M.Comm. / From the literature is it well known that the environment in which companies currently compete, is continuously changing. It is therefore increasingly important for companies to align the energy of all its employees with the strategy of the company. Furthermore it is important that the management team not only receive feedback on whether the company's strategy is implemented, but also on how well it is implemented and executed. Measuring the progress towards the successful execution of the strategy is vital for management in the continuously changing environment. The balanced scorecard methodology enables management to align the energy of the employees to the proper execution of the strategy and measuring the progress towards achieving the strategy. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the balanced scorecard as a measuring tool as implemented in a local petrochemical company.

Web 2.0 combines various electronic mediums, websites, blogs and applications across a wide range of devices and provides opportunity to communicate bespoke change messages to employees. The purpose of this study is to establish whether the use of Web 2.0 has an impact on employees’ resistance to change during the change communication process and whether employees show a preference for a communication medium in the context of organisational change. The failure of most change efforts are often ascribed to insufficient communication, but employee perspectives on the preferred communication medium and whether Web 2.0 communication impacts on employee’s resistance to change has been largely overlooked in academic literature. A descriptive research design approach was followed. Inferential statistics was used to apply parametric and non- parametric tests to analyse the data. A self-administered electronic survey was sent to 1337 employees across four sectors that have been affected by any type of organisational change between January 2012 and June 2014 in South Africa. The response rate was 19.8% (266 responses). The paper finds that there is a preference towards face-to face communication and that participation increases willingness to accept the change. There were no differences found in the manner in which females and males responded to the questions on willingness to accept the change. This research enables communication and change management professionals to assess the suitability of WEB 2.0 mediums during various stages of organisational change. The Blended Media Communication (BMC) Model to Reduce Resistance to Change is proposed based on the findings of the study. The research will add to the theory concerning an employee perspective on Web 2.0 change communication. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lmgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

This research is centred on the fundamental analysis that change management within business environment is related to leadership, power bases and organisational culture. The success of organisational change management is commonly dependent on these variables that are interdependent and collectively used. How leaders who are conscious about the power they hold and utilizing each respective power base to effectively manage organisational culture. There is extensive research literature considering the individual variables of leadership, power and organisational culture. The research aims to form a deep dive case study analysis into the interrelationships between the three dimensions. It aims to comprehend the change management initiatives in State-Owned Entities in the context of South Africa and Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa. Through a case study research approach, which comprised of face-to-face expert interviews and observations with employees from Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa data was collected. Content analysis techniques were applied to determine common trends and relationships across the three key dimensions identified from the literature, which related to each dimension. A number of interesting and useful relationships were uncovered within and between the key drivers and extend the current literature in this field. It was discovered that the leaders who are conscious about their power bases and effectively manage them are able to contribute to a sustainable organisational culture. Through this, the organisation is able to become a perpetual institution where leadership can hand over successful over time this being the fundamental of successful organisational change. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / zkgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / Unrestricted

The purpose of this study was to examine the current research on mergers and acquisitions which includes organizational factors, such as communication processes, and their impact on employee reactions. The current study addresses this issue through a simulated M&A announcement laboratory experiment with 156 CSUSB undergraduate students.

Global merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions exceeded $4.7 trillion in 2015, yet more than 70% of M&As fail to meet postmerger performance expectations with unsuccessful organizational integration cited as the primary source of failure. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore organizational integration strategies some business leaders use to achieve anticipated postmerger performance and growth expectations. The study population consisted of 10 executive and midlevel business leaders in 2 privately held companies, domiciled in Arizona and Iowa, who have contributed to successful organizational integration in M&A transactions in the last 5 years. The tenets of organizational change management composed the conceptual framework for the study. Data were collected by semistructured interviews, reviews of internal documents, and publicly available information. Data were analyzed using inductive analysis to identify patterns and themes. The themes identified were organizational planning, communications, performance and growth, culture, and leadership and management. The study findings can assist business leaders in understanding the importance of organizational integration planning in the earliest phases of M&A transactions to improve M&A successes. The study findings contribute to positive social change by enhancing business leaders' knowledge to improve M&A postmerger performance, which can stabilize current employment, create new employment opportunities, and generate positive economic improvements for the broader stakeholder group.

