As of January 2008, South African citizens had to wait more than four months, on average, to get a government identity document. The delays in producing IDs, which disrupted lives by preventing citizens from working or accessing government benefits, reflected longstanding organizational problems at the Department of Home Affairs, the agency responsible for issuing the IDs. The processes at each stage of ID production were in disarray, and the department's staff lacked effective supervision. Backlogs developed; workers became demoralized. In 2007, the department began to tackle the problems. This was one component of an ambitious turnaround strategy that targeted the department's core business processes. In the ID production process, a team of consultants and department officials made individual and group performance measurable daily and weekly. The turnaround team avoided backlash by engaging the staff union, removing the threat of job losses as a result of restructuring, and consulting the workers in each section before making changes. The performance-management changes were informal: Managers evaluated employees' and sections' performance in meetings and on wall charts rather than through the formal performance-appraisal system. By the end of 2008, South African citizens received their ID booklets in an average of less than six weeks.

David Hausman drafted this case study based on interviews conducted in Pretoria and Johannesburg, South Africa in February 2010. Case published April 2011. Case slightly revised and republished March 2013. 

Associated Interview(s):  Mavuso Msimang, Yogie Travern

In the wake of Georgia’s “Rose Revolution,” Jaba Ebanoidze took charge of the inefficient Public Registry. Housed within the Ministry of Justice, the registry held information about land, property rights and titling. Work procedures within the registry were overly bureaucratic and facilitated corruption by requiring multiple stages for application processes. The reform of the agency was part of the government’s wider economic program, which sought to open the country to private investment. A well-functioning registry was a key requirement for attracting foreign investors and allowing citizens to borrow easily against the capital in their homes. By rolling out information-technology systems and emphasizing monitoring and transparency, Ebanoidze achieved reductions in both processing times and corruption.

Andrew Schalkwyk drafted this case study based on interviews conducted in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia, in May 2009. 

Associated Interview(s):  Jaba Ebanoidze