A strategic management framework for intragovernmental collaborations

Abstract

Management tools and solutions are largely conceptualised through well-defined and well-understood problems. However, management often encounter problems that are neither well defined nor straightforward. These problems are labelled wicked problems and require a different management approach to solve. Many of these wicked problems fall within the public service delivery sector, of which the criminal justice system is part. The current study argues that crime in South Africa is a wicked problem because it portrays characteristics such as persistence and pervasiveness and does not have obvious causal relationships. Despite collaboration across several organisations and substantial resource investment, crime remains ‘untamed’ in South Africa. This study responded to calls in the literature for further research into collaborations that are mandated and directed. Given that wicked problems are unique and require unique solutions, this research proposed a framework that applies to South Africa and its historical context and is applicable in the governance context under which crime is addressed. This presented a compelling reason to undertake the current research and use the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster as a case to study intragovernmental collaboration. The objective of the research is threefold: first, to gain an in-depth explanation of intragovernmental collaboration within the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster from people who take part in the collaboration; second, to identify the dimensions of the collaboration and the interrelationships between them; and third, to develop a strategic framework for intragovernmental collaborations. Interactive Qualitative Analysis was used as a research method with ten Senior Managers participating in a focus group and semi-structured interviews and five Top Managers participating in semi-structured interviews. In-depth descriptions of the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security collaboration were captured through Interactive Qualitative Analysis in line with the qualitative research approach and eight key dimensions of the collaboration were identified. The research proposed a Strategic Framework for Intragovernmental Collaboration that takes into account the findings of the research and a literature-based conceptual framework underpinned by the Resource Dependency Theory, the Resource-Based View and the Complexity Theory. Findings from the study demonstrate that eight dimensions are key in the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security collaboration, and these dimensions are ranked in order of importance. The presented framework also highlights several differences from reported studies in this field. The contribution of this study not only extends the literature on intragovernmental collaborations but also sets clear guidelines for managers and policy makers to establish and direct intragovernmental collaborations. The chosen methodology and insider access to senior management ultimately produced rich descriptions not previously available. Two key recommendations are identified for the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster. Firstly, addressing the wicked problem of crime requires active participation of stakeholders beyond the Cluster and secondly, it must include active citizenship that is instrumental in contributing knowledge and learning as part of a feedback loop into the criminal justice system. Within the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster, the study identified three drivers of the collaboration that need to be addressed to enable the Cluster to work towards a goal consensus of addressing crime. These are leadership, culture and governance arrangements. Models of leadership and governance are included to guide the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster in this regard.