1. Building a Career-Oriented, Professional and Capable Public Service for a Developmental State
Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration and Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation
9 November 2016

2. OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION
Introduction
Basic tenets of the Public Service
Values
Career system (entry into the public service, promotion, application of the merit principle)
The nature of Performance Management
The Political-Administrative Interface (the distinct roles of political and administrative leadership); and
Capacitation/Training and its Funding in the Public Service.
Conclusion 2

3. INTRODUCTION
The NDP emphasises the professionalisation of the Public Service.
One of the values that the PSC should promote requires public administration to be development-oriented.
The PSC, therefore, examined the characteristics of developmental states and the public service that should underpin it.
A key feature of a developmental state is strong institutions with the capability to design and implement development programmes successfully.
The PSC examined the transformation journey of the public service from 1994 to now and asked whether a change in the direction of the development of the Public Service should be made at this point. 3

4. A VALUES DRIVEN PUBLIC SERVICE
The central theme and project for the Public Service is the promotion of the Constitutional values outlined in the Sections 1, 9, the Bill of Rights, and the public administration values in Section 195.
It is recommended that –
all public servants undergo a module of training on the values-base of public service; and
the PSC advises the NSG on the curriculum content of such modules. 4

5. PUBLIC SERVICE CAREERS
Problem statement
Career development in the Public Service seems to be not structured well enough to enable the transfer of skills from one department to another.
Career public servants are not trained in the full scope of work of their occupation so that when an employee progresses in his/her career, the next employer can be confident that the person can perform effectively in such area of work.
Employees move from one job to the other in the public service, many a times on promotion, before becoming proficient in a job.
Promotion is not restricted to a pool of people with specific experience and qualifications and whose proficiency in specific tasks has been proven. 5

6. PUBLIC SERVICE CAREERS (2)
Problem statement (cont)
The career system must be redesigned to systematically create pools of skills and to promote candidates preferentially from a pool of people who possess proven technical as well as generic management competencies.
Prescribing minimum years of experience as a promotion requirement is a start but the issue is not number of years of experience but proficiency in a specified scope of work.
This will require a shift from isolated training initiatives to a long-term approach that focuses on recruiting people with relevant qualifications and developing their proficiency in a specified scope of work over the course of their careers.
This implies a fundamental shift in how careers are managed in the Public Service and is not just a recommendation for good practice. 6

7. PUBLIC SERVICE CAREERS (3)
Based on the problem statement above the PSC, amongst others recommended:
The introduction of a Public Service specific internship:
A possible name could be “Public Administration and Management Intern”.
The internship should prepare a candidate for eventual entry into the MMS, after serving a prescribed period in an occupation that serves as feeder for the MMS.
The entry requirement for the internship should be a three-year degree or diploma.
During the internship period the intern should receive training and experiential learning in a specified scope of work, after which the intern’s proficiency in that scope of work should be certified. 7

8. PUBLIC SERVICE CAREERS (4)
Public Service specific internship:
During the internship period the intern should serve periods in different departments (rotation between departments) pre-selected on the basis that the departments have world-class processes in a particular function that is part of the scope of work of the internship.
The internship should be managed by the National School of Government or other suitable coordinating body.
Entry Exam
The PSC should investigate the introduction of an entry exam or other tests for entry into occupations that serve as feeders for the MMS. 8

9. PUBLIC SERVICE CAREERS (6)
Promotion requirements
It is recommended that a minimum number of years of service be set for promotion from one rank to the next. While at a specific rank, an employee should be exposed to a prescribed scope of work coupled with performance assessment and certification of competence.
Promotion/ entry requirement for the Middle Management Service (MMS) and Senior Management Service (SMS)
With regard to appointment/ promotion to the MMS and SMS, the following options can be considered:
A promotion exam as a requirement for promotion into the MMS and SMS. OR
A prescribed course (or courses) in relevant fields of study, designed by the National School of Government, as a requirement for promotion into the MMS and SMS. 9

10. PUBLIC SERVICE CAREERS (7)
Specification of occupations
It is recommended that all occupations in the Public Service be specified with regard to the following:
The job content.
The entry requirements with regard to task, knowledge and skills proficiency.
Promotion requirements with regard to task, knowledge and skills proficiency.
Career progression and succession planning.
Mobility into and out of the occupation.
Continued professional development requirements.
Testing or certifying that a member of the occupation can do a specified list of tasks or scope of work. It would also mean giving the member of the occupation the opportunity to gain experience in the range of the tasks of the occupation and to consciously manage the process of building experience.
Occupations that serve as feeder for the MMS and SMS should be prioritised. 10

11. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
Problem statement
The performance management system should be evaluated against its own objectives or purpose. The stated objective of the performance management system is that it should facilitate the improvement of service delivery.
Performance management has been reduced to formal procedures and in the process de-emphasised the values of public service that should underlie all public administration processes.
The system relies on templates and the language of key performance areas and performance indicators, which are many a times divorced from the real quality of work, impact of programmes and courtesy towards and responsiveness to citizens.
The system is perceived to be a tool to justify the payment of performance bonuses instead of an honest reflection on performance and how it can be improved. 11

12. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT (2)
Problem statement (cont)
The system is poorly implemented but also has fundamental flaws. A rethink should take into consideration what the real drivers of performance in the public service are, how performance should be judged (not only measured) and what the nature of incentive and reward in the public service should be. 12

13. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT (3)
Based on the problem statement above the PSC recommends:
Undertake an evaluation of the effectiveness of the system against its own stated objectives. Change should be based on a thorough review of the assumptions and effects of the system. Undertake a comparative study/ literature review on performance management systems in other countries.
A number of options for changes in the individual staff assessment system are suggested, eg –
much more use of objective external assessment of service delivery units
It is recommended that –
effective management structures, aligning responsibility, authority and accountability, and
effective performance management systems at the unit level be designed for a number of prioritised service delivery units, where after the structures/ systems can be reviewed across the public service based on the lessons learnt from the exercise.
Consider suspending individual staff assessment in contexts where the preconditions for successful implementation of the system are not met. 13

14. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT (4)
Recommendations (cont)
The nature of incentive and reward in the public service should be fundamentally rethought. Initial reforms could include –
complementing, and even replacing, the cash bonus system based on individual staff assessment with rewards for specific results or products and for unit performance; and
complementing, or even replacing, cash bonuses with rewards designed around the intrinsic value of the job, such as professional recognition. 14

15. POLITICAL-ADMINISTRATIVE INTERFACE
Problem statement
The demarcation between accountability for policy issues and accountability for administrative matters should not be over-simplified.
Therefore, measures to stabilise the political-administrative interface should concentrate on managing the career incidents of HoDs and not to regulate what is policy and what is administration.
Although the Constitution provides for the appointment of a number of persons “on policy considerations” [section 195(4)], such “deployments” are restricted to deputy director-general and director-general and to ministerial advisors.
The Ministerial Directive on Public Administration and Management Delegations [DPSA. 2014] tries to ensure that appointments to posts of chief-director and below are left to heads of department.
So, South Africa has a mixed system and not the classical model of a clear distinction between politics and administration.
The best performing institutions are characterised by stability of leadership and policy approach, whilst poor performance is associated with high turnover. 15

16. POLITICAL-ADMINISTRATIVE INTERFACE (2)
Based on the problem statement above the PSC recommends:
Assignment of powers regarding recruitment, appointment, performance management, transfer, dismissal and other career incidents of employees
Amend Section 3(7) of the PSA to assign all powers with regard to the career incidents of public servants below the level of DDG to the HoD.
Administrative head of the public service and hybrid approach to top appointments
Implement the NDP proposal to create an Administrative Head of the Public Service and a hybrid approach to top appointments. This has legislative and possibly Constitutional implications.
The powers of the Administrative Head of the Public Service should be restricted to managing the career incidents of HoDs. 16

17. POLITICAL-ADMINISTRATIVE INTERFACE (3)
Recommendations (cont)
Managing relationships at the political-administrative interface
Clarify the roles and responsibilities of Ministers/politicians and senior administrators through prescripts and guidelines.
Ensure that roles and responsibilities are discussed and agreed with both parties through orientation and induction and other learning and exchange opportunities for Members of the Executive and HoDs.
Ensure that both parties agree on goals and interventions in relation to government’s strategic objectives and priorities.
Ensure that both parties agree on planned interventions to build productive and trusting relationships. This should include agreed communication channels, regular briefing and information sharing meetings, a monitoring and evaluation system, and a code of conduct.
Put in place a system to mediate differences of opinion, conflict and crisis.
These interventions and solutions could be developed by the envisaged head of the public service. 17

18. CAPACITATION/TRAINING AND ITS FUNDING IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE
Problem Statement
Many public servants have tertiary qualifications. However, university degrees and diplomas do not prepare candidates sufficiently for tasks required of public service occupations.
There is no assessment of the impact of such programmes on employee performance and productivity.
Meaningful training that builds real capabilities requires a careful structuring of the whole training path – from formal qualification to experiential learning over a number of years, mentoring, short training interventions and other in-service training.
This especially applies to the high level skills to solve complex developmental problems in an environment where pre-set solutions do not necessarily work.
The training path starts at the university or other tertiary institution and continue with the employer. Completing the training path logically requires a close partnership between tertiary institutions and the employer. 18

19. CAPACITATION/TRAINING AND ITS FUNDING IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE (2)
Based on the problem statement above the PSC, amongst others, recommended –
a much closer link between the scope of work of an occupation and training curricula;
partnerships between employer (PS) and training institutions.
that the NSG should put in place a system to review the purpose, effectiveness and efficiency of training provided through the NSG, provincial academies, and relevant service providers such as accredited public and private TVETs and HETIs.
that the funding model for the NSG and other public sector training academies should be reviewed to ensure the effective coordination of training in the public service. 19

20. CONCLUSION
Since publication of the Discussion Document, the Minister for Public Service and Administration has issued a Directive on Compulsory Capacity Development, Mandatory Training Days and Minimum Entry Requirements for SMS Members.
This address some, but not all, of the PSC’s recommendations.
The PSC will do follow-up projects on some of its recommendations.
The PSC will continue to engage with the National Planning Commission, the NSG, DPME and DPSA to strengthen the development and oversight over the public service. 20

21. Siyabonga
enkosi