Capacity building of public officials: Challenges of public organizations in Pakistan

Authors

  • Syed Sohaib Zubair Department of Administrative Sciences, University of the Punjab, Jhelum, Pakistan
  • Mukaram Ali Khan Institute of Administrative Sciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Aamna Tariq Mukaram Department of Public Administration, Islamia University Bahawalpur, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31580/jpvai.v4i3.2052

Keywords:

Capacity Building, Public Sector Management, Governance, Training

Abstract

The sensitivity and importance of public sector organizations in general or the civil service in particular is high, particularly in democratic political environments. Their responsiveness and accountability towards the masses is one of the key requirements in terms of effective and efficient service delivery by all wings of the government. Apart from other factors, the existence of capacity and capacity building plays a vital role in determining success or failure of any public official. For that matter, this study focuses on one aspect of effective service delivery i.e. capacity building of public officials and challenges faced in this regard. A qualitative research strategy has been followed where 33 officers of senior/managerial cadre were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. Purposive sampling strategy was used to select the participants of study. The rich data collected were analyzed using a thematic analysis technique. Themes emerging from the data revealed that serious capacity building issues and challenges exist in Pakistan’s public sector owing to several reasons, some of them include lack of structured and service oriented modern programs, lack of the fit between performance and pay, absence of accountability mechanisms and red-tapism involved in Pakistan’s bureaucracy. For that matter, it is the need of the hour that aforementioned factors must be taken into account and the needful shall be done by making changes in the civil service structure through reforms.

Author Biographies

  • Syed Sohaib Zubair, Department of Administrative Sciences, University of the Punjab, Jhelum, Pakistan
      Assistant Professor-Administrative Sciences (PUJC) Ex-Research Officer (IQTM) University of the Punjab-Lahore Pakistan +92-321-4037690   https://scholar.google.com.pk/citations?user=3brc-tsAAAAJ&hl=en
  • Mukaram Ali Khan, Institute of Administrative Sciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan

    PhD Scholar

    Institute of Administrative Sciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan

References

Abbasi, S. G., Shabbir, M. S., Abbas, M., & Tahir, M. S. (2021). HPWS and knowledge sharing behavior: The role of psychological empowerment and organizational identification in public sector banks. Journal of Public Affairs, 21(3), e2512.

Andersson, F.O., Faulk, L., & Stewart, A. (2015). Toward More Targeted Capacity Building: Diagnosing Capacity Needs Across Organizational Life Stages. VOLUNTAS: International Journal Of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations

Banyan, M.E. (2015). Capacity building. Retrieved From: academic.eb.com/EB- checked/topic/1904179/capacity-building

Barasa, L., Knoben, J., Vermeulen, P., Kimuyu, P., & Kinyanjui, B. (2017). Institutions, resources and innovation in East Africa: A firm level approach. Research Policy, 46(1), 280-291.

Barnett, M.L. (2007). Stakeholder Influence Capacity and the Variability of Financial Returns To Corporate Social Responsibility. Academy of Management Review. 32 (3), 794–816.

Bracken, S. (2010) Discussing the importance of ontology and epistemology awareness in practitioner research. Worcester Journal of Learning and Teaching (4).

Broadbridge, A. (1998). Barriers in the career progression of retail managers. The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 8(1), 53-78.

Brunetto, Y., Dick, T., Xerri, M., & Cully, A. (2020). Building capacity in the healthcare sector: A strengths based approach for increasing employees’ well-being and organizational resilience. Journal of Management and Organization, 26 (3), 309-323.

Chaskin (2001). Building Community Capacity: A Definitional Framework & Case Studies from a Comprehensive Community Initiative. Urban Affairs Review 36 (3), 291-323

Christopher Potter & Richard Brough (2004). Systemic capacity building: A hierarchy of needs. Journal of Health Policy and Planning; 19(5): 336–345.

Cohen, L., Manion, L. and Morrison, K. (2000) Research Methods in Education, (5th edn.) London: Routledge.

De Boer, J., & Chevrollier, N. (2010, January). A co-design innovation methodology: towards efficient delivery of mobile services in developing regions. In 2nd Mobile for Development conference organised by HumanIT of Karlstadt Universiteit (Zweden) in cooperation with the Makerere University (Uganda) (pp. 1-12).

D.I. Castaneda, L.F. Manrique, & S. Cuellar (2018). "Is Organizational Learning Being Absorbed by Knowledge Management? A Systematic Review", Journal of Knowledge Management, 22(2), 299-325.

