Business, Commerce and Management Studies Public Administration

Strategic Public Sector Change Leadership Training

SAQA US 242908 | NQF 7 | Credits 12 | Duration 9 Days
From $1,318 per delegate

Description

This course equips public sector leaders with the strategic skills to initiate, lead, and sustain change initiatives within government and public service environments. Participants will learn to navigate complex political and organisational dynamics, foster a culture of adaptability, and drive transformation aligned with legislative and policy frameworks.

Learning Outcomes

  • Analyse the contextual factors influencing public sector change, including legislative, political, and socio-economic dynamics.
  • Develop a strategic change management plan that aligns with organisational vision and Batho Pele principles.
  • Apply change leadership theories and models to real-world public sector scenarios.
  • Evaluate the impact of change initiatives using appropriate monitoring and evaluation frameworks.
  • Demonstrate effective stakeholder engagement and communication strategies to build buy-in for change.
  • Design interventions to address resistance and sustain momentum during change implementation.

Target Audience

Senior and middle managers, directors, and change champions in the South African public sector who are responsible for leading organisational change and transformation initiatives.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment

Course Outline

Day 1: Foundations of Public Sector Leadership

Objectives:
• Understand the unique context of public sector leadership
• Define strategic change leadership
• Identify key competencies for public sector leaders
• Recognise the role of ethics and governance

Topics:
• Overview of public sector environment in South Africa
• Strategic change leadership vs. traditional management
• Core competencies for change leaders
• Ethical leadership and Batho Pele principles
• Introduction to relevant legislation (PFMA, Public Service Act)

Day 2: Understanding Organisational Change

Objectives:
• Explain theories of organisational change
• Differentiate types of change (incremental, transformational)
• Analyse drivers of change in the public sector
• Identify barriers to change

Topics:
• Change management theories (Lewin, Kotter)
• Types of change: incremental vs. transformational
• Drivers of change: policy, technology, citizen expectations
• Common barriers: bureaucracy, resistance, resource constraints
• Case study: Change failure in a public entity

Day 3: Strategic Planning for Change

Objectives:
• Develop a strategic vision for change
• Apply strategic planning tools in public sector context
• Align change initiatives with government priorities
• Create a change roadmap

Topics:
• Vision, mission, and strategic objectives
• Tools: PESTLE, SWOT, Balanced Scorecard
• Alignment with National Development Plan and departmental mandates
• Developing a change roadmap with milestones
• Stakeholder analysis and engagement planning

Day 4: Leading People Through Change

Objectives:
• Understand the human side of change
• Build change readiness and commitment
• Communicate change effectively
• Manage resistance and foster resilience

Topics:
• Change curve and emotional responses
• Building change readiness: ADKAR model
• Communication strategies for change
• Techniques to manage resistance
• Building resilience and supporting staff

Day 5: Governance, Risk, and Compliance in Change

Objectives:
• Integrate governance principles into change initiatives
• Identify and mitigate change-related risks
• Ensure compliance with legislative frameworks
• Apply risk management tools

Topics:
• Corporate governance in the public sector (King IV)
• Risk assessment for change projects
• Compliance with PFMA, PPPFA, and other regulations
• Internal controls during change
• Audit and accountability mechanisms

Day 6: Performance Management and Measurement

Objectives:
• Develop performance indicators for change initiatives
• Monitor and evaluate change progress
• Use data to drive decisions
• Link change to service delivery improvement

Topics:
• Key performance indicators for change
• Monitoring and evaluation frameworks
• Data collection and analysis for change
• Reporting change outcomes to stakeholders
• Case study: Service delivery improvement through change

Day 7: Innovation and Continuous Improvement

Objectives:
• Foster a culture of innovation in the public sector
• Apply continuous improvement methodologies
• Leverage technology for change
• Encourage creative problem-solving

Topics:
• Innovation in public sector: challenges and opportunities
• Continuous improvement: Lean, Kaizen
• Digital transformation and e-governance
• Design thinking for public services
• Creating a learning organisation

