Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2012 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The construction project environment is dynamic and prone to change. Project change can be defined as any event that alters a project’s original scope, execution time or the cost of the works. Improper management of the projects’ changes could therefore adversely impact on the actual cost and duration of the project which may lead to project cost overruns and even claims and legal disputes. During the construction phase of a project, change affects every aspect of productivity – the planned schedules and deadlines, work methodology, resource procurement, as well as the budget and thus it could prevent the achievement of the project objectives. A project manager, therefore, wants to limit the number of change to a project. However, during a construction project there may be quite a number of changes. Managing a construction project is difficult, in that all the relevant information is rarely available at the initial stage of a project to enable one to plan and design the project accurately and make the best possible decisions. As information becomes available during the construction phase of the project, it can lead to various changes. Design errors or variations, unforeseen site conditions and vagueness in the original scope are but some of the reasons for change. No matter the size of the change, each alteration to the works has a cost, time and risk implication. Due to tight time constraints on most projects, every change requires quick, robust decision making, so as not to delay the project, which therefore results in changes not being comprehensively evaluated. Decisions are often made on intuition or experience, without an assessment of the risks involved or the influence on the cost of the project and without applying well-known project management techniques. The aim of this research was to determine what a change management process for a civil engineering project should look like, specifically the cost and risk management of changes. It investigated the current state of change management of construction projects in practice, by doing a case study and various interviews with project managers. Based on the findings of the research and the industry requirements, a model was developed for managing the costs and risks of changes. The Model was validated by means of an expert evaluation review. The change management model developed as part of this thesis can be used to analyse the cost, time and quality impact of the change, and to do a detailed risk assessment. The Model also reviews the proposed change in order to determine whether the change is necessary. It is a generic tool that can be used by engineers and their project team to enhance the management of changes that happens during the construction phase of a project for any civil construction project. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die konstruksie omgewing is dinamies en geneig tot verandering. Projek verandering kan gedefinieer word as enige gebeurtenis wat die projek se aanvanklike omvang verander of lei to verlenging van die tydsduur of vermeerdering van die koste van die projek. Wanbestuur van projek veranderinge kan ‘n nadelige impak op die projek kostes en tydsduur hê wat kan lei tot oorskryding van die begroting en selfs eise en regsdispute. Verandering kan elke aspek van produktiwiteit tydens die konstruksie fase van ‘n projek affekteer. Dit affekteer die beplande skedules, spertye, werk metodologie, hulpbron bestuur, asook die begroting. Dus kan dit verhoed dat die projek doelwitte bereik word. ‘n Projek bestuurder wil daarom die hoeveelheid en omvang van veranderinge beperk. ‘n Konstruksie projek kan egter heelwat veranderinge ondergaan. Om ‘n konstruksie projek te bestuur is moeilik aangesien al die relevante informasie selde beskikbaar is tydens die begin fases van ‘n projek wat nodig is om die beplanning en ontwerp van die projek so akuraat moontlik te doen en die regte besluite te neem. Soos informasie beskikbaar raak tydens die konstruksie fase van die projek, lei dit dikwels to verskeie veranderinge. Ontwerp foute of variasies, onvoorsiene terrein toestande en onduidelikheid oor die projek omvang is van die redes vir veranderinge. Ongeag die grootte van die verandering het elke wysiging tot die projek ‘n koste, tyd en riskiko implikasie. As gevolge van tydsbeperkinge vereis elke verandering vinnige en kragtige besluitneming om sodoende nie die projek te vertraag nie. Dit lei daartoe dat veranderinge nie omvattend geëvalueer word nie. Besluite word dikwels geneem op intuïsie of ervaring, sonder 'n beoordeling van die risiko's wat betrokke is of die bepaling van die invloed op die koste van die projek, en sonder die toepassing van erkende projek bestuur tegnieke. Die doel van hierdie navorsing was om vas te stel hoe 'n verandering bestuur proses moet lyk vir ‘n siviele ingenieurswese projek, spesifiek die koste en risiko bestuur van die verandering. Die huidige stand van verandering bestuur van konstruksie projekte in die praktyk is ondersoek deur middel van 'n gevallestudie en verskeie onderhoude met die projek bestuurders. 'n Model is ontwikkel vir die bestuur van die koste en risiko's van veranderinge gebaseer op die bevindinge van die navorsing en ook die vereistes van die bedryf. Die model is getoets met behulp van evaluering deur professionele ingenieurs. Die verandering bestuur model wat ontwikkel is as deel van hierdie proefskrif kan gebruik word om die koste, tyd en kwaliteit impak van ‘n verandering te analiseer, asook om 'n omvattende risiko assessering te doen. Die model hersien ook die voorgestelde verandering om te bepaal of die verandering nodig is. Dit is 'n generiese hulpmiddel wat deur ingenieurs en hul projek span gebruik kan word vir die bestuur van die veranderinge wat tydens die konstruksie fase van siviele projekte plaasvind.