Dhondt, S., Oeij, P., Schröder, A. (2018). Resources, Constraints and Capabilities.In: Howaldt, J., Kaletka, C., Schröder, A., Zirngiebl, M. (eds.), Atlas of Social Innovation – New Practices for a Better Future. Dortmund: Sozialforschungsstelle, TU Dortmund, 74-77.

Facer, R. L. (2021). Developing Public Servants: International Trends in Human Resource Management. In Handbook of Public Administration (pp. 240-248). Routledge.

Goldsmith, A.A. (1993). Institutional development in national agricultural research: issues for impact assessment. Public Administration and Development, 13(2), 195-204.

Goncharuk, N., Orhiiets, O., & Prokopenko, L. (2021). Formation And Development Of The System Of Professional Training Of Public Servants In Ukraine: Organizational, Legal, And Economic Aspects. Baltic Journal of Economic Studies, 7(1), 39-46.

Harrington, D., Materna, B., Vannoy, J., & Scholz, P. (2009). Conducting effective tailgate trainings. Health promotion practice, 10(3), 359-369.

Honadle, B.W. (1981). A Capacity - Building Framework: A Search for Concept and Purpose.Public Administration Review, 41 (5): 575-580.

Howaldt, Jürgen/ Schröder, Antonius/ Kaletka, Christoph/ Rehfeld, Dieter/Terstriep, Judith (2016): Comparative Analysis (Mapping 1). Mapping the world of social innovation: a global comparative analysis across sectors and world regions. Dortmund: TU Dortmund. Internet: https://www.si-drive.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/SI-DRIVE-D1-4-Comparative-Analysis-2016-08-15-final.pdf

Imants, J. (2003). Two basic mechanisms for organizational learning in schools. European Journal of Teacher Education, 26(3), 293-311.

Jay, J. (2013). Navigating paradox as a mechanism of change and innovation in hybrid

Kaplan, A. (2000). Capacity Building: Shifting the Paradigm of Practice. Development in Practice, 10 (3-4): 517-526.

Kazi, A., & Chandani, S. (2021). Local companies underperform: a comparative study of industries in Pakistan. Independent Journal of Management & Production, 12(4), 1087-1106.

Khan, R. A. (2011). Measuring training effectiveness: A case study of public sector project management in Pakistan. Journal of Diversity Management–First Quarter, 6(1).

Klassen, T. R., Cepiku, D., & Lah, T. J. (2017). Public policy and administration in an era of globalization. The Routledge Handbook of Global Public Policy and Administration, 1-7.

Knapp, M. S. (2008). How can organizational and sociocultural learning theories shed light on district instructional reform?. American Journal of Education, 114(4), 521-539.

Ku, B.K. & Yuen-Tsang E.W.K. (2011). Capacity Building. I: The Sage Handbook of Governance. London/ New York: Sage

Kugleman, M. & Hussain, I. (2018). Pakistan’s Institutions: We Know They Matter, But How Can They Work Better? Wilson Center, Washington, DC

Land, T. (1999). Conceptual and operational issues arising. Overview paper prepared for the joint DAC Informal Network. In ACBF Workshop on Institutional and Capacity Development, Harare, Zimbabwe.

Lavrakas, P. J. (2008). Encyclopedia of survey research methods Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Light, P. (2004). Sustaining nonprofit performance. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.

Marsh, J. A., & Farrell, C. C. (2015). How leaders can support teachers with data-driven decision making: A framework for understanding capacity building. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 43(2), 269-289.

McNabb, D. E. (2015). Research methods in public administration and nonprofit management. Routledge.

Milen, A. (2001). What do we know about Capacity Building. An overview of existing knowledge and good practice. Geneve: Department of Health Service Provision.

Miraj, J., & Wang, Z. (2019). Factors influencing the implementation of international public sector accounting standards in Pakistan. International Journal of Business and Management, 14(9), 15-22.

Nikandrou, I., Apospori, E., Panayotopoulou, L., Stavrou, E. T., & Papalexandris, N. (2008). Training and firm performance in Europe: the impact of national and organizational characteristics. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 19(11), 2057-2078.

Noya, A., Clarence, E. and Craig, G. (2009). Community Capacity Building: Creating a better future together. Paris: OECD Publishing

organizations. Academy of Management Journal. 56 (1). 137–159.

