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Effect of Leadership and Performance Management on Public Service Delivery in Zambia

Cynthia Bwanga, Vincent Kanyamuna*, Abubaker Qutieshat

School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Development Studies, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia

Abstract: Public Service leadership that is economical and performance oriented is required in order to champion the kind of relevant, valuable, acceptable and deliverable public services to the citizens. In that regard, the research aimed at investigating the impact of leadership and culture on organisational performance. The research demonstrates that leadership and performance management affected the delivery of quality government services such as health, education, water, and agriculture, among a few. Due to the general necessity of ensuring public service accountability and customer focus, the New Public Management and Public Service models were associated with leadership and performance management as the conceptual frameworks. A desk review of secondary material revealed that employee performance and service delivery was affected due to the leadership strategy's bureaucratic and centralised nature. It was recommended that future research should focus on the impact of performance contracting and its effects on employee performance in the public service.

Keywords: evaluation, leadership, monitoring, performance management, public service, public service delivery, new public management, Zambia

Received April 14, 2023; Revised May 17, 2023; Accepted May 30, 2023

Citation: Cynthia Bwanga, Vincent Kanyamuna, Abubaker Qutieshat, Effect of Leadership and Performance Management on Public Service Delivery in Zambia. World Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 9 (2). 48-56. January 2023. doi:10.12691/wjssh-9-2-1

1. Introduction and Background

The performance of the Public Service organisations has been a topical issue that attracts public scrutiny and outcry in as far as delivery of public services is concerned. This brings to the fore the type of Public Service leadership that exists and is required in order to champion the kind of relevant, worthy, acceptable and deliverable public services to the Zambian masses, such as, the use of performance agreements, performance inducements, strategic forecasting, generating a performance culture, or enhanced managerial authority.

Performance means both executing the work and achieving the desired results. Management refers to a discipline that consists of generic functions of planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling. Performance management in this paper was adopted as a comprehensive view that deals with the attainment of set goals, processes and behaviours to achieve the goals, measurement, outputs, and outcomes.

Leadership has two major facets which are generally political and administrative leadership. It must be noted that political and administrative leadership is not only applicable to the Zambian setting but common to other government systems the world over. Political leadership implies or is majorly related to policy formulation and oversight whilst administrative leadership is more inclined towards the implementation of policies and the management of human, financial and material resources. Management falls within the broader principles and activities of management that include planning, organizing, leadership and monitoring.

Leadership from the context of this paper signifies the type of administrative management that is employed by public service organisations and how they have motivated public service employees to deliver quality and satisfactory public services. Leadership according to the management theorists [8] can be autocratic, democratic, paternalistic and participative. The Public Service of Zambia has adopted a combination of autocratic and paternalistic type of leadership which presents itself with bureaucratic tendencies of hierarchical structures and centralized decision-making authority. Decision making is often left to top management which leads to delayed action or lack of implementation of programmes and projects. The ultimate effects and impact of delayed decision-making is underperformance and poor delivery of public services. Because leadership is inextricably linked to performance management, Zambia's progress in managing public service performance is critical in measuring the delivery of public services. The Zambian government began improving service delivery through effective performance management as a result of the Public Service Reform Programme of 1993. The following were among the target areas of the Public Service Reform Programme:

1. To strengthen the government's ability to develop, analyze, and carry out its tasks;

2. To efficiently manage expenditure in order to accomplish fiscal stabilization goals; and

3. To improve the efficiency and responsiveness of the public sector to the requirements of the country's citizens.

Performance management and public service delivery fell under objective 3 which provides a basis for discussion of the achievements that the Zambian government towards improving public service performance.

The performance management package was successfully implemented by the Zambian government as the performance management system for the Public Service and connected public service institutions. The Annual Performance Appraisal System forms, which are a measurement instrument for individual employee performance, came with the performance management package. Setting Specific, Measurable, Accurate, Reliable, and Timely (SMART) targets, which are used to evaluate employee performance, is a requirement of the performance management system. Significant improvements in the field of performance had led to the establishment of Performance Based Contracts for Permanent Secretaries, which had been extended to Directors, Assistant Directors, and heads of parastatal organizations. Performance-based contracts were supposed to result in more accountability and better public service delivery. Performance-Based Contracts were first established in 2016 and had been in existence for seven years.