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-12T20:32:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 74586.pdf: 906213 bytes, checksum: 17ce1519c3328e087fba381194c8fc30 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-05-22 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This work is a study regarding the process of introduction of an Integrated System of Management - Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) in the organizations, of the main problems that occur during the internalização of these applicatory ones, and of the effect that these projects generate in the organizational environment. Searching To indirectly minimize the resistances generated in the affected people direct or with the results of the ERP, mainly with the change in the business processes, a research was developed to understand which the main problems that occur during the process of introduction of a System of Management Integrated in the Organizations, why and of that it forms these are gone off and which the effect that these cause in the organization in a general way. From this research, a methodology of ERP implantation was proposal, with a directed boarding to consider the human factor and to work the change process, preventing that the project has an exclusively technical boarding only e and has taken in consideration the necessity to involve and to work the people and areas of the organization, being increased the possibilities of success of the project and minimizing risks related to the resistance the internal change and boycotting. / Este trabalho é um estudo a respeito do processo de introdução de um Sistema de Gestão Integrado - Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) nas organizações, dos principais problemas que ocorrem durante a internalização destes aplicativos, e do efeito que estes projetos geram no ambiente organizacional. Buscando minimizar as resistências geradas nas pessoas afetadas diretas ou indiretamente com os resultados do ERP, principalmente com a mudança nos processos de negócio, foi desenvolvida uma pesquisa para entender quais os principais problemas que ocorrem durante o processo de introdução de um Sistema de Gestão Integrado nas Organizações, por que e de que forma estes são disparados e quais os efeitos que estes causam na organização de um modo geral. A partir desta pesquisa, foi proposta uma metodologia de implantação de ERP, com uma abordagem direcionada para considerar o fator humano e trabalhar o processo de mudança, evitando que o projeto tenha uma abordagem única e exclusivamente tecnicista e leve em consideração a necessidade de envolver e trabalhar as pessoas e áreas da organização, aumentando as chances de sucesso do projeto e minimizando riscos relacionados à resistência a mudança e boicotes internos

In today's competitive business, information technology (IT) is undoubtedly an irreplaceable part of the business. Introducing different types of IT within companies is almost always proceed in a project form. Today, there are well-developed strategies, models and tools for a project manager to use for IT projects, but in spite of that, previous research points to a relatively high error rate. But what do you really mean by a successful and failed IT project? In fact, specific IT projects are often limited to being assessed and followed up only against three parameters: time, budget and results, but fail to follow up on the expected business benefit that may affect the impact targets (impact targets are the objectives that specify the effect of the project expected to give). If the follow-up is not implemented, an uncertainty is created and the expected effects that IT projects will generate are lost.   Another factor in the problem of previous research in IT projects has been found in the perspective of the user. Those who run and manage IT projects must take into account the user's real IT system challenges to optimize the usage. Looking at the specific ease of use of system implementation, the existing literature indicates that it is the biggest challenge in IT projects. Users can resist using the system, which can cause more problems than that the IT project's performance goals are not achieved. Many reasons and factors for failed IT projects are not yet identified.   The purpose of the study is to identify success factors and obstacles to the effective deployment and use of a new product management system within Fashion Retail. The study has been conducted as a qualitative study where a Fashion Retail Company was studied. The Company is considered relevant to the study as they currently carry out one of the largest IT investments in recent years. The Company will introduce a new product management system for two different concepts. The study results in three concrete success factors as well as an identified area where obstacles arise.   Three success factors: • The project management strategy Practical Project Management (PPS) Parallel with a change-friendly climate, creates an optimistic view of the introduction of the Product Management System, as well as releasing time to the project manager to eliminate any obstacles along the way. • Having users of the Product Management System in most phases through IT projects enhances and optimizes user-friendliness. • Let the supplier be seen and treated as a participant in the projects, it can free up time and improving communication between customer and supplier.  Area of Obstacles: An important but out-priority activity in IT projects (mostly due to lack of time) is to follow up and learn between projects as project managers. Here you lose important information and knowledge. How to identify success if follow-up does not happen? In an industry like Fashion Retail, characterized by major seasonal variations, high availability and external factors such as environmental and social responsibility, you depend on IT to share the information. If follow-up is more frequent and carefully, IT projects can be streamlined on time, but also economically with routines and the right actors.

