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1. Performance and Accountability: A Case of Bhutanese Civil Service

Author:
Singay
Publication Date:
03-2022
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of Bhutan Studies
Institution:
Centre for Bhutan & GNH Studies (CBS)
Abstract:
There has been substantial research undertaken on the performance management system (PMS) and accountability. Despite a recent increase in the literature on PMS and accountability, far less research has been carried out on the impact of the PMS in strengthening accountability in Bhutanese civil service. As a result, critical gaps exist between PMS and actual practice in strengthening the accountability of Bhutanese civil servants in the field. To fill this gap, this study set out to examine the impact of the PMS in strengthening accountability in the Bhutanese civil service. This study uses interviews and content analysis of the annual reports to answer the research questions. Results showed that agencies introduced various systems to strengthen accountability, such as accountability initiatives, performance-based accountability, and effective disciplinary regime. However, interview data indicated that the current PMS failed to strengthen accountability in the Bhutanese civil service. A possible explanation for these results may be the lack of fair and reasonable measurement tools, the priority level of accountability, and supervisor accountability. Policy recommendations for strengthening accountability and suggestions for future research are provided.
Topic:
Accountability, Performance Evaluation, and Civil Services
Political Geography:
South Asia and Bhutan

2. Debates on Administrative Reform in India: Performance Management

Author:
Aditya Unnikrishnan, Sonakshi Sharma, and Karnamadakala Rahul Sharma
Publication Date:
03-2022
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre for Policy Research, India
Abstract:
In the early nineteenth century, a civil servant employed by the English East India Company had a considerable amount of autonomy. On the one hand, their actions could be questioned at the following levels: regional, provincial, at the Presidency, in London at the Court of Directors, the Board of Control and ultimately at parliament. However, as historians have noted, “given the difficulties of communication and the sheer bulk of information and correspondence which had to pass between India and London, it often took two or three years for matters originating in a district to be commented on in London” (Cohn, 1987, p. 512). In such a scenario, monitoring and measuring the performance of civil servants was particularly challenging. Accounts of civil servants have not yet been analysed to understand on what basis they were picked for promotion by their superiors or the Governor General. This changed postindependence, when clear processes were put in place for measuring performance, and performance appraisals were at the core of this shift. Measuring, reporting, and rewarding performance appropriately are critical for motivating and developing people’s capabilities across organisations and professions. In the public sector, for example, a recent survey of 23,000 civil servants in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America finds that “civil servants are more satisfied, committed and, at times, motivated to serve the public, work hard and perform, where they perceive that performance shapes their pay, promotion and job stability prospects” (Sahling et al., 2018, p. 36). However, measuring and rewarding performance in the public sector can be challenging because government employment often lacks the classic drivers and incentives that foster performance in other organisations. Employees in government and public sector organisations function in the absence of clear profit motives or market competition, which other organisations use to measure and reward performance (Moriarty & Kennedy, 2002). Government employees also have to contend with multiple ‘principals’, such as politicians, bureaucrats and the citizen population, each of whom have differing objectives. Measuring performance and linking it to multiple outcomes in such contexts can be complex (Pollitt, 1986). Finally, most civil service contracts have strong protections against dismissal, which severely limits the incentive tools available to managers in the private and nonprofit sectors (Esteve and Schuster, 2019). The design or assessment of performance appraisal systems in the public sector, therefore, need to consider these boundary conditions seriously. This working paper examines reforms related to the design of performance appraisals in the Indian Civil Services. Within the Indian government and especially senior administrative roles, performance appraisals have served as the primary tool by which employee performance is assessed and rewarded. This system, established in 1985, was meant to assess and rate officers annually against ex ante targets set at the beginning of the year (Surinder Nath Committee, 2002). By linking performance to career advancement, appraisals sought to motivate and incentivise better performance by government employees. Weaknesses in this appraisal process have, however, severely limited its impact on performance, requiring the government to undertake multiple reforms over the years.
Topic:
Reform, Management, Performance Evaluation, Civil Servants, and Administration
Political Geography:
South Asia and India

3. In-service Training: Key to Enhancing Competence and Building Confidence for Job Performance of Gewog-level Extension Agents in Bhutan

Author:
Samdrup Rigyal
Publication Date:
10-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of Bhutan Studies
Institution:
Centre for Bhutan & GNH Studies (CBS)
Abstract:
The study is aimed to measure the confidence levels of the extension agents under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests based in the gewogs for efficient job performance by identifying their perceptions on the various competencies. A total of nine out of the 20 dzongkhags comprising of 60 gewogs from four regions of the country were selected for the purpose of the study. A structured questionnaire-based survey was administered to 150 samples of extension agents at the gewog-level. The study showed that most of the competencies EAs considered important were also possessed by them and vice versa. However, the competencies considered important that were least possessed by EAs were particularly in vital areas, including technical knowledge and skill oriented competencies. The study indicated that EAs needed some form of training in all the 40 competencies of extension knowledge, skills and qualities measured. The technical knowledge competency stood out as the most important training need. The senior extension agents have lower level of confidence on various competencies as compared to their juniors. These differences in the competency levels could be attributed to the lack of consistent in-service training programme. The approaches and practices of delivering extension services are consistently evolving and curriculum of training institutions being improved based on new developments. The implementation of in-service training should be systematized and regularized or at least the frequency of in-service training should be increased in the future so that technical knowledge and skills of employed/senior extension agents in the field are consistently upgraded and their confidence levels on technical competencies further enhanced. In-service training was rated as one of the primary sources of information and knowledge for extension agents. The opportunities to participate in forums like workshops, seminars, conferences and meetings were also found very useful and knowledgeable. Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests should accord the highest priority in increasing the frequency of providing in-service training particularly to senior extension agents and also give more opportunities to staff based in the dzongkhags/gewogs for participating in national/regional conferences and seminars.
Topic:
Government, Employment, Training, and Performance Evaluation
Political Geography:
South Asia and Bhutan