Understanding the challenges of teamwork for cooporative governance in the implementation of the environmental impact assessment process on government agricultural projects in KwaZulu-Natal.

M. Sc. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2014.

Commonly in South Africa, government departments are structured so as to include more than one function under a single organizational goal, requiring teams to coordinate and integrate their functions by cooperating with each other in order to deliver on the prescribed organizational goal. However, experience has revealed that several government departments are struggling to deliver optimally on their functions. Central to this, is the lack of teamwork and proper organizational structure for decision-making. In KwaZulu-Natal province, the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs (DAEA) is tasked with promoting agricultural activities, while on the other hand required to enforce environmental legislation in the province. The aim of this study is to understand the challenges of teamwork for cooperative governance in the implementation of the EIA process on agricultural projects within KwaZulu-Natal. The study investigates the effectiveness of teamwork between agricultural and environmental units of the DAEA in the North region. It also investigates the barriers to effective teamwork between agriculture and environmental units in the North region of the DAEA. In achieving this, the study adopted a mixed-method (qualitative - quantitative) approach, entailing a survey administered face-to-face and in telephonic discussions, using questionnaires, with respondents in five district offices of DAEA in the North Region of KwaZulu-Natal; i.e. (uThungulu, Amajuba, uMkhanyakude, Zululand and uMzinyathi) so as to collect data. The study found that there is lack of effective teamwork among the teams in the delivery of agricultural projects. The data analysed revealed that there is lack of communication amongst the units, which subsequently resulted in poor cooperation. The study also found that lack of communication and interaction among the teams and lack of effort in learning about other team’s activities, are main barriers to effective teamwork in the organisation, including challenges of institutional arrangement. In order to enhance effective teamwork, the study found that team training in the form of workshops and seminars must be undertaken in order to bring awareness of unit’s activities. Team-building exercises should be part of the programme in which the department allows for intra-departmental interactions, in order to enhance teamwork. The study recommended that, in order to ensure effective teamwork, the agricultural unit should communicate and consult with the environmental unit at an early stage, when agricultural projects have been identified for implementation. As a barrier to effective teamwork, the findings of the study indicated that there is no sharing of information amongst the teams. So as to enhance effective teamwork, it is recommended that workshops or seminars be organized for team training.