The state of performance - based contracts in the public service: a case for permanent secretaries in Zambia.

This study’s aim was to generate evidence to Cabinet Office of correlates of shortfalls in the implementation of the performance-based contract system for Permanent Secretaries since 2016 that could be used as evidence for improvements in performance appraisal practice. A mixed methods study approach was used. Correlational analysis was done using SPSS version 20 and qualitative data was analysed using qualitative content analysis. Appraisals were adequate in just 10% of the cases and in the majority of the cases (90%) they were inadequate. Ministers did not appraise civil service executives every year. The maximum they went to appraise civil service executives was zero and this accounted over half 61.7% and this was not expected. Spearman's rank-order correlation shows a weak, positive non-statistically significant correlation between the two variables (observed outcome of performance appraisals and inhibitors or facilitators (rs, = .0.252, p = 0.87). There was also a very weak, negative correlation between the two variables (inhibitors or facilitators and appraisal implementation process) (rs, = -.002, p = 0.989). There were unclear performance indicators, unclear ineffective rating instrument, overly guessing reviews and political based reviews, immediate supervisors were not available, excess workload and suddenness of conducting appraisals. There was a missing link with Ministers when it comes to appraising, Ministers had less information on how to do the actual appraisal and permanent secretaries experienced a lack of ongoing performance feedback from the Minister. These key issues influenced the poor state of performance appraisal of civil service executives. This study has explored the state of performance based contracts for Permanent Secretaries in Zambia. The conclusion is that the state of implementation of the appraisal process of the performance-based contract system for Permanent Secretaries’ is influenced a great deal by an ineffective rating instrument, overly negative/second guessing review and political reviews, immediate supervisors in ministers who are not available, excess workload and suddenness of conducting appraisals. If all these factors are taken into consideration, then performance appraisal system the potential of being a good performance management tool.
Key words: Appraisal, Performance, Contract, Public Service, Permanent Secretaries