STAFF DEVELOPMENT POLICIES AND SERVICE DELIVERY IMPROVEMENT IN THE DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS
Date
2014-01-20
Authors
Tsipane, Lawrence Tshwaro
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Abstract
Before 2008, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) received criticism for the poor level of
services it provided and was accused of having high levels of corruption. In 2008, the DHA
developed and implemented a turnaround strategy to, among others, improve its service
delivery. This strategy appears to have been successful as citizens and critics moved from
being highly critical of the department, to openly praising it for efficient service delivery. The
implementation of skills development initiatives was a significant aspect of the strategy. The
introduction of all new systems and technologies was supported by an elaborate and
sustained process of building the capacity of the staff.
This research project sought to determine the extent to which managers in the DHA
believed that the implementation of staff development policies has contributed to service
delivery improvements in the department and to establish what measures were put in place
to sustain the implementation thereof. In-depth interviews were conducted with key
informants within the department.
This report therefore, present the perceptions or views of the respondents in relation to the
role of skills development, wherein they reported that the strategic focus on skills
development during the Turnaround Project was the main reason for the successful
improvement in the quality of services rendered by the DHA. They further indicated how,
through the turnaround process, an environment conducive to the implementation of skills
development was created in the department. Some valuable advice on how the
implementation of staff development policies can be improved throughout the Public Service
was shared by respondents, including how other departments could learn from the DHA
experience of having turned itself around from a department declared dysfunctional by the
Cape High Court in 2005, to one receiving special mention as a model of good practice in
the National Development Plan Vision -2030.
The main lesson learnt from the DHA case study is that effective implementation of staff
development policies in the public service can contribute significantly towards service
delivery improvement.
Description
MM (P&DM) thesis
Keywords
Staff development, Service delivery