Unisa - Department of Public Administration and Management

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1 Unisa - Department of Public Administration and Management Research focus area for 2015: public human resource management Discipline Supervision team Prof EJ Van der Westhuizen Prof SB Kahn Public Administration Prof EJ Van Der Westhuizen, Prof SB Kahn, Ms A Barnes, Mr Phosa : Up to 5 Master s and 3 Doctoral Prof EJ Van der Westhuizen is a prof in Public Human Up to 2 Resource Management (PHRM). He has supervised master s several postgraduate research projects and favours students qualitative studies with a focus PHRM. doctoral Prof SB Kahn is a prof in Public Human Resource Management (PHRM). He has supervised several postgraduate research projects and favours qualitative studies with a focus PHRM and Generation Y. student Up to 2 master s student doctoral student Ms Anne Barnes Mr L Phosa Ms Anne Barnes is a senior lecturer in PHRM. He completed her MAdmin degree and is currently busy with her Ph.D studies in PHRM. She intends to continue her research from both the practice and theoretical perspectives. Mr L Phosa is a senior lecturer in PHRM. She completed her MAdmin degree and is pursuing his Ph.D studies in PHRM. She intends to continue her research from both the practice and theoretical perspectives. master s students master s students Model of Supervision Selection Criteria: MAdmin (Public administration), MPA, DAdmin (Public administration), DLitt et Phil (Public administration), DPA and DCom (Public administration) Selection Procedure Candidates will be allocated to a supervisor, but will be required to work independently within the requirements of higher degree studies. In addition, students will be expected to present their work at topic-specific colloquia. Colloquia will be scheduled for: 1. Research proposal 2. Literature review 3. Methodology 4. Findings Students working in this track will also have the opportunity to attend the colloquia of their peers. In addition to the admission criteria on the Unisa website, potential students are required to prepare a five-page expression of interest essay describing the following: 1. Topic 2. Short literature review 3. Potential contribution of the study 4. Potential unit of analysis 5. Access to the research context 6. Personal motivation to pursue studies in this topic 7. List of references (use Harvard referencing method) 1. Apply for a student number follow the steps outlined in

2 Apply for a space in the strategy-as-practice research focus area using the online application process. 3. Once acceptance in the research focus area has been confirmed, you may register for your studies. Selection of candidates will be in line with Section 37 of the Higher Education Act 101 of 1997 to provide appropriate measures for the redress of past inequalities and to provide clear assessment criteria to avoid any unfair discrimination. Applicants will also receive feedback on their submissions to empower unsuccessful candidates to improve future readmission submissions. The following criteria will be applied to assess the expression of interest essay: a) Academic merit: Quality in terms of originality, significance and rigour and impacts in terms of their reach and significance. b) Evidence of higher order thinking: The candidate s skills and abilities in analysing, synthesizing, applying, and evaluating information. c) Academic writing skills: The extent to which the essay convey coherent and well-developed arguments that are supported with relevant, detailed and convincing evidence; the logically sequence of paragraphs with content-based transitions; the use of appropriate diction and tone and constructively vary sentence structures, and the use of correct grammar, punctuation, spelling and syntax. d) Academic and professional experience: Strengths and relevance relative to the candidate s opportunities (impact). Possible Alternative Opportunities for Unsuccessful Candidates The names of unsuccessful candidates and the reasons for their rejection will be submitted to the College Executive Committee for validation. Applicants have the right to appeal to the College Executive Management if admission is refused. Reasons for such refusal must be furnished to the applicant. The following possible alternative opportunities exist for applicants who do not meet the generic admission requirements for CEMS: (1) Applicants with degrees that have different structures from normal South African honours degrees, applicant s whose degrees do not clearly correspond to generic CEMS admissions requirements (e.g. no mark awarded for previous dissertations, no clear evidence of having completed a research-related module as part of the previous qualification, etc.), or applicants who do not meet generic admissions requirements but who possess applicable experience in research that may qualify them for admissions to a master s degree will be required to apply for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). Prior academic and research activity by the applicant will be evaluated in accordance with formal Unisa RPL procedures and the outcome of the RPL process will be submitted to and approved by the College Executive Committee. If the approved outcome of the RPL process is positive, the applicant will be allowed to proceed with an application for admission, subject to all terms and conditions governing the admissions process. (2) Students who have been refused admission because of limited capacity within the academic department where the application was made may reapply in subsequent years. (3) In instances where a student does not have an average of 60%

