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CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
This chapter outlines the research design and methodology for the study. The purpose of this study is to provide qualitative information on the level of the standard of service delivery by selected South African public service departments. The departments selected are the Departments of Health, Housing, Justice and Constitutional Development and Safety and Security. Against this background, a qualitative case study approach is used. This has the potential of supplementing and re-orienting our current understanding of service delivery by the South African public service.
The results of the case study are incorporated into the thesis. This chapter describes the research method used, the selection of the sample, data collection and data analysis, validation and reporting methods, ethical considerations for this study, and the scope, limitations and significance of the study. The qualitative case study approach requires the researcher to conduct an in-depth analysis of information obtained from different authors and different sources of data, using a method known triangulation. Four South African public service departments where selected for the study, namely: The Departments of Health, Housing, Justice and Constitutional Development and Safety and Security. These public service departments were selected to facilitate discussion that, were important for the study. The sources used to compare, contrast and crosscheck information were documents, audio-visuals and discussions. The audio-visuals were obtained from libraries. Such triangulation increased the scope, depth and consistency in the methodological proceedings of this study. Data analysis was conducted concurrently with data collection from various sources mentioned above. To ascertain the relationships between the different variables, matrices were used. The final conclusions to the study emerged when all the data had been collected.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The researcher has selected the qualitative research approach to conduct this study. According to Denzin and Lincoln (1994: 2), the qualitative approach is multifaceted method involving an interpretive, naturalistic approach to its subject matter. In other words, qualitative researchers study phenomena in their natural settings by attempting to make sense of, or interpret phenomena in terms of the meanings that participants give them.
Further Creswell (1998: 15) indicates that qualitative research is a process of understanding that is based on distinct methodological traditions of inquiry that explore a social or human problem. The researcher builds a complex, holistic picture, analyzes words, reports detailed views of informants, and conducts the study in a natural setting. This involves going out to the setting of study, gaining access, and gathering material. This takes the reader into the multiple dimensions of a problem or issue and displays it in all its complexity. These distinct methodological traditions of inquiry are the historian’s biography, the psychologist’s phenomenology, the sociologist’s grounded theory, the anthropologist’s ethnography, and the social, urban studies, and political scientist’s case study.
According to Stake (2000: 5), qualitative research is a form of systematic empirical inquiry into meaning. Empirical inquiry is any form of inquiry that depends on the world of experience in some fundamental way. Qualitative research involves the collection of a variety of empirical materials; namely: case study, personal experience, introspective, life story, interview, observational, historical, interact ional, and visual texts, that describe routine and problematic moments and meaning in individuals’ lives. Qualitative research is not haphazard, nor idiosyncratic, nor even subjective. It is planned, ordered, and public (Denzin and Lincoln, 1994: 2). The researcher spends many hours in the field, collects extensive data, and labours over field issues of trying to gain access, rapport, and an insider perspective.
Cadwick, et al. (1984: 206) indicates that qualitative research involves several different methods of data collection, including triangulation and in-depth interviews. There are substantial differences among these research strategies, but they all emphasize the idea of getting close to the data and are based on the concept that experience is the best way to understand social behaviour.
Qualitative research takes the reader into the multiple dimensions of specific problems or issues and displays them in all their complexity. Authors often define qualitative inquiry in comparison to quantitative inquiry. In general terms, quantitative researchers work with a few variables and in many cases, whereas qualitative researchers rely on a few cases and many variables (Creswell, 1998: 15). Creswell (1998: 17) reiterates that qualitative research can be defined in terms of its relation to quantitative research. Quantitative research measures and answers questions such as: ‘how many, how often, what proportion or what size.’ Qualitative research in contrast, leads to understanding and often answers questions like, “why”, “how”, “in what way”, “will” and “to what extent.”
