The population for the study included senior managers attending the Khaedu action learning program and the sample size was fifty. Creating benefits for all with employee unions Table 5.19 Topic 4 - Financial management Table 5 .20 Topic 5 - Communication for results.
Introduction
The public service has continued to use traditional methods of development management and change management, despite evidence that these methods are not suitable for the demands of a public service in transformation. An alternative method that is being successfully used in management development is the action learning approach.
Research Background
Accordingly, the focus of this study will be largely on leadership development, with specific reference to action learning and how it is perceived by senior managers employed in the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Public Service who participated in the Khaedu Action Learning Programme. The Senior Management Service comprises the administrative management of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Administration, which totals 614 (KZNPA HRP, 2004).
Literature Review
Achieving the vision, mission and strategic objectives of the provincial government and those of individual departments is the responsibility of these Senior Managers. So is their ongoing development to ensure they have the competencies to achieve individual and organizational performance objectives.
Motivation for the Research
The Khaedu Action Learning program was developed as an action learning program to improve management skills to deliver Batho Pele as well as facilitate implementations to the coal face. The purpose of this research is to provide information that will enable the researcher to develop a deeper understanding of senior managers' perceptions of action learning with specific reference to the Khaedu Action Learning program and make recommendations for improving management development.
Value of the Project
A unit dedicated to the development of managerial personnel, called the Center for Public Sector Management, will operate within the Regional Academy. The findings of the research will assist the executive and administrative management and the board of the academy in making decisions about the approach and methodology to be adopted in relation to the development of management in the provincial public service.
The Research Question
The information will contribute to creating a better understanding of action learning as a management development tool and the role of action learning in improving individual and organizational capabilities. The province is in the process of establishing a Provincial Public Service Training Academy that will be responsible for the training and development of all its staff.
Objectives of the Study
The questionnaire will be administered to senior managers employed in the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Administration. As the survey will be conducted in the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Administration, permission will be obtained from the Director General to administer the questionnaire.
Limitations of the Project
The questionnaire will be pilot tested on 5 senior executives and will then be manually distributed to senior executives selected from the consolidated class list. The data will be analyzed by identifying themes and connecting the themes to a theoretical framework based on the action learning equation and the twelve elements for successful action learning.
Structure of the Study
Conclusion
Introduction
Action Learning
Workplaces in organizations are used by managers as places for learning and not the training room that is far from the actual work environment. Using workplaces allows the learning to be an integral part of the strategic, operational and management activities of the organization.
Adult learning
Competencies
Experiential learning
Through the process of reflection, students derive useful knowledge that results in actionable learning. This learning is an inductive process and is based on the fact that the learning activity is a structured experience within which the inductive process can be finalized.
Groups
George & Singh (2000) also indicate that experiential learning occurs when students participate in an activity and then critically reflect on the activity. Based on this, the more effective training methods will include discussions, simulations, practical exercises, field experience, project work and other participatory action learning techniques.
Learning organisation
Organisational Change
Organisational development
Organizational development is a planned change effort that evolves the total system managed from the top toward greater organizational effectiveness through planning. interventions that use behavioral scientific knowledge. Organizational development is a process of planned organizational change that centers on a change agent who, in collaboration with the client's systems, seeks to apply valuable knowledge from behavioral science to the client's problems.
Organisational learning
Using knowledge and techniques from behavioral sciences, organizational development attempts to integrate individual needs for growth and development into organizational goals and objectives in order to create more effective organizations. To achieve a learning culture it must be embedded in the organization's value and belief system.
Perception
Argyris & Schon (1978:29) state that 'organizational learning occurs when organizational members act as learning agents for the organization, responding to changes in the organization's internal and external environments by detecting errors in the organizational theories used and to correct. and embedding the results of their research into private images and shared maps of the organization." According to Hirschfield, cited in Human (1991), an organization exhibits a learning culture when change is not seen as a threat, but as an opportunity to learn and develop; where staff accept the need for lifelong learning;
Performance Management
Porter, Lawler & Hackman (1981) describe perception as an active process whereby an individual selectively absorbs various aspects of his/her environment and evaluates this in terms of his/her past experiences, needs and values . As one individual's past experiences, needs and values differ from another's, so will their perceptions.
Single and Double loop learning
The central ideas of the above definitions are the integrated and total approach to people management. The definitions emphasize that performance management is as stated by Rudman (2003) a process for integrating organizational performance with people management.
Team learning
Transformation
Transformative learning
Conclusion
Introduction
Management Development
According to Charlton (1993), there is a perception in industry that formal management training contributes minimally to business success. In order to develop a deeper understanding of leadership development, according to Hale & Margerison (2004), it is necessary to reformulate the way we see leadership training and development in relation to what is effective and what is not effective leadership training and development.
