploying culture as a defence against incompetence: The unconscious dynamics of public service work

2012 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peliwe P. Mnguni
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Resource Constraints ◽  
Service Work ◽  
The Unconscious ◽  
The Public ◽  
Social Defense ◽  
Defensive Role ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Value Add

Orientation: The intractability of public service delivery and a polarised societal landscape heighten anxiety and reinforce a propensity for public service organisations to be used for defensive purposes.Research purpose: This article employs social defense theory to explore manifestations of anxiety and defense within South African public service organisations.Motivation for the study: Dominant discourse on public service institutions over-relies on political, sociological and public administration theories and tends to ignore psychosocial explanations. Further, whilst the psychodynamics of social service work are generally understood, the unconscious dynamics of generic public service work remain under-theorised. Research design, approach and method: This conceptual article draws on my personal observations as a reflective citizen and experiences as a consultant to government departments.Main findings: Herein, an argument is advanced that the deployment of ill-qualified party loyalists to key positions in the public service is perverse: it serves as a collective defense against the impossible aspects of the task at hand. The appointees, in turn, deploy organisational processes to defend against feelings of incompetence and the inevitability of failure. This practice, coupled with acute resource constraints, sets up front line staff for scapegoating.Practical/managerial implications: An appreciation of the multiple meanings of public service work and the defensive role played by public institutions stands to inform purposeful change towards sustainable public service organisational practice.Contribution/value-add: The discussion seeks to contribute to attempts that employ systems psychodynamics to make sense of anxiety and defense within organisations in general and public service institutions in particular.

scholarly journals Human resources engagement practices: An investigation of organisational justice perceptions

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 611-619
Author(s):  
Veronica Hlongwane ◽  
Ophillia Ledimo
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Measurement Instrument ◽  
Correlational Analysis ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Organisational Justice ◽  
Service Organisation ◽  
Justice Perceptions

Literature assumes that organisational justice has an impact on employee related behaviours. Yet there is limited empirical research on organisational justice and employee engagement to support the literature. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of organisational justice for human resources engagement practices in a South African public service organisation. Organisational Justice Measurement Instrument (OJMI) was used as a measure of organisational justice and the Ultrech Work Engagement Scale measured the participants’ levels of work engagement. Data was collected from a random sample of employees working in a public service organisation (n=350). Descriptive statistics and correlational analysis were conducted to analyse the data. Results of the correlational analysis indicated a significant correlations between organisational justice and work engagement dimensions namely; vigour, dedication and absorption. In terms of contributions and practical implications, insight gained from the findings is relevant for practitioners and managers in the field of organisational behaviour to initiate interventions to enhance employees’ work engagement levels as well as to conduct future research.

scholarly journals Whistleblowing: Impediments to effective implementation within the South African public sector

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 196-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nirmala Dorasamy ◽  
Soma Pillay
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
South African ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Code Of Conduct ◽  
The South ◽  
The Public ◽  
Effective Implementation ◽  
The Cost

This purpose of this article is to explore impediments to effective whistleblowing as a strategy for promoting anti-corruption practices within the South African public sector. Corruption, which violates the public service code of conduct; deters foreign investment, increases the cost of public service delivery, undermines the fight against poverty and unnecessarily burdens the criminal justice system. The article addresses the question on whether legislation on whistleblowing is adequate to encourage whistleblowing in the public sector. A review of literature determines that the effective implementation of whistleblowing legislation is largely dependent on addressing the challenges identified in the article. The quantitative research method was employed in the study to ascertain the views of employees in the public sector on whistleblowing. Empirical findings confirm the hypothesis that the protection of whistleblowers through legislation is inadequate to encourage whistleblowing. The article provides a conceptual framework for the effective achievement of the intended outcomes of whistleblowing in the public sector.

The South African Cash-In-Transit Heist Enterprise: Managing its Wellspring and Concatenation

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 198-224
Author(s):  
Mahlogonolo Stephina Thobane
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
The South ◽  
The Public ◽  
Reduction Strategies ◽  
Career Criminals ◽  
Risk Reduction Strategies ◽  
Master Of Arts ◽  
In Transit ◽  
Method Approach

AbstractSouth African cash-in-transit (CIT) robberies appear to be in a state of flux. According to the Minister of Police, Mr Bheki Cele, the incidence of these crimes has steadily decreased due to rapid response by the police in arresting more than 200 suspects between June and November 2018. Given the rhizomatic, eclectic nature of this crime type – and possible mechanical linkages and/or linear causality within the genesis of the crime – it is debatable whether arrests and incarceration offer a long-term solution. CIT robbers interviewed for this study reported that they were career criminals, less likely to be rehabilitated and that incarceration was only an interruption to their career. These findings were backed by life-course theories. This article contends that if the South African Criminal Justice System wants to curb CIT robberies, an investigation into proactive methods for combating the crime should be developed and risk reduction strategies crafted. After investigating possible causes of CIT robberies, this research made recommendations based on holistic measures involving the public, family, and various government and non-governmental departments. The research was conducted for a Master of Arts degree in Criminology. A mixed-method approach was followed and 40 incarcerated offenders who committed robbery with aggravating circumstances participated in the study.