There are three reasons why a qualitative approach as opposed to another approach was chosen. Firstly, the research question starts with “to what extent”, i.e. to what extent can a leadership and governance framework improve service delivery by the South African public service? The study examines service delivery performance by the South African public service. It looks at whether services are in fact being improved by the South African public service. It thus examines whether there are positive and negative factors impacting on service delivery outcomes. It analyses the role of the leadership and governance framework adopted by the South African public service. Secondly, a qualitative study was chosen because the topic needs to be explored. By this, it is implied that there are no theories available to explain service delivery performance in South Africa and the need for an effective framework to promote service delivery outcomes. Thirdly, a qualitative study was used because of the need to present a detailed view of the topic. The wide-angle lens or distant panoramic shot would not have sufficed to present answers to the problem investigated in this study.
An important aspect of this research was to decide how the data should be collected. According to Dooley (1999: 44), a research design is a detailed plan or method for obtaining data scientifically and it provides the necessary structure. Mouton (2001: 4), in this regard states that “a research design is a plan or blueprint of how you intend conducting the research.” The research design thus focuses on the end product of the study, for example, what kind of study is being planned and what kind of result is expected.
Puth (1996: 87) is of the opinion that “selecting an appropriate research design is often complicated by the availability of a large variety of methods, techniques, procedures and ever-more-sophisticated computer programming and technology.” Smith (1998: 29), similarly, emphasizes the reality that the design of the research study is one of the most challenging steps in the research process. Smith (1998: 29) explains, “decisions have to be made about what degree of precision is needed and how much depth of understanding is required. This trade-off also needs to be balanced against the time and budget available.” The researcher herein thus took into account the practicality of different approaches whilst ensuring that the study is ethical and complies with the codes of conduct in the research industry.
Dooley (1990: 47) states that the components of a research design involve the maximum control over factors that could interfere with the validity of the findings. In this respect, a research design guides in planning and implementing a study. It focuses on the overall strategy and rationale for the study. It also focuses on the specific setting, the sample and the phenomenon to be studied. However, this must be linked to the other steps of the research process. Research design also focuses on the logic of the research study, by asking for example, what kind of evidence is required to address the research question adequately. As indicated, the current study explores the issue of service delivery performance by the South African public service. Consequently, the relationships with other constructs related to service delivery by the South African public service are also investigated, such as the factors that affect the sustainability of the public service in ensuring effective service delivery, for example, the leadership and governance framework adopted. The format for the design of this study follows the traditional research approach of presenting a problem, asking a question, collecting data to answer the question, analysing the data, and answering the question.
There are several examples of qualitative research, such as action research, biography, phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, and case study (Ely, et al. 1991: 4). The focus of a biography, for example, is on the life of an individual, while that of phenomenology is on understanding a concept or phenomenon. In grounded theory, based on one develops a theory, whereas in ethnography a portrait is drawn of a cultural group or people. Lastly, in a case study, a specific case or a number of cases are examined.
As indicated previously, a case study approach is used herein, using Neuman’s (1997:
- case study structure as a model. In this regard, the study will be structured as follows:
- The problem is identified, viz. slow service delivery, especially to previously disadvantaged communities in South Africa.
- The context is discussed, viz. the South African public service in the post-apartheid era.
- The issues are highlighted, viz. there are factors impeding service delivery outcomes.
- The lessons learnt are investigated, viz. the need to promote a sustainable South African public service
- Finally, specific solutions are proposed, viz. the importance of improving and strengthening, or even redesigning the existing leadership and governance frameworks.
It will be shown that there is a need for an effective leadership and governance framework to improve and redress service delivery imbalances and inequities, especially in previously disadvantaged communities in South Africa. Consequently, this study has used case studies of four departments in the South African public service. These are the Departments of Health, Housing, Justice and Constitutional Development and Safety and Security. A number of studies have already been undertaken both by the South African public service itself and by academics, which have provided valuable lessons for the study. The use of collective case studies is adding to the existing knowledge of experiences in the South African public service and is contributing to our understanding of service delivery.
