Hybridity governance has an influence on how public services are delivered and there is, therefore, a need to explore the topic in-depth. The theoretical underpinnings of how to manifest hybridity governance, the strategy and policy implications to investigate relevant organisational systems and designs as well as the appropriate management practices that promotes hybridity, are key conceptual foci. The School of Public Management and Administration, endeavoured to explore the aforementioned in its 14th International Conference, entitled Hybridity governance in Africa, from the 26th to the 27th of October 2023, which was held at the ANEW hotel in Hatfield. 

 

Academic papers were presented by a wide spectrum of individuals, including public officials, postgraduate students, and esteemed academics. These contributors hailed from various regions, with attendees coming from different parts of South Africa, as well as far-flung locations such as Nigeria, Zanzibar, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Kenya. Notably, scholars from San Diego, USA, also graced the event, alongside representatives from non-governmental organisations, including ReimagineSA.

 

The conference’s sub-themes focused on: hybridity governance in Africa:  theoretical underpinnings supporting the realisation of hybridity structures, policies and practices; African hybridity case studies; hybridity and co-production in public sector service delivery; contemporary hybridity human resource management implications; financing the hybrid structure/policy/practice: practical considerations and monitoring and evaluation considerations in hybrid configurations. 

 

The keynote address, delivered by Ms Bontle Lerumo, Chief Executive Office of the Public Service Sector Education and Training Authority (PSETA), kicked off proceedings on the first day, together with a warm note of welcome from the Dean of the Economic and Management Sciences Faculty, Prof. Margaret Chitiga-Mabugu.

 

The presented papers yielded the following key conclusions:

These insights underscore the importance of reevaluating and redefining the concept of hybridity to tackle complex issues successfully.