A Comparative Study of Performance Management Techniques and Their Operational Efficiency in the Public Sector in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The public sector in Zimbabwe of late has experienced an upsurge in complaints against operational efficiency. Most of the complaints emanate from mal-performance, abuse of office or lack of clear policy on performance results. People, or citizens to be precise, pay revenue to the government in form of taxes and rates and as such expect the government to perform in service provision. Society in Zimbabwe consists of elite people well conversant with their civil liberties and as such demand results. The government has put in place mechanisms to check on the performance output, among them the performance appraisal system (PAS) as well as the result-based management (RBM) system. The two tools or techniques widely used in the public sector are aimed at checking on the operational efficiency of the public-sector performance and they have been in place since, the former in 1995 and the later in 2007. The tools have been widely criticized at their inception due to lack of awareness, inadequate training to users, and above all, they were imported from other nations where their economy and implementation was far different from that of Zimbabwe. In fact, there was no clear policy guiding their implementation in Zimbabwe to be precise. Also, the evaluating tools were analogous to all departments yet some sections have different functions peculiar to their existence. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the operational efficiency of the performance management basic tools that are used in the public sector in relation to performance. The two tools were chosen from optional wide range of performance management techniques giving the notion that these could be a cut above the rest. The objectives of the study were to carry out a situation analysis of the performance management system in the Public sector and the relevance of performance management measuring tools that are in use in the sector and make recommendations. Related Literature covered what performance management is, aims of performance management, performance measurement, why organizations measure performance, performance management in the public sector, performance measurement tools in private sector, as well as the benefits of performance management. It also covered other ways of evaluating performance like the 360-degree analysis, Management by objectives, Total quality management and Balanced score card The study was guided by survey method of research where mixed approach (qualitative and quantitative methods) of collecting data was used. The population of the study consisted of 25 government ministries with over 2 000 employees stationed in Harare Town. A sample of 100 employees of all levels was selected from 22 ministries through simple stratified random sampling. The data was collected using questionnaires and interviews. The data was then condensed and presented through graphs and tables and was analyzed and interpreted. The major findings of the study were that the current widely used performance measuring tools in the public sector which are the performance appraisal system also known as Annual Performance rating (APR) and the Result Based Management are foreign tools whose introduction into the system was not backed by enough knowledge, training and resources and as such their implementation made difficulty leading to mal-performance of the sector. The study concluded that the performance measurement tools in use in the public sector must be reviewed and not be taken in isolation. It is important to consider many aspects relating to performance like training, skills, and capability than personal traits. The study recommended that the performance evaluation tools be constantly be reviewed so that they remain valid for their purpose and also that not only one tool must be used to evaluate performance, rather all aspects linked to performance must be considered when conducting performance evaluation.