Proposing a competitive intelligence (CI) framework for Public Service departments to enhance service delivery

Background: The aim of public service departments in South Africa is to improve servicedelivery through the transformation and improvement of human resources and theimprovement of service delivery practices. Furthermore, it is important for the public servicesector in South Africa to improve the quality of its service delivery, not only by comparing itsperformance with other sectors within South Africa but also by positioning itself amongst thebest in the world. This can be achieved by benchmarking with other global industries and byimplementing the most recent competitive intelligence strategies, tools and techniques. Theenvironment of the public service organisations consists of competitive forces that impact thefunctioning of these organisations.Objectives: This article focuses on proposing competitive intelligence-related strategies, toolsand techniques for gathering and analysing information in the public service departments inSouth Africa in order to enhance service delivery.Method: The study was qualitative in nature and was divided into two components,namely, (1) theoretical – through an extensive review of the literature and (2) empirical – anethnographic study at the chosen public service department, the Department of Home Affairs(DHA). Ethnographic interviews with management-level staff, focus groups and documentanalysis were used to obtain adequate information to determine the current state of publicservice delivery in South Africa.Results: The results of the study was the development of a new competitive intelligencerelatedframework for gathering and analysing information, and it represents a formal andsystematic process of informing managers in public service departments about critical issuesthat these departments face or are likely to experience in future.Conclusion: The strategic planning tools and techniques of this framework will fill the gapthat exists in public service departments. Once this framework has been implemented, itcould assist these departments to improve service delivery to its citizens.