Business, Commerce and Management Studies Public Administration

Strategic Leadership in the Public Sector Training

SAQA US 243116 | NQF 6 | Credits 10 | Duration 7 Days
From $1,118 per delegate

Description

This course equips public sector managers with the skills to promote and uphold strategic leadership aligned with the vision, values, objectives, and priorities of their organisations. Participants will learn to embed ethical governance, foster stakeholder engagement, and drive performance improvement within a public sector context. The programme ensures leaders can navigate complex policy environments while maintaining accountability and service excellence.

Learning Outcomes

  • Apply strategic leadership principles to align team and organisational activities with the public sector vision and values.
  • Analyze the impact of constitutional and legislative frameworks on leadership decisions and organisational priorities.
  • Evaluate stakeholder expectations and integrate them into strategic planning and implementation processes.
  • Design systems to promote ethical conduct, transparency, and accountability within the public sector.
  • Implement performance management strategies that drive achievement of strategic objectives and priorities.
  • Demonstrate the ability to lead change and innovation while upholding public sector governance standards.

Target Audience

Senior and middle managers in the South African public sector, including government departments, municipalities, and state-owned entities, who are responsible for strategic planning and leadership.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment. However, participants should be in a managerial or supervisory role within the public sector.

Course Outline

Day 1: Foundations of Strategic Leadership in the Public Sector

Objectives:
• Understand the role of strategic leadership in the public sector context
• Identify key competencies required for effective strategic leadership
• Analyse the impact of governance frameworks on leadership
• Differentiate between leadership and management in public service

Topics:
• Introduction to strategic leadership concepts
• The public sector environment and its unique challenges
• Ethical leadership and Batho Pele principles
• Overview of legislative frameworks (e.g., PFMA, Public Service Act)
• Leadership vs. management: roles and responsibilities
• Case study: Successful public sector leaders
• Group discussion: Expectations of leadership in your organisation

Day 2: Strategic Thinking and Environmental Scanning

Objectives:
• Apply strategic thinking tools to analyse the public sector environment
• Conduct a PESTLE analysis for a public entity
• Identify stakeholders and their influence on strategy
• Use SWOT analysis to assess organisational strengths and weaknesses

Topics:
• Strategic thinking vs. strategic planning
• Environmental scanning: PESTLE analysis
• Stakeholder mapping and engagement strategies
• SWOT analysis in the public sector
• Scenario planning for uncertainty
• Practical exercise: Conduct a mini-environmental scan
• Group feedback and discussion

Day 3: Strategic Planning and Alignment

Objectives:
• Develop a strategic plan aligned with government priorities
• Formulate vision, mission, and strategic objectives
• Link strategic goals to operational plans and budgets
• Understand the role of the Medium-Term Strategic Framework (MTSF)

Topics:
• The strategic planning process
• Crafting vision and mission statements
• Setting SMART strategic objectives
• Aligning with national and provincial plans
• Resource allocation and budgeting
• Performance indicators and targets
• Workshop: Draft a strategic plan for a public entity

Day 4: Leading Change and Innovation

Objectives:
• Apply change management models to public sector reform
• Foster a culture of innovation within constraints
• Manage resistance to change effectively
• Communicate change vision to stakeholders

Topics:
• Theories of change management (Kotter, ADKAR)
• Innovation in the public sector: barriers and enablers
• Leading transformational change
• Communication strategies for change
• Case study: Successful change initiatives in government
• Role-play: Handling resistance to change
• Group reflection on personal change experiences

Day 5: Building High-Performance Teams and Collaboration

Objectives:
• Develop strategies for building cohesive teams
• Enhance collaboration across departments and sectors
• Apply conflict resolution techniques in team settings
• Motivate teams towards shared goals

Topics:
• Characteristics of high-performance teams
• Team dynamics and stages of development (Tuckman)
• Cross-functional collaboration and partnerships
• Conflict resolution and negotiation skills
• Empowering and delegating effectively
• Team-building exercise: Problem-solving challenge
• Peer coaching session

Day 6: Performance Management and Accountability

Objectives:
• Implement performance management systems in the public sector
• Link individual performance to strategic objectives
• Understand accountability mechanisms and oversight
• Use data for evidence-based decision-making

Topics:
• Performance management frameworks (e.g., PMDS)
• Setting performance agreements and scorecards
• Monitoring and evaluation techniques
• Accountability and oversight bodies (e.g., AGSA, SCOPA)
• Data-driven decision making
• Practical: Design a performance dashboard
• Group presentation and critique

Day 7: Integration, Ethics, and Future Trends

Objectives:
• Integrate learning into a personal leadership development plan
• Address ethical dilemmas in public sector leadership
• Identify emerging trends affecting public sector leadership
• Present a strategic leadership action plan

Topics:
• Ethical decision-making frameworks
• Whistleblowing and protecting ethical culture
• Future trends: digital transformation, 4IR, and citizen-centric services
• Developing a personal leadership development plan
• Peer review and feedback on action plans
• Course evaluation and reflection
• Closing ceremony and certification

Practicals

No practicals for this training.

