Rethinking Policy Design: Integrating Traditional, Market-oriented and Corporatist Career Management Policy Instruments across South African Public Service Departments
Shereen Sikwela 
& Melvin Diedericks
Issue: Vol.5 No.13 Issue Article 27 pp.2362-2381
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202451327 | Published online 31st October, 2024
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Policy design gained popularity in the 1970s, thus proliferating extensive scholarly research within the field. This persistent trajectory is sustained by a significant emphasis on integrating diverse instruments within contemporary democratic and governance contexts. Despite the relevance of instrument mix, the integration of traditional, corporatist, and market-oriented policy instruments still needs to be explored in the African context, particularly in career management. This study addressed this gap by investigating the integration of these diverse paradigms through insights from the metaphysical foundations of governance models alongside the empirical data gathered from the stakeholders at the North West Province Departments of Cooperative Governance Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements. Findings revealed a divergence of policy design approaches, culminating in the misalignment of policy instruments in career management. This misalignment hampers the integration of employee development objectives with Public Service goals. Findings revealed that the underlying cause of this deficiency is the misalignment of NATO instruments. Therefore key stakeholders in both departments should realign policy instruments and enhance targeted capability building. The study contributes to public administration theory, policy design, career management, and integrative governance by prioritising the alignment of policy instruments, thereby bridging the gap between organisational and employee developmental goals. This collaborative approach reveals the potentiality of integrative governance in harmonising diverse policy instruments in public organisations.
Keywords: Policy Design, Instrument Mixes, Career Management, Integrative Governance, Institutional, Atomistic, Fragmentation Ontologies.
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Dr. Shereen Sikwela is an integrative governance researcher currently undertaking a postdoctoral fellowship within the research entity, Afrocentric Governance of Public Affairs (AGoPA) at the North-West University. Her work focuses on exploring collaborative frameworks that enhance public administration and governance structures, with particular interest in fostering more inclusive, effective policy implementation across diverse socio-political contexts. Dr. Sikwela recently completed her PhD, where she developed insights into integrative governance practices and their impact on public service efficacy, positioning her as a rising scholar in this field.
Prof. Melvin Diedericks is an Associate Professor employed by the North-West University in the research entity, Afrocentric Governance of Public Affairs (AGoPA). He has published/co-published peer reviewed articles and book chapters. In addition, he has also delivered Post-Graduate students successfully. Melvin’s research interests include Water Services Management and related planning; as well as Local Government and Service delivery. He is also well-read on issues of Public Policy analysis. He is a reviewer mostly for South African accredited academic journals in his scholarly field. Melvin acts both as internal and external examiner of theses and dissertations. He is a member of IASIA, SAAPAM and ASSADPAM.
Sikwela, Shereen & Melvin Diedericks . “Rethinking Policy Design: Integrating Traditional, Market-oriented and Corporatist Career Management Policy Instruments across South African Public Service Departments,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 5, no.13 (2024): 2362-2381. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202451327
© 2024 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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