A sample of 304 supervisors was randomly drawn from the Durban-Pietermaritzburg metropolitan areas to investigate the relationship between quality of work life and organisational commitment. Organisational commitment and quality of work life questionnaires were used to analyse the relevant constructs. The results indicate that there is a significant relationship between organisational commitment and some quality of work life factors (organisational climate, work group processes, supervisory leadership, task characteristics, general satisfaction output, role behaviour, utilisation and future orientation). There is, however, no significant difference in organisational commitment across the biographical variables of marital status, age, length of service and span of control. Overall, the research indicates that there is a significant relationship between organisational commitment and quality of work life. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1993.

The dissertation explores and explains the design and development of the researcher's Real Value© methodology, through participative action research. The action research (participative exploratory research) was undertaken in the form of professional pilot projects as real world commercial research, for the formulation and emergence of the value-based business development leadership metrics system: The Real Value© Methodology. The outcomes of the action research are captured in select strategic knowledge reports (i.e. client pilot project research reports) which demonstrate the emergence of the Real Value© methodology, in the client and commercial context, through the entire action research process. The clients were contracted on a professional basis and the fees generated from the commercial projects were utilised to fund the resources required to do the knowledge investigations of the client organisations. The methodology was intended as a strategic management system, and subsequently developed, through the action research and pilot projects, into a value-based business development leadership metrics system. The Real Value© methodology aims to create, develop and measure the real value of intangible assets (vs. physical assets) in a continuous and discontinuous process of business development: value that is created and sustained through the highest and best application and utilisation of intangible assets in the knowledge (and industrial) economic context. (Intangible assets herein classified as brand, intellectual property, technology, and human and customer capital). The participative action research was originally inspired by the first Module of the MSc programme 'Managing Complexity' facilitated by Professor Steen Martiny (Copenhagen Business School) during the comparative exercise on 'Extraordinary and Ordinary Management', and specifically during the reading of the first precept of Stacey's (2000) 'Extraordinary Management Theory': "Detect and attract attention to important external and internal issues, ordinarily not noticed." The above precept captures the essence and intrinsic motivation of the researcher for undertaking and performing the participative action research of the dissertation. The dissertation explains the real world professional pilot projects and participative exploratory action research that was undertaken by the researcher in the design and development of the Real Value© methodology. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-Unversity of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

No abstract available. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

At some time or other all organisations must undergo transition. And given today's realities, this transition must focus on the internal and external environment. The purpose of this paper is to assess how the South African telecommunications company, Telkom, handled transformation, given that dramatic changes in African economies influence the ability of an organisation to adapt to these changes in the environment, achieve better performance and pursue aggressive competitive strategies. Thus, we want to see what change management literature says about how change is managed. We will then examine or assess Telkom as a case and draw lessons from that. The results of this study reveal certain characteristics about change in organisations and the manner in which such change is implemented. Also, the findings have implications for theoretical issues such as slow and fast change and transition, strategic choice versus strategic implementation, organisational culture, and ownership. It is further hoped that the current study would bridge a gap between the management and the economic versions of institutional theory, and thus, provide a platform for a better understanding of the intricacies of organisations experiencing drastic changes in their institutional structure. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, 2003.

This study is an evaluation of the implementation of change processes in the Lesotho Civil Service, Ministry of the Public Service (MPS). A qualitative method was used where an exploratory study was conducted by drawing a case study to evaluate the change implementation process in the organisation. In enabling the researcher to conduct a more focussed study, only five factors that have an impact on the successful implementation of change were considered. The factors were namely: forces for change; managing and leading change; building the desired culture; resistance to change and errors common to organisational change. The relevant information for the case study was obtained mainly from interviews and questionnaires. The pattern matching technique was performed on the case study, whereby the way change was implemented in the Lesotho Civil service was compared to that suggested by the literature. Fifty questionnaires were administered to fifty employees in the Ministry of the Public Service. Finally an evaluation based on the responses of the respondents, what actually happened and that which the literature suggests were evaluated interdependently. Based on this evaluation, it was found that, there were forces for change in the organisation, but management did not communicate with the employees as to the need for change and how it was to be implemented. Employees were never involved or asked to participate in the planning process of the change. Management in the organisation did not take all aspects into account when planning for change as suggested by the literature and all these aspects need to be improved upon by the leaders in the organisation. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009. / The focus of the study falls into leadership development in the social sector as it pursues sustainability of organisations through strategic partnerships that add value and impact. The research uses the context created by the establishment of the National Development Agency (NDA) because of its pivotal role as the only agency mandated to address poverty and its root causes. The research, however, also looks at other case studies from four non-profit organisations located in distinctly different social contexts and serving diverse stakeholders for practical, empirical purposes. The problem statement that informed the study is based on the following questions: (1) Can social partnerships develop and nurture greater, effective leadership and create organisational sustainability? (2) If so, what are the leadership behavioural traits or characteristics that provide support for sustainability through partnerships? Leadership in this study has therefore been narrowed down to those elements and characteristics that add value to building social entrepreneurship, sustainability, self-reliance, cooperative accountability and governance through partnerships. Leadership and partnerships enable people and organisations to tap into the inner-human potential of networks, which as a result build robust and vibrant communities. The study endeavours to suggest practical ways in which leadership and partnerships can enhance social development in an otherwise complex, but developing, transforming and growing sector. Alternative options to enhance partnerships are also explored in order to contribute to a search for knowledge and to gain some understanding to the current social leadership and partnerships dynamics in a post-apartheid era, which may directly or indirectly impact on the private, public and civil society sectors. The research methodology and design used for this study were qualitative and quantitative in nature using interviews and discussions with strategic leaders. An analysis was made in order to establish a theoretical base that would provide insight into the topic under research. The outcomes of the study provide a conclusion that leadership and partnerships form the bases for social enterprise and sustainable development to ensure sustainable and vibrant partnerships. In this discourse, leadership has evolved from situational leadership to a competency-based and character-based model. The study concludes by defining five broad leadership elements that create partnerships and sustain organisations: These are: relationships, trust, sustained dialogue and conversation, social compact and principle-based leadership.