3 or more a submission may be made to the Department to allow such a student admission. Students must provide a written motivation of not more three pages requesting admission to the department. The department will consider the application, taking into account: The relevant experience, work or otherwise, of the student, Alternative options for access into the programme Any other factor deemed necessary by the department Documents to Support Application Research Agenda One-page abbreviated CV, including: Academic qualifications Work experience Contact details Expression of interest (see selection criteria) The retention of human resources is critically important in organizations and institutions where financial sustainability and survival depend particularly on scarce human and specialist skills as in the case of higher education. However, this situation is exacerbated if these individuals are scarce, or when it becomes difficult to recruit and retain them (McKeown, 2002; Phillips & Connell, 2003). Higher education institutions are dependent on the intellectual abilities and commitment of academic staff. The intellectual and creative abilities of the aforementioned group are determining factors with regard to the continued existence and sustainability of higher education institutions (Martin, 1999). The terms change and transformation are often used interchangeably in literature without giving a clear definition and thus as a point of departure, a clarification of these terms should be presented. Before venturing on the understanding of these terms, it may be necessary to give a brief definition of the term strategy. Strategy, according to Grundy (1993:28), is the deliberate or emergent pattern of decisions which shape an organisation s future and it s fit within its environment. These decisions, it is argued, may involve changing the future scope and shape of activities or major areas of internal change aimed at protecting or enhanced capability. In addition, Baker (2007:17) avers that strategy is the product of some form of planning, and above all, it is the organised process for predicting and acting in the future so as to ensure the achievement of the organisation s mission. Furthermore, within the military context, according to Gray (1999:17), strategy is the bridge that relates military power to political purpose. It is neither military power per se nor political purpose. He argues that Clausewitz and theorists are entirely right to capture the relationship between military power and political purpose within their definition of strategy. Gray (1999:23) concludes by stating that a firm and conceptual grip on the meaning of strategy enables appreciation without confusion that strategy both comprises many activities and conducts continuous dialogues with politics and tactics. He divided his definition of strategy into seventeen dimensions which he clustered into three categories: people and politics; preparation for war and war proper. He selected these categories because they encompass most of what contributes to the making and execution of strategy. Reading: Subject Field Van der Westhuizen Strategic Human Resources Management in the Public Sector: A South African Police Service Perspective. Journal of Public Administration. 41 (2.1) Cloete, J.J.N Personnel Administration and Management. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers. Swanepoel, B., Erasmus, B., Van Wyk, M. & Schenk, H South

4 Reading: Research Methodology Resources: PHRM African Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice. Cape Town: Juta. Erasmus, B, Swanepoel, B.Schenk, H., Van der Westhuizen E & Wessels J.S South African Human Resource Management: for the Public Sector. Cape Town: Juta Publishers Tlhabanelo, K.V Recruitment and Selection in Human resource management. University of Witwatersrand. Masters dissertation Van der Waldt, G Managing Performance in the Public Sector: Concepts, Considerations and Challenges. Cape Town: Juta Brynard P.A & Hanekom, X.C Introduction to research in Public Administration and related academic disciplines. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers. Mouton, J How to succeed in your master s & doctoral studies: South African guide and resource book. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers. Byrne, M Sampling for Qualitative Research. From: htpp://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_mofsl/is_2_73/ai_ / (accessed 14 February 2010). O Sullivan, E. & Russell, G.R Research Methods for Public Administrators.2nd Edition.New York: Longman. O Sullivan, E., Rassel G.R. &Berner, M Research Methods for Public Administrators. 5th Edition. New York: Pearson Education. Recruitment and Selection Although numerous pieces of legislation have been put in place to redress discrimination and to correct imbalances in the demography of management progress to achieve greater social justice in the workplace has been slow (SAIRR, 2007). In a study by the Unilever Institute of Marketing at the University of Cape Town (2006), it was found that a significant number of black employees (65%) had changed jobs at least once within the past three years. Some degree of turnover is inevitable and perhaps desirable, although high rates of turnover can be costly to the reputation of an institution and to the quality of instruction (Dee, 2004:593). Dysfunctional turnover occurs when an organization loses strong performing employees, whereas functional turnover results from the loss of poor performing employees (Park, Ofori-Dankwa and Bishop, 1994). An organization needs functional turnover to ensure that new talented employees replace those who do not add value. Talent Management Within higher education, the demand for academic staff within Unisa has been increasing due to growing student numbers over the past few years (Barnes, 2012). This phenomenon is particularly relevant to an open distance learning institution such as Unisa where students who have not been able to secure registration at a residential university due to limited space available, are able to pursue their postmatric qualifications via correspondence education. Higher education institutions in South Africa remain obligated to comply with transformational legislation to ensure that South Africa truly has a diversified workforce. Job hopping amongst black professionals severely compromises the achievement of equity targets. It is widely accepted today that the responsibility of retaining talented employees is that of the employer (Candy, 2005). The employer should also have a robust vision and be growing with the changing times thus giving young and ambitious talented employees reasons to stay much longer than 3 or 4 years. The academic workplace has changed dramatically and the meaning of such changes in the lives of students and staff is described in terms of disruption, alienation, the loss of community and shared identity and an increase in emotional labour (Webster &Mosoetsa, 2001). The reality of

