Leadership and performance: a South African public sector case study

[摘要] ENGLISH SUMMARY : Leaders in public sector departments in South Africa operate in an environment that is different from that in which private sector departments operate. They also have an array of challenges, but still they are expected to perform and deliver a public service that makes a positive contribution to the lives of the people that that they lead as well as the lives of the citizens they provide the service to. With the service delivery protests and the outcry from the South African public for public leaders to become more accountable and effective, the researcher became interested in the effect that leadership may or may not have on the performance of an organization.The Department of Environmental Affairs, Branch: Environmental Programmes (EP Branch) is used as a case study to explore the concepts of leadership and performance. The purpose of this study is to explore the possible effect leadership has on organizational performance at the EP Branch, coupled with an investigation into the challenges faced by the organization, whilst simultaneously aiming to find ideas to suggest how performance could be improved. Furthermore, the study attempts to identify a desired leadership style for improved performance at the EP Branch.A case study design and a methodology that include a descriptive survey, a desktop review, and interviews to collect primary and secondary data are employed to do the fieldwork. The methods used include a self-administered questionnaire, desk study of internal documents, and informal one-on-one meetings, used under each of the methodologies employed. The desk review and interviews are used to collect secondary data that is held by the organization, whilst the questionnaire is used to collect primary data by testing the knowledge and perceptions held by the research participants. A total of 19 out of the sample population of 22 senior managers participated in the survey. The responses to closed-ended questions on the survey questionnaire are analyzed by using Statistica 13, computer software used by Stellenbosch University's online survey services, whilst the responses to open-ended questions are analyzed by using themes and summaries to explain and describe the response.The findings of the study show that leadership style does have an effect on organizational performance. However, the findings show that challenges faced by the organization can influence the performance capacity of the organization. Furthermore, the context in which the organization functions and in which the leader leads can also impact on the organization's overall performance. Lastly, the findings show that participative leadership as well as a combination of different leadership styles are mostly demonstrated at the EP Branch. These styles are found to be conducive to organizational performance.Owing to time constraints, the study was limited to only senior managers, thereby excluding the knowledge and perceptions held by junior and middle managers. Also, the employee's personal performance was not taken into account as the focus was on the organization's overall performance. These limitations could possibly become future research projects.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University