An analysis of the political performance management systems (PMS) impact on organisational effectiveness: A case study of the democratic alliance in the Western Cape provincial government

Abstract

The intention of this study is not to debate the different contested views on performance management, good governance, and accountability but to rather assess the applicability of the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) political performance management in the field of public administration. The study further tries to provide a dimension to the link between a political party and a democratic state. In other words, that of the Party's “internal” democracy, which is predominantly its governance system rather than its relationship with the state. Through a qualitative case study of the Western Cape Provincial Government (WCPG), this paper takes stock of the effectiveness of a political Performance Management System (PMS) by specifically looking at the PMS administered by the Democratic Alliance-Western Cape Provincial Government (DA-WCPG) on the elected officials. It focuses on PMS development, its implementation, and its overall attainment as a standard operating procedure internally as well as a toolkit for the provision of public service deliverables externally.Using purposive sampling, a carefully selected sample of five participants from the WCPG (Western Cape Provincial Government) were chosen to participate in this research study. The purposive sampling method was utilized to ensure that the selected participants had the relevant experience and knowledge to provide insightful and valuable data that aligns with the objectives of the research. Each participant was identified based on their involvement in the field of study and their ability to contribute meaningfully to the research inquiry.