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Mission Directed Work TeamsThe concept of Mission Directed Work Teams has been piloted in the Pietermaritzburg Region and has achieved outstanding results. One of the teams increased its productivity output in excess of 100%. The introduction of the Mission Directed Work Team Productivity and Management Programme in the Department puts the Department on a par with leading large companies in South Africa and internationally. In order to monitor output by all the components in the Department effectively, a measuring instrument has to be put in place, which will allow for the measurement of various diverse outputs. The programme "Mission Directed Work Teams" provided such a tool, which has the following characteristics:
The output targets are set by each foreman in conjunction with the regional director and in this way lower level staff members take ownership of their outputs. At monthly intervals, results achieved by all teams are presented to the regional director who then compiles these into a single report to the Directorate: Monitoring and Evaluation to reflect his service delivery for that month. At any time during the month line function managers and staff from Monitoring and Evaluation can visit a team to check the recorded measurements against the actuals in the field as field managers usually measure and record their outputs on a daily basis. In this regard the Pietermaritzburg Region has piloted the Mission Directed Work Teams (MDWT) in the Public Service. This is essentially part of the 2nd phase of the Department’s Good Governance Programme. Our aim is to create a work climate characterised by teamwork, participation and continuous development of the staff consistent with the concept of the One-Stop Shop. The region’s success story in terms of implementing the Mission Directed Work Team system is the Construction Unit situated in Merrivale. The construction manager saw the MDWT system as a way to improve productivity, improve morale and reduce the threat of privatisation. The Unit has shown remarkable improved production figures over the period 1 March 2001 to 30 September 2001. While still not competitive with the private sector, the unit has targeted private sector norms in terms of quality, speed and cost, and is working towards achieving them. The system has provided the Unit with a tool to identify shortcomings and take remedial action. In the past the Unit was unable to track production outputs and related costs accurately. The introduction of a workable costing system has allowed teams at the lowest level to measure their outputs and costs daily. They are therefore in a position to identify and rectify problems immediately. The programme also assists the teams in becoming more responsible by allowing them to measure their outputs and display them visually on charts. The implementation of the MDWT system has resulted in the Unit’s depot becoming a neat, well-presented, safe and efficient environment that is aesthetically pleasing to both employees and customers. The Unit’s staff members have developed pride in their surroundings and the depot’s store yard resembles that of any world-class organisation. The Unit has become a model for the department. The construction manager has been appointed as the regional champion, to assist with training and implementation in all other work components. All divisions namely the Motor Licensing Bureau, Road Traffic Inspectorate, Fleet Services, Mechanical and Roads have made visits to the Unit to get ideas on how to adapt the system to meet their particular needs. The Unit’s manager has assisted the Ladysmith region, which has recently adopted the system, in ironing out minor problems experienced in implementation. The Unit, through their hard work, has been through the learning curve, and as such is able to make it less painful for others. High-ranking officials from other departments, including the Office of the Premier and private sector enterprises including the Pietermaritzburg Chamber of Commerce, have visited the Unit in order to see the system in operation.
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