Background: The pandemic Covid-19 has led to large-scale changes globally; in the workplace setting, it has entailed a distinct increase in remote work. For individuals to deal with organizational changes in the workplace has historically been considered a significant challenge. Therefore, it is essential to understand how individuals cope with these changes and drive themselves while working remotely. Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to develop a deeper understanding of how respondents in different organizations in Sweden coped with the change to remote work caused by Covid19 by viewing their coping strategies from a self-leadership perspective. In addition, the main affecting factors of this change process will be identified. Method: | Ontology: Relativism | Epistemology: Social Constructionism | Research Approach: Inductive | Data Collection: 12 Semi-Structured Interviews | Sampling: Purposive / Convenience | Data Analysis: Thematic Analysis | Conclusion: This study has developed a new terminology; Self-leadership coping strategies that showcase how the respondents of this study reacted, acted, and proactively coped with the change in the workplace setting due to Covid-19. Subsequently, challenging the passive view individuals have been assigned in previous literature and provided coping strategies in a new and highly relevant context. Additionally, three paradoxical affecting factors are presented and problematized.

A 15-facility healthcare organization utilized organizational change management techniques to aid with the adoption of a clinical information system to accomplish desired cultural transformation. The aim of this article was to provide a description of team member and physician attitudes toward change during conversion to a new clinical information system of electronic documentation. The tool developed and utilized was a change readiness survey to assess randomly selected team member and physician perceived readiness for the transition to an electronic documentation system. This article reviewed the rationale for using organizational change management techniques to facilitate adoption of a new clinical information system and discussed development of a change readiness survey tool. It explored the findings from the first 3 years of the survey.

