The strategic plan implementation in the public sector: The case of a Provincial Government Department in the Free State
Loading...
Date
2022
Authors
Nyakane, Teboho Vincent
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
This study was undertaken to evaluate strategic plan implementation in the public sector with a focus on the Provincial Government Department in the Free State. The study also pursued to investigate the barriers and drivers for strategy implementation in the department, the linkage between strategy formulation and its implementation in the department and the strategy implementation of the department and its alignment to the Medium-Term Strategic Framework of Government. For this study, an exploratory research design and qualitative research methodology were employed. Senior and middle management representatives from the department made up the sample population. Semi-structured interviews and document analysis were used to collect data to meet the study's objectives. Grounded theory was used to analyse the collected information using categories and themes to analyse data. The findings revealed that a lack of finance, human resources, and internal communication amongst others are barriers for strategy implementation in the department. Additionally, organisational culture and structure, and training and development are drivers for strategy implementation, amongst others. Furthermore, they also revealed that the strategy formulation in the department is not fully linked to its implementation and that there is no proper alignment between the departmental strategies and the MTSF (Medium-Term Strategic Framework). The study established the following as the key findings in the department: lack of financial resources, unskilled workforce and personnel appointed in strategic posts, the linkage of individual performance agreements with the strategy of the department, and inclusive internal communication. The study's conclusions will be helpful to other public sector stakeholders, academics, strategy consultants, and public sector strategists and practitioners. Furthermore, this study can help the development of models and approaches for strategic planning implementation in the public sector. It is also possible to investigate how well strategies are implemented in the public sector in general as this study only focused on one provincial department.
Description
Dissertation (MBA (Business Administration))--University of the Free State, 2022
Keywords
Barriers, drivers, strategy, strategic management, strategic planning, strategy formulation, strategy implementation, strategic monitoring and evaluation