The aim of this dissertation is to carry out an evaluation of the Kigali Institute of Science, Technology and Management's organisational strategy using the criteria of suitability and feasibility. Specifically, this dissertation sets out to evaluate the suitability of KIST's growth strategy by assessing whether it addresses the circumstances in which the organisation is operating and to establish the feasibility of the strategy by assessing whether the Institute possesses the resources and competences to match the chosen growth strategy. In conducting this evaluation it is recognised that, although it is impossible to demonstrate conclusively whether a particular strategy is optimal or even guaranteed to work, one can nevertheless, test it for critical flaws using the above-mentioned criteria. The findings from the case study and analysis show that the main strategic issues facing KIST are: - inadequate funding for vital, urgent capacity building; inadequate infrastructure and facilities for KIST's growth and sustainability; inadequate strategic planning; low employee motivation and high staff turnover. From the suitability analysis, it was revealed that KIST's growth strategy is not suitable since it does not address the circumstances in which it is operating due to its internal weaknesses. However, the strategy is attainable if the management of KIST puts in place mechanisms to address the strategic issues identified. The feasibility analysis revealed that, as a result of KIST staff not being motivated, the Institute's capabilities of technology transfer would not be adequately harnessed. In addition, the Institute may fail to effectively and efficiently run and sustain its programs. Finally the financial feasibility analysis established that the Institute has a weak financial base as a result of inadequate government and reducing donor funding which renders the growth strategy unfeasible. The last chapter provides recommendations that will serve as guidelines for the Institute, in order for it to address the strategic issues identified, and also successfully implement the chosen growth strategy. Further research by KIST has also been proposed in areas identified at the end of chapter six. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.

Every organization has to undergo change at some time or another. To achieve successful change, the management of the organization have to follow a well structured and organized process. This change process poses a challenge to management to ensure that all its complexities are effectively handled. In light of this, the dissertation on hand is an evaluation of the change process at Dow Agrochemicals (KwaZulu Natal) and the impact it has on the organization's strategic objectives. The method chosen for this study was exploratory using a case study and an extensive literature survey. The technique used for this exploration was qualitative. The strategies and techniques for effective change management have been explored through the literature survey, and the information for the case study was obtained from interviews, questionnaires, documentation and observation. The empirical survey has been compared to the literature survey to evaluate the change process in the organization. Although there were pitfalls in the change process, it was found that the overall management of the change process was done well. Recommendations are presented which are intended to improve the change initiative in order to survive in a competitive environment. Lastly, the areas for future research on this subject have been outlined. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2006.

As organisations grapple with change in an ever changing business environment at the centre of all are employees. More often than not the process is viewed in one dimension and that is, how best will the organisation implement the change process. Very little focus is given on the impact that changes have on the ability of employees to cope with the change and continue to deliver excellent quality of work and stay focused. Today’s business leaders are expected to go beyond managing the change process but to ensure that employees understand the need for the change. The case study evaluates how BPSA employees’ motivation and performance was impacted by changes in their organisation. The study also examines the impact of a clearly defined need for change, well defined change objectives and excellently communicated vision in motivating employees and leading to superior performance. Primary data was gathered by means of a structure quantitative questionnaire. A sample of 64 employees participated and responded to the questionnaire, the respondents were from diverse departments within BP Southern Africa. The study only focused on all the employees that were affected by the change process. Statistical analysis involved both descriptive and inferential statistics (correlation). Findings indicated that there was a negligible positive and insignificant relationship between motivation and organisational change. And there’s no correlation between performance and organisational change. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2011.

With the renewed emphasis in recent years on profitability as the the key corporate metric, "forgotten" functions such as finance, human resources, procurement and IT are back in the spotlight. They are not only being viewed as sources of cost efficiency, which has been the traditional focus, but also as tools for corporate strategy and competitive advantage. But turning these functions into strategic value drivers can be as difficult as spinning straw into gold. Indeed companies have adopted a variety of approaches, form simple cost reduction and consolidation to discrete outsourcing and offshore strategies. However inconsistent approaches have led to equally inconsistent results. Benefits are available, but, in many instances, they are less than ideal and frequently short lived. In this paper, we will evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the newly implemented Anglo Coal Financial Shared Services Centre to determine if the inherent benefits of introducing a shared services environment is being realised. We will benchmark the current "AS-IS" state of the SSC to best practice in order to assess the gap and recommend a set of possible initiatives that, if implemented, will help improve the performance of the SSC. A broad, systematic approach was used in the diagnosis of the SSC that incorporated the three primary elements of a system - the processes, the technology that enables the processes and the people that drive the process. The research methodology is divided into two phases. Face-to-Face interviews were utilised to assess the process and technology aspects while a rating questionnaire was used to evaluate the people aspects. The study then makes several recommendations to help correct the most critical findings on process, technology and people of the study. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.