scholarly journals Performance management as a mediator for work engagement and employment relationships in the public sector in South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Godfrey Maake ◽  
Cornelia P. Harmse ◽  
Cecilia M. Schultz
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Performance Indicator ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Employment Relationships ◽  
The Public ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Managerial Implications

Orientation: To improve service delivery to its citizens, the South African public sector should aim to improve employees’ performance by implementing effective performance management that would impact positively on work engagement and employment relationships.Research purpose: The primary objective of this study was to determine whether performance management could be a mediator for work engagement and employment relationships in the public sector in South Africa.Motivation for the study: The success of the public sector relies primarily on performance management that strengthens work engagement and employment relationships, which in turn positively influence employee performance. Managers need to understand the influence of performance management on work engagement and employment relationships.Research approach/design and method: A quantitative approach was employed. Non-probability purposive sampling was used to select 400 permanent employees with more than 5 years of experience at job levels 1–12 in eight national departments based in Gauteng. A structured questionnaire was utilised as a data collection method in this study. The questionnaire for the study was divided into four sections and consisted of 74 Likert-scale questions.Main findings: This study showed a moderate correlation between performance management and work engagement and a strong correlation between performance management and employment relationships. This study indicated that performance management was indeed a mediator between work engagement and employment relationships.Practical/managerial implications: Management should ensure that employees understand the function of performance management as a whole, display a positive attitude towards the implementation of performance management, ensure that employees’ Key Performance Indicator (KPIs) adequately reflect their areas of responsibility, motivate the use of performance management through the reward structure and finally, training and orientation on performance management should also be provided to newly appointed and existing staff members to ensure strong work engagement and good employment relationships.Contribution/value-add: Contribution of the study to knowledge and practice surrounding performance management, work engagement and employment relationships. The contribution of this study is to impress on managers and leaders the influence of performance management on work engagement and employment relationships.

scholarly journals Managing employee performance in transition economies: A study of Vietnamese public organisations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Tai Anh Vu
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Contextual Factors ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Theoretical Research ◽  
The Public

<p>Public employees’ poor performance has been cited as one of the leading factors in the failure of reform programmes in developing countries. Although previous employee performance reforms have targeted selection, training, appraisal and compensation, agreement exists that these problems persist. Improving employee performance has proven difficult in developing and developed countries alike.  Motivated by the New Public Management (NPM), employee performance management (PM) has been widely introduced by developed and developing countries as a public sector reform. Employee PM supposedly furthers development objectives by improving performance, enhancing accountability and aligning employee efforts with organisational goals. Unfortunately, the literature has reported many failed PM reforms. Arguably, employee PM in the public sector usually faces several difficulties, including the diversity of stakeholders, bounded delegated authority, ambiguous organisational and job goals, as well as the inherent complexity of employee PM activities. The situation is even more challenging for developing countries due to contextual problems of weak institutions, weak capacity and traditional cultures. There are perspectives that employee PM may not be compatible in developing contexts.  Although there is no shortage of research on employee PM, most is theoretical research or conducted in developed countries. Empirical research in developing countries, particularly in the public sector, remains sparse. To address this gap, this research investigates whether employee PM is applicable or effective in the developing context, as well as exploring which contextual factors affect its development.  To answer these research questions, a mixed methods approach guided by the research philosophy of pragmatism was adopted. The data for this research was gathered from 30 interviews and a survey of 322 respondents from 29 different organisations across five central Ministries and two provinces in Vietnam as a transitional economy with a strong effect of Confucian culture.  This study contributes to the literature by providing some key findings. Firstly, it confirms that if well designed and implemented, PM can work in the public sector in developing countries. This finding supports the perspective that the failure of PM schemes is mostly because of implementation shortcomings rather than theory defects. Secondly, it proposes a formula for the effective implementation of PM in the developing context. Specifically, it is a combination of five PM practices, including goal-based appraisal, feedback, reward-for-performance, addressing poor performers and employee participation. Thirdly, the development of employee PM in developing countries is driven by three contextual factors: agency accountability, HR autonomy, and entrepreneurial leadership. Fourthly, PM is not only a tool to improve organisational performance, but also an important mediation agent to transmit the effect of other reform activities on desirable outcomes. Finally, the effect of the contextual factors on development of employee PM is weakened by interpersonal relationships and nepotism while being strengthened by communication and training.  Based on these findings, this research proposes strategic solutions for policy-makers while providing specific suggestions for practitioners to develop effective PM systems. It also discusses some implications and identifies gaps for researchers in the future.</p>

scholarly journals A study of job satisfaction and work engagement at the National Treasury of South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Refiloe L. Thokoa ◽  
Vinessa Naidoo ◽  
Tessie Herbst
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Linear Regression ◽  
Multiple Linear Regression ◽  
South African ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Value Added ◽  
The Public ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Two Sectors

