The study sought to investigate the system of knowledge production at AISA and assess the challenges of producing knowledge at the institution. The objectives of the study were to: identify AISA‟s main achievements in knowledge production; determine AISA‟s challenges in producing knowledge; find out how AISA‟s organizational culture impacts on internal knowledge production; and suggest ways of improving knowledge production at AISA. A case study was used as a research method and purposive sampling used to select 50 cases out of a study population of 70. Questionnaires were prepared and distributed to AISA employees and where possible face-to-face interviews were conducted. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to analyze the data which were collected. Findings of the study may be used by governments across sub-Saharan Africa to produce relevant knowledge for formulating and implementing economic, social and technological policies. It is also important in identifying challenges that may hinder the successful production of knowledge. The study revealed that AISA has a well defined system of knowledge production and has had many achievements that have contributed to its relevance as a think tank today. The study found out that AISA has faced different challenges with the main one being organizational culture. From the findings, the researcher recommended that AISA should establish itself as a knowledge-based organization. It should also create a knowledge friendly culture as a framework for addressing the issue of organizational culture.

M.Comm. / Political changes and many other factors have forced South Africans from different backgrounds and cultures to work together and live together. These changes do not influence only the community life but also the organisations in South-Africa. As affirmative action is enforced and implemented by government and the business sector, people from African cultures are thrown in at the deep end in business life and people from the western cultures are not at ease working with African people because of a lack of understanding of the African culture. An important part of the African culture is called ubuntu. PURPOSE The purposes of this study are to identify and explain the different values of ubuntu, to illustrate how it can be applied in South African business and to identify the differences between western management practices and ubuntu management practices. METHOD OF STUDY A study was made of the relevant literature. FINDINGS The heritage that comes through traditional African roots is ubuntu: morality, humaness, compassion, care, understanding and empathy. It is one of sharing and hospitality, of honesty and humanity. Simply put, it is the ethic and interaction that occurs in the extended family. In Africa, it draws in all of the people. In this 'family' there is a community of shared values. Ubuntu is best described through the expression: a human is a human through other people. The ubuntu values described in this study are solidarity, the role of stories in ubuntu, compassion, respect and dignity, conformity and interconnectedness. Each of these attributes can be applied in South African businesses. The differences between western management and ubuntu management are discussed by looking at the differences in leadership, decision making, communication and corporate culture. Certain ubuntu values can be used in South-African business, such as group solidarity, respect and dignity, stories and the way the ubuntu culture deals with nature. Certain values cannot be used, such as the way Africans experiences time, because it would lead to low productivity. It seems as if ubuntu values have been lost with urbanisation, but there are still ubuntu values practised in townships, such as group solidarity that exists between tribe members, although the definition of a tribe has changed.

M.Comm. / The study focused on Telkom, a telecommunications utility, and the major strategic change that it’s currently undergoing to prepare for privatisation. Telkom displayed the typical characteristics of a bureaucracy with a strong hierarchical top-down structure, management that was not in touch with its customers and centralised control and decision making.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study explores the role of the cultural analysis component in an international strategy of South African companies. It highlights general and country-specific cultural trends that emerged from the research. It also provides a basic cultural analysis framework that can be used as a general guideline for companies planning international expansion. The research methodology included both primary and secondary data analysis. The primary data were gathered through face-to face interviews; the secondary data examined journals, articles, the Internet and case studies. The interviews used a mix of open and closed questions to extract the most accurate responses from interviewees. Trompenaars' "Seven Dimensions Framework" served as a basis for the design of the interview questions, as well as for the analysis of the responses. Seven South African companies, spanning across different industries were interviewed. They included Engen Petroleum Limited in the petrochemical industry, Dole South Africa in the fruit export industry, Nando's International in the restaurant industry, Dimension Data in the information technology industry, Denel (Ply) Ltd in the anms and weaponry industry, SABMiller pic in the beer industry and Barloworld Limited in the brand management industry. Countries that were discussed with each of these companies respectively were: Southern Africa, Middle East, Malaysia & Indonesia, United States of America, Poland & Hungary, The Czech Republic and Russia. Several general trends leading to a successful international expansion emerged from the research. Along with the long-term focus, flexibility and commitment that are required, relationship-building proved to be the most essential ingredient for creating a successful international venture. Relationship-building was achieved when the internationalisation team demonstrated cultural sensitivity, respect, humility and patience, all attributes that are needed when