Denna studie syftar till att undersöka vilka kommunikationsstrategier som chefer använder sig av för att kommunicera förändringar samt hur väl dessa kommunikationsstrategier fungerar. Tidigare forskning har visat att effektiv kommunikation är en avgörande faktor för att lyckas med organisatoriska förändringar. Trots detta saknas det ofta en förståelse av hur kommunikationen ska anpassas och användas i olika sammanhang för att skapa en framgångsrik förändring. Därför har denna studie genomförts för att fylla denna kunskapslucka och bidra till en ökad förståelse för hur olika kommunikationsstrategier används vid förändringsledning, samt hur väl dessa kommunikationsstrategier fungerar. Den teoretiska referensramen som har använts är organisatorisk förändringsledning för att vidhålla teoretiska antaganden om förändringar inom organisationer och hur dessa kommuniceras. För att analysera resultatet har Lewins förändringsmodell samt Shannon och Weavers kommunikationsmodell använts för att koppla samman förändringsledning och kommunikation. Studien är kvalitativ och har genomförts på en textilfabrik i Thailand. Urvalet av denna fabrik har gjorts eftersom fabriken precis gått igenom en radikal förändring i form av en flytt. Materialinsamlingen bestod av ostrukturerade och deltagande observationer, ostrukturerade och semistrukturerade intervjuer med chefer, avdelningsansvariga och arbetsledare. Resultatet visar att organisationen använde fyra kommunikationsstrategier under förändringen; anslagstavlor, teammöten, förslagslåda och personliga möten, samt att dessa kommunikationsstrategier har använts under olika förändringsfaser. Vidare visar resultatet att de olika kommunikationsstrategierna fungerar olika väl då personliga möten var den strategi som hade minst brus och föredrogs av arbetsledarna, medan anslagstavlan kan anses vara ineffektiv då den inte används av arbetsledare och avdelningsansvariga. Studien betonar vikten av att använda flera kommunikationskanaler och lyfter fram värdet av personliga möten och kommunikationsstrategin ansikte mot ansikte. Det bidrar till att förbättra förståelsen av hur olika strategier påverkar förändringsprocesser och olika grupper av anställda. Dessutom går studien emot tidigare forskning som menar att det är viktigt att anställda förstår orsakerna bakom en förändring, då resultatet i denna studie visar motsatsen. Därmed bidrar studien till en större förståelse för individuella perspektiv och motivationsfaktorer, samt hur viktigt det är att använda olika kommunikationsstrategier under alla förändringsfaser för att uppnå en framgångsrik förändring. / This study aims to investigate which communication strategies managers use to communicate changes and how well these communication strategies work. Previous research has shown that effective communication is a decisive factor in succeeding with organizational changes. Despite this, there is often a lack of understanding of how communication should be adapted and used in different contexts to create a successful change. Hence, the primary aim of this study is to address this research gap and enhance the comprehension regarding the utilization and effectiveness of various communication strategies in the context of change management. The theoretical framework employed in this study is rooted in organizational change management, which provides a foundation for understanding the dynamics of changes occurring within organizations and their corresponding communication processes. The analysis of the findings has been facilitated by the integration of Lewin's change model and Shannon and Weaver's communication model, allowing for the exploration of the interconnectedness between change management and communication. This qualitative study was conducted at a textile factory located in Thailand. The selection of this particular factory was deliberate, as it had recently undergone a significant transformation in the form of relocation. The data collection for this study involved unstructured and participant observations, as well as unstructured and semi-structured interviews conducted with managers, head of departments, and supervisors. The findings indicate that the organization employed four communication strategies throughout the change process: bulletin boards, team meetings, suggestion boxes, and personal meetings. These strategies were utilized in various stages of the change initiative. Additionally, the results demonstrate that these communication approaches yielded varying levels of effectiveness. Personal meetings emerged as the most successful strategy, characterized by minimal interference and being favored by supervisors. In contrast, the bulletin board strategy can be deemed ineffective, given its lack of utilization by supervisors and department heads. The study emphasizes the importance of utilizing multiple communication channels and highlights the value of in-person meetings and the face-to-face communication strategy. This contributes to enhancing the understanding of how various strategies impact change processes and different groups of employees. Furthermore, the study contradicts previous research suggesting the importance of employees understanding the reasons behind a change, as the results in this study show the opposite. Thus, the study contributes to a greater understanding of individual perspectives and motivational factors, as well as the importance of employing different communication strategies throughout all stages of change to achieve successful outcomes.

There is a dual accountability accepted by top executives of large multi-business firms (MBFs) to both consistently deliver performance in the short term and cultivate scalable opportunities for future growth, which requires that they be able to implement both evolutionary and revolutionary change. Researchers have defined this capability as organizational ambidexterity (OA) and deemed it a crucial requirement for every organization. Literature in the field of organizational ambidexterity (OA) describes the need to simultaneously orchestrate attention and activities along two dimensions of ambidexterity: exploitation and exploration. This dissertation peels back the layers in MBFs to generate a deeper understanding of OA in the MBF, by answering three research questions, using a mixed method approach-qualitative study followed by quantitative study: (1) What is an appropriate specification of OA in an MBF? (2) Are there differences in exploration and exploitation across the three levels within the MBF? and (3) Is there a relationship between exploration and exploitation and MBF performance at each of the three levels within the MBF? Qualitative Study 1 was conducted in December 2017, to investigate and confirm the appropriateness of the three-level operationalization of OA in MBFs. The data comprised eleven semi-structured interviews with senior executives that serve or have served as independent board directors (IBDs), chief executive officers (CEOs) or business unit general managers (BUGMs). The executives were able to articulate the existence of and differences in exploitation and exploration roles and activities at each of the three levels. Study 2 was conducted during June 2018, designed to test five sets of hypotheses. The study used a qualified panel of senior executives to generate a representative sample of respondents in each of three roles: IBDs, CEOs, and BUGMs. Data was collected through an online survey instrument, distributed to the panelists by Qualtrics and Centiment. Completed surveys resulted in a sample of 256 MBFs. Two separate one-way ANOVAs and Tukey post hoc means comparison tests were conducted; the results find significant differences in exploration at the board, corporate and business unit levels. Likewise, findings support statistically significant differences in exploitation at the board, corporate and business unit levels. For the third research question, exploration and exploitation were individually regressed against two measures of MBF performance, using IBM SPSS 25 software. At each of the three levels (board, corporate and business unit), statistically significant relationships were found between at least one of the ambidexterity dimensions and MBF performance, providing partial support of the hypotheses.

