Developing a competency framework for environmental policy implementation by Morogoro Municipal Council in Tanzania

Abstract

The dynamic nature of the society demands appropriate changes in public administration including the development of competent managers to enable governments to effectively provide appropriate public services. Managers of public organisations are thus expected to be competent in the implementation of different policies in the context of their organisations. Nevertheless, public organisations including local government authorities in developing countries like Tanzania have been facing inadequate managerial competencies that hinder them in their environmental policy implementation efforts. Against the aforementioned scenario, this study was conducted with the aim of developing a proposed managerial competency framework for environmental policy implementation by Morogoro Municipal Council in Tanzania. In order to achieve the above aim, four research objectives and research questions were formulated that aimed to investigate relevant managerial competency-based theories and models, describe the Tanzanian statutory framework enabling human resource managers to implement environmental management initiatives within the local government context, analyse the current managerial competencies of MMC with respect to environmental policy implementation, and lastly propose a competency framework for MMC with respect to environmental policy implementation. In order to achieve the aforementioned research objectives, this study adopted a qualitative research approach with a grounded theory design, which involved the review of literature and an empirical investigation. The literature study, the theory of Public Administration, managerial competency models, and legislative arrangements enabling public managers in Tanzania to implement environment policy were reviewed with special reference to local government context. The empirical study involved individual in-depth interviews with a sample of 27 respondents comprising Morogoro municipal managers, councillors of Morogoro Municipal Council (MMC) and trainers from the Local Government Training Institute, with MMC being the unit of analysis. The interview data were analysed with the use of ATLAS.ti 7.5, a computer assisted qualitative data analysis software. The findings of this study revealed that the generic managerial competency models are too general for individual public organisations like MMC to use them directly in environmental policy implementation. However, the models are useful in guiding individual organisations in development of their specific managerial competency frameworks for policy implementation in their contexts. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that despite different achievements in Tanzanian policy reforms aimed at human resource development in the Public Service, there is no clear link between the policies and legislation for HRD and those for environmental management, thus causing inadequacies in the environmental policy implementation and coordination functions. Additionally, at the local level, the MMC does not have an operational policy or other statutory instrument for recruiting its managers responsible for environmental policy implementation and developing their competencies. Instead, the recruitment for all senior public servants including those under the Local Government is conducted by the Public Service Recruitment Secretariat. Although the municipal managers possess a variety of competencies for their professional functions in terms of knowledge, skills, attitude and behaviour, and working experience, this study demonstrated that they need additional competencies in the policy process, among others. Recognising the vital role of the councillors in oversight functions over environmental policy implementation, the study developed a proposed managerial competency framework for environmental policy implementation by MMC, which defines the competency profiles for the municipal managers and the councillors. The framework proposes 20 individual competencies from four competency categories for the managers responsible for environmental policy implementation and 11 individual competencies from three categories for the councillors of the MMC. Commitment by MMC to adopt specific competency-based environmental policy implementation is one of the recommendations given by this study for successful implementation of the proposed managerial competency framework. Moreover, the study recommended areas for further research including developing managerial competency frameworks for environmental policy implementation by other local government authorities in Tanzania