It is therefore, based on the highlighted factors related to leadership and performance management that this study sought to assess their effect on public service delivery. The study focused on the delivery of public services by the Zambian public sector as a feasible study area for the researchers in terms of location and being a familiar field of expertise to the researchers.

2. Problem Statement

According to the baseline assessment conducted as part of the Public Service Reform Programme (PSRP) in 1993, Zambia's public service was underperforming. The supply of quality public services such as water, electricity, roads, education, and health, among others, was attributed to government employees' poor performance. As a result of the Public Service's poor performance, the government as a whole failed to provide acceptable service to its citizens. This viewpoint might be regarded as a lack of administrative and accountable leadership capable of putting government policies into action. It also indicated ineffective performance management systems, insufficient monitoring and assessment mechanisms, and a lack of oversight of public servants.

This underperformance of public servants could also indicate that there were deliberate service delivery delays caused by the inefficiency of most public servants, which could be due to bureaucratic systems in the hierarchical government system, lengthy processes, or a lack of adequate qualifications and experience on the part of some employees. This kind of arrangement could lead to a skewed relationship between public service performance and delivery, which could be linked to corruption or other irregularities. The PSRP was created in response to the issues the Public Service was having in carrying out its purpose. Its purpose was to improve public quality of service, distribution, reliability, and cost effectiveness.

Regardless of the foregoing intervention, performance management remained a significant challenge that necessitated in-depth investigation by [5]. The author agreed with Arnaboldi and others because there is clearly a large research gap in the domain of performance management in the public sector.

In order to identify feasible solutions to achieve sustainability in meeting the mandates of public sector organizations, performance management requires continuous, consistent, and rigorous research. Performance management was still mentioned as a serious issue in Zambia's Seventh National Development Plan, prompting the creation of Performance Based Contracts that were to be cascaded to the director and assistant director levels of management [17]. This type of policy shift alone demonstrates that there was a performance problem in the public sector. Since the aim was senior leadership, it also pinpoints the link between leadership and performance management, which would translate into successful delivery of public services.

An overview of available literature of peer reviewed journal articles from Google Scholar revealed that there were limited articles that point to performance management and leadership particularly related to the Public Service of Zambia. In addition, as earlier alluded to, the introduction of Performance Based Contracts to the Performance Management System of Zambia was an enhancement to the performance management model that does not have readily available research data. It is because of these observed research gaps that the author opted to conduct a research on leadership and performance management on the public service of Zambia in as far as delivery of public services is concerned.

3. Study Objectives

3.1. Main Objective

The assessment of the effect of leadership and performance management on public service delivery in the Public Service of Zambia was the main objective for the study.

3.2. Specific Objectives

The study comprised the following specific objectives:

i. To establish how leadership approach impacts quality of service delivery in Public Service.

ii. To establish effectiveness of the performance management system for Public Service.

iii. To assess how the Performance Based Contracts have impacted public service delivery.

iv. To recommend plausible interventions that would assure improved leadership and performance in delivery of quality public services.

3.3. Research Questions

The following were the major research questions based on the study:

i. What was the historical perspective of performance management and how did it compete with modern day public management?

ii. What were the leadership approaches within the Public Service that had resulted in improved employee performance?

iii. What performance management systems had necessitated the delivery of quality public services?

iv. Did the Public Service reform process that was implemented in Zambia achieve the performance related outcomes?

v. Did the introduction of Performance Based Contracts improve public service delivery and accountability?

4. Significance of the Study

All government institutions were established in order to achieve a specific mandate as enshrined within the Zambian Constitution. The major purpose was to deliver quality public services to the Zambian citizens that were facilitated by committed public servants and focused on serving the people. In that regard, the study would assist in determining how leadership impacts accelerated service delivery in the different sectors of the economy. Reviewing current government policies on performance management systems and Public Service Reforms that were aimed at quality service delivery would be the study's input to the body of knowledge in the field of management. The reason for choosing to conduct a study in the public service performance management was based on the challenges that the Government faced in delivering public services as attributed to the general concerns by the general public on the underperformance of the Public Service. Therefore, the study aimed to contribute to establishing the actual performance of the Public Service and to enhance the image of the public service. The study was inevitable and timely and would provide recommendations to the policy makers that can be adopted in order to enhance the performance of the public service.