scholarly journals Confirming theoretical pay constructs of a variable pay scheme

2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sibangilizwe Ncube ◽  
Mark H.R. Bussin ◽  
Lukas De Swardt
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Measurement Instrument ◽  
Critical Success ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Variable Pay ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Value Add ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Purposive Sample

Orientation: Return on the investment in variable pay programmes remains controversial because their cost versus contribution cannot be empirically justified. Research purpose: This study validates the findings of the model developed by De Swardt on the factors related to successful variable pay programmes.Motivation for the study: Many organisations blindly implement variable pay programmes without any means to assess the impact these programmes have on the company’s performance. This study was necessary to validate the findings of an existing instrument that validates the contribution of variable pay schemes.Research design, approach and method: The study was conducted using quantitative research. A total of 300 completed questionnaires from a non-purposive sample of 3000 participants in schemes across all South African industries were returned and analysed.Main findings: Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, it was found that the validation instrument developed by De Swardt is still largely valid in evaluating variable pay schemes. The differences between the study and the model were reported.Practical/managerial implications: The study confirmed the robustness of an existing model that enables practitioners to empirically validate the use of variable pay plans. This model assists in the design and implementation of variable pay programmes that meet critical success factors.Contribution/value-add: The study contributed to the development of a measurement instrument that will assess whether a variable pay plan contributes to an organisation’s success.

Application of multiple regression analysis to forecasting South Africa’s electricity demand

2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 48-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renee Koen ◽  
Jennifer Holloway
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Regression ◽  
South African ◽  
Model Development ◽  
Electricity Demand ◽  
Private Company ◽  
The Public ◽  
Fit Statistics ◽  
Usage Patterns ◽  
Modelling Methodology

In a developing country such as South Africa, understanding the expected future demand for electricity is very important in various planning contexts. It is specifically important to understand how expected scenarios regarding population or economic growth can be translated into corresponding future electricity usage patterns. This paper discusses a methodology for forecasting long-term electricity demand that was specifically developed for applying to such scenarios. The methodology uses a series of multiple regression models to quantify historical patterns of electricity usage per sector in relation to patterns observed in certain economic and demographic variables, and uses these relationships to derive expected future electricity usage patterns. The methodology has been used successfully to derive forecasts used for strategic planning within a private company as well as to provide forecasts to aid planning in the public sector. This paper discusses the development of the modelling methodology, provides details regarding the extensive data collection and validation processes followed during the model development, and reports on the relevant model fit statistics. The paper also shows that the forecasting methodology has to some extent been able to match the actual patterns, and therefore concludes that the methodology can be used to support planning by translating changes relating to economic and demographic growth, for a range of scenarios, into a corresponding electricity demand. The methodology therefore fills a particular gap within the South African long-term electricity forecasting domain.

scholarly journals Factors affecting the retention of Generation X public servants: An exploratory study

2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vhutshilo Masibigiri ◽  
Hester Nienaber
Keyword(s):  
Generation X ◽  
Public Service ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Staff Retention ◽  
Retention Strategies ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
The Public ◽  
Skills Shortage ◽  
Managerial Implications

Orientation: Retaining employees, especially Generation Xers, is imperative to ensure the high performance of organisations.Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that affect the retention of Generation X public servants.Motivation for the study: Given their unique characteristics, it is a challenge to retain Generation X employees. This problem may be worse in the public sector than in the private sector, as there are fewer financial rewards in the public service than in the private sector.Research design: The interpretivist paradigm is appropriate for this study. It used a qualitative, empirical approach. The researchers obtained the data through purposive sampling and interviews.Main findings: The study showed that the factors affecting the retention of Generation X public servants include work content, utilisation of skills, career advancement, work–life balance, compensation, security needs, leadership and drive.Practical/managerial implications: Employers, like the civil service, can be proactive in retaining Generation X employees because of the factors that affect their retention. Managers can prevent further pressure on service delivery that the skills shortage has caused if they use the skills the employees already have.Contribution: The article fills a gap, as there has been little research on staff retention. This is particularly true of Generation X employees in South Africa. This article adds information that will improve retention strategies for Generation X employees, particularly in the public service.

scholarly journals Análisis de las capacidades de empresas de servicios públicos en el Área Metropolitana de Bucaramanga en su proyección a distrito

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 5893-5917
Author(s):  
Fernando Polo Acevedo ◽  
Francisco Yesid Triana Castillo ◽  
Carmen Elisa Therán Barajas ◽  
Narcy Carolina Prieto Cuentas
Keyword(s):  
Metropolitan Area ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Economic Behavior ◽  
Territorial Development ◽  
The Public ◽  
Service Companies ◽  
El Sistema ◽  
Toma De Decisiones

