MERITOCRACY - Performance Driven Governance

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A simple idea to ENSURE/ENFORCE a performance driven culture in Ghana as well as National Accountability.

1. Each Government functionary must have a PERFORMANCE PLAN driven by realistic performance metrics for a given time frame (ideally a year.) For example a metric for the Finance Minister could be : “By December 2003, the rate of Inflation must be X percent or better. GDP must be Y”…..etc etc

2. These plans must be consistent with the long-term goals of the Government but must stipulate specific short-term objectives in the critical path of the long-term goals.

3. Performance reviews must be carried out at the end of every year (by the President for Ministers.) Ministers and functionaries who do not meet expectations must be booted out. WE WANT RESULTS. Accordingly, reviews for Civil and Public servants would be carried out by their managers and supervisors all the way to the top.)

4. These performance plans must trickle down to every civil servant or public servant. Based on what is expected of a minister, he would draw up performance plans for the Directors of his Ministry, these Directors would draw up plans for the Deputies, and so forth……right “down” to the messenger (whose performance metric could be percentage of messages delivered on time etc.)

5. To ensure fairness, performance plans must be approved my second level managers (that is one’s manager’s manager.)

6. As for the President, the entire nation would undertake his performance review every 4 years.

Advantages:

1. With clearly defined performance plans, there is a greater motivation to meet objectives.

2. A documented means of accountability in the workplace.

3. Would provide a means of rewarding those who are REALLY doing the work, and prune those who sit under the mango trees all day.

4. More action, fewer words. I am tired of ministers always saying “ Government plans to do this and that”…while as may be the case, no one has even been specifically assigned with the task.

5. Enhanced productivity. If it is in your performance plan to produce 20 shoes per day, how dare you produce 2.7 ? If by the end of the academic year, ALL pupils of a class one teacher must be able to write their names, how dare the teacher sleep in class?

6. Gradually, this would help achieve a performance driven culture. One in which people would go to work to WORK.

It is only Ghana which can save Ghana. HIPC or otherwise cannot save Ghana. Neither can the IMF. Neither would the so-called “Development partners and donors.

It is high time we change our national mentality and renew our psyche for a better Ghana. Human beings always want the lazy way out, so why not force the change? Time to force a Paradigm Shift!