5. Conceptual Framework

The New Public Management and New Public Service methods were used as theoretical frameworks for the study by the researcher. Christopher Hood invented the term New Public Management (NPM) to describe a popularized mix of management theories, business motivation psychology, and neoliberal economics that was a widespread administrative reform movement in the 1980s.

The NPM approach was premised on organising the public service through importing private sector methods of administration. The approach whilst placing emphasis on efficiency, effectiveness and ultimate positive outcomes has been criticised by scholars on account that the borrowed private sector methods of administration may be at variance with public sector standards. For instance, [34] argued that though the NPM approach promotes efficiency through delegation, decision-making, innovation and reduced red tape, the traditional Weberian attributes of legalistic and hierarchical tendencies of public administration are still prevalent in the public sector.

[35] also argue that although NPM emphasises on efficiency and effectiveness, traditional public administration was also concerned about efficiency. The new approach merely brings to the fore previous theoretical related attributes that were present but perhaps not dominant. For example, the aspects of efficiency are aligned to Frederick Taylor’s scientific theory applied to administration with the focus on production and performance being tied to renumeration. Similarly, Henry Fayol’s management principles of planning, organising, coordinating, commanding and controlling are still subsisting in the public service.

Given the forgoing, it is the author’s considered view that the value preposition of ultimate performance through efficiency and efficacy that the NPM approach emphasises is critical to improved public service delivery. What the NPM brings on board will ensure further improvement on organisational theories, enhanced output and impact in the performance of public sector organisations.

NPM's main themes, according to Laurence and Lynn (2006), included a shift away from a focus on policy toward a focus on quantitative performance. It also entailed a shift away from traditional bureaucracies and toward loosely connected, quasi-autonomous entities and competitively bid services. Additionally, it marked a change away from a focus on development and investment and toward economising and giving public officials more management flexibility. Moreover, it signified a change away from traditional command-and-control regulation and toward self-regulation, similar to private sector business practice.

Furthermore, [11] added additional elements to the NPM method, which were more reform-oriented and focused on reducing government size, decentralizing management authority, and emphasizing efficiency, effectiveness, and economy. As illustrated by the PSRP of Zambia, this was characteristic of the Reform organization and implementation. The government's goals, for example, were to guarantee that all ministries and institutions were effectively managing performance within an agreed-upon framework of set objectives and standards, and that they were taking steps to increase their capacity to deliver better services.

The New Public Service model was a typology of integrated whole-government strategy based on public management that prioritizes citizens, communities, and civil society. The necessity of a public service philosophy is reasserted in the New Public Service approach, which emphasizes the ideals and motives of public workers dedicated to the greater good. The New Public Service is visualised as a normative approach that mutually reinforces the management of performance and service delivery in the Public Service [15]. The strategy aimed to address broader societal demands while also developing policies that are in the public interest. It espouses values such as productivity, effectiveness and efficiency in the context of service delivery to the people.

Considering this, the Zambian government chose an integrated multi-sectoral approach to managing the public service, which should result in a more open, accessible, responsible, and responsive public service to better serve citizens. This was a departure from the previous ways of strategy implementation where sectors would operate in silos as evidenced through the previous national development plans in Zambia. It should be noted that the operations of the different sectors were interrelated. Therefore, an integrated multisectoral approach was reflective of a whole government approach and strategically fitted into the New Public Management and New Public Service models.

The New Public Management and New Public Service approaches would therefore, be most appropriate theoretical frameworks for the research as they brought out the significant concepts of competitiveness, accountability, efficiency, responsiveness and effectiveness in the delivery of public services.

5.1. Assumptions

Assumptions drawn for the study include the following:

• Public Service leadership and strengthen human resource policies had a positive impact on employee performance which had led to delivery of quality public services.

• Poor Public Service performance was a consequence of lack of accountable leadership, inadequate resources, corruption and lack of effective performance management.

• Change management through the implementation of Performance Based Contracts had enhanced accountability and Public Service performance.