Information system projects are gaining immense popularity among the manufacturing organisations across the globe. Due to the challenges associated with the information system project management with the manufacturing organisation, organisations have started focusing on technology-oriented solutions such as Information system (IS) projects. However, the success or failure of these projects is ultimately dependent on a range of critical success factors. The purpose of the research was to investigate the Critical Success Factors (CSF) in an Information System (IS) project using the case of Wartsila, a manufacturing organisation operating in marine and energy sector. For this purpose, a qualitative research method was adopted with semi-structured interviews carried out with the IT manager, the Integration Manager (Int. M), and the project teams involved in the project. Thematic analysis, which was chosen as the appropriate data analysis method, assisted in the identification of several codes that were categorized and finally guided to the extraction of seven (7) key themes. A conceptual framework was drawn from the secondary literature review containing CSF within the two major categories such as subjective and objective CSFs. The set of subjective CSFs included project management and team member, commitment and management support, training, change management perceptions, communication, and project planning and management. On the other side, the set of objective CSFs included the process of redesigning, technological difficulties in system design, costs, time engineering, and quality.   These literature-based factors were simultaneously analysed by the responses of the interviewees, ultimately ending up in the development of a modified and comprehensive framework for the manufacturing organisation. The findings revealed the significance of subjective factor in shaping the accomplishment of objective factors, drive the project towards the success. These findings have further recommended the need for culturally sensitive ‘training’ and integration of formal and informal ‘communication’ methods for the success of the projects in the manufacturing organisations.

Bakgrund: Automatisering såsom Robotic Process Automation följs av en debatt huruvida dess innebörd är något fördelaktigt eller hotfullt för såväl anställda som företag. RPA har kapacitet att ersätta voluminösa och repetitiva arbetsuppgifter, vilket ligger till grund för både intresse och oro på arbetsmarknaden. Controllerrollen är vidare en mångfacetterad roll som präglas av tidspress och begränsad möjlighet att spendera arbetstid på värdefull analys. Yrkesrollen utgör därmed en intressant kontext för att studera hur automatisering kan tänkas verka för att skapa förändring. Utifrån tidigare forskning har RPA:s påverkan på en specifik yrkesroll inte behandlats, vilket skapar relevans i följande studies syfte. Vidare ämnar denna undersökning skapa underlag för företag att nå en framgångsrik implementering av tekniken. Syfte: Syftet med följande studie är att beskriva på vilket sätt controllerrollen kan tänkas förändras genom implementering av RPA, samt vilka följder tekniken kan få för såväl yrkesrollen som dess tillhörande företag. Metod: Denna empiriskt drivna studie karaktäriseras av ett kvalitativt tillvägagångssätt med utgångspunkt tagen i ett realistiskt perspektiv. Studiens empiri har samlats in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med åtta controllers samt sex personer insatta i ämnet för RPA. Slutsats: RPA har kapacitet att assistera, möjligtvis ersätta, controllern i området för befattningens informationsproduktion. Genom denna tidsbesparing kan controllern spendera mer tid på proaktiv analys av kvalitetssäkrad information, något som resulterar i mer välgrundade beslutsunderlag för företag i stort. Vidare kan mjukvaran bidra med ökad effektivitet, flexibilitet och kvalitet, vilket kommer till olika uttryck för controllern och dess företag. Till följd av att RPA kan ersätta den fysiska medarbetaren i sedvanliga uppgifter, uppstår dock utmaningar för controllern i att bibehålla verksamhetsförståelse samtidigt som oro för nedskärningar kan spridas i personalstyrkan. Av den orsaken kan motstånd till förändring uppstå, vilket är en utmaning företag behöver hantera. För att nå en framgångsrik implementering av RPA bör företag därav ta hänsyn till aspekter såsom vikten av förberedelsearbete, upprättandet av en fungerande förvaltningsmodell, samt ett aktivt ledarskap genom hela implementeringsprocessen. / Background: Automation, such as Robotic Process Automation, is followed by a debate of whether it is beneficial or threatful for companies and its employees. The technology has the capacity to replace voluminous and repetitive tasks, which implies both interest and concern on the labor market. Furthermore, the controller is a multifaceted role characterized by time pressure and limited opportunity to work with valuable analysis. The role is thus an interesting context for studying how automation can create change. Based on previous research, RPA´s impact on a specific occupational role has not been addressed, which creates relevance in the purpose of the following study. Moreover, this study aims to create prerequisite for companies to achieve successful implementation of the technology. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to describe how the occupational role of a controller can change through implementation of RPA, as well as the consequences the technology can have for both the professional role and its associated company. Methodology: This empirically driven study is characterized by a qualitative approach based on a realistic perspective. The empirical data has been collected through semi structured interviews with eight controllers and six persons well familiar with the subject of RPA. Conclusion: RPA has the capacity to assist, alternatively replace, the controller in the area of information production. Through time saving, the controller can spend more time on proactive analysis of quality assured information, resulting in more well-founded decision making. Furthermore, the software can contribute to increased efficiency, flexibility and quality, which comes to different expressions for the controller and company. Due to the fact that RPA can replace the physical employee in customary tasks, however, challenges arise for the controller to maintain business understanding. Simultaneously, concerns about dismissals can be spread in the company. For that reason, resistance to change can arise, which is a challenge companies need to handle. In order to achieve a successful implementation of RPA, companies should take into account aspects such as the importance of preparatory work, the establishment of a functioning management model, and active leadership throughout the implementation process.

