The role of motivation in the implementation of the performance management and development system (PMDS) within the Gauteng emergency medical services (GEMS)

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.