Organisational change, particularly turnaround strategies have always been perceived differently, and received with mixed feelings by employees. The primary aim of this research was to explore the perceptions of SABC employees about the organisation’s turnaround strategy. The study employed a qualitative research design and conducted semi-structured interviews with ten employees and four key informants from the SABC’s radio-park in Auckland Park. A thematic content analysis was used to analyse the data that was received from the participants. Employees’ perceptions that emerged from a thematic content analysis of the study were, a need to balance organisation’s needs with the needs of all employees, employees’ concerns about their job security, relationships and communication gaps between management and general employees and employees’ different and vague understanding of the turnaround strategy. The main findings of this study were, SABC employees understood and perceived the turnaround strategy to be a cost cutting mechanism by the organisation to reduce its operational costs, the participants also indicated that they did not participate in any decision making regarding the turnaround strategy. The main conclusion drawn from the study is that the SABC should have allowed its employees to fully participate in the entire process of the turnaround strategy and use the strategy as a learning opportunity for its employees.

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters in Business Administration, Business Studies Unit, Durban University of Technology, 2008. / Telkom SA, over the last decade and a half, has undergone major change in terms of the manner in which it does business. From being a state-owned company to becoming a para-statal, to being run by foreigners and, finally, being run by local leaders within the company, Telkom SA has transformed as a company. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of change implementation on staff turnover in Telkom SA by reviewing the following key issues: The implementation of change within Telkom SA, benchmarked against international best practices; the communication of change/re-structuring initiatives by management in Telkom SA; the effect of change implementation on staff turnover; and the effect of change implementation on employee morale and retention. The rationale of this study is to allow Telkom SA management to review their current implementation strategy of change management initiatives in Telkom SA. Thereafter, it will provide guidelines for improvements in change implementation for the management of Telkom SA. Staff turnover and employee morale can negatively impact service delivery and financial performance of a company, so these recommendations are aimed at improving service delivery and financial performance. The study was descriptive, cross sectional and quantitative, involving the application of a questionnaire, via e-mail and personal interviews, with a sample of staff from the core planning section in the Network Infrastructure Provisioning division, where a high staff turnover rate existed. The questionnaire focused on assessing the impact of the implementation of change management processes on staff turnover at Telkom SA and was developed from the literature review. Data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), Version 15 for both descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings show that a significant percentage of respondents were v vi dissatisfied with the way management had handled issues related to change implementation, communication, turnover, morale and retention. With this in mind, recommendations on ways to reduce the impact of the key issues on the organisation were made. These included the recommendation of lean methodology in order to deal with the first three key issues, namely, implementation, communication, and turnover. Thereafter the ‘four cores of credibility’ model was recommended to improve employee morale. Finally recommendations were made on ways to improve employee retention. The overarching issue that has come to light is that although management is, to a degree, communicating change implementation, there is a noticeable lack of engagement with employees. The onus, therefore, lies with leadership to lift the levels of engagement with employees, thereby reducing the impact of change implementation on the organisation by increasing the level of transparency in the organisation. Improving communication would lead to improved trust, which would then result in improved employee morale, ultimately leading to a reduction in the staff turnover rate.

The Swaziland Association of Savings and Credit Cooperatives (S ASCCO) has been the focus of this study. It is envisaged that the research undertaken will be used to benchmark the cooperative's current strategy (reorganization) and help identify factors that will lead to a successful reorganization. SASCCO was officially registered as an apex body for all Savings and Credit Cooperatives (Saccos) in 1988 under the Cooperative Act of 1964. SASCCO is at present constructing a multi-million Emalangeni Cooperative Centre that will be wholly funded by its members. Dividends for members are expected to be not less than 12% a year. The cooperative is at its maturity stage. Its grand strategy is joint venturing with other cooperatives. It has further formed partnerships and strategic alliances with both local and international organizations. Its generic strategy is to create, market unique products and services for varied customer groups through differentiation. Its mission statement is "to be a member controlled and owned financial cooperative that establishes financially strong and sound savings and credit cooperative societies by providing them with quality financial, education and technical services in order to improve the socio-economic needs of their members at grass roots level". The management problem is finding a suitable reorganization strategy that will maximise shareholders' wealth and correctly position the Cooperative for the proposed Cooperative Bank. The Cooperative has serious financial problems, operating a poor balance sheet and lacks some key skills. The main objective of the research is, therefore, to analyze, assess and evaluate suitability of the Cooperative's current strategy based on both strategic and financial management views and then recommend a right way to a successful reorganization. A modified model adapted from (Johnson and Scholes, 1999) was used to map the whole study. The main findings centred on the Cooperative's reorganization's strategy and its suitability. Management is clear with the strategic direction. However, the strategy is not implemented and executed very well. SASCCO is capable and has the opportunity to own the largest market share in the financial arena due to the low interest rates it offers. It was concluded that the cooperative suffers because of its imbalanced capital structure and recommended that a suitable optimal capital structure would be found by gearing the cooperative adequately. However, due to the exploratory nature of the study, it was difficult to empirically investigate some of the issues fully. As a result, a further, more representative sample that will be able to generalize the results to the whole population is recommended. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Canterbury, 2008. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (p. 139-149). Also available via the World Wide Web.