Okudolo, I. T. P., & Mekoa, I. (2020). Nepad and the struggle to improve the efficacy of Africa’s public sector: a case study of Nigeria’s Servicome. Journal of African Union Studies, 9(3), 9-28.

Parveen, K., Phuc, T. Q. B., Shafiq, M., & Wei, T. X. (2021). Identifying the administrative challenges encountered by the principals in low-performing public secondary schools of Faisalabad District. Pakistan. International Journal of Humanities and Innovation (IJHI), 4(1), 5-16.

Paul S. (1995). Capacity building for health sector reform. Discussion paper No. 5. Geneva: World Health Organization, Forum on Health Sector Reform

Peter Morgan (1997). Institutional and Capacity Development, Results-Based Management and Organizational Performance, paper prepared for CIDA.

Potter, C., & Brough, R. (2004). Systemic capacity building: a hierarchy of needs. Health policy and planning, 19(5), 336-345.

R. Stock, B. Six, & N. Zacharias (2013) "Linking Multiple Layers of Innovation-Oriented Corporate Culture, Product Program Innovativeness, and Business Performance: A Contingency Approach", Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 41(3), 283-299.

R.V.D. Gonzalez & M.F. Martins (2014) "Mapping the Organizational Factors that Support Knowledge Management in the Brazilian Automotive Industry", Journal of Knowledge Management, 18(1), 152-176.

Rola-Rubzen, M. F., & Burgess, J. (Eds.). (2016). Human Development and Capacity Building: Asia Pacific trends, challenges and prospects for the future. Routledge.

Ryan, M. (2012). Human Resources Management and Capacity Development. In Managing Access to Medicines and Health Technologies. Arlington, VA: Management Sciences for Health.

Sembiah, S., Paul, B., Dasgupta, A., & Bandyopadhyay, L. (2018). Capacity building of private sector workforce for public health services in India: Scope and challenges. Indian journal of community medicine: official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine, 43(3), 144.

Shafritz, J.M. (1986). Dictionary of Public Administration. New York: Oxford Dictionary Press.

Silverman, D. (2014). Interpreting qualitative data / David Silverman. London: SAGE

Stebbins, R. A. (2001). Exploratory research in the social sciences (Vol. 48). Sage.

Stringer, P. (2013). Capacity Building for School Improvement: Revisited (elektronisk udgave). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers

United Nations Development Program (1993a). National capacity building: Report of the Administrator. Report on program and planning implementation, January, New York.

United Nations Development Program (1993b). Strategy for accesing UNDP effectiveness in capacity building during fifth program cycle. Bureau for policy and program evaluation, March, New York.

W. Chen & T. Hatzakis (2008) "Knowledge Management, Absorptive Capacity and Organisational Culture: A Case Study from Chinese SMEs", International Journal of Knowledge Management Studies, 2(3), 371-381.

Weber, E. P., & Khademian, A. M. (2008). Wicked problems, knowledge challenges, and collaborative capacity builders in network settings. Public Administration Review, 68(2), 334-349.

Weiner, B. J. (2009). A theory of organizational readiness for change. Implementation science, 4(1), 67.

Welsh, E. T., Wanberg, C. R., Brown, K. G., & Simmering, M. J. (2003). E‐learning: emerging uses, empirical results and future directions. International Journal of Training and Development, 7(4), 245-258.

West, J., Salter, A., Vanhaverbeke, W. and Chesbrough, H. (2014). Open innovation: The next decade. Research Policy. 43 (5). 805–811.

YIM-TEO, T. (2002). Learning organization a cultural breakthrough in the public sector. The Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship, 7 (3), 48-71.

Youngs, P., & King, M. B. (2002). Principal leadership for professional development to build school capacity. Educational administration quarterly, 38(5), 643-670.

Zubair, S. S., Jabeen, N., & Khan, M. (2020). Implementation of Tenure Track System Reform in Pakistan: A Contextual Analysis. Governance and Management Review, 5(2), 158-173.

Zubair, S. S., Khan, M. A., & Mukaram, A. T. (2021). Public service motivation and organizational performance: Catalyzing effects of altruism, perceived social impact and political support. Plos one, 16(12), e0260559.

Downloads

Published

2022-01-21

Issue

Section

Research Article

How to Cite

Capacity building of public officials: Challenges of public organizations in Pakistan. (2022). Journal of Public Value and Administrative Insight, 4(3), 183-199. https://doi.org/10.31580/jpvai.v4i3.2052

Most read articles by the same author(s)

Similar Articles

1-10 of 63

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.