6. Literature Review

6.1. Global Perspective of Public Service Performance

On a worldwide scale, performance management was critical to the public sector's success and the delivery of acceptable public services. Governments around the world have been implementing interventions targeted at resolving public institution difficulties, performance-related obstacles, and initiatives to improve employee working circumstances [30]. The adoption of such tactics indicated the existence of problems and administrative challenges that had been established as a result of prior failures in public administrative reform that faced national policymakers and other stakeholders [20]. Governments around the world were grappling with issues such as how to improve government performance and deliver on major developmental goals, how to make government processes more transparent, and how to make government more responsive to citizens' needs. As a result of the many levels of government issues, several modifications were adopted. The reforms focused on public administration and capacity training, resulting in the Weberian administration model in developing countries [31]. Pay and employment, decentralisation, new public management, integrity and anti-corruption, and bottom-up techniques are among the other reforms.

The United Kingdom, Belgium, Italy, Germany, and Spain, to name a few members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), underlined that public sector performance was one of the primary indicators for examining workable systems with the public sector. The introduction of the Performance Contracting System began in the 1990s as a means of enhancing public sector performance, according to [24]. The goal of implementing this performance management system was to increase effectiveness and efficiency by utilizing highly adaptive and flexible systems with the goal of doing more with less resources. Performance contracting had become a popular tool for government change. It could provide more clarity about what public agencies will accomplish while also giving agency managers more flexibility in how they deploy resources to achieve these objectives [24]. It was therefore observed that, while several reforms attempted to improve public sector performance, crucial performance metrics were required in order to achieve the reforms' objectives and provide appropriate service to citizens.

[3], in his research on leadership competencies for a global public service, referred to a new world order that highlighted wretched policy issues such as terrorist acts, climate variability, health epidemics, and economic recession, and attempted to propose leadership capabilities for a global public service. This remark was made given the fact that leadership competence models have been employed by governments all over the world for decades as part of their human resource frameworks. This type of idea, however, should be dismissed because the issues that developed, developing, and individual countries face are unique and not standard. As a result, creating a global Public Service model that could be used by all countries was impossible. It would be better that the various governments adopt management and administrative models that best worked for them depending on their level of development.

6.2. Leadership in the Public Service

Decentralisation, as [20] mentioned, was one of the fundamental changes that began in the 1970s, and developing countries like Zambia were still working to fully adopt decentralisation. Political and administrative decentralization were two aspects of decentralization. Delegation of powers to lower autonomous levels of government was referred to as political decentralisation, whereas administrative decentralisation or deconcentration was referred to as devolution and shifting of responsibility from central government to local levels. While decentralisation may be the ideal model, worldwide trends and reality in practice showed that power remained concentrated at the top, particularly in decision-making. In developing countries, public service management remained heavily centralized [32]. According to [20]'s research, delegation only reached as far as the top level of line ministries in five out of seven African and Asian countries. According to a critical analysis of the mode, there may be an over delegation of functions, which could result in job overload for operational staff. Because operational employees had less leverage to make key decisions, this might also lead to delays in decision-making.

Different administrations used different leadership methods at different times and in different ways. Despite the fact that globalization has resulted in the integration of management, political, and economic strategies, conventional government structures remained essential [33]. This form of leadership is exemplified by the Weberian model of bureaucracy that is used in developing countries. The model's major qualities, according to Max Weber, are a separation of administrative and political leadership, hierarchical structures, division of labor, appointment of qualified individuals, organization-owned resources, and public service rather than private interests [8]. Depending on the level of implementation and development, the structures and methods of administration were generally comparable or slightly different.

6.3. Comparative View of Performance Management Systems in Africa

Significant improvements in public sector performance are being seen across the developing world today, according to the [27], as government leaders and government figures discover novel and inventive ways to address lengthy public managerial challenges. Rwanda and Kenya have successfully implemented the Performance Contract system on the African continent.

Rwanda made a wise decision in adopting and implementing performance contracts as a mechanism for improving the efficiency of government institutions. Since the implementation of performance contracts in Rwanda's civil service, the country's social, economic, and productivity have all improved significantly [4].

In addition, the Kenyan government implemented performance contracting in the public sector in 2004 as one of the strategies for improving service delivery. Performance contracting is one of the primary methods in Kenya's Vision 2030 to strengthen public management and service delivery. In this sense, the initiatives would emphasize expanding the use of service delivery charters as accountability instruments and embedding performance as a culture in the government. The strategy's benefits were exhibited in improved administrative and financial performance, as well as enhanced service delivery, leading to its widespread adoption across State Corporations such as Ministries, Departments, and Agencies [1,2].

