Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The alignment of Sanlam Life with the transformation process of Sanlam, as a national financial services group, necessitated the implementation of an improved service delivery model in 1998. The vision to be world class, brought forward some challenges in terms of cost, service levels as well as the type of service channel. Strategically, it was decided that Sanlam Life should centralise its services, which had enormous implications for Sanlam Life's staff as well as its clients. This resulted in the establishment of a more "impersonal" service channel, which could, at the same time, deliver a more effective service in terms of speed and quality. Decentralised walk-in centres thus, had to make place for two, centralised, client contact centres and a personal, face-to-face, service was replaced with a technologically effective call and correspondence centre. After a period of approximately two years of operational functioning, it was decided by Sanlam Life Exco to do a thorough diagnosis of the overall functioning of the Client Contact Centre (CCC).The specific aims of this diagnosis can be summarised as follows: • To gain insight into the level of employee satisfaction and morale. • To identify the factors which contribute to employee satisfaction and morale. • To evaluate the efficiency of the service delivery processes. • To ascertain what the current culture is within the CCC, in order to decide if it is the type of culture that should be vested in the rest of Sanlam Life. In preparation to the diagnostic survey and with the aim to improve the effectiveness of the CCC, the principles of organisational diagnosis will be discussed in this study, and will include the following: • The importance of a diagnostic model, which is central to the diagnostic process as well as further action plans. • A description of the diagnostic process and the importance of feedback and action planning in order to ensure organisational improvement. The results of the diagnostic survey of the Sanlam Life CCC, indicated the work climate can primarily be described as negative, and that improvement of especially the work processes and management behaviour, is required. The negative perception of the CCC staff around their service delivery, however does not correlate with the experience of the Sanlam Advisors regarding CCC service. This finding is contradictory to that of previous research, which indicated a positive relationship between employee and client satisfaction. This finding should thus be investigated to a greater extent. Organisation diagnosis is a sensitive process, which can create the expectation with employees that something will be done with the information. The greatest challenge therefore does not only lie in the diagnosis itself, but in the utilisation of the information for continuous improvement. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die belyning van Sanlam Lewens met die transformasieproses van Sanlam, as nasionale finansiële dienstegroep, het die implementering van 'n verbeterde diensleweringmodel in 1998 genoodsaak. Die visie om wêreldklas te wees, het sekere uitdagings gestel op die gebied van koste, diensvlakke asook die tipe dienskanaal. Strategies is besluit dat Sanlam Lewens moet sentraliseer, wat enorme implikasies ingehou het vir Sanlam Lewens se personeel asook hul kliënte. Dit het gelei tot die totstandkoming van 'n meer "onpersoonlike" dienskanaal wat terselfdertyd meer effektiewe diens in terme van spoed en kwaliteit tot gevolg sou hê. Gedesentraliseerde instapkantore moes dus plek maak vir twee, gesentraliseerde, kliëntekontaksentrums en persoonlike, aangesig-tot-aangesig, dienslewering is vervang deur 'n tegnologies effektiewe inbel- en korrespondensiesentrum. Na 'n tydperk van ongeveer twee jaar van operasionele funksionering, het die uitvoerende bestuur van Sanlam Lewens besluit dat 'n deeglike diagnose na die algehele funksionering van die Kliëntekontaksentrum (KKS) gedoen moet word. Die spesifieke doelwitte van die diagnose kan as volg opgesom word: • Om insig te verkry ten opsigte van die vlak van werknemertevredenheid en moraal. • Om die faktore wat bydra tot werknemertevredenheid en moraal te identifiseer. • Om die effektiwiteit van die diensleweringsprosesse te bepaal. • Om te bepaal wat die huidige kultuur binne die KKS is, sodat daar besluit kan word of dit die tipe kultuur is wat in die res van Sanlam Lewens gevestig moet word. As voorbereiding tot die diagnostiese ondersoek in die Sanlam Lewens KKS en ook met die doel om die effektiwiteit van die KKS te verbeter, word die beginsels van organisasiediagnose in hierdie studie bespreek, en bestaan uit die volgende: Die vestiging van 'n begrip van organisasie-effektiwiteit en die bydrae wat organisasiediagnose kan lewer tot volgehoue organisasieverbetering. • Die belang van 'n diagnostiese model, wat sentraal staan tot die diagnostiese proses asook verdere aksieplanne. • 'n Omskrywing van die diagnostiese proses en die belang van terugvoer en aksiebeplanning ten einde organisasieverbetering te verseker. Die resultate van die diagnostiese ondersoek na die funksionering van die Sanlam Lewens KKS het aangedui dat die werksklimaat in die KKS hoofsaaklik as negatief beskou kan word en dat verbetering ten opsigte van veral werksprosesse en bestuursgedrag nodig is. Die negatiewe persepsie wat by KKS personeel bestaan ten opsigte van hul dienslewering korreleer egter nie met die ervaring van Sanlam Adviseurs ten opsigte van KKS diens nie. Hierdie bevinding is teenstrydig met vorige navorsing, wat 'n positiewe verband gevind het tussen werknemer- en kliëntetevredenheid, en moet dus verder ondersoek word. Organisasiediagnose is 'n sensitiewe proses wat die verwagting by werknemers skep dat iets met die inligting gedoen gaan word. Die grootste uitdaging lê dus nie net in die diagnose nie, maar in die gebruik van die inligting vir volgehoue verbetering.