5 an aging professoriate must be dealt with. It is also possible that talented employees are lost due to the appointment process of an institution which may be unnecessarily cumbersome, tedious and time-consuming. The recruitment and retention of especially leading and promising black scholars will remain one of the most difficult tasks facing higher education, in part because of the financial attractions of the private sector and in part because of the nature of the academic workplace (Potgieter, 2002). Recruitment of a new academic starts with a potential employee finding the employee value proposition of a higher education institution appealing. Sufficient interest is generated that results in the same individual exploring possible employment opportunities within that institution. According to Metcalf et al (2005, 16) recruitment and retention is affected by the whole employment package relative to other employment. These include pay and fringe benefits, intrinsic aspects of the job (eg. for academics, teaching and research), job security, work organisation, autonomy, progression, family-friendly practices, congeniality of colleagues and the working environment etc. The more attractive the overall package, the more likely it will attract applicants and retain employees. Baker (2007:16) defines change management as the process, tools, and techniques to manage the human-side of the change processes meant to achieve the required outcomes. Such a change management, according to Baker (2007:1) should be underpinned by an overarching strategy that provides a rationale for change, vision of the future state, when the changes have to be made, an indication of how the changes are to be made, over what time period, and by whom. In addition, Prosci (2010:3) defines change management as (the application of) the set of tools, processes, skills and principles for managing the people side of change to achieve the required outcomes of a change project or initiative. Therefore, strategic planning during change management becomes paramount. Potential M&D Research Focus Areas within Strategy-as-Practice Focus areas are crystallised in: Erasmus, B. Swanepoel, B. Schenk, H. Van der Westhuizen, E.& Wessels, J.S South African human resource management: for the public sector. Cape Town: Juta. Gómez-Mejίa, L.R., Balkin, D.B. & Cardy, R.L Managing human resources. New Jersey: Pearson. Unit of Analysis Research Focus Recruitment and selection of HRs Recruitment policies and practices in the selection of competent and qualified candidates Performance management improves employees performance and translates into better service delivery Motivation of HRs Performance management in the Gauteng Department of Education Effectiveness of the performance management and development system in the public service Personnel motivation and public service delivery in Zambia: case of Mazabuka Municipal Council Human management resource Strategic human resource management in the South African Police Service Succession planning a tool in developing middle managers: a case of Department of Science and Technology

6 Strategic Change Management from 1994 to 2004 in the South African National Defence Force Gender studies Human resource development Personnel staffing process in the South African Police Service in Pretoria An assessment of gender responsive budgeting in the City of Cape Town Training influences employees performance: the case of client services staff in Knysna Labour Centre Attract and retain Black academic talent in Higher Education in South Africa Impact of Educators qualification on learner performance in South Africa Transforming training in the South African Public Service: Department of Tourism