6.4. The Zambian Public Service Performance Management System

The Zambian historical setting of performance management was that The Zambian government instituted the Performance Management Package as a critical component of the reform process to enhance the efficacy of the government service. The Public Service Reform Programme (PSRP) was established in 1993 with the purpose of improving the quality, efficiency, and cost effectiveness of Zambia's public services. The Performance Management Package was introduced as a result of the Zambian Public Service Reform, and it was a plan for human resource management and development to ensure professional, efficient, effective, and long-term public service delivery [12,14]. The PSRP was designed to respond to the realisation that the Public Service's performance had worsened over time and that there was an urgent need to improve service delivery. This would be accomplished by building accountability and performance management mechanisms in the public sector, as well as developing skills that would allow senior managers to effectively manage the public sector.

The implementation of the Public Sector Capacity Building Programme (PSCAP) in the year 2000 was another intermediate measure implemented to aid the Reform process. Through rightsizing government, policy enhancement, financial management, accountability, Public Service management, transparency, legal and judicial management, and decentralisation, the Programme aimed to improve service delivery. Any public sector reform's ultimate goal was to produce effective and efficient public services in the correct quantity and quality. However, evidence suggests that not only have Zambia's public sector reforms failed to improve service delivery, but that they are also at the root of the problem, according to [17,19]. The researcher argued that the reforms were a failure because of the pioneering reform programs' intrinsic flaws, which stemmed from defective programme designs and aims that were out of touch with reality.

The Public Service management of the PSCAP introduced the Performance Management Package which was a performance management system. According to Zambia's Vision 2030 [13] despite the implementation of the Performance Management Package, the country faced several challenges. Some of them where achieving efficiency and effectiveness in the local and central administration systems. This translated into the requirement for improving service delivery and creating an appropriate institutional environment for achieving and maintaining socio-economic development was a necessity.

The Zambian government also implemented Human Resource Management Reforms, which envisioned a human resource management system for the public sector based on principles and values that promote efficient, effective, and high-quality service delivery for national development. This meant that Performance Management would be based on continual improvement by identifying variables that obstruct performance progress and eliminating, managing, or overcoming them so that upward movement toward a desirable aim could be achieved. The primary goal of performance measurement is to provide accurate data to aid decision-making.

In 2016, the government made a significant step forward in public sector management by establishing a performance contracting paradigm, which resulted in a positive paradigm shift in performance. It was referred to as a paradigm shift since it was a new approach of controlling performance in comparison to the traditional old way of public service management. In accordance with the strategy to scale-up public service reforms as contained in the 7thNational Development Plan of 2017, the Public Service's performance contracting methods would also be extended to lower levels of management [7,9].

6.5. Conclusions on Literature Review

The literature reviewed highlighted the global context of the Public Service in so far as performance management and service delivery is concerned. It was also noted that whilst some management scholars suggested a global Public Service for all governments, the structure of organisations and general applicability of the model would not be attainable. Therefore, leadership and performance management models that suited the varied economies were preferred.

The literature brought out the need for performance management systems that would facilitate measuring performance. It was also brought to the fore that performance contracting was a workable model for cost-effectiveness, accountability, transparency and customer satisfaction.

Leadership approaches that were less centralised and more decentralized would be more ideal for developing countries. The leadership however, required competencies, such as, qualifications, abilities, skills and behaviours that would steer high performance and quality service delivery.

A comparative view of the performance management systems in African and generally the world was illustrated with an indication that a number of countries worldwide had scored successes in the implementation of the performance systems.

The literature spelt out the performance management system of the Zambian Public Service and the levels of transformation that it had undergone through the various reforms. The literature responded directly to the first study question, which was to determine the historical context of performance management. However, the researchers did not come across literature on the review of performance contracting in relation to public service delivery in the Zambian context.

7. Research Methodology

7.1. Study Design

A descriptive and exploratory research approach would be used for the study of the impact of leadership and performance management on the public service. Descriptive in the sense that the research objectives would be clearly defined including the research procedures. The study would also be exploratory by way of indicating the main purpose of the research [16,18]. This would be done through establishing the research problem which was earmarked for resolution. As the primary source of qualitative data, the descriptive technique would rely on secondary material from books, journal articles, government papers, and reports. The study report would be more narrative in its analysis and discussion of secondary data findings.

