The significant of technical competencies on operational performance of co-operative enterprise members in South Africa

Abstract

Co-operative enterprises are regarded as a vehicle to fight poverty, create employment and boost economic growth in South Africa. Large number of co-operatives in the country were created through initiatives of government agencies. However, they have (for a long time) been experiencing operational performance difficulties. This includes specific competencies that require specialised knowledge for performing physical and practical tasks. This sentiment underpins the importance of technical competency in the various business sectors. Hence, this study examines the influence of technical competencies on the operational performance of co-operatives. It was quantitative in design. The primary data were collected from 136 co-operative members based in uThukela Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal (in South Africa), using a structured questionnaire. Data was analysed using descriptive and one-sample statistics. The results indicate that technical competencies for both employees and cooperative members influence the operational performance of the co-operative enterprises in South Africa. However, training programmes are not accessible by the co-operatives. The original contribution of this paper is its value in uncovering the strengths and weaknesses of technical competencies on co-operatives in South Africa.