A gerência adequada de recursos e serviços de Tecnologia da Informação (TI) se tornou imperativa para o sucesso de organizações modernas. A Biblioteca de Infraestrutura de Tecnologia da Informação (Information Technology Infrastructure Library, ITIL) representa, nesse contexto, o framework mais popular para ajudar a alcançar esse fim. Para lidar com mudanças em TI, a ITIL define o processo de gerência de mudanças (change management), cujo principal objetivo é garantir que métodos e procedimentos padronizados são utilizados para o tratamento imediato e eficiente dessas mudanças. Para alcançar esse objetivo, é fundamental reutilizar a experiência adquirida com mudanças passadas no projeto de requisições futuras. A ITIL sugere o uso de modelos de mudanças (change models) como uma forma para permitir o reuso de tal experiência em mudanças recorrentes e similares. A criação de modelos de mudanças pode ser concretizada considerando duas abordagens distintas. Em uma abordagem top-down, operadores de TI podem projetar os modelos manualmente, com base no conhecimento adquirido no passado. Em uma perspectiva alternativa, bottom-up, esses modelos poderiam ser extraídos a partir de traços de mudanças passadas obtidos com orquestradores de mudanças. Na prática, no entanto, mudanças tem sido geralmente descritas e documentadas de forma ad hoc, devido `a falta de mecanismos adequados para apoiar o projeto das mesmas. Isso impede que o conhecimento adquirido na especificação, planejamento e condução de mudanças passadas seja reutilizado em requisições futuras. Para abordar esse problema, nesta dissertação são propostos (i ) o conceito de templates de mudança como um mecanismo para formalizar, preservar, e (re)usar conhecimento na especificação de mudanças recorrentes e similares, (ii ) um algoritmo para o refinamento automatizado de planos de mudanças em workflows executáveis, (iii ) um mecanismo para extrair templates de mudanças a partir de traços de execuções passadas, e (iv) uma solução fim-a-fim, apoiada por um sistema real, para permitir o planejamento e implantação de mudanças em TI. Para provar conceito e viabilidade técnica da solução proposta, foi realizada uma implementação prototípica de um sistema de gerência de mudanças chamado ChangeLedge, o qual foi utilizado para conduzir uma série de experimentos considerando mudanças típicas em TI. Os resultados alcançados indicam a efetividade da solução e eficiência do sistema, o qual é capaz de gerar planos de mudança executáveis e corretos em um período de tempo substancialmente menor que o que seria gasto por um operador humano experiente, e de extrair templates que descrevem com acurácia mudanças passadas executadas na organização. / Proper management of Information Technology (IT) resources and services has become imperative for the success of modern organizations. The IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) represents, in this context, the most widely accepted framework to help achieve this end. In order to deal with IT changes, ITIL defines the change management process, whose main goal is to ensure that standardized methods and procedures are used for the efficient and prompt handling of these changes. To meet this goal, it is of paramount importance reusing the experience acquired from previous changes in the design of subsequent ones. ITIL suggests the use of change models as a mean of enabling the reuse of such experience across recorrent, similar changes. The creation of change models can be done considering two distinct approaches. In a top-down approach, IT operators may manually design models based on the knowledge owned/acquired in the past. In contrast, in a bottom-up perspective, these models could be discovered from past execution traces gathered from IT provisioning tools. In practice, however, changes have been usually described and documented in an ad hoc fashion, due to the lack of proper mechanisms to both support the change design process. This hampers knowledge acquired when specifying, planning, and carrying out previous changes to be reused in subsequent requests. To address this problem, in this thesis we propose (i ) the concept of change templates as a mechanism to formalize, preserve, and (re)use knowledge in the specification of (recurrent and similar) IT changes, (ii ) an algorithm for the automated refinement of change plans into actionable workflows, (iii ) a mechanism to discover change templates from traces of past changes, and (iv) an end-to-end solution, supported by a real system, to allow planning and implementation of IT changes to be designed and executed. To prove concept and technical feasibility of the proposed solution, we have developed a prototypical implementation of a change management system called ChangeLedge and used it to carry out a set of experiments, considering typical IT changes. The results obtained indicate the effectiveness of the solution and efficiency of the system, which is able to generate accurate and actionable change plans in substantially less time than would be spent by a skilled human operator, and to extract templates that accurately describe IT change procedures previously executed in the organization.