This course is made up of exercises and case studies delivered alongside the theory — no separate practical sessions are required to complete it.

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course and a final summative test at the end.

Daily Exercises — 30%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 30% to the final total.

Final Test — 70%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 70% to the overall mark.

Final Total
Component Out of Weight
Daily Average (multiple choice) 100% 30%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice) 100% 70%
Final Total 100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

Certificate of Completion

Awarded to delegates who achieve an overall mark of 50% or higher on the Final Total (Daily Average 30% + Final Test 70%).

How it works
  • Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
  • Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
  • You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
  • If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.
Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.

Upcoming Training Sessions
Online training — attend live sessions from anywhere via our virtual classroom.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Tue 08 Sep 2026 Wed 16 Sep 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,118 Register
Mon 28 Sep 2026 Tue 06 Oct 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,118 Register
Fri 23 Oct 2026 Mon 02 Nov 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,118 Register
Fri 11 Dec 2026 Mon 21 Dec 2026 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,118 Register
Thu 14 Jan 2027 Fri 22 Jan 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,118 Register
Wed 17 Feb 2027 Thu 25 Feb 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,118 Register
Tue 02 Mar 2027 Wed 10 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $1,118 Register
Mon 08 Mar 2027 Tue 16 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $1,118 Register
Fri 19 Mar 2027 Mon 29 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $1,118 Register
Thu 10 Jun 2027 Fri 18 Jun 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,118 Register
Wed 30 Jun 2027 Thu 08 Jul 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,118 Register
Tue 20 Jul 2027 Wed 28 Jul 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,118 Register
Mon 06 Sep 2027 Tue 14 Sep 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,118 Register
Fri 01 Oct 2027 Mon 11 Oct 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,118 Register
Thu 21 Oct 2027 Fri 29 Oct 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,118 Register
Fri 10 Dec 2027 Mon 20 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,118 Register
Thu 30 Dec 2027 Fri 07 Jan 2028 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,118 Register
Wed 19 Jan 2028 Thu 27 Jan 2028 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,118 Register
On-Campus training — face-to-face sessions at our training venues across Africa and beyond.
Showing all 481 sessions across 26 venues
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Fri 21 Aug 2026 Mon 31 Aug 2026 Shenzhen, China Winter 2026 $7,479 Register
Mon 24 Aug 2026 Tue 01 Sep 2026 Bangkok, Thailand Winter 2026 $6,399 Register
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Tue 25 Aug 2026 Wed 02 Sep 2026 Abu Dhabi, UAE Winter 2026 $5,319 Register
Wed 26 Aug 2026 Thu 03 Sep 2026 Durban, South Africa Winter 2026 $2,997 Register
In-House training — we bring the trainer to your organisation, tailored to your team.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Wed 16 Sep 2026 Thu 24 Sep 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,453 Register
Tue 06 Oct 2026 Wed 14 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,453 Register
Mon 26 Oct 2026 Tue 03 Nov 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,453 Register
Mon 14 Dec 2026 Tue 22 Dec 2026 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,453 Register
Fri 22 Jan 2027 Mon 01 Feb 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,453 Register
Thu 25 Feb 2027 Fri 05 Mar 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,453 Register
Wed 10 Mar 2027 Thu 18 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,453 Register
Tue 16 Mar 2027 Wed 24 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,453 Register
Mon 22 Mar 2027 Tue 30 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,453 Register
Fri 18 Jun 2027 Mon 28 Jun 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,453 Register
Thu 08 Jul 2027 Fri 16 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,453 Register
Wed 28 Jul 2027 Thu 05 Aug 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,453 Register
Tue 14 Sep 2027 Wed 22 Sep 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,453 Register
Mon 04 Oct 2027 Tue 12 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,453 Register
Fri 29 Oct 2027 Mon 08 Nov 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,453 Register
Mon 13 Dec 2027 Tue 21 Dec 2027 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,453 Register
Fri 07 Jan 2028 Mon 17 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,453 Register
Thu 27 Jan 2028 Fri 04 Feb 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,453 Register
Training Discounts
Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% off per 5 delegates, up to 40% for 100+

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