Migrating from IT legacy systems to Cloud Computing, is a complex task for an organization to undertake since changes of both technical end organizational aspects are required to take advantage of all capabilities that Public Cloud offer. A limited number of studies have been conducted exploring the organizational perspective of the migration process to Public Cloud for larger organization, which are bounded to their IT legacy. This thesis aims to contribute with knowledge to this gap by addressing the following purpose: investigate how the migration to Public Cloud affects an organization with large IT legacy. Anchored in a case study at an incumbent enterprise, the thesis bridges literature on Cloud Computing, organizational change management and organizational aspects of the migration process. Findings from empirics indicate that the case company is experiencing multiple layers of complexity of change management such as: change management, culture, internal processes, IT legacy and security, are essential to be managed to successfully migrate to Public Cloud. These findings suggest that the challenges are constraining the migration towards Public Cloud and especially the development of the IT environment, and therefore inhibit the essential value-creation processes. Another challenge is the generalized view of security being a great risk which further inhibits the evolvement and process towards Public Cloud. The thesis presents that although the migration to Public Cloud is primarily of technical concern, the migration process is also a major organizational change management process with large challenges that needs to be considered for a successful migration. Hence, the thesis contributes to better understanding of how an organization with substantial IT legacy can prepare for the emerging changes of a potential technology shift. / Att migrera från ett IT arv med förlegade IT system till molnbaserad datahantering är en komplex uppgift för en organisation eftersom stora förändringar krävs för att utnyttja alla möjligheter som publika molntjänster erbjuder. Ett begränsat antal studier har genomförts som undersöker migrationsprocessens till publikt moln från ett organisationsperspektiv, för större organisation som är begränsad till föråldrad IT infrastruktur. Detta examensarbete syftar till att bidra med kunskap till detta gap genom att uppfylla följande syfte: undersöka hur övergångsprocessen till publikt moln påverkar en organisation med stort IT arv. Förankrat i en fallstudie hos ett etablerat företag, förenar uppsatsen litteratur om molnbaserad datahantering, organisationsförändringshantering och organisatoriska aspekter av migrationsprocessen. Resultat från studien på företaget visar flera lager av komplexitet i förändringshantering som till exempel: förändringsledning, kultur, interna processer, IT arv och säkerhet, vilka är viktiga områden att kunna hantera för en framgångsrik migrering till Public Cloud. Detta resultat tyder på att dessa utmaningar begränsar migrationen mot publika moln och utvecklingen av IT miljön som hämmar de väsentliga värdeskapande affärsprocesserna. En annan utmaning är att den allmänna uppfattningen om säkerhet utgör en stor risk som ytterligare hämmar utvecklingen och processen mot publika moln. Examensarbetet presenterar, att trots övergångsprocessen mot publikt moln är av tekniskt intresse, är migrationsprocessen en viktig organisationsförändringsprocess med stora utmaningar som måste beaktas för en lyckad transformation. Med detta bidrar avhandlingen till bättre förståelse för hur organisationer med betydande IT arv kan förbereda sig för de framväxande förändringarna av ett potentiellt tekniskt skift.