Submitted by Marcel de Souza e Silva Santos (marcelibmr@yahoo.com.br) on 2014-05-29T20:16:24Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Gestão da Mudança-Uma Revisão Teórica.pdf: 1692209 bytes, checksum: 8bdede9116829d52fb823c079a32adc0 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Janete de Oliveira Feitosa (janete.feitosa@fgv.br) on 2014-06-02T12:27:23Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Gestão da Mudança-Uma Revisão Teórica.pdf: 1692209 bytes, checksum: 8bdede9116829d52fb823c079a32adc0 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marcia Bacha (marcia.bacha@fgv.br) on 2014-06-11T13:27:14Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Gestão da Mudança-Uma Revisão Teórica.pdf: 1692209 bytes, checksum: 8bdede9116829d52fb823c079a32adc0 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T13:27:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Gestão da Mudança-Uma Revisão Teórica.pdf: 1692209 bytes, checksum: 8bdede9116829d52fb823c079a32adc0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-28 / The necessity of adapting organizations to changes in the context in which they operate has been the subject of great interest to contemporary managers. This adaptation requires the manager the need for knowledge and the search for understanding of the aspects that directly influence the organization such as the environment, existing strengths, communication processes and cultural factors included in this process. Moreover, still requires the development of capacity planning to address these uncertainties. The planning as a management tool helps prepare the organization to act in the most diverse and competitive scenarios. Thus the choice of organizational change programs already established or developing a program must be analyzed in depth the management and care by having effects which condition the organizational existence. This study aimed to identify the theories that address organizational change , identify opportunities for planning and management of organizational change , describe the nature of the phenomenon , the issues involved in its management and planning, in addition to presenting programs of change more known and reported in the literature . In the end it made critical management models of organizational change in the literature. The methodology used was to carry out qualitative research nature of bibliographic and documentary basis. / A necessidade de adaptação das organizações às mudanças no contexto em que estão inseridas tem sido tema de grande interesse dos gestores contemporâneos. Essa adaptação impõe ao gestor a necessidade de conhecimento e a busca do entendimento dos aspectos que influenciam diretamente a organização como o ambiente, as resistências existentes, os processos de comunicação e os fatores culturais inseridos nesse processo. Além disso, ainda exige o desenvolvimento da capacidade de planejar para enfrentar essas incertezas. O planejamento como ferramenta de gestão auxilia na preparação da organização para atuar nos cenários mais diversos e competitivos. Assim a escolha de programas de mudanças organizacionais já definidos ou a elaboração de um programa próprio deve ser analisada pela gestão com profundidade e cautela por ter efeitos que condicionam a existência organizacional. Este trabalho teve como objetivos identificar as teorias que abordam o tema mudança organizacional, identificar as possibilidades de planejamento e gerenciamento das mudanças organizacionais, descrever a natureza do fenômeno, os aspectos envolvidos na sua gestão e seu planejamento, além de apresentar os programas de mudanças mais conhecidos e divulgados na literatura. No final é realizada uma crítica aos modelos de gestão da mudança organizacional presentes na literatura. A metodologia utilizada foi à realização de pesquisa de natureza qualitativa de base bibliográfica e documental.