Management Development in the Context of the South African Public Service
- The Republic of South Africa Constitution
- White Paper on Transformation in the Public Service
- Public Service Regulations (PSR)
- White Paper on Public Service Training and Education (WPPSTE)
In Chapter 4 - Part 1 of the Public Service Regulations (2001) the Senior Management Service (SMS) was established to ensure under the Regulation (2001:46) that. The Public Service recognizes and is serious about developing the capacity of its senior managers.
Approaches to Management Development
The public service once viewed business as an unsuitable partner, but now it views business as a role model. According to the Public Service Handbook (2001), the fundamental priority of government remains improved service delivery, and for this it needs a public service that is modern, people-centred, flexible, creative, innovative, open to collaboration and partnership with all stakeholders. .
Action Learning
Meyer and Boninelli (2004) maintain that the advantage of the action learning approach is that the concrete experience provides the anchor and context for learning that makes it relevant to the real world of work. Participants in Action Learning learn by generating insights, rather than gathering knowledge and advice.
Twelve-Element Action Learning Framework
- Sponsor
- Strategic Mandate
- Selecting Participants
- Forming Learning Teams
- Coaching
- Orientation to the Issue
- Data Gathering
- Data Analysis
- Draft Presentation
- Presentation
- Reflection (Debriefing)
This is not a random process and Action Learning forces participants to think systematically, politically and realistically. Here, the knowledge gained during weeks of action learning is put to the test.
Action Learning in the Public Service
The program consists of a 5-day basic skills program and a 5-day coal mining deployment. At the end of this phase, participants should be ready to deploy to coal.
Conclusion
Reports are presented to the management of the department, unit or institution so that it becomes part of the overall change effort.
Introduction
Formulating and Clarifying the Topic
Literature Review
These were obtained from the records maintained at the Directorate: Human Resource Development Library and Resource center in the Office of the Prime Minister in KwaZulu-Natal, as well as from the websites www.gov.za and www.dpsa.gov.za. Magazines and books were sourced from the libraries of the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the University of South Africa.
Research Design and Strategy
- Survey Instrument
- Sampling
- Data Collection
- Setting up Data for Analysis
Permission was therefore sought by way of a minute from the Director General of the Province to undertake the study in the Provincial Administration and to administer the questionnaire on the fifty senior managers. In cases where senior managers were not available, the questionnaire was handed over to their personal assistants/secretaries.
Conclusion
The statistical package MoonStats was used to analyze the data to obtain bar graphs, histograms, pie charts and frequency tables. Although the data was limited, it was used only as guidance to support the emerging themes outlined in Chapter 5.
Introduction
Section A: Background Information
- Title of Post and Post level
- Length of Service in the Public Service
- No. of Years in SMS Position
- Gender
- Qualification
With regard to seniority in the public service, 30% of the respondents have more than 21 years of seniority, while 23% have between 6 and 10 years of seniority. In relation to the government's transformation agenda, the aim is to have 50% women at top management level in the public service.
Section B: Analysis of Scaled and Force Choice Questions
Theme One: Personal Development Planning
Regarding the first question, assessment of personal development needs, 51.85% of the respondents indicated that their personal development needs were undertaken every year, while 48.15% indicated that their personal development needs were not undertaken every year. . For the second question regarding whether or not SMS members have a personal development plan, 70.00% of respondents indicated that they have a personal development plan and 30.00% do not have a personal development plan.
Theme Two: Perceptions of Traditional Classroom Based Learning
In terms of how the participants perceived the traditional classroom-based management development programs, 40% of the respondents found the programs to be effective and 30% somewhat effective. Most of the information is lost if it is not applied immediately, while the theory is beneficial, there is no opportunity to practice;.
Theme three: Perception of the Relevance of the Core Skills Programme
For this question, 63.33% of respondents rated process design, problem solving, and business mathematics as very important and 30% as moderately important. For this question, 60% of respondents rated creating effective organizations and strategies as very important and 23.33% as moderately important.
Theme Four: Perceptions of the Deployment phase of the action learning Programme
In the case of the Khaedu action learning programme, the induction phase was the practical part of the programme. For question fourteen, 62.07% of respondents strongly agreed that action learning during the induction phase promoted experiential learning, with 34.48% agreeing and 3.45% strongly disagreeing.
Theme Six: Contribution to performance
For question 32, 58.62% of respondents strongly agree that the implementation teams form a network to share ideas, support and feedback, and 41.38% agree. Regarding questions and 25 over 80% of respondents strongly agree/agree that the Khaedu Action Learning program developed their expertise in the specified topics covered in the 5-day core skills program.
