Strategic Leadership and the implementation of Human Resource Development Strategy at the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport.

Abstract

ABSTRACT Since South Africa is a developing state, the role of human resource development within a government department is critical and pivotal in the development and supply of skills required to build roads infrastructure network and transportation that can effectively support economic development and growth. Within the public service, the Human Resource Strategy is positioned as both a strategic vehicle and an institutional mechanism for ensuring a skilled, competent and responsive public service for effective service delivery. However, at present the biggest risk facing government departments is the shortage of skilled and competent public servants which must be provided through appropriate human resource development strategy, systems and interventions. This report considers that human resource development programmes and interventions can yield the desired impact in terms of skills and organisational capability to deliver effective and reliable provincial roads infrastructure networks and transportation systems, provided there is effective strategic leadership in the implementation of the human resource development strategy. This report argues that the problem of strategic leadership in the management of the implementation of human resource development strategy renders the HRD strategy, programmes and interventions ineffective and creates misalignment of HRD intervention with the capacity needs of the department. Furthermore, without effective strategic leadership in the implementation of the human resource development strategy, the Department of Roads and Transport in Gauteng Province, South Africa, will continue to face a shortage of skills, resulting in the increased risk of a chronic infrastructure backlog. Aggravating this situation is the perception that the human resource development function is not a strategic issue, as seen in the way management allocates ii resources, both human and financial, to the HRD strategy implementation process, yet the Public Service HRD policy framework exists to guide all departments on how skills development should be planned, funded and managed. The implementation of human resource development faces challenges because of the lack of strategic leadership and capability. This research was conducted to determine what factors have led to the problem of strategic leadership, as well as what the leadership trends are in the implementation of human resource development strategy. It was found, inter alia, that inadequate involvement of top management in the execution of HRD strategy as well as lack of strategic engagement and conversation among top, senior and junior management in matters concerning the implementation of HRD strategy affects the moral purpose, vision and strategic direction of the HRD strategy. A major finding was that the HRD efforts and interventions are, as a result, perceived as being inadequate to address the strategic objectives of the departments. In addition to insufficient management involvement, the research also found that HRD function lacks leadership skills and is unable to put in place effective HRD strategies and tactics and plans to implement the strategy in manner that will have an impact on the skills shortage. The HRD function is not part of the strategic priority and policy implementation agenda, hence the poor performance of the HRD function in the Department. Overall, strategic leadership remains a problem across management levels and negatively affected the implementation of human resource development strategy. Effective leadership practices ─ in particular strategic leadership ─ is needed in order to improve the implementation of the HRD strategy.