La presente investigación, producto de un trabajo de maestría de la Escuela superior de administración pública, en sinergia con la Fundación Universitaria Comfenalco Santander, establece en primer lugar una caracterización de las principales empresas de servicios públicos de acueducto, aseo y alcantarillado del Área Metropolitana de Bucaramanga (AMB), desde sus capacidades de prestación de servicios en la actualidad. La segunda parte muestra el comportamiento económico de la empresa de servicio público con proyección triple A del AMB, en un posible escenario a futuro de conformación de distrito metropolitano. La tercera parte, desarrolla la prospectiva de la empresa de servicio público, con la capacidad de convertirse en triple A, suministrando servicios continuos con cobertura del AMB, en sinergia con otras entidades, permitiendo hacer frente al crecimiento poblacional, el desarrollo territorial y la proyección a distrito metropolitano, definiendo las variables estratégicas sobre las que se deben actuar en el largo plazo, las cuales tienen una alta influencia en el sistema  y los posibles escenarios a futuro de la organización, de forma que sea una guía para el proceso de planeación y toma de decisiones, que incluya los posibles cambios en el entorno producto de la dinámica regional. Finalmente, el estudio se podría convertir en un insumo para la propuesta de la Cámara de Comercio de Bucaramanga, sobre la viabilidad de establecer una alternativa de cohesión en el área de servicios públicos para los municipios que conforman el Área Metropolitana de Bucaramanga en su proyección a distrito.   This research first establishes a characterization of the main aqueduct, cleaning, and sewerage public service companies of the Bucaramanga Metropolitan Area (AMB), from their current service provision capabilities. The second part shows the economic behavior of the public service company with triple A projection of the AMB, in the territorial development and the projection to the metropolitan district. The third part develops the prospective of the triple A public service companies of the AMB, in front of the territorial development and the projection to the metropolitan district, defining the strategic variables on which they must act in the long term, which have a high influence in the system and the possible future scenarios of the organization so that it is a guide for the planning and decision-making process, which includes possible changes in the environment as a result of territorial development. Finally, the study could become an input for the Bucaramanga Chamber of Commerce proposal on the feasibility of establishing a cohesion alternative in the public services area for the municipalities that make up the Bucaramanga Metropolitan Area.

scholarly journals HOLDING UP A MIRROR TO APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA: PUBLIC DISCOURSE ON THE ISSUE OF OVERCROWDING IN SOUTH AFRICAN PRISONS 1980 TO 1984 – PART 2

Obiter ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Allister Peté
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Media ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Ideological Struggle ◽  
Form Part ◽  
Formed Part ◽  
Apartheid Regime

During the first half of the 1980s, the issue of chronic overcrowding within the South African penal system formed part of an intense ideological struggle between those who supported and those who opposed the apartheid regime. Public debate around this issue acted as a mirror, reflecting early cracks which were beginning to appear in the edifice of apartheid. Since the prisons were the ultimate instrument of social control within the apartheid system, the ongoing crises caused by chronic overcrowding within these institutions served as a kind of “canary in the mine” for the apartheid system as a whole. The debates which took place during the early 1980s around overcrowding are also important because they form part of a common theme running through South African penal discourse as a whole. This article seeks to show how the debates on prison overcrowding which took place in the first half of the 1980s fit into a long-term pattern of recurring ideological crises surrounding this issue. The article is divided into two parts. In Part One, the above themes were explored through the public discourse surrounding the Steyn Commission of Enquiry into the public media, as well as the Hoexter Commission of Enquiry into the structure and functioning of South Africa’s courts. Whereas Part One deals only with certain early debates arising out of the Hoexter Commission – up to February 1981 – Part Two takes this as a starting point and traces a number of further themes which arose in the debates surrounding the Hoexter Commission between February 1981 and April 1984, when the Commission delivered its report.

Psychological contract, engagement and employee discretionary behaviours

2017 ◽  
Vol 66 (7) ◽  
pp. 896-913 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis Kasekende
Keyword(s):  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Psychological Contract ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Mediation Effect ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Human Resource Management Practices ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediation effect of employee engagement on the relationship between employer obligations, employee obligations and state of the psychological contract and employee discretionary behaviours. Design/methodology/approach The empirical data were collected using self-administered questionnaires with 278 participants from 11 commissions and three agencies in the public service in Uganda. The authors used hierarchical regression analysis to investigate the hypotheses. Findings The results indicate that employer obligations, employee obligations and state of the psychological contract were positively related to employee discretionary behaviours. In addition, employee engagement was found to be a partial mediator between employee obligations, employer obligations and state of the psychological contract and discretionary behaviours among for both subordinate and supervisory staffs. Originality/value Since little is known about the process by which public service commissions and agencies in Uganda promote employer obligations, employee obligations and state of the psychological contract on discretionary behaviours, this paper contributes to the literature by examining human resource management practices in a developing country context.

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