Day 8: Change Leadership in Practice – Case Studies

Objectives:
• Analyse real-world public sector change initiatives
• Identify success factors and pitfalls
• Apply change leadership frameworks to case studies
• Develop recommendations for improvement

Topics:
• Case study 1: Successful change in a provincial department
• Case study 2: Failed change initiative and lessons learned
• Group analysis and presentation
• Role-play: Leading a change team
• Peer feedback and reflection

Day 9: Integration and Action Planning

Objectives:
• Synthesise learning from the course
• Develop a personal action plan for change leadership
• Present change initiative proposals
• Commit to ongoing professional development

Topics:
• Review of key concepts and tools
• Developing a personal change leadership action plan
• Presenting change initiative proposals
• Peer review and constructive feedback
• Resources for continuous learning

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 Fri 18 Sep 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,318 Register
Mon 28 Sep 2026 Thu 08 Oct 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,318 Register
Fri 23 Oct 2026 Wed 04 Nov 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,318 Register
Fri 11 Dec 2026 Wed 23 Dec 2026 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,318 Register
Thu 14 Jan 2027 Tue 26 Jan 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,318 Register
Wed 17 Feb 2027 Mon 01 Mar 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,318 Register
Tue 02 Mar 2027 Fri 12 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $1,318 Register
Mon 08 Mar 2027 Thu 18 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $1,318 Register
Fri 19 Mar 2027 Wed 31 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $1,318 Register
Thu 10 Jun 2027 Tue 22 Jun 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,318 Register
Wed 30 Jun 2027 Mon 12 Jul 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,318 Register
Tue 20 Jul 2027 Fri 30 Jul 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,318 Register
Mon 06 Sep 2027 Thu 16 Sep 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,318 Register
Fri 01 Oct 2027 Wed 13 Oct 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,318 Register
Thu 21 Oct 2027 Tue 02 Nov 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,318 Register
Fri 10 Dec 2027 Wed 22 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,318 Register
Thu 30 Dec 2027 Tue 11 Jan 2028 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,318 Register
Wed 19 Jan 2028 Mon 31 Jan 2028 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,318 Register
On-Campus training — face-to-face sessions at our training venues across Africa and beyond.
Showing all 481 sessions across 26 venues
Start End Venue Season Price Action
Fri 21 Aug 2026 Wed 02 Sep 2026 Shenzhen, China Winter 2026 $8,051 Register
Mon 24 Aug 2026 Thu 03 Sep 2026 Bangkok, Thailand Winter 2026 $6,971 Register
Tue 25 Aug 2026 Fri 04 Sep 2026 Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Winter 2026 $3,731 Register
Tue 25 Aug 2026 Fri 04 Sep 2026 Abu Dhabi, UAE Winter 2026 $5,891 Register
Wed 26 Aug 2026 Mon 07 Sep 2026 Durban, South Africa Winter 2026 $3,569 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 Mon 28 Sep 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,712 Register
Tue 06 Oct 2026 Fri 16 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,712 Register
Mon 26 Oct 2026 Thu 05 Nov 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,712 Register
Mon 14 Dec 2026 Thu 24 Dec 2026 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,712 Register
Fri 22 Jan 2027 Wed 03 Feb 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,712 Register
Thu 25 Feb 2027 Tue 09 Mar 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,712 Register
Wed 10 Mar 2027 Mon 22 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,712 Register
Tue 16 Mar 2027 Fri 26 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,712 Register
Mon 22 Mar 2027 Thu 01 Apr 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,712 Register
Fri 18 Jun 2027 Wed 30 Jun 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,712 Register
Thu 08 Jul 2027 Tue 20 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,712 Register
Wed 28 Jul 2027 Mon 09 Aug 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,712 Register
Tue 14 Sep 2027 Fri 24 Sep 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,712 Register
Mon 04 Oct 2027 Thu 14 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,712 Register
Fri 29 Oct 2027 Wed 10 Nov 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,712 Register
Mon 13 Dec 2027 Thu 23 Dec 2027 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,712 Register
Fri 07 Jan 2028 Wed 19 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,712 Register
Thu 27 Jan 2028 Tue 08 Feb 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,712 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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