7.2. Purpose

The study was expected to contribute to the field of performance management's current body of knowledge. Furthermore, the study is expected to produce data that would be beneficial to policymakers and, as a result, would lead to additional changes in the performance management system's management. Finally, the study would help the author achieve the goal of earning an academic Doctorate in Business and Management, which would be advantageous to personal career advancement.

7.3. Paradigm

In this study, the paradigm shift was from traditional public administration to new public management in the public sector. This entailed a transformation from the old system of government, which focused solely on labour procedures, to one that prioritized efficiency, economy, flexibility, and client orientation. The study's variables include the independent variable, dependent variables and moderator variables as defined by [21,26]. The independent variable was is a flexible factor that, when manipulated, created an effect or change on the dependent variable. The dependent variable, which is a value that is expected to be affected by the influence of the independent variable. Furthermore, moderator dimensions were selected as enablers for change in the dependent variable. The variables can be explained in terms of the quality of service delivery being impacted by factors such as accountability, leadership, policies and corruption whilst the availability of resources would make it possible to provide the required services. The major variables were as follows:

Figure 1. Study variables

7.4. Limitations of the Study

The primary limitation of the study concerns the research context which was a review of secondary data without carrying out an empirical research due to inadequate time to carry out field work because of the compressed research practicum. The study only focused on leadership and performance management as they relate to public service delivery. However, there could be other factors such as political interference, corruption, change management, incentives, etc that could have an impact on service delivery that future research could dwell on.

8. Discussion

The discussion is organized so that the subheadings are derived from the study's objectives, which are as follows:

i. To determine how a leader's approach to management affected the quality of service delivery.

ii. Determine the effectiveness of the public service performance management system.

iii. Evaluate the impact of Performance-Based Contracts on public service delivery.

iv. To make reasonable recommendations for improving leadership and performance in the delivery of high-quality public services.

This was done while taking into account the research questions and hypotheses that had been developed for the study.

8.1. Leadership Approach and Its Impact on Service Delivery

[10] posed a probing inquiry in their study, 'Can Public Leadership Increase Public Service Motivation and Job Performance?'. Apart from being political and administrative, a leadership style can also be autocratic, paternalistic, and participative.

Performance management necessitates outcome-oriented and accountable leadership. This should be coupled by enhanced managerial authority, allowing managers to develop performance-oriented activities with greater flexibility. This necessitates distinguishing between various types of administrative power in areas such as human resources, financial, task, and material resources, all of which are necessary for efficient public management.

Managerial authority may influence the types of leadership styles used by a leader to inspire followers to attain institutional goals and, ultimately, provide high-quality public services. New governance leadership has the greatest positive influence with both public service work motivation, according to a study by Schwarz and others. Furthermore, leadership capabilities such as knowledge, talents, skills, and traits are required for performance that will result in high staff productivity and quality service delivery. An attitude of openness, flexibility, empathy, optimism, honesty, decision-making, problem-solving, and communication skills are among the qualities a leader should possess [3,25,29,34]. In as much as there are stipulated policies, rules and regulations for the public service, there are exceptional leadership qualities and traits that steer the achievement of goals. For instance, there are charismatic leaders that may possess inherent leadership traits that motivate others to develop team spirit and achieve on mandates.

Given the empirical developments of performance management reform, addressing the link between performance management and leader authority is important. According to studies, the development of increasingly advanced performance information systems has dominated the acceptance of government sector performance appraisal system, while the need to enhance managerial power has been overlooked. While there may be a link between leadership style and staff performance, the research studied did point to a significant concentration of administrative authority and decision-making, which could lead to poor leadership relationships and poor public service delivery. The concentration of decision-making authority is inversely related to a measure of perceived performance.

Furthermore, [22] recommended that future research focus on current situational analysis of factors affecting work motivation using the performance management system, based on their study of the impacts of performance measurement on the quality of service delivery in the Zambian Public Service. The study attempted to compare performance at the operational level of businesses. Learning opportunities, reward systems, work happiness, and participation in decision-making were found to influence motivation for improved employee performance and, as a result, quality service delivery.

To strengthen the argument on the leadership role in public service performance, [6] found that transformational leadership is an organizational element. It is related to increased public service motivation, bolstering the case for leadership's importance in public service performance. Through the interpretation of the organization's goals and the encouragement of employee motivation, transformational leadership has a significant impact on mission valence. Transformational leadership responds to the second research question which required establishing the leadership approaches that had led to improved employee performance in the public service.