Orientation: There is overwhelming research on job satisfaction and work engagement as it relates to the private sector when compared with the public sector. Noting differences between the two sectors, the undeniable importance of the latter and that its employees are central to service delivery the dynamics of the concepts must be understood comprehensively. This study aims to add to this body of knowledge.Research purpose: To determine the level of job satisfaction and work engagement at National Treasury, and whether job satisfaction is a significant predictor of work engagement.Motivation for the study: South African Government’s financial performance, which is largely the responsibility of National Treasury is unsatisfactory. As this responsibility is carried out by its employees, noting that job satisfaction and work engagement are some of the more recognised antecedents for employee performance, these need to be understood as the first step towards intervention.Research approach/ design and method: A quantitative approach was followed wherein two questionnaires were administered via online census survey to all employees (n = 1189). Data collected were analysed using the mean and the frequency polygon. Multiple linear regression was conducted using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).Main findings: Somewhat low levels of job satisfaction and work engagement were observed. Multiple linear regression has confirmed that job satisfaction is a predictor of work engagement (R2 = 49.1%). It was also discovered that non-monetary aspects of the former such as communication and access to promotional opportunities are significant predictors while pay is not.Practical / managerial implications: Job satisfaction, which relates to a focused state of work engagement, can also be harnessed through non-monetary aspects of the job.Contribution/ value added: The study provided insight into the level of job satisfaction and engagement at National Treasury and reinforced the sentiment that satisfied employees tend to be vigorous, dedicated and absorbed.

scholarly journals Managing employee performance in transition economies: A study of Vietnamese public organisations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Tai Anh Vu
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Contextual Factors ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Theoretical Research ◽  
The Public

<p>Public employees’ poor performance has been cited as one of the leading factors in the failure of reform programmes in developing countries. Although previous employee performance reforms have targeted selection, training, appraisal and compensation, agreement exists that these problems persist. Improving employee performance has proven difficult in developing and developed countries alike.  Motivated by the New Public Management (NPM), employee performance management (PM) has been widely introduced by developed and developing countries as a public sector reform. Employee PM supposedly furthers development objectives by improving performance, enhancing accountability and aligning employee efforts with organisational goals. Unfortunately, the literature has reported many failed PM reforms. Arguably, employee PM in the public sector usually faces several difficulties, including the diversity of stakeholders, bounded delegated authority, ambiguous organisational and job goals, as well as the inherent complexity of employee PM activities. The situation is even more challenging for developing countries due to contextual problems of weak institutions, weak capacity and traditional cultures. There are perspectives that employee PM may not be compatible in developing contexts.  Although there is no shortage of research on employee PM, most is theoretical research or conducted in developed countries. Empirical research in developing countries, particularly in the public sector, remains sparse. To address this gap, this research investigates whether employee PM is applicable or effective in the developing context, as well as exploring which contextual factors affect its development.  To answer these research questions, a mixed methods approach guided by the research philosophy of pragmatism was adopted. The data for this research was gathered from 30 interviews and a survey of 322 respondents from 29 different organisations across five central Ministries and two provinces in Vietnam as a transitional economy with a strong effect of Confucian culture.  This study contributes to the literature by providing some key findings. Firstly, it confirms that if well designed and implemented, PM can work in the public sector in developing countries. This finding supports the perspective that the failure of PM schemes is mostly because of implementation shortcomings rather than theory defects. Secondly, it proposes a formula for the effective implementation of PM in the developing context. Specifically, it is a combination of five PM practices, including goal-based appraisal, feedback, reward-for-performance, addressing poor performers and employee participation. Thirdly, the development of employee PM in developing countries is driven by three contextual factors: agency accountability, HR autonomy, and entrepreneurial leadership. Fourthly, PM is not only a tool to improve organisational performance, but also an important mediation agent to transmit the effect of other reform activities on desirable outcomes. Finally, the effect of the contextual factors on development of employee PM is weakened by interpersonal relationships and nepotism while being strengthened by communication and training.  Based on these findings, this research proposes strategic solutions for policy-makers while providing specific suggestions for practitioners to develop effective PM systems. It also discusses some implications and identifies gaps for researchers in the future.</p>

Challenges in the Implementation of Performance Management System in Namibian Public Sector

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 25-34
Author(s):  
Stewart Kaupa ◽  
Sulaiman Olusegun Atiku
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
Management System ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Performance Management System ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
The Public ◽  
A Performance

