Development needs and perceptions of senior managers in Namibian state owned enterprises
Date
2013-08-01
Authors
Von Holtz, Ursula
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Abstract
According to the Namibian Minister of Finance, Namibian state owned enterprises
(SOEs) generally underperform: the majority are unable to pay dividends to their
shareholders. In the local press-reported public perception, this is due to an
apparent lack of competency at, mainly, senior management level.
In the organisational development world, it is assumed that senior manager
coaching, as one of several potential organisational development process
initiatives, would lead to greater senior manager competence, and thus improved
organisational efficiency.
However, in Namibia, no known research exists on whether this is indeed the
case, or on what senior manager development needs actually are. From this
research gap derives the research question: What are the development needs
and perceptions of senior managers in Namibian state owned enterprises?
Situated within an ecosystemic paradigm and Maslow’s humanist hierarchy of
needs psychological theory, this study adopts a holistic, interpretive, and empirical
approach in one purposively selected SOE to explore this question.
Findings suggest that senior managers’ development needs are clustered mainly
in Maslow’s “deficiency” category of needs. In particular, managers experience
anxiety around competency issues, and a general lack of recognition and
appreciation. In contrast, however, the study found a strong sense of affiliation,
even loyalty, towards the SOE studied. The frequency with which organisational
deficiencies were also mentioned nevertheless suggests that it would be
insufficient to address senior manager development needs in isolation from
broader organisational development process interventions.
The report concludes with recommendations inter alia, for further research
particularly around the issues of individual competence, recognition, and affiliation
within an organisational context.
Description
Thesis (M.M. (Business and Executive Coaching))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Graduate School of Business Administration, 2012.