Abstract

Perplexed as to why despite embracing Performance Management Systems (PMS) the public sector is still not performing, this research set out to answer this question. The research examined the phenomena not in isolation, rather, as a comparative case study. It examined PMS as approached, perceived and managed through the lens of two institutions; those who have found success (the private sector) versus those who have not (the public sector). The research used a mixed methods approach in that mixed questionnaires were given to general staff in a bid to gauge their perception whilst in-depth key informant interviews were conducted on line managers and human resource practitioners so as to understand how they are managing the process, the specific performance evaluation tool(s) used, the challenges they are facing and how they are using performance management data. Through the analysis done, comparisons were drawn which revealed that PMS is a complex and multifaceted machinery replete with multiple moving parts whose interactions have a bearing on the overall performance of the organisation. To that extent, it revealed that performance is the aggregate of all these structures, processes, actors and their interactions, employee perception and a plethora of other factors. As such, the study found that the private sector is successful as it is deliberate and purposeful in its practice of PMS as it approaches it in a systematic, transparent, consistent and predictable manner whose main aim is to enhance productivity and maintain competitiveness. On the other hand, the study concluded that the public sector’s failure to perform is as a result of its lax approach as PMS is done in a haphazard manner without any seriousness, predictability or continuity attached to it nor a clear endgame in mind. The study, therefore, argues that for PMS to be effective, it has to ably manage intricate moving parts that make up and influence performance as well as being purposeful and deliberate in its structure and operations.

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School	: School of Law, Economics and Government
Issued Date	: 2022

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