Description
Managers in the Public Service are faced with multiple challenges, and require very specifi c skills and expertise, some of which can only be gained through continuous learning and training. The Senior Management Service (SMS) introduced a professional model for the highest echelons of public servants, i.e. the managers.
This was a break from the extreme form of the bureaucratic model upon which the core civil service had historically been run. The bureaucratic model was highly regulated, centralised and infl exible, and this rigidity precluded rapid adaptation and accountability.6 The professional model aims to establish a professional ethos and build expertise. The SMS introduced a framework in terms of which the development needs of senior managers could be addressed.