8.2. Performance Management System Effectiveness

The Zambian government implemented a number of reforms, including Government Service Reforms, Human Resource Reforms, Decentralization, Pay Reforms, and Corruption Reforms, to name a few. The Performance Management Package was an important achievement and indicator of public service performance as part of the Public Service Reforms. [23] found that performance measurement was crucial to public service delivery. This was in a study of the relationship between performance contracting, performance contracting, and service delivery in Kenya. This metric is in line with the New Public Management model, which places a premium on public employee performance as well as leadership. The need for the performance management system cannot be overemphasised because it is an inevitable that allows the employees understand what is expected of them, gives great comfort to the leaders that they have leverage and authority to make decisions and that feedback on performance is provided. The research questions on performance management systems vis-à-vis public service reform outcomes was addressed in the implementation of the performance measures.

The success of the performance management system was evaluated in light of the New Public Management and Public Service ideas, which included the adoption of private sector management methods, efficiency, goal attainment, and authority devolution. Despite the development of sophisticated performance management tools, an increase in managerial authority is required. Growing management power in the public sector, on the other hand, is connected to measures of firm performance or effectiveness. With the goal of improving efficacy, economy, and completeness in the delivery of public services, the New Public Management model was much more akin to re-engineering or reinventing government. The New Public Service concept was a self-supportive framework for managing productivity, output, and provision of services, with a focus on residents.

8.3. Public Service Performance Contracts

In the literature reviewed we did observe that Performance contracting was adopted by governments around the world as a mechanism for assessing and improving public service performance. According to [23,28,35], performance measurement is a critical component of any performance system, including performance contracting. For example, in Kenya, the performance contracting system was implemented in 2004 to address inefficiencies in the utilization and use of public resources, as well as an unresponsive service delivery culture. By 2007, Kenya has witnessed economic development as a result of this stopgap measure, which was ascribed to increased public service performance through quality, efficient, and accessible public services.

In addition to the reforms already mentioned, the Zambian government moved further to create Performance Based Contracts in order to improve the performance of personnel in the public sector. This necessitated transformational leadership and change management. However, due to a lack of readily accessible supplementary data on the impact of performance contracting on the public sector, the study is inconclusive to cover the third research objective.

9. Conclusion

Leadership is crucial to performance management in the public sector and across all companies. This was proved through the study that leadership necessitated accountable, goal-oriented, effective, and cost-efficient managerial authority in public service delivery. The study used the New Public Management and Public Service Models as conceptual frameworks for enhancing public service performance and ultimately increasing customer satisfaction. It was emphasized that leadership was important as a motivating force that must result in long-term results and the provision of high-quality public services.

In terms of performance management and service delivery, the literature evaluated highlighted the Public Service's worldwide perspective. For cost-effectiveness, accountability, transparency, and customer happiness, performance contracting was a viable option. The study used the Zambian Public Service as a case study for initiatives in the area of public service performance management. The study was distinguished because it revealed that there was a dearth of literature or peer-reviewed journal papers on performance management in the public sector in general, and in Zambia in particular.

The study on leadership and performance management in public service delivery took a unique strategy to identifying and addressing the challenges that the Public Service faces in carrying out its mandate to provide health, education, water, transportation, and other essential public services to the people. The study fills a research need in the area of performance management in the public sector, which still requires nuanced, consistent, and thorough research to develop effective solutions for public sector organizations to achieve sustainability in achieving their mandates.

10. Recommendations

The recommendations based on the study were as follows:

i. Further investigative research should be conducted on the impact of leadership on performance in the Public Service of Zambia to ascertain where the country stands in meeting the objectives of the Public Service Reforms and in delivering quality services to the general public.

ii. Research should be conducted on the impact of the other factors that affect performance management in the Public Service, such as, accountability, transparency, corruption and change management.

iii. An empirical research should be conducted to further interrogate the objectives of the study in order to fully comprehend the impact of leadership, performance management and performance contracting as it affects service delivery in Zambia. This recommendation was arrived out on the basis that there is inadequate peer reviewed literature on the subject matter related to the Zambian perspective.

iv. An impact evaluation of the functioning of the civil service structures and monitoring and evaluation systems to find out what was working well, not working well and reasons why would be useful to inform policy and decision-making processes towards results-based management practices.

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