Participation, job satisfaction and decentralization: The case of Swaziland
| Published date | 01 April 1990 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/pad.4230100204 |
| Date | 01 April 1990 |
| Author | Richard A. Yoder,Scott L. Eby |
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND DEVELOPMENT, VOL.
10,153-163
(1990)
Participation,
job
satisfaction and decentralization:
the case
of
Swaziland
RICHARD A. YODER and SCOTT
L.
EBY
Eastern Mennoniie College
SUMMARY
Using Swaziland’s Ministry of Health as a case study this paper assesses the extent to which
the empirical data supports anecdotal information and trends towards decentralized and parti-
cipatory management systems. Specifically, this study measures the level of participation in
decision making and assesses its impact on job satisfaction, measures the level
of
and analyses
differences in job satisfaction by job classification, and identifies and analyses the determinants
of employee job satisfaction. Data were obtained from a survey questionnaire which was
constructed and administered to
447
employees of the Ministry of Health, a 42 per cent
sample, at fifteen representative locations throughout the country. Simple descriptive statistics
and multivariate techniques are used to analyse the data. From the analysis, policy implications
are developed
for
designing administrative structures and systems that respond to emerging
‘quality
of
worklife’ needs, strengthening productivity, and improving the quality of services
provided.
QUALITY
OF
WORK
LIFE
Several developments in recent years raise questions as to the appropriateness of
dominant administrative systems and practices in developing countries. First, there
is the phenomenon of increasing debt burdens and extreme budgetary constraints.
Concurrently, there is an expanding demand for what has been traditionally con-
sidered public goods such as health and education. Thirdly, as levels of education
rise among civil servants along with rising expectations, higher order socio-political
and psychological needs are emerging.
In parallel with these three developments, there is what is perceived
as
declining
levels of employee job satisfaction, morale and motivation and, more generally, the
quality of work life (Frazer, 1983; Stokes, 1978). As a consequence, ministries of
health and other public good ministries are searching for ways to reduce costs,
strengthen the quality and scope of services provided while, at the same time, address-
ing these perceived low levels of job satisfaction, morale and motivation and the
quality of work life (World Bank, 1987).
The response of major donors, such as the World Bank or the
US
Agency for
International Development, to these issues has been to encourage developing coun-
tries to privatize services, that is, to shift responsibility for the provision of goods
and services from the public sector to the private sector (World Bank, 1988). This
Professor Yoder
and
Mr
Eby
are
members
of
the
Business
Department
at
Eastern Mennonite College,
Harrisonburg,
VA
22801,
USA.
027
1-2075/90/020153-11$05.50
0
1990
by John Wiley
&
Sons, Ltd.
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