Sustaining the Future of the Public Sector: Insights into a Swedish Municipality’s Dealing with Knowledge Management and Succession Planning

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (02) ◽  
pp. 1650012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Durst ◽  
Guido Bruns
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Succession Planning ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Ageing Workforce ◽  
The Public ◽  
Analysis And Evaluation ◽  
Executive Staff

The ageing workforce soon leads to a number of retirements in government organisations that will put the knowledge basis at risk. Addressing this point the present study provides an analysis and evaluation of a Swedish municipality’s dealing with the aspects of knowledge management and succession planning against the background of demographic developments and the increased relevance of knowledge. It reports findings based on semi-structured interviews conducted with executive staff of the municipality. Results of data analysed show that the municipality is far from being ready to master the challenges ahead. To date the municipality follows a sporadic approach rather than a strategic and planned one when addressing the issue of succession planning. Indeed, the findings suggest that a muddling through approach prevails. Based on the findings some suggestions were derived that may help both municipalities facing similar circumstances as well as policy makers drafting suitable policies.

scholarly journals Exploring the role of management in the implementation of talent management

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 560-575
Author(s):  
Mathildah Mashudu Ndou ◽  
Jacob Tseko Mofokeng ◽  
Dorcas Khosa
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Succession Planning ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Talent Management ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Public Works ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Public

The South African public sector institutions are faced with the challenges of proper implementation of talent management. The aim of this research is to explore the role of management in the implementation of talent management within the Department of Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure in the Limpopo Province. The inability by management to properly show their role in the management and implementation of talent management at all levels in the public sector has brought poor performance of duties by employees due to lack of motivation and low morale. A qualitative research approach was used.  Purposive sampling was adopted using semi-structured interviews to gather data from participants. The findings revealed that challenges like career development, skills development, motivation, succession planning and remuneration  packages including benefits allowances were the main limits which mainly prevented  proper  implementation of  talent management in the Department.

Challenges of knowledge management in the public sector: evidence from the King Abdullah Award for Excellence in Jordan

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaker A. Aladwan ◽  
Tamara A. AL-Yakoub ◽  
Ali M. Adaileh
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Qualitative Method ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Organisational Memory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Clear Vision

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to undertake an exploration of the challenges related to knowledge management (KM) within public sector organisations in Jordan.Design/methodology/approachThere was the adoption of a qualitative method to achieve the objective of the study, with content analysis undertaken on ten assessment reports, so the results of the content analysis could be validated. A total of 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted within the sample organisations. The sample was made up of ten public sector organisations that had participated at least twice within the King Abdullah Excellence Award with acknowledgement within their reports of failure to achieve results that were satisfactory for KM.FindingsKM challenges identified reflect various aspects of different factors, such as organisational structure, culture, KM processes and the evaluation of KM. In practical terms, the main KM-related challenges for the Jordanian public sector are considered to be a lack of a culture of teamwork to support sharing and exchange of knowledge, lack of required documentation for the building of organisational memory needed for processes of KM, lack of training for KM, lack of clear vision and strategy for KM and lack of proper methodologies for the management of internal knowledge and weaknesses in the integration of information and data.Originality/valueThe study puts forward a conceptual model that can be used in assessing the challenges that managers face when they seek to implement KM in organisations within the public sector. The challenges of KM within the public sector have been studied widely, in general; however there is an importance to gaining better understanding of how to overcome those challenges. Compared with most of the existent studies, this particular research has offered detailed, specific insights into challenges for KM within the public sector, along with provision of a conceptual model that other researchers could use in the future.

scholarly journals Examining bribery in Papua New Guinea's public sector: forms and accountability implications

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samson Tiki ◽  
Belinda Luke ◽  
Janet Mack
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Accountability System ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine bribery and its accountability implications within Papua New Guinea's (PNG's) public sector.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 senior public servants from three central government departments. Perceptions, forms and accountability dimensions compromised through bribery were analysed through an actor network theory (ANT) lens to understand the actors contributing to bribery and how it might be addressed.FindingsForms (and variations) of bribery included “promises” by clients, pre-commitments by public servants and expectations/obligations imposed by public servants. Multiple and interdependent actors (including compromised accountability perceptions) are identified.Practical implicationsFindings provide important insights for public servants and policy-makers within and beyond PNG's government departments, highlighting the associated implications for individuals, the public sector and the country more broadly.Originality/valueThe incorporation and analysis of accountability dimensions through an ANT lens provides new perspectives on bribery. Further, the significance and extent of compromised accountability dimensions within the network suggests a broken accountability system.