interacting cross-culturally. The research also identified specific country cultural trends. For example, in Southern Africa, a developmental focus on the part of the internationalisation party is crucial to future success. In the Middle East, acknowledging rank was important. Recognising the communitarian philosophy and strict hierarchy in Malaysia and Indonesia was a key aspect of an effective strategy. In the United States, clarity, confidence and decisiveness proved important. Poland, Hungary, The Czech Republic and Russia required that logic be the basis on which business is conducted. The basic cultural analysis framework presented in the research follows a step-by-step approach. Step one requires that basic information about the country be gathered e.g .: population size, language, etc. Step two entails visiting the target country to gather additional data. Step three involves deciding on the best strategy to enter the target country e.g.: partnerships, jOint ventures, strategic alliances. The final step includes deciding who will manage the foreign operation e.g. locals versus ex-patriats. In conclusion, for businesses interested in expanding internationally. the role of cultural analysis cannot be over-emphasised. It is the one component of an internationalisation strategy that is the most essential, yet the least understood. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek die rol van die kulturele analiseringskomponent van Suid-Afrikaanse maatskappye se internasionale strategie. Dit lig uit algemene en besondere kulturele tendense wat eie is aan 'n spesifieke land, soos wat dit uit die navorsing na vore gekom het. Dit verskaf ook 'n basiese analiseringsraamwerk wat benut kan word as 'n algemene riglyn vir maatskappye wat internasionale uitbreiding beplan. Die navorsingsmetodologie sluit in die analisering van beide primere en sekondere data. Die primere data is ingewin deur direkte onderhoudvoering, terwyl die sekondere data die bestudering van vaktydskrifte, artikels, die Internet en gevallestudies behels het. Tydens onderhoude is beide oop en geslote vrae gestel ten einde die mees akkurate antwoorde van die respondente te verkry. Trompenaars se "Sewe Dimensies Raamwerk" het gedien as grondslag vir die ontwerp van die onderhoudsvrae, sowel as vir die analisering van die antwoorde. Daar is onderhoude gevoer met sewe Suid·Afrikaanse maatskappye wat verskillende industriee verteenwoordig . Dit sluit in: Engen Petroleum Beperk in die petrochemiese industrie; Dole Suid-Afrika in die vrugte·uitvoerbedryf; Nando's Internasionaal in die restaurantberyf; Dimension Data in die inligtingstegnologiebedryf; Denel (Edms) Bpk. in die wapentuigbedryf; SABMiller plc in die bierbedryf en Barloworld Beperk in die handelsmerk-bestuursbedryf. Lande wat afsonderlik met elkeen van hierdie maatskappye bespreek is, het ingesluit: Suidelike Afrika, die Midde-Ooste, Maleisie en Indonesia, die Verenigde State van Amerika, Pole en Hongarye, die Tsjeggiese Republiek en Rusland. Verskeie algemene tendense wat tot 'n geslaagde internasionale uitbreiding lei, het uit die navorsing na vore gekom. Saam met die langtermyn fokus, buigsaamheid en toegewydheid wat vereis word, is daar bewys dat die opbou van goeie verhoudings die mees noodsaaklike bestanddeel is vir die daarstelling van 'n geslaagde internasionale onderneming. Die opbou van goeie verhoudings is verkry toe die internasionaliseringspan kulturele sensitiwiteit, respek, nederigheid en geduld aan die dag gelê het - eienskappe wat nodig is wanneer daar oor kultuurgrense heen verkeer word. Die navorsing het ook kuturele tendense geidentifiseer wat eie is aan 'n spesifieke land. In Suidelike Afrika is byvoorbeeld 'n fokus op ontwikkeling deur die internasionaliseringspan gebiedend noodsaaklik vir toekomstige sukses. In die Midde Ooste was die erkenning van posrang belangrik. Die erkenning van die filosofie van gemeenskaplikheid en strenge hiarargie in Maleisie en Indonesia was 'n sleutelaspek vir 'n doeltreffende strategie. In die Verenigde State was duidelikheid, selfvertroue en beslistheid belangrik. Pole, Hongarye, die Tsjeggiese Republiek en Rusland het vereis dat logika die grondslag moet wees waarvolgens sake bedryf behoort te word. Die basiese kulturele analiseringsraamwerk wat in hierdie navorsing aangebied word, volg 'n stapsgewyse benadering. Die eerste stap vereis dat basiese inligting oor 'n land ingesamel moet word , byvoorbeeld: bevolkingsgrootte, taal, ens. Die tweede stap behels 'n besoek aan die teikenland om bykomstige data in te samel. Die derde stap behels die besluitneming oor die geskikste strategie waarmee sake aangepak kan word, byvoorbeeld: vennootskappe, gesamentlike ondernemings, strategiese bondgenootskappe. Die laaste stap sluit in die besluitneming oor wie die buitelandse onderneming gaan bestuur, byvoorbeeld plaaslike beheer teenoor bestuur deur buitelanders. Ten slotte, die rol van kulturele analise kan nie oorbeklemtoon word in daardie besighede wat in internasionale uitbreiding belangstel nie. Dit is die een komponent van 'n internasionaliseringstrategie wat uiters noodsaaklik is, maar wat tog die minste begryp word.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management (in the field of Public and Development Management), 2016 / Every organisation has a good or bad culture. One of the key factors in stable institutions is culture within organisation which plays a critical role in organisational operations. Culture affects most aspects of the organisations' planned life, such as how decisions would be made, who would make them, how would people be treated and how the entity would respond to its environment. This research report examines the nature and extent of the organisational culture, and the link between the organisational culture, leadership and problem solving practices within the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). The report presents with the assumptions and ideological influences contained in the public sector reform, which remained entrenched by its legacy systems. This study has revealed that there is a lack of congruence between the organisational culture, leadership and problem solving practices in the NPA. The observed incongruence may inhibit performance and unconsciously remain the barrier of the effectiveness of the reformed institutions. The study concludes that the organisational culture should be one of inclusiveness, participation in decision making, and acquisition of new knowledge and skills which is more aligned to the reformed state institutions expectations. It is recommended that all organisations should diagnose desired organisational culture in order to establish gaps between current and future organisational culture. / XL2018

