SMS Competency - Service Delivery Innovation

This is one of eleven competences that appear in the SMS Competency Framework for senior managers in South Africa's Public Service. All these competences are viewed as being critical for high performance in the senior manager’s role. The eleven competences are:

1. Strategic Capability and Leadership;
2. Programme and Project Management;
3. Financial Management;
4. Change Management;
5. Knowledge Management;
6. Service Delivery Innovation;
7. Problem Solving and Analysis;
8. People Management and Empowerment;
9. Client Orientation and Customer Focus;
10. Communication;
11. Honesty and Integrity;

Competency definition

Must be able to explore and implement new ways of delivering services that contribute to the improvement of organisational processes in order to achieve organisational goals

Proficiency level

Basic

• Recommends new ways of performing tasks within own function;
• Identifies and seeks potential sources of new ideas and approaches to enhance service delivery;
• Proposes simple remedial solutions to simple service delivery orientated problems; and
• Listens to the ideas and perspectives of others and explores opportunities to enhance these ideas.

Competent

• Consults clients and stakeholders on ways to improve the delivery of services;
• Communicates the benefits of service delivery improvement opportunities to stakeholders;
• Identifies internal process improvement opportunities;
• Identifies and analyses opportunities where innovative ideas can lead to improved service delivery;
• Creates mechanisms to encourage innovation and creativity within functional area and across the organisation;and
• Implements innovative service delivery options in own department/organisation.

Advanced

• Formulates and implements new ideas throughout the organisation;
• Ensures buy-in from key stakeholders;
• Consults and utilises international best practices on Service Delivery Innovation;
• Aligns the Service Delivery Innovation initiatives with the latest technology;
• Researches needs of clients;
• Coaches others on innovation techniques; and
• Inspires service providers to improve delivery of services.

Expert

• Creates and supports a nonthreatening environment where individuals feel empowered to come forward with new and unconventional ideas;
• Plays an active role in international seminars/workshops/ conferences on Service Delivery Innovation;
• Highly regarded by the private, the public and the international community on Service Delivery Innovation; and
• Integrates processes, policies and structures across the organisation to achieve improved efficiency and effectiveness on Service Delivery Innovation

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Copyright RSA Department of Public Service and Administration: SMS Handbook - Chapter 5: Competency Framework (2003).

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External Links

Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA), Republic of South Africa