Leadership of a Diverse Workforce within a South African Municipality

Abstract

Creating and effectively leading workforce diversity is crucial for sustainable development and economic growth in not just South Africa but also in the rest of the world. The purpose of this study was to investigate the state of diversity and leadership thereof within the South African public sector. The democratic South African government had been able to rigorously drive greater racial and gender diversity within the public sector. In depth one on one interviews were conducted with a small diverse group of municipal employees. The main themes and findings that emerged from these interviews were synthesised to formulate an overall view of diversity and the state of diversity leadership within the organisation. The main findings of the research were that employees did not perceive the municipality to be effective in creating and leading diversity. The failure to fully embrace programmes such as affirmative action and equal employment programmes were of concern.