An integrated career management model for the Public Service : the case of North West Department of Cooporative Governance, Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements

Abstract

The democratic developmental Public Service requires technocrats, professionals and managers to address the country's challenges (Coats & Passmore, 2008; Ronn, 2010; Franks, 2015:55; De Wee, 2016). Occupations mentioned above are specialists operating at the self-actualisation stage, in which robust career development opportunities are essential. However, opportunities for growth and development are only a modest part of an essential and complex career management practice. Hence, the study determined that through proper implementation of career management in the North West Public Service, the practice can assist the development of necessary skills in achieving the ideals of the National Development Plan, 2030, especially concerning the reduction of poverty, unemployment and inequality. This study focuses on the North West Province Departments of Cooperative Governance, Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements since the Departments struggles to recruit and retain skilled professionals due to a lack of competitive salaries, including lack of career development opportunities, among other reasons. Hence the challenges above prompted this research to develop a comprehensive and integrated career management model for the NWPDCOGTAHS that can be extended to other Public Service departments. The study utilised a mixed methods research approach. The approach involved a literature review, self-administered questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews, among identified sampling strategies to investigate career management practices within the North West Province Departments of Cooperative Governance Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements. The findings revealed that role players are distortion agents rather than active participants in career management. Most role players are misusing the legislative frameworks due to a lack of practical understanding of how legislation fits the holistic picture of achieving Departmental goals and objectives. Role players do not share the same practice background in implementing career management. For the reasons above, the study deemed it necessary to triangulate findings with Heidegger's perspective of being-in-world. By triangulating with the perspective above, the study presented an alternative perspective of viewing career management as holistically interwoven with other human resources management practices, reduction of poverty, and how the role

players must understand how the legislative framework employed in career management preserves their career identities.