Towards a career management framework for civil engineers in the South African public sector

Public sector organisations consist of complex systems and its people the lifeblood and links which chain together organisational performance. The Delphi research methodology bases a South African local government organisation, the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (CTMM) as its context yet also highlights factors typical to many public sector organisations. Career management success factors of civil engineers, technologists and technicians are explored from employee and organisational perspectives. The demographic results describe the 42 Delphi participants at primarily senior managerial level, with 24 years average work experience and with post graduate qualifications. The three rounds of qualitative and quantitative questionnaires focused on the desired, current and feasible states of career management with results revealing significant gaps in factors of public service motivation (PSM), technical skills, organisational structure and organisational policy. The Likert based data was statistically analysed via Spearman´s rho coefficients, means and medians. The results revealed the respondents positive attitude regarding the feasibility of closing gaps to reach career management goals. The recommendations describe the importance of converting “on paper” career management policies into tangible outcomes. Therefore the buy-in of CTMM leadership into the importance of career management to the municipality as a whole is crucial for its continual success.