Managing diversity in the transformation of pubic further education and training colleges in KwaZulu-Natal.

The college managers of the nine public FET colleges in the province of KwaZulu-Natal for their cooperation during the conduct of the interviews. The increasing racial and ethnic diversity of the workforce in the FET colleges highlights the importance of managing diversity effectively.

INTRODUCTION 1

The researcher is of the opinion that the goals of transformation cannot be achieved without proper and effective diversity management of FET colleges. The researcher is of the opinion that the goals of transformation cannot be achieved without proper and effective diversity management in FET colleges.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 6

The government's mission is for human resources management in the public sector to become a model of excellence. The next chapter outlines the exploration of diversity management in the FET colleges in the KwaZulu-Natal province.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 11

Significance of the Study 11

This positioning of the FET band requires the managers to become transformational leaders that would be. Transformation of the FET sector needs managers who will be able to manage diversity in the merged FET colleges without losing the vision of establishing the further education and training system.

Problem Statement 16

Human (2005:1) argues that factors such as managers' lack of understanding of the concept of diversity, failure to integrate diversity into the strategic agenda and people management systems, and the inability of top management to monitor performance manage diversity in the field of diversity. as well as other strategic issues could militate against the implementation of diversity management policies in the public FET institutions. Barriers to diversity management lie in the human resources available to achieve the comprehensive changes envisioned in the institutional transformation strategy plan (Daft & Marcic 2007:31).

AIMS OF THE STUDY 18

Objectives of the study 22

To investigate barriers to the successful implementation of diversity management policies in the FET college sector in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. To determine whether the historically disadvantaged campuses benefit from diversity management and transformation processes.

Research Questions 23

RESEARCH METHODS 23

Literature Survey 24

A review of diversity management literature, with particular emphasis on the role of college leaders and staff, represented by unions, was conducted. The process involved consulting written or printed records of past events.

The semi-structured interview 24

The researcher interpreted these documents to provide explanations of the past and to elucidate collective administrative understandings that may underlie current practices and issues. This method gives the researcher an opportunity to get to know people closely so that he can truly understand how they think and feel about diversity and diversity management in colleges.

DEMARCATION OF THE FIELD OF STUDY 25

Esayidi FET College on the South Coast of the Province which has the following campuses under its administration: Enyenyezi, Port Shepstone, Gamalakhe, Clysdale, Kokstad and Umzimkhulu campuses. Mnambithi FET College in the north-western part of the province, covering campuses in Ladysmith, Ezakheni and Estcourt.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY 29

The KwaZulu-Natal Province is therefore a microcosm of the country, representative of other provinces, and reflects the FET college administrative system as it functions throughout South Africa. The researcher hopes that by means of participatory research method, a better understanding of the implementation of diversity management in FET colleges will be obtained.

DEFINITION OF CONCEPTS 30

Further Education and Training 30
College Manager 32
Managing Diversity 33
Cluster 34
Stereotypes 35
Affirmative Action 36
Employment Equity 37
Transformation 37
Culture 39
Globalisation 40

In this study, the concept of 'managing diversity' has been used to refer to the practical application of 'managing diversity', which enables FET colleges with a. For the purposes of this study, the concept of 'affirmative action' has been used to refer to the deliberate and practical steps that need to be implemented to eliminate the inequalities created by the deliberate design of the previous apartheid government.

PROGRAMME OF STUDY 41

This chapter also identifies and describes current diversity management practices in FET colleges in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Chapter 4 provides an outline of the research into diversity management in FET colleges in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.

CONCLUSION 42

There were different education policies and education departments for each of the four racial groups in the country. Section A has seven articles that aim to determine demographic variables in the management structures of nine public FET colleges.

LITERATURE SURVEY

HISTORY AND THEORY OF DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT 47

Social Identity Theory 51
Embedded Intergroup Relations Theory 51
Ethnology 52

The composition of the public service workforce determines whether the members of the public have equal access to the benefits and rewards. Moreover, Ramaite argues that the essential ingredients for responsiveness in the public bureaucracy are the attitudes and values of the people who make up the public service.

