With the aid of an independent consultant, the survey assessed the commission’s senior staffing structure from headquarters to district office level.
ZEC, with the aid of an independent consultant, the in-house study surveyed 102 staff and showed the gender profile heavily skewed toward males (71 percent) with an average age of 50. ZEC is worried that this “will most likely represent succession challenges beyond the 2018 elections” as most of the staffers would have reached retirement age.
On the brighter side staff were found to be well educated. A large proportion of the top workforce are degreed professionals (85 percent), with 38 percent possessing masters’ qualifications. Senior managers have an average 10.7 years of election related work. Fifteen percent have conducted four major elections since 1980, while one percent has participated in three major polls and 81 percent have been involved in two general elections.
“The combination of age profile, academic qualifications, and EMB and election experience demonstrates that there is considerable elections-related experience with an appropriate level of qualifications. What potentially is lacking is the modernising of this competence and extending it to cover the voter-registration mandate entrusted to ZEC,” says the report.
It highlights the need for improvements in change management, leadership development, team building, project management, procurement, electoral rights, voter registration and conflict management.
Post published in: News