Organizational performance of the management system helps top management achieve strategic business objectives and goals. It provides valid and useful information for making strategic decisions concerning employees. It includes information on employee’ performance, and organizational and supervisor’s expectations. Despite the benefits arising from the implementation of a well-designed performance management system, the public sector in Namibia still faces challenges when it comes to its realization. It is against this background that this study aimed to investigate the challenges faced by the public sector in the implementation of a performance management system in Namibia. The study used a qualitative research method and collected data through interviews. The sample consists of 42 participants. The data gathered was reviewed against the literature on the subject. The thematic data analysis technique was used to analyze the data, where core topics emerging from the discussion and interviews were grouped and analyzed. This research identifies a lack of training and proper orientation in performance management as primary challenges in adopting a performance management system in the public sector. The other contributing factors include inadequate monitoring and evaluation, the shortage of policies supporting the implementation process, poor communication in performance planning, performance reviews, poor feedback on performance and lack of employee involvement in the implementation of the performance management system. Hence, management should provide training and workshops to sensitize the employees on the aims and benefits of a performance management system and develop policies to enforce compliance in the public sector.

scholarly journals Linkage between Leaders’ Behaviour in Performance Management, Organisational Justice and Work Engagement in Public Sector

Economies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 15
Author(s):  
Živilė Stankevičiūtė ◽  
Asta Savanevičienė
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Goal Setting ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Employee Attitudes ◽  
The Public ◽  
Organisational Justice ◽  
Positive Effect

In the last decade, leaders’ behaviour in performance management has been gaining increasing attention, arguing that it is beneficial in terms of improved employee attitudes, behaviour, and performance in the public sector. However, empirical support for such claim is still scant. Given the relevance of work engagement and organisational justice in the public sector and acknowledging a worldwide employee engagement crisis, the paper aims at revealing the linkage between leaders’ behaviour in performance management, organisational justice, and employee engagement in the public sector. In doing this, quantitative data were collected in a survey from employees working in the public sector in Lithuania (299 responses). The findings showed that goal setting and feedback had a significant and positive effect on employee engagement, supporting the theoretical notion that leaders’ behaviour in performance management was crucial in engaging people. As it was expected, goal setting and feedback had a positive effect on organisational justice; meanwhile, organisational justice significantly and positively predicted employee engagement. Turning to the mechanism by which leaders’ behaviour influences work engagement, it seems that organisational justice partly mediated the relationships between goal setting and employee engagement and fully mediated the relationships between feedback and work engagement. These findings affirm that public sector should strive for improving the leaders’ behaviour in performance management as it in turn might impact overall organisational performance.

Performance management in the public sector

2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 478-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Fryer ◽  
Jiju Antony ◽  
Susan Ogden
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
The Public

Research from China finds no significant difference in impact of public service motivation (PSM) in public and private sectors

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Intention To Leave ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The authors assumed PSM would be higher in the public sector, but they set up a trial to find out if this was the case. Design/methodology/approach To test their theories, the authors conducted two independent surveys. The first consisted of 220 usable responses from public sector employees in Changsha, China. The second survey involved 260 usable responses from private sector employees taking an MBA course at a university in the Changsha district. A questionnaire was used to assess attitudes. Findings The results found no significant difference between the impact of public sector motivation (PSM) on employee performance across the public and private sectors. The data showed that PSM had a significant impact on self-reported employee performance, but the relationship did not differ much between sectors. Meanwhile, it was in the private sector that PSM had the greatest impact on intention to leave. Originality/value The authors said the research project was one of the first to test if the concept of PSM operated in the same way across sectors. It also contributed, they said, to the ongoing debate about PSM in China.

Performance Management in the Public Sector

2015 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damian West ◽  
Deborah Blackman
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
The Public

scholarly journals ANALISIS PENGUKURAN KINERJA PEMERINTAH DAERAH DALAM ERA OTONOMI DAERAH DI KABUPATEN SORONG PROVINSI PAPUA BARAT

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yohanis S. Ulimpa ◽  
Jullie J. Sondakh ◽  
Treesje Runtu
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Performance Indicator ◽  
Regional Autonomy ◽  
The Public ◽  
Performance Accountability ◽  
District Government ◽  
Papua Barat

In line with regional autonomy that is oriented towards empowerment (emporwerment) and community guidance in the implementation of clean authority and free of corruption, collusion and nepotism, the public sector is often regarded as a nest of wasteful efficiency and institutional fund leakage that always loses money. But the public sector still has wide opportunities to improve the performance of the benefits of resources economically, effectively and efficiently. Knowing the performance measurement of the Sorong Regency government. Knowing the role of indicators in the Sorong Regency government. The method used in this study is descriptive qualitative. The result is the performance measurement of the local government is carried out because of the provisions of the central government to make performance accountability reports for each government agency.Keywords :Performance Measurement, Performance Indicator, LAKIP, Sorong District Government   

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