TRADITIONAL APPROACHES TO DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT 53

Diversity Enlargement 53
Diversity Sensitivity 54
Cultural Audit 55

The managers rarely focus on redesigning human resource systems and practice, such as pay and promotion systems, that give clear messages about what behavior is valued in the culture (Cox 1993:127). Cultural audits should not only focus on the differences between groups, but should also identify the similarities between groups that can strengthen the culture and supporting human resource systems to achieve organizational goals. That is, it is assumed that all members of a minority group, whether women, racial-ethnic minorities or differentially skilled, have the same human resource needs.

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT FOR PUBLIC

Second, they have the limitation of often being presented as isolated strategies without linking to other relevant HR subsystems. HR policies that support diversity can help the culture to continuously adapt in response to new environmental demands. At the organizational level, performance can be improved, marketing can be improved as organizations are hopefully better able to reflect and adapt to different markets, flexibility can be increased and improved recruitment of top power inputs can result. worker (Thomas 1990:116). .

MANAGING DIVERSITY IN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS 58

Crous argues that the ultimate purpose of the state is to promote the common good. There are several legislative and policy measures affecting the transformation of the public service. Affirmative action is part of a legislative framework affecting the transformation of the South African public service.

BARRIERS TO DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT INHERITED FROM

College Councils 61
Staff Supply Development 64
Finance 67

The previous framework for funding 67
Current framework for funding 68

PRESSURES FOR CHANGE IN THE FET LANDSCAPE 69

The De Lange Report 69
The political, social and economic factors 71
Globalisation 74
The need to redress past inequity 78

GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT IN FET COLLEGES 79

Organisational structure of public FET colleges 81

Board, as well as a member of all the committees of the College Board and Academic Board. The organizational design of the KwaZulu-Natal Education Department provides for the establishment of two Directorates for Further Education and Training (FET) within the Main Directorate of FET colleges. A key feature of the Further Education and Training Act 16 of 2006 was the granting of considerable autonomy to FET colleges.

Figure 2.4 Organisational structure of a Public FET College Source Further Education and Training Act 16 of 2006:54

THE NEED FOR CHANGE 86

These processes will actually become the rules of colleges and the strategic behavior of the new culture. Colleges must adopt an internal funding formula that recognizes the different starting positions of campuses and does not attempt to. The researcher is of the opinion that there has been no radical reform of FET institutions in KwaZulu-Natal.

UNIONS AS AGENTS OF CHANGE 90

In practice, unions have a mixed record in challenging discrimination against disadvantaged groups (Dickens, Townley & Winchester 1988:65). However, consultation does not result in mutually binding agreements, suggesting that collective bargaining is the most powerful tool available to the union (Phizacklea 1994:120). This study is an attempt to examine the extent to which unions have prioritized addressing diversity management issues, including cross-group equality in FET institutions.

CONCLUSION 93

This set of basic values and principles raised in Chapter 10 of the Constitution governs public administration. In their description of top-of-the-range organisations, Smit and Cronjé draw attention to the following. In attempting to achieve this, the researcher categorized the data according to the objectives of the study (see Table 4.4).

CONCEPTUAL AND THEORETICAL

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 100

There is still no general consensus on the definition of public administration (Fox & Meyer 1995:3). Public administration is the machinery, as well as the integral process, through which government performs its functions (Nnoli 2000:44). As an academic discipline, Public Administration is of fairly recent origin compared to the practice of public administration as an activity (Nnoli 2000:45).

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH

Public administration in the Republic of South Africa
The transformation of the South African Public Service 107

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 109
Labour Relations Act of 1995 112
Affirmative Action 113
Employment Equity Act of 1998 116

The challenge of transforming the Civil Service is therefore one of the central tasks that must be achieved in order to address the development challenges facing the country (Peneliah & Moodley 2002:24). However, Ramaite (2001:1) claims that macro policies have been developed faster than the ability of the Civil Service to implement them effectively. More specifically, it includes human resource activities such as recruitment, appointments, promotions, transfers and dismissals of members of the public service.

