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The purpose of this article is to examine the importance of 4IR interventions in providing smart services. The importance of talent management is emphasised, with the caveat that the 4IR tools and applications might stay theoretical and abstract in the absence of sufficient competencies. As its focal point, the study examines these elements in the municipal setting of South Africa. The reasoning behind this is that local governments are having more difficulty integrating technology tools into the areas under their jurisdiction. The reasons could include a lack of funding to hold workshops and training sessions to equip staff, a lack of infrastructure to host community members for technology workshops, or a shortage of resources (technical, technological, and human) to integrate 4IR with their organisational processes. The alternative is that some municipalities with sufficient funding may have tried to implement 4IR applications but have not been successful. The reasons could include, but are not limited to, a lack of technologically skilled personnel, a failure to integrate technological processes, and insufficient technological infrastructure to support 4IR processes. Nevertheless, to mention that South Africa has experienced an electricity crisis. There was a period when households were not provided with electricity due to load-shedding, which occurred three times a day for a total of roughly eleven hours. Although different provinces and suburbs have had varying load-shedding schedules, everyone suffered as a result. Service delivery failed, businesses suffered, and the economy declined. The challenges are too numerous to be included in a single document. Thus, the study concentrates on the most important factor, which is talent management, which is necessary to use 4IR tools for the government's smart service benefits.
The study's objective is to inform local government officials about the value of 4IR technologies for better service delivery. Policymakers may benefit from the knowledge and data acquired in this study in understanding the paradigm shifts in the provision of public services. It's time to expand the technological foundation to meet both local and global needs while concentrating on the former. Appropriate policies should be in place to compel municipalities to adopt technological processes, and funds should be set aside for technological advancement, training, and capacity building initiatives. The ultimate objective is to make sure to that local governments are prepared to provide smart services to the residents of their areas.
It is imperative to draw attention to the paucity of research on the relationship between talent management and public administration. Research articles highlighting and examining the relationship between talent and technology are scarce. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to narrow this knowledge gap and advance the fields of information studies, local government studies, public management, and human resource management.
The desktop compilation of information used for the qualitative study reveals that community members can benefit from several different 4IR applications. The information analysis examines the requirement for trained technological professionals under talent management to provide end users with smart services. The article therefore utilizes the Human Capital Theory as a framework for the study. The main questions raised in the study are:
* What are the difficulties with providing services through the conventional approach?
* What causes protests over service delivery in South African municipalities?
* What resources are required for municipalities to deploy 4IR applications to provide smart services?
The study aims to find answers to these questions and offer practical solutions for improvement.
To gather information for the aforementioned questions, a qualitative approach was used to analyze documents pertaining to digital technologies, public administration, and talent management.
References
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| Keywords | fourth industrial revolution; smart cities; South Africa; municipalities |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | No |
