It is expected of the members of the Senior Management Service (SMS) of the South African public service to manage and lead their respective institutions within the context of an ever changing environment. Since 1994, the public sector has been experiencing major transformation, as is the case with all other sectors, which also entailed structural transformation because of changing policies and priorities. This gives an indication of the specific and dynamic environment in which members of the SMS have to operate, where the emphasis is not only placed on competencies in the management and leadership fields, but also on the field of organisation development. The Performance Management and Development System (PMDS) for the members of the SMS was developed to ensure that SMS members are enabled and capable of meeting the challenges of change. It is therefore important to determine whether the competencies used in the PMDS are in fact de