Towards an understanding of the role of performance measurement in the integration processes required by the Integrated Development Planning (IDP) : a case study of the Hibiscus Coast Municipality.
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Date
2010
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Abstract
In the years since its introduction, there has been criticism that the Integrated
Development Planning (IDP) process is failing to achieve its main objective of
bringing about an integrated approach to service delivery. Municipalities and
government departments, on a national and provincial level, continue to deliver
service in a fragmented manner. A number of factors have been cited as the
reasons for the lack of integration in the IDP process.
The aim of this dissertation was to investigate the role of performance
measurement in the integration processes required by the IDP. The IDP process
for the Hibiscus Coast Municipality (HCM) was chosen for study. The study
investigated how performance measurement was affecting the integration with
the IDP in programmes of the Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs
and Rural Development (DAEARD) and the Department of Rural Development
and Land Reform (DRDLR) respectively. DAEARD is a KwaZulu Natal provincial
department while DRDLR is a national department. Both of these departments
participate in the HCM IDP Forum. The study looked at how performance
measurement within each of the three organisations was affecting integration.
The study began by investigating whether the different IDP stakeholders have a
common understanding of what integration is, and what they were required to
do for integration to succeed.
Qualitative research methods were used in this study. The two main data
collection techniques used were semi-structured interviews and document
reviews. Participant observation played a small role as the third data collection
technique. The interview subjects were officials from each of the three
organisations in the IDP Forum of HCM. These were the officials who, through
the IDP Forum, were responsible for the integration processes. Each of the three
organisations (HCM, DAEARD and DRDLR) was represented by 2 (two) officials in
the IDP Forum, hence the limited number of interviews. The main documents
reviewed included the HCM IDP review documents, minutes of the IDP Forum
meetings, strategic planning documents; performance management agreements,
annual performance plans and the performance measurement documents for
each of the three organisations.
The study found that there was no common understanding among the
stakeholders of what was meant by integration in relation to the IDP process. As
a result, there was no clear process to measure the success of the IDP
integration process. Secondly, the performance measurement systems which
were being implemented in the individual IDP stakeholder components (HCM,
DAERD and DRDLR) did not recognise integration as one of the performance
indicators. Thirdly, and perhaps more importantly, the kind of performance
measurement systems being applied in each of the organisations were not
conducive to the success of the IDP integration processes. The study concludes
with a number of proposed areas for future investigation in order to improve the
IDP integration process.
Description
Master of Science. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2010
Keywords
South Africa -- Politics and government., Performance -- Management., Municipal government -- South Africa -- KwaZulu-Natal., Thesis -- Environmental science., Integrated Development Planning and Hibiscus Coast.