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Kim Cameron and Robert Quinn are two widely admired world class scholars at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. The purpose of this paper is to explore their personal views about positive leadership and added values over the traditional approach to organizations and leadership.

This interview was designed to obtain personal insights to positive leadership from world renowned leadership scholars.

Most people do have something to give that is worthwhile, when they address the question of positive leadership over traditional leadership. The moment we orient people to their highest purpose, there is an incentive for them to close their integrity gap.

Obtaining personal insights from lifelong scholars of leadership by means of personal interviews is paramount in the professional field of leadership.

The objective of the book is to examine specific public sector reforms in three core Public Administration areas, namely political–administrative relationships, the delegation of authority to senior managers and performance management.

It also locates the relevant public sector reforms within the context of the broader international debate on public sector reform. Each of three chapters on public service reform begins with a comparative perspective on the respective theme.

The period of the study is from the onset of democratic rule in 1994 until 2021. This period covers the Presidencies of Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Zuma and Cyril Ramaphosa.

This book uses a mixed methods approach that combines quantitative and qualitative analyses. Quantitative data in the form of descriptive statistics were obtained from The Personnel and Information System (PERSAL), the central human resources database for the South African public service. This database is not ‘off the shelf’ information – rather, the data are tailor-made to the specific needs of those who request information. Qualitative sources used include data obtained from virtual recordings of webinars on public sector reform and an examination of written documents. This includes an analysis of government legislation, White Papers and Commission reports.

This chapter examines one of the most contested issues in Public Administration, namely political–administrative relationships. The first part of the chapter begins with a brief overview of the features of an ideal-type bureaucracy. Next is a literature review of political–administrative relationships. This is followed by an analysis of typologies of political–administrative relationships, with particular reference to developing countries. The second part of the chapter analyses the evolution of political–administrative relationships since the dawn of South African democracy in 1994. It examines the growing politicisation of the public service, the weakening of the powers of public officials vis-a-vis Ministers and the emasculation of the PSC. Data indicate that the government is unable to fill posts at the Senior Management Service (SMS) level and that there are a high number of acting HoDs, an indicator of instability. Finally, it uses Dasandi and Esteve’s typology of political–administrative relationships in developing countries to interpret the South African case.

This chapter examines performance management, which has arguably been the kernel of New Public Management inspired version of public sector reform. The first part is a literature review that looks at experiences of performance management in both developed and developing countries. It looks at the difficulty in transferring public sector reforms from developed to developing countries. This is followed by the evaluation of performance management in the post-1994 public service in South Africa. Both the individual and organisational performance systems are highlighted, followed by an analysis of performance management reforms. There is a well-developed performance management system but the empirical data and qualitative reports found that it has not worked particularly well. There are concerns around a number of issues, including the measurement of targets; the signing of performance targets; a focus on outputs rather than outcomes; a lack of harmonisation between individual and organisational performance; a lack of capacity of managers, which in some cases is due to unskilled patronage appointments; a focus on compliance rather than performance; and a lack of accountability.

This chapter traces the evolution of political–administrative relationships in the South African public service. It traces how segregation and apartheid laid down the foundation of the country’s governmental system. The public service was effectively set up for Whites and poorly resourced self-governing territories were set up for Blacks. The National Party (NP) was in office from 1948 to 1994 and this long period in office led to the politicisation of the bureaucracy, with public servants gradually starting to adopt the government’s way of thinking instead of being impartial. In the 1980s, under President P.W. Botha, the government embarked on public sector reform, which included politicisation of the top levels of the public sector.

The role of the PSC/CoA is discussed – it had omnipotent human resources powers over the public service, particularly during the dying days of apartheid. The chapter then examines constitutional change in the 1990s, looking at both the Interim and Final Constitutions, which laid down the foundation of a democratic society. There is particular emphasis on political–administrative relationships and the declining influence of the PSC.

This chapter examines one of the specific manifestations of political–administrative relationships, namely the delegation of powers to managers. The first part of the chapter is a literature review of political–administrative relationships in both developed and developing countries. This is followed by a discussion of the framework for delegation in South Africa that was laid down in the late 1990s. Next is an analysis of the implementation of delegation in the 2000s, along with the National Planning Commission recommendations in 2012, which has led to a resurgence in delegation initiatives. There is a well-developed government monitoring system of delegation that has led to some improvement in compliance with delegation, but the overall delegation levels are on the low side. Delegation to officials is often thwarted by Ministers who wish to retain control and/or promote patronage. Further, in some cases, managers lack capacity or are unwilling to manage and take responsibility for delegated authority.

This chapter provides a summary of the main findings, indicating that none of the public service reforms studied has worked particularly well. It then looks at ‘The Way Forward’ by analysing current proposals of the Ramaphosa government to reform the public sector. There are legislative proposals to give HoDs powers to appoint and dismiss staff, along with provisions devolving administrative powers to HoDs, while retaining strategic powers. There is a provision for the EA to intervene in the event of HoDs failing or refusing to fulfil a power or duty in terms of the proposed Act. This does provide a back door for Ministers to intervene in administration. Further, there is likely to be resistance against proposals to reduce politicians’ role in human resources, including members of the President’s own political party who are reluctant to lose delegation powers. Finally, it is suggested that the government should move away from centralised policies, particularly in respect of performance management, towards network governance-type approaches which promote a non-hierarchical approach to Public Administration.

The purpose of this paper is to concern the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver, which survived the threat of major internal demolition and rebuilding during the 1960s and early 1970s. The building has subsequently undergone significant restoration and conservation work, including the incorporation of modern acoustic improvements and the construction of a new entrance area. Understanding the mechanisms through which the building was restored and brought back into use formed a central strand of the work.

The paper employed a single case study approach, and used the Orpheum Theatre to simultaneously study and consider the practical and heritage implications of the restoration project. The methods employed included archival study, on site recording and a study of the social and architectural history of the building.

The manner in which the building was restored was unusual and rooted in the community, and holds resonance for many similarly at risk theatres and cinemas, in both Canada and elsewhere.

The paper is interesting both from the perspective of that refurbishment, and also from the fact that it was designed by a prominent Scottish architect, B. Marcus Priteca, who designed a large number of early movie palaces in Canada and the USA.

Through exploration of the processes involved in saving the building, the paper draws conclusions regarding its importance to the continued vibrancy of the city. The incorporation of social as well as technical information within building conservation also holds resonance within building conservation practice and planning.