Leveraging public service performance management to enhance public service delivery: a contemporary perspective

Performance management is a broader concept than performance appraisal; it aims to improve the functional and organisation-wide performance of individuals and teams. It helps to align structures, processes, resources and employees to meet the strategic goals of organisations. Yet in too many public service organisations across Africa, the performance management and appraisal systems are either too slow or downright broken and submerged in operational difficulties. In the phase of the global Covid-19 pandemic, public sector resources are overstretched; thus, maintaining and improving public service delivery while keeping costs in check ought to be a priority for most governments in Africa. Leveraging public service performance management to enhance public service delivery remains a global priority as public service organisations across the globe are under increasing pressure to deliver quality public service. Equally, across Africa, there is a welcome move towards thinking about the performance of public service organisations, as evident in several public sector reforms. This chapter highlights the landscape of public service performance management in Africa, with a focus on the underlying complications undermining its effectiveness and success. This chapter further explores how public service organisations in Africa can leverage performance management to enhance the efficiency of public service.