Theme Seven: Organisational Improvement
30% strongly agree that the Khaedu Action Learning program will contribute to the creation of a learning organization, 50% agree with 20% unsure. The Khaedu Action Learning program was introduced to enable managers to implement Batho Pele and improve service delivery.
Theme Eight: Reflection
Section C: Analysis of Open Ended Questions
Differences between Traditional Classroom Based Management Development Programme and the Khaedu Action Learning Programme
In the Khaedu Action Learning Program, the guidance of the facilitator/coach made it easier to apply the skills learned. Reflection, which is part of the action learning process, strengthened the impact on self-development.
Important lessons learnt from the Khaedu Action Learning Programme
While respondents indicated that the program improved their performance, they were unclear about its impact on performance. They cited the fact that it is important for the workplace to provide opportunities for learning to be implemented and for more people to participate so that the language and approaches of Khaedu Action Learning are understood by all.
The Khaedu Action Learning Programme has the necessary support to succeed
Referral should be mandatory and a refresher course on department specific issues will be conducted 6 months later. It should be used throughout the public administration and more staff should be introduced to it.
Conclusion
Introduction
Personal development planning
Conclusions
Recommendation
Traditional Classroom Based Management Development
Conclusions
Recommendations
Relevance of the Khaedu Core Skills Programme
Conclusions
This is the core phase for action learning and should be maintained in its current form and replicated on all management development programs and not limited to Senior Management programs. It should be introduced in the junior and middle management development programs to inculcate the culture of action learning and problem solving.
Teams and Team Learning
Conclusions
Honorable Prime Minister should identify a list of common challenges every year and establish action learning groups to develop solutions to these challenges. Department heads should form action learning groups within their departments to address specific departmental problems.
Contribution to Individual Performance
Conclusions
As already indicated, the delivery and learning approach adopted by the Khaedu Action Learning Program should be adopted and replicated for all management development programmes, including the content. Further research should be undertaken in this area to test the perceptions expressed by the respondents.
Organisational Improvement
Conclusions
To achieve this, a learning network should be organized regularly to share the information and best practices generated by action learning. Reports should be posted on provincial government websites for easy access, and where best practices have been identified, benchmarking should be facilitated.
Conclusion
Province-wide reports must be submitted to the Provincial Cabinet, chaired by the Honorable Premier who is the Sponsor of the Programme. It is therefore critical that the knowledge generated is managed for the benefit of the organization.
Bibliography
Hellriegel, D., Jackson, S.E., en Slocum, J., 2001, Management, South African Edition, Oxford University Press, Kaapstad, Suid-Afrika. Meyer, T.N.A., en Boninelli, I., 2004, Conversations in Leadership: South African Perspectives, Knowledge Resources (Pty) Ltd, Randburg, South Africa.
QUESTIONNAIRE
- Title of Post
- Length of service in the Public Service: 1-5 yrs ll-15yrs I I 16-20yrs I 1
- Number of years in SMS position
- The assessment of your personal development needs is a. undertaken annually
- In terms of the SMS Performance Management and Development System all SMS members should have a personal development plan. You currently
- The five-day Core Skills Training on the Khaedu Action Learning
- The energy and synergy generated by working with people from dissimilar backgrounds stimulates learning
- The Khaedu Action Learning Programme developed your expertise in process mapping, time, capacity, value analysis and best demonstrated
- The Khaedu Action Learning Programme developed your expertise in organisational effectiveness
- The Khaedu Action Learning Programme developed your management expertise in people management
- The Khaedu Action Learning Programme developed your expertise in budgeting and control
- Reflection is an important part of the learning experience. The reflection during your deployment of what you learnt during the core skills programme
- The Khaedu Action Learning Programme can be a major enabler in the change process
- The deployment has enabled you to apply and transfer the knowledge you have gained to your workplace
- The deployment phase of the Khaedu Action Learning Programme enabled you to learn by doing
- The deployment phase of the Khaedu Action Learning Programme developed your ability to generate, analyse and present information
- Working in teams during the deployment phase contributed towards the breaking down of barriers that normally exist across functional lines
- The deployment teams provide a network for sharing ideas, support and feedback
- You have been able to effect changes to your current work environment by applying the skills you have learnt on the Khaedu Action Learning
- The deployment placed you in an environment out of your comfort zone which allowed you to view service delivery problems from a different
- Recommendations made in the deployment reports were well received by the management teams from the deployment sites
The placement phase of the Khaedu Action Learning Program developed your skills to work in a team. The deployment phase of the Khaedu Action Learning Program enabled you to learn by doing.
UNIVERSITY OF
KWAZULU-NATAL
