Assessment of retrained public service employees for effective performance: a professional development myth

Abstract

The public sector necessitates the development of public service managers’ competencies. However, this need has received far too little attention, particularly in terms of stakeholder management and service delivery. The case study method was used to interview seven public managers from the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Thematic analysis revealed the following findings: insufficient education and training in public institutions, insufficient capacity building, and an insufficient comprehensive professional development mandate to address these issues. The study recommends that the government strengthen the capacity of managers in various departments in order to improve professional development and service delivery.