3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/handle/10539/45
Browse
4 results
Search Results
Item Employee readiness for change within an organisational merger :|bindividual and contextual correlates(2012-02-28) Shalem, ShiraItem Complexities of organisational change: the case of the Eastern Cape Department of Education (ECDE)(2009-09-15T13:59:44Z) Ngoma, Wendy YolisaFor rational theories of organisational change, organisational dysfunctionalities are nothing more than the inadequacy of organisations to maximise on their goals or lack of co-ordination of different types of inputs and processes. Usually, such observations are made in exclusion of the analysis of organisational realities and the experiences that are part of their daily realities. This thesis explores the experiences of organisational change in a single case of the provincial department of education, namely the Eastern Cape Department of Education (ECDE). Using the qualitative and exploratory methods of interviews and document analysis, it asks how and why the department was perceived to be in a state of crisis in terms of service delivery, eight years after its initial transformation. To explore these questions, the thesis looked at the interplay between context, organisational design and internal skills and capacities, as the triad of processes that influenced the patterns for organisational change in this context. Broadly, the findings revealed that issues of organisational efficiency and service delivery cannot be debated and analysed outside of the political processes that influence them. The ECDE revealed that it was caught in endless politics of networks of coalition which influenced the pattern of service delivery. As a result this thesis concluded that organisational change and service delivery debates have to extend beyond the rational inputs and outputs paradigms to look at the complexities of networks that were a coincidence of transitional politics. It therefore proposes a focus on relational and network analysis of organisations to unravel their politics and pattern of influence on service delivery.Item Organisational change : The assimilation of software technology in the higher education environment(2008-12-09T13:10:29Z) Patel, Bhavna AtulkumarOrganizational change- its mechanisms, and its outcomes - is a topic of increasing interest and study in both business and education. The external environment, including the economic, political, and cultural dimensions of society is rapidly changing, growing in complexity and posing numerous challenges. The creation of the learning organisation is one of the responses to these challenges. During the 1990s the concept of the “learning organisation” attracted much attention and generated a significant amount of research. The central tenent of a learning organisation is that it is able to learn and therefore able to adapt better to both external and internal challenges. The study of how learning takes place in organisations has therefore become important in understanding organisational change. In the current research study, the implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system meant that organisational change would be inevitable. New information technology software would result in changes in business processes, changes in work groups, changes in terminology and changes in how work is processed. The implication was that there would be a need for learning to take place in order for organisational change to take place. The Guttman’s Stage of Assimilation Model formed the theoretical basis for the research. A key assumption is that the assimilation of technology is best characterised as a process of organisational learning. The research findings indicated that learning did take place and Guttman’s model provided interesting insights into the different types of assimilation that took place at different level of the organisation. Interesting differences were found between academic and support staff and useful lessons were learned about how ERP systems can be introduced into higher education organisations. The current research findings also provided evidence that training and communication were crucial during a change process. These two elements are also vital in enabling organisational learning to take place.Item Managing diversity and attitude change in a South African food-processing company(2006-11-03T08:34:34Z) Friedman, MichelleThis is a retrospective case study of an intervention aimed at transforming communication and interpersonal relations in a small company in South Africa. The objective was for the Innergize consultancy to integrate black factory workers and white office staff across race and class into one team by healing the psychological effects of Apartheid. The research questioned how change would be recognised and if it could be sustained within an organisation. The workshop method used by Innergize separated the two groups so that conflict within the groups could be resolved, personal growth facilitated and attitudes towards race surfaced. Then the staff joined together and continued the process through communication, cultural exchange and gender awareness. The staff developed on a personal level, interpersonally, and a climate of trust resulted. The success was partly due to individual attention given to each person, clearing the past before addressing the present, and offering tools for sustaining the process. Structures were set up to sustain changes at the organisational level, however the project ended abruptly, due to a number of factors. The study concluded that in order for a transformation process to be successful at both interpersonal and organisational levels, management must remain committed to a longterm process. Keywords: managing diversity; attitudes; healing; race; organisational change; personal growth; South Africa; workshops; communication.