Abstract:
Effective human resource management and development have the ability
to promote and sustain an organisation’s performance. In the health sector
as in any other sector, service quality is closely linked to the human
factor. Emergency Medical Services can provide a quality service only if
staff members are motivated. But how can workers be motivated so that
they can perform their duties to the best of their ability? Is there any link
between motivation and performance? This article intends to assess the
role of motivation in the implementation of the Performance Management
and Development System (PMDS) within the Gauteng Emergency Medical
Services (GEMS). In South Africa, with the advent of the new dispensation
in 1994, the PMDS was introduced with the aim of promoting an effective
and efficient monitoring and evaluation of employees’ performance and
subsequently that of their organisation. The system was designed as a tool
to recognise and reward excellent performance meanwhile catering for the
training and development needs of underperforming employees. The article
uses a mixed methods approach as it relies on a triangulation of quantitative
and qualitative methods of data collection and analysis.
Description:
This article is partly based on the mini-dissertation of Ms Zintle Kubheka who graduated with a
Master in Public Administration at University of Pretoria under the supervision of Dr M Tshiyoyo.
The mini-dissertation is entitled, The Implementation of the Performance Management and
Development System (PMDS) in the Gauteng Emergency Medical Services (GEMS).