As the result of technological advances, changes in production techniques, consumer behavior, economics, globalization, societal pressure, regulations, increased complexity of markets, and a cultural moral revolution, many organizations are now experiencing vast change. Organizations are compelled to change what they do and how they do it. Overwhelmingly, research demonstrates that change initiatives often fail because of poor management. This study identifies effective practices of transformative change used by a sample of overtly Christian marketplace leaders. The field of change management uses a broad range of methods and approaches. W. Edwards Deming, “the father of the third wave of the Industrial Revolution,” developed a change management theory he called the System of Profound Knowledge, which includes four interrelated fields (theories of systems, variation, knowledge and psychology). This study, demonstrates that successful organizational transformation in the marketplace by Christian leaders is applied from a biblical foundation and includes the principles of Deming’s System of Profound Knowledge, either directly or indirectly. The purpose of this study was to understand how Christian leaders in the marketplace could create an environment fostering a continual, relentless, perpetual search of improvement for human flourishing. Finally, the presentation demonstrates that executive leaders whose faith and hope are in God are compelled by the love of Christ to intentionally strive to be stewards of God’s grace by creating an environment that promotes real continuous improvement for human flourishing.

The research investigated the problem of the apparent lack of leadership among leaders in the higher education (HE) sector in South Africa (SA). In particular, the research investigated the perception that there is a lack of transformational leadership among leaders in the public institutions of higher learning. This will compromise the leaders’ ability to manage change successfully. This problem was therefore viewed from the perspective of the changing HE landscape in SA in which institutions of higher learning are being merged or incorporated. One of the potential consequences of these mergers and incorporations is that the newly formed institutions may be challenged by a lack of appropriate leadership. The view that a lack of appropriate leadership is one of the root causes of institutions finding themselves in a precarious situation is widely supported by scholars and role players in the HE sector. The aim of this research was to establish the frequency of exhibition of transformational leadership and its behaviours, as well as to ascertain the level of transformational leadership among leaders in the HE sector. Transformational leaders are, by definition, change agents. Therefore, the research was premised on the assumption that if leaders exhibit transformational leadership and its behaviours frequently, if not always, and if their level of transformational leadership is high, then they will necessarily be able to manage change successfully. The Full Range of Leadership Styles (FRL) was adopted in that in addition to transformational leadership, the transactional and laissez-faire leadership styles were also measured. Fundamental to the FRL model is that every leader exhibits each style to some extent and that the model represents how frequently a leader exhibits a particular style of leadership. The findings of the empirical study generally indicated that the picture painted by scholars and role players in the HE sector about leadership in that sector is not as bleak as they claim, although some improvements in developing transformational leadership still have to be made. / Prof. Frans Cilliers

