DEVELOPING EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT CAPACITY

Executive Management Capacity can be defined as the ability of individual executive managers and organizations or organizational units to perform functions effectively, efficiently and sustainably. This definition has three important aspects: first, it indicates that capacity is not a passive state but is part of a continuing process; secondly, it ensures that human resources and the way in which they are utilized are central to capacity development; and thirdly, it requires that the overall context within which organizations undertake their functions will also be a key consideration in strategies for capacity development.

The term 'executive management capacity development' does not, of course, imply that there is no executive management capacity in existence; executive management capacity development includes the building up and strengthening of capacity but it also includes retaining existing capacity, improving the utilization of capacity, and retrieving capacity which has been eroded or destroyed. Thus, executive management capacity development does not take place simply through training and additional staff, but requires that skilled people be used effectively, retained within organizations that need their skills, and motivated to perform their tasks.

·      Competitive Factors

Integration and globalization of markets have opened up competitive opportunities for businesses and organizations. The competitive factors that shape such issues as price, quality, sales, marketing, production, technology, timely delivery/logistics and profitability are driven by the following executive management capacity dimensions:
Training and Education: effective performance of any function requires a well trained human resource base of managerial, professional and technical personnel. This involves both specialized training and professional education, and in-service training needed for role-specific activities. This dimension is concerned with how people are educated and trained, and how they are attracted or directed to careers within particular organizations. It had been tested and proven that the most profit driven and cost-conscious managers are those equipped with up-to-date skills.

 Organizations and their management: effective performance requires the utilization and retention of skilled people. Thus, capacity development must include the organizational structures, processes and management systems, in particular the personnel management systems, which make the best use of skilled human resources, and which ensure their retention and continued motivation.

The network and linkages among Organizations/Departments: there is a need to consider the

network of organizations, departments or institutions that facilitate or constrain the achievement of

particular tasks. The accomplishment of many tasks requires the coordinated activities of a range of organizations/departments and any particular organization may belong to several task networks. How these networks function, and the nature of formal and informal interactions among them, are important aspects of organizational performance. These networks will often straddle the public and private sectors even where primary responsibility for a function rests with a public sector

organizational unit

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