Case study approach
Zucker (2001: 1) proposes that the case study method is a valuable tool in expanding knowledge. Within the context of this study, the case study approach thus uses in-depth information obtained from multiple sources and provides a unique and valuable method of eliciting phenomena of interest to the particular topic. According to Creswell (1998:39), four steps define any particular case:
- the case is identified;
- the case is bounded by time or place;
- the data comes from multiple sources; and
- the report includes a detailed description of the content and setting.
Orum (1991: 20) suggests that the scope of a case study can be defined as an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context, especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident. A case study is an intensive study of a specific individual or specific context. Specifically, what differentiates the case study from the other qualitative methods is the focus of the study. A case has clear boundaries and includes context that is vital to constructing a picture of the incident. Creswell (1998: 39) calls the case study an “exploration of a bounded system or a case (or multiple cases) over time through detailed, in-depth data collection involving multiple sources of information rich in context.” The context of these cases includes understanding both the physical setting and the social and historical setting. Information can be obtained mainly from four basic sources (Zucker 2001: 4), i.e. interviews, observations, documents and audio-visual materials. The backbone of qualitative research is therefore extensive collection of data, typically from multiple sources of information. Each set of data or strategy, on its own, might not be strong enough to support the finding, but when different strands are taken together, there is stronger evidence for the finding.
According to Creswell (1998: 39), qualitative case studies focus on a particular situation, programme or phenomenon. The case itself is important for what it reveals about the phenomenon and for what it will represent. This specificity of focus makes it an especially good design for practical problems, for questions, situations, or puzzling occurrences arising from everyday practice. The end product of a case study is a rich, ‘thick’ description of the phenomenon under study, which moreover illuminates the reader’s understanding. It can thus bring about the discovery of new meaning, extend the reader’s experience, or confirm what he or she already knows.
Yin (1994: 11) describes three types of case studies: (a) exploratory, (b) explanatory and Exploratory (exploring what is happening) and explanatory (explaining what is happening) case studies are used to discover causal relationships, whereas descriptive (describing what is happening) case studies provide complete descriptions of phenomena within their contexts. If little were known about the research topic, one would use exploratory research. Exploratory research can increase the researcher’s familiarity with the phenomenon in question, and it can help to clarify concepts. It can also be used to establish priorities for future research, identify new problems and gather information with practical applications.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
DECLARATION
ABSTRACT
LIST OF ACRONYMS
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN CONTEXT
General overview of South Africa and its history.
Apartheid era: The South African public service and service delivery (1949 to 1994)
Post-apartheid era: The South African public service and service delivery
(Post-1994 to 2003)
DEFINITIONS AND OPERALIZATION OF KEY CONCEPTS
MOTIVATION FOR RESEARCH
PROBLEM STATEMENT
RESEARCH QUESTION.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.
TARGET POPULATION (SAMPLE) / SELECTION OF STUDY PARTICIPANTS
DATA AND INFORMATION COLLECTION
CHAPTER 3: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDY: RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, LEADERSHIP, GOVERNANCE AND SERVICE DELIVERY
INTRODUCTION
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, LEADERSHIP, GOVERNANCE AND SERVICE DELIVERY
TRENDS IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION WITHIN THE SOUTH AFRICAN CONTEXT
SUMMARY
CHAPTER 4: AN OVERVIEW OF LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE APPROACHES
INTRODUCTION
A PLETHORA OF LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE APPROACHES
TRADITIONAL AFRICAN LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE APPROACHES
CLASSICAL WESTERN LEADERSHIP APPROACHES (1841 TO 1987)
POST-1985 WESTERN LEADERSHIP APPROACHES
WESTERN GOVERNANCE APPROACHES
FUNDAMENTALS OF EFFECTIVE GOVERNANCE
INTEGRATION OF LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE APPROACHES
SUMMARY
CHAPTER 5: ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS OF SELECTED CASES IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN PUBLIC SERVICE
INTRODUCTION.
SUMMARY
CHAPTER 6: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
SUMMARY
CONCLUSION
RECOMMENDATIONS
LISTS OF SOURCES
GET THE COMPLETE PROJECT