M.Comm. / Die Suid-Afrikaanse onderwysstelsel van vandag het met groot, nuwe uitdagings en ingrypende veranderings te kampe. Daar moet voldoende fasiliteite en personeel vir die toenemende aantal skoliere en die groeiende studentebevolking voorsien word en terselfdertyd moet standaarde gehandhaaf word. Transformasieprosesse is aan die orde van die dag en 'n algehele onderwysintergrasie is aan die gang en die Nasionale Kommissie vir Hoer Onderwys is die spil waarom verdere veranderings in die hoer onderwys sal draai. Hierdie transformasie noodsaak innoverende bestuur en onderrigprogramme, asook nuwe prioriteite. Daar word baie gese oor die bestuur van verandering, maar 'n duidelike proses word nie uitgelig waarvolgens dit gedoen moet word nie. Die probleem is dat die proses van verandering nie duidelik in ondernemings bespreek word the. Tweede golfbestuurders wil eerder die status quo handhaaf en stabiliteit verseker as om die risiko's van verandering te oorweeg. In die huidige omstandighede in Suid-Afrika is dit belangrik dat ondernemings verander om te kan oorleef. Bestuurspraktyke wat in die verlede toegepas is, is verouderd en onvoldoende om die veranderings waarvoor ondernemings tans te staan kom in positiewe geleenthede te omskep. Soos reeds genoem, is bestaande literatuur geneig om op die leierseienskappe te konsentreer wat nodig is vir die bestuur van verandering, op die kommunikasie van verandering en op modelle waarin die proses van verandering stapsgewys uiteengesit word. Daar is egter spesifieke voorskrifte wat direk verband hou met bovermelde fokusareas wat van kardinale belang is by die bestuur van verandering. Die volgende probleme is uit die voorafbespreking geidentifiseer wat in die verloop van hierdie studie bespreek sal word: Massafikasie - groeiende studentebevolking Tekort aan fasiliteite Verouderde en onvoldoende bestuurspraktyke `n Duidelike proses van verandering Afname in staatsfondse Verandering in arbeidswetgewing Politieke aspirasies van studente Verandering in waardes en norme van studente finplementering van deursigtigheid Aanstellingsprosedures Rol van studenteraad Verwagtinge van studente en personeel Verandering in didaktiese beginsels. In die lig van die agtergrond en probleemstelling van die studie, kan die doelwitte van die studie soos volg geformuleer word: Die primere doel is om die noodsaaklikheid daarvan vir technikons om te verander, te ondersoek. Daarbenewens het die studie ook die volgende doelwitte: Om te bepaal of technikons al verander het. Om te bepaal wie by verandering betrokke is. Om te bepaal of sekere aspekte en faktore tot verandering bygedra het.

M.Comm. / Change is an ongoing process right around the globe. South Africa is even more subject to change as a result of socio-economic and political transformation. This community tendency affects the South African organisation intensely, and a need exists for comprehensive guidelines for the handling of this transformation process. There are few publications which are relevant to the field of organisation development in South Africa. In this literature study attention was firstly given to the theoretical description of the term organisation development, the works of a number of theorists were examined. In the second place the historical development of the study field of organisation development was researched and the progress over time was reflected. Five approaches to organisation development were identified as they developed chronologically, viz. (a) laboratory training, (b) survey research and feedback, (c) action research (d) quality of working life, and (e) strategic change as the most recent contribution. The conclusion was reached that all five approaches still have merit, and that not one can be summarily eliminated for current usage. In the third place the organisation development process was examined in detail. Theories and models addressing the nature of planned change were examined with a view to establishing a generic model of change. This model comprises four phases which are each discussed in reasonable depth, viz. (a) initialising and contracting, (b) diagnosing, (c) planning and implementation, and (d) evaluation and institutionalisation. In the fourth place the organisational development practitioner was closely examined and an attempt was made to identify the skills, knowledge and qualifications which distinguish successful practitioners from those who achieve less success. The broad South African socio-economic and political environment, with its differing community trends, was investigated in order to draw up a scenario within which the South African organisation development practitioner must function at present. A skills profile as well as basic guidelines for the successful practitioners were finally established. The conclusion was reached that the organisation development practitioner within the South African environment must possess expertise, additional to the identified skills profile of the international practitioner, in order to be effective.

Change is a topic of crucial concern to all organisations in the present turbulent business environment. Leaders are constantly faced with the challenge of determining whether environmental factors will exert pressure which may cause harm or change to the organisation. Some of the major challenges that accompany change include a) the constantly changing environment has created an unpredictable future as the marketplace has lost its predictability b) leaders that are not able to predict what type of change the organisation is going to be faced with c) the uncertainty around the outcome of change d) no clear relationship exists between the scale of the change and the scale of its impact within an organisation and e) the risk of failure. Therefore, in dealing with change the mindsets of the organisation’s leaders, regarding the complexity of change, are the most critical factor. In this context, the main topic expanded on in this study is that change in organisations requires leadership and leadership in turn requires certain competencies. Central to the concept of leadership and change is the leadership-followership relationship as leaders have to lead people through the change and the ensuing uncertainty. In order to do so successfully leaders need to have a set of competencies that enable them to lead people through change and uncertainty. The purpose of this study was to develop a framework containing a set of competencies required for the major change types. It compared the views of managers and employees, in the financial services sector, on the importance of those competencies as well as the degree to which managers display the competencies. Ten leaders participated in the qualitative phase of the study and 60 managers and 74 employees responded to the survey. The major outcomes of the study included the competency framework as well as the competencies where statistically significant differences between the managers’ and employees’ views on, a) the degree to which the managers display the competencies as well as b) the importance assigned to the competencies, were found. / Dr. Anton Verwey

M.Cur. / Please refer to full text to view abstract