Leadership of change in South Africa public sector turnarounds

2018 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mampe Kumalo ◽  
Caren Brenda Scheepers
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Current Literature ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Director General ◽  
Change Processes ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Financial Consequences

PurposeOrganisational decline has far-reaching, negative emotional and financial consequences for staff and customers, generating academic and practitioner interest in turnaround change processes. Despite numerous studies to identify the stages during turnarounds, the findings have been inconclusive. The purpose of this paper is to address the gap by defining these stages, or episodes. The characteristics of leaders affect the outcome of organisational change towards turnarounds. This paper focusses, therefore, on the leadership requirements during specific episodes, from the initial crisis to the full recovery phases.Design/methodology/approachA total of 11 semi-structured interviews were conducted with executives from the public sector in South Africa who went through or were going through turnaround change processes and 3 with experts consulting to these organisations.FindingsContrary to current literature in organisational change, this study found that, in these turnaround situations, leadership in the form of either an individual CEO or director general was preferable to shared leadership or leadership distributed throughout the organisation. This study found four critical episodes that occurred during all the public service turnarounds explored, and established that key leadership requirements differ across these episodes. The study shows how these requirements relate to the current literature on transactional, transformational and authentic leadership.Practical implicationsThe findings on the leadership requirements ultimately inform the selection and development of leaders tasked with high-risk turnaround change processes.Originality/valueFour episodes with corresponding leadership requirements were established in the particular context of public sector turnaround change processes.

scholarly journals Empirical Assessment of Good Governance in the Public Sector of Malaysia

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maizatul Akmar Khalid ◽  
Md. Mahmudul Alam ◽  
Jamaliah Said
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Public ◽  
Governance Systems ◽  
Governance Practices ◽  
The Status ◽  
Questionnaire Respondent ◽  
Service Groups

To improve the trust of citizens and delivery of services, employing good governance principles in the public sector is very crucial. Despite efforts to improve service delivery, criticisms and complains toward public services remain evident. This study aims to assess the status of good governance practices in the public sector of Malaysia. Primary data were collected from the responses of 109 department heads under 24 federal ministries to a survey questionnaire. Respondent perception of good governance practices was measured using a seven-point Likert scale and analyzed by descriptive statistics and path measurement modeling. Standard diagnostic tests were also conducted to check the reliability of the data and model. Results indicated that nine factors were significant in the measurement of good governance practices. However, very few people in the public sector of Malaysia practice fraud control, which is at the lowest intensity. Among the service groups, the engineer group practiced good governance at the highest level, whereas the health service group practiced good governance at the lowest level. Therefore, still there are scopes available to improve good governance systems to become more reliable and efficient public sector in Malaysia. Findings of the study will help policy makers improve the efficiency of the public sector of Malaysia and other countries.

scholarly journals Assessment of Accountability Practices in the Public Sector of Malaysia

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamaliah Said ◽  
Md. Mahmudul Alam ◽  
Razana Juhaida Johari
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Financial Management ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Sector Employees ◽  
General Average ◽  
Data Validity ◽  
Accountability Practices ◽  
Survey Approach

Ensuring accountability in the public sector is a very crucial issue as it could lead to failures in governance, fraud, inefficacy, corruption as well as weak financial management. This study evaluated the state of present accountability practices among public sector employees from various Malaysian service schemes. Primary data were collected, using a questionnaire survey approach with 194 heads of departments in the Malaysian federal ministries. Data was collected in accordance with the perspective of 12 factors in accountability practices, using a five-point Likert scale. Factor analysis and descriptive statistics were utilized for data analysis. In addition, data reliability was checked by Cronbach’s alpha test; data normality was examined by Skewness and Kurtosis tests, and data validity was tested by using Kaiser-Meyer Olkin test and Barlett’s test. The findings show that 94.9% of the participants reported that they practised accountability within their departments. Nevertheless, the priority for these accountability factors varied according to the service schemes. In general, the perceived accountability practice was the highest within the group of the administrative scheme and the lowest among the employees under the accounting scheme. Moreover, the perceived accountability practice of the audit scheme was below the general average level. This findings of the study would help policy makers to take necessary steps to improve the practices of accountability in the public sector for creating a more dependable and efficient public sector in Malaysia.