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Text in Afrikaans / Die studie is ondemeem om empiries vas te stel wat die aard en omvang van Totale Kwaliteitbestuur as 'n interne organisatoriese reeling vir personeel in die Toetsvliegen Ontwil<kelingsentrum in die Suid-Afrikaanse Lugmag is en om terselfdertyd te bepaal of die gesindheid van die personeel van die Toetsvlieg- en Ontwikkelingsentrum jeens Totale Kwaliteitbestuur positief is en of hulle van mening is dat die toepassing van Totale Kwaliteitbestuur vir hulle aanvaarbaar is. Ondersteunend tot die empiriese ondersoek is ook 'n teoretiese studie gedoen om Totale Kwaliteitbestuur binne die konteks van die organisasieteorie te beskryf, om 'n toepaslike definisie vir Totale KwaHteitbestuur vir hierdie stuc:tie te bepaal en om die Totale Kwaliteitbestuursdimensies vanuit die literatuur te bestudeer en die dimensies in 'n model te integreer wat gebruik kan word om verbeterde werkverrigting by die Toetsvlieg- en Ontwikkelingsentrum te bepaal. Daar is ook aandag gegee aan die proses van Totale Kwaliteitbestuur en organisatoriese reelings vir die vestiging daarvan in die Toetsvlieg- en Ontwikkelingsentrum om sodoende die konteks van die studie te beklemtoon. / The study was to determine empirically the nature and extent of Total Quality Management as an internal organisational arrangement for personnel at the Test Flight and Development Centre in the South African Air Force, while at the same time determining whether the attitude of the personnel of the Test Flight and Development Centre found the application of Total Quality Management positive and acceptable. A theoretical study was done in support of the empirical study to describe Total Quality Management within the context of the organisational theory, to find an appropriate definition for Total Quality Management for this study, to study Total Quality Management dimensions from the literature, and to integrate these dimensions into a model that can be used to determine improved performance at the Test Flight and Development Centre. The process used for the implementation of Total Quality Management at the Test Flight and Development Centre were also studied. / Public Administration and Management / M. Admin. (Public Administration)

In the first chapter the author outlined the context of the study, the overview, terminology and the research aims, as well as research questions. The purpose of the study was to explore the management of change in schools of the Kavango region in Namibia. It aimed to determine the guidelines, factors that influence change, the role of the principals in managing change and strategies used to train school managers to cope with new demands and changes. The literature reviews, in Chapter 2, address the theories of change management. They further outline the role and successes of school principals in managing change. The literature revealed a lack of information-sharing and skill amongst staff members in general, and principals in particular. The description of the methodology in Chapter 3 addresses how the research questions were approached using purposeful sampling and semi-structured interviews as part of an interpretive approach. A thematic analysis of the data was undertaken from which important recurring concepts were derived. This process continued during data collection. The findings from the data analysis in terms of twelve themes (cf. 4.4) which were composed by grouping together related concepts are presented and described in Chapter 4. Findings showed that participating principals lack skills in managing change, but it appears that there is potential for improvement if they are trained to understand the management of change and leadership theories. A summary of the main findings of the study is found in Chapter 5, together with conclusions and recommendations. Limitations of the study and implications for future research are also addressed. An analysis of the study indicated that there is lack of support, monitoring and coordination of the management of change programmes at the regional level. Reference was made to leadership and management programmes such as the Education and Training Sector for Implementation Programme [ETSIP] initiated by the Ministry of Education [MoE] to assist principals. The findings suggest that programmes petered out because follow-up was limited. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Education Management)

A phenomenological study was conducted to explore and understand the personal experiences and meaning ascribed by senior leaders within a large multidisciplinary construction company. An effort was made to understand how they personally experienced leading others, what they learnt about themselves, what challenged them most, and what support, if any they had during their leadership of large-scale organisational change. The research found that there is a significant personal cost to the individual. This cost comes in terms of career, work-life balance and even reputation. It provides an opportunity to grow in self-knowledge, provided leaders are open to learn and reflect and that there is a substantive support structure both internally and externally to the organisation in order to ‘survive’. Without this malleable disposition, the already high cost escalates to the extent that it could be life threatening. In spite of the prolific literature available, the leaders claim that shareholders and most others do not understand the extreme length of time it takes to start and embed change that is sustainable. Without that understanding from the other role players, the leader carries not only the blame but also the scars of failed change. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)