Understanding and Exemplifying the Importance of Knowledge and Performance in the Public Service : Some Considerations for Business Schools and the Bureaucracy

Abstract

This paper attempts to deal with the importance of knowledge and performance in the public service. It is a call to move from information to action. It explores how information about performance can be translated into improvements in public services and as to why this does not happen in practice. It is a call for practitioners of public administration and management and to academics to project and scrutinize these issues in their teaching programmes at the MBA level, within business schools. The paper draws heavily upon the work of Walshe, K; Harvey, G. and Jas, P the editors (2010: 1 – 32) in their book – Connecting knowledge and Performance in Public Services – From knowing to Doing. Essentially the preliminary chapters are summarized and where necessary the authors’ observations and experience are added for purposes of emphasis. This is a vital subject that requires understanding and application by both the academic and various levels of the public service bureaucracy. It is important to the so – called “Third World” development dynamics of governments and societies in transition, such as South Africa. The paper does not pretend to encapsulate all of the subtle nuances of a complex array of issues or for that matter pretend to deal with all of the issues that permeate this important, vexing, challenging and complex body of knowledge in terms of connecting knowledge and