TRANSFORMATION OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN PUBLIC

Accountability and Transparency 123
Representivity and Inclusivity 124
Empowerment and Capacity Building 125

These values and principles correspond to the Bill of Rights of the new Constitution, and place particular emphasis on the transformation of national and provincial departments as well as the processes of management and governance in public institutions. The White Paper on Education and Training states that restoring the management culture involves the creation of a culture of accountability. Each level of management is accountable to the others, and must ensure open communication channels and fair administrative structures in support of the principle of transparency.

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT FOR PUBLIC

The importance of the human dimension in management 128

People as people 129
People as resources 129
People as social systems 130

Leadership in the context of institutional administration 130
Afrocentric approach to leadership 133

The organization is one of the instruments an employee can use to realize his goals. Informal groups also develop in the organization on the basis of the employees' individual needs, not the organization's, which they must satisfy. Managing this complex resource in the organization, guiding the behavior of or leading the employees in an organization requires a complicated management activity, namely management.

MANAGING DIVERSITY IN AN ORGANISATION 135

Forms of diversity 137
Dimensions of diversity 140

Primary dimensions 141
Secondary dimensions 142

Conceptualising diversity 143
Theoretical bases of diversity management 145

Individual Development Model 145
Group Developmental Model 148

In each of their managerial roles, managers can either promote effective diversity management or undermine such efforts. When secondary dimensions of diversity are added to the mix, effective human relations become even more difficult. This study focuses on the effective management of diversity in an environment that is becoming increasingly diverse in all aspects.

Figure 3.1 Important dimensions of diversity which are characteristics that describe people

THE NEED FOR DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA 149

Smit and Cronjé argue that organizations in South Africa have generally not been very successful in managing women and cultural diversity in the workplace. While many issues related to diversity have been around for some time, many organizations are becoming concerned again as new trends emerge in the workplace. The biggest challenge related to the issue of diversity and multicultural management is the changing composition of the workforce.

Figure 3.3 Trends and changes that influence thinking about diversity management in organisations

CHALLENGES FACING DIVERSITY MANAGERS 154

The public service must be committed to society for the betterment of the society in which it exists, in addition to its commitment to the democratic government of today. It is true that the community service obligation of public service is a constant test of how the development and implementation of government policy will actually improve people's lives. Once government has set its outcomes, public service leaders must be able to set the purpose and direction of their organizations in a way that will best achieve those goals.

CONCLUSION 156

Therefore, the researcher was of the opinion that there was no other more appropriate and valuable. The second section of the semi-structured interview schedule aimed to uncover current experiences, feelings, understanding and implementation of diversity management policy in FET colleges. The second section of the semi-structured interview aimed to discover the current beliefs, feelings, attitudes, experiences and understandings of managing diversity in middle managers of FET colleges.

RESEARCH DESIGN, METHODOLOGY AND

AIM OF THE QUALITATIVE METHODOLOGY 160

The qualitative approach aligns with the interpretive paradigm by allowing the researcher access to a natural context. Furthermore, this helps the researcher to determine what people do, how they do it and why they do it in their workplace. The researcher tried to give meaning to the feelings, experiences and social situations or phenomena that occur in universities by visiting these middle managers in their working environment and studying them in their natural environment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SAMPLE POPULATION 162

The education and vocational training of the people of KwaZulu-Natal was previously under the authority of various education departments. There was the Department of Education and Culture - House of Assembly, responsible for white students; Department of Education and Culture - House of Delegates, responsible for Indian students; Department of Education and Culture-House of Representatives, responsible for black students and two education departments, namely the Department of Education and Culture (KwaZulu Self-Governing Government) and the Department of Education and Training (DET), which were both responsible for providing of education for students of color. With the introduction of a single, non-racial system of further education and training, all twenty-four technical colleges in the province of KwaZulu-Natal were brought together under the administration and management of a principal director.

HOW THE RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED 164

Development of a semi-structured interview schedule 165
Administration of the semi-structured interview schedule 166

Pilot study 166
Final administration of the semi-structured interviews 167

A personal application was made to the Superintendent-General of the KwaZulu Department of Midwifery Education for permission to collect data from FET colleges in the province (see Appendix B). After permission was granted (see Appendix C), the researcher wrote a similar letter for permission to the chancellors of the nine public FET faculties to carry out the research in their faculties. One hundred thirteen (96%) respondents indicated that they understood the concept of diversity management and that they also valued diversity.