scholarly journals Corporate succession practices: A public sector perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 441-446
Author(s):  
Nomalinge Amelia Pita ◽  
Chengedzai Mafini ◽  
Manilall Dhurup
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Succession Planning ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Public Services ◽  
Turnover Intentions ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Service Employees ◽  
Intentions To Leave ◽  
The Public

In today’s globally competitive and modern environments, organisational future plans often fail due to the lack of succession planning. Literature has shown that in most public services, very little is done to transfer employee skills before they leave the organisation, which largely is attributed to the lack of proper corporate succession planning. This study examined the association between corporate succession planning practices, internal succession barriers and intentions to leave within a public service in South Africa. The study was inspired by the absence of documented evidence of corporate succession planning initiatives, the barriers to succession planning and turnover intentions of employees in the public sector in the South African context. The study is located within a quantitative research paradigm in which a three-section structured questionnaire was administered to a sample of 243 public service employees. Two factors; namely, replacement planning and employee development/grooming were extracted using exploratory factor analysis. The Pearson correlation coefficient showed that corporate succession planning practices and internal succession barriers are negatively related to intentions to leave in the public service. Regression analysis showed that replacement planning and employee grooming are predictors of intention to quit. The results of the study are significant in that they facilitate the development as well as the effective implementation of succession planning initiatives that enable public services to improve human resource practices and counter any existing barriers to internal succession.

scholarly journals Fraud in overseas aid and the challenge of measurement

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 184-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Button ◽  
Chris Lewis ◽  
David Shepherd ◽  
Graham Brooks
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
International Development ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges of measuring fraud in overseas aid. Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on 21 semi-structured interviews with key persons working in the delivery of aid in both the public and voluntary sectors. It uses the UK Department for International Development as a case study to applying more accurate measures of fraud. Findings – This paper shows there are significant challenges to using fraud loss measurement to gauge fraud in overseas aid. However, it argues that, along with other types of measures, it could be used in areas of expenditure in overseas governments and charities to measure aid. Given the high risk of such aid to fraud, it argues helping to develop capacity to reduce aid, of which measuring the size of the problem is an important part; this could be considered as aid in its own right. Research limitations/implications – The researchers were not able to visit high-risk countries for fraud to examine in the local context views on the challenges of measuring fraud. Practical implications – The paper offers insights on the challenges to accurately measuring fraud in an overseas context, which will be useful to policy-makers in this context. Social implications – Given the importance of as much aid as possible reaching recipients, it offers an important contribution to helping to reduce losses in this important area. Originality/value – There has been very little consideration of how to measure fraud in the overseas aid context, with most effort aimed at corruption, which poses some of the same challenges, as well as some very different challenges.

The Four Levers for Change in Knowledge Management Implementation

2014 ◽  
pp. 227-245
Author(s):  
Robert Flynn ◽  
Verena Marshall
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Change Management ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Government Policy ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
The Public ◽  
Management Platform ◽  
Implementing Change ◽  
Public Sector Managers

The purpose of this chapter is to argue the connection between successful knowledge management implementation and a robust change management platform. The framework emanating from the platform is that of four levers: Mobilisation, Communication, Infrastructure, and Sustainability. Drawing on the research literature and the writers’ combined experience in implementing change and knowledge management in the Public Sector, the content examines utilisation of the four levers in overcoming the barriers to knowledge management systems and promoting commitment to their success. A planned outcome of this chapter is that Public Sector managers can consider and “leverage” the opportunity offered by knowledge management and sharing in the formulation and delivery of government policy. The framework of the four levers is considered from a conceptual perspective and acknowledges the opportunity for their exploration and testing in future empirical research.

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