Sustaining administrative effectiveness after municipal elections through change management

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Municipalities are vulnerable to a potential regime change every five years due to municipal elections. These elections leave a municipality susceptible to the instituting of a new political leadership with its own strategies and ideologies. As part of the government sphere considered closest to its citizens, it is essential that municipalities run efficiently and effectively. The new political leadership could, however, propose and institute changes within the municipality which could temporarily threaten the efficiency of the municipality. It is imperative that the change process is managed effectively to ensure minimum disruption to the administration of the municipality and its ability to deliver services to its citizens.This study focuses on change management as an instrument to manage the changes proposed and instituted by a new political leadership post-municipal election. The study explores the role of governance, councillors and administration, as well as examines the effects which regime change has on municipalities, both politically and administratively. It explores change management, the various models and approaches which can be applied to change processes and applies this to the case of an anonymous municipality in the Western Cape.The municipality, used in this study, experienced administrative changes in 2012 with a policy and macrostructure change initiated by the new political leadership. The study uses non-empirical as well as empirical research to illustrate the change process, after which change management principles are applied to this case study.The importance of instituting a sufficient implementation plan based on change management principles is identified as key to ensure that the change process is managed effectively. The study further emphasises the importance of communication to officials throughout the change period. These findings resulted in the development of a Change Management Procedure Model to serve as guideline for municipal management during change periods. This model, which serves as recommendation to the study, will potentially minimise the possible disruption which changes can bring to the municipality and ensure that efficient service delivery is maintained.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University