The Human Resources department, through the policies and practices that it develops, stands as a steering function for the rest of the organisation. Human Resource policies and practices, dealing with issues that most often directly affect every employee, set out the guidelines which govern the behaviour, thinking and action of all members of the organisation. The extensive influence of these policies, therefore, make it an interesting subject of research to explore the process that is conducted to develop these policies, the individuals involved and the personal impact of practitioners from the Human Resource department who are often the leaders of this policy development process. Through face to face interviews, coupled with short, factual questionnaires, subjects from information-rich organisations were questioned regarding the nature of their policy development process and the role that individual Human Resource practitioners play in this process. It has been determined through the results of the study that Human Resource practitioners primarily influence the development of policies, with some input from management and very little, if any, participation by employees. Essentially, these practitioners draw up the policies themselves and suggestions are then given and the policies ratified by top management before being implemented in the organisation. In most cases, no involvement of employees is permitted although in some instances, partial participation through representatives is allowed. The theoretical basis of the study rests primarily on systems theory which identifies how changes in one part of the organisation system, such as Human Resource policies and practices, has an effect on every other part of the system, in other words, every employee. This is important when considering that only a small group of individuals, and primarily one Human Resource practitioner, develop policies that affect an entire organisation. The competing values approach also impacts on the study here where it must be identified that the values of one, or a group, of individuals should not dominate an entire organisation where individuals are guided by different values and goals. The research addresses this issue by examining the impact that the personal values, beliefs and opinions of the Human Resource practitioner, who predominantly has the main influence on the process, has on the policies developed. The study reveals that when developing policies, practitioners are in fact guided by a balance between their personal values and the values and beliefs of the organisation. This means that they try to remain neutral in the process, not allowing either their personal values or those of the organisation to dominate the policies. This means that practitioners do not allow their own personal values and opinions to guide the way they influence the process and develop policies which affect the entire organisation. This study, therefore, is an exploration aimed at the discovery of the current practices that dominate South African organisations, with the focus on the Durban region, concerning Human Resource policy development. The study then extends beyond the South African borders to consider the first world situation in the United Kingdom, allowing a comparison between the first world and South African third world policy development process. This allows an opportunity to identify where the first world and third world differ regarding this process and whether there may be anything that can be learnt from the United Kingdom which could be adapted to the South African situation. The results of the study reveal, however, that although differences could be identified, these were neither suitable nor viable to be transferred to the South African situation. Therefore, through the use of current literature, past research and the exploratory interviews, this study has gathered a picture of how the process of Human Resource policy development functions in South African organisations today. Although the focus has been on the Durban region, the results can be generalised, both between industries and nationally. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.

Diversity should be included in an organisational culture and be aligned with the corporate strategy. South African institutions face diversity and multiculturalism challenges which affect their operation and strategies. Managers in South Africa regard organisational culture as a very useful tool to manage their diverse workforce. Against this background, the primary objective of this study was to investigate and analyse how workforce diversity and organisational culture impact on strategy implementation at a higher education institution, namely Walter Sisulu University (WSU). The study identified dimensions of diversity and organisational culture and strategy implementation from theoretical models supporting the study. A hypothetical model portraying these factors was constructed, displaying each factor and their relationship with strategy implementation. Furthermore, the relationship between strategy implementation and strategic outcomes was indicated. Given the nature of the problem statement and the research objectives presented in this study, the positivistic research paradigm was adopted. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to executive and senior management, senior academic and senior support staff at WSU. In total, 266 usable questionnaires were returned. The data obtained from these questionnaires were subjected to both descriptive and inferential statistical analyses. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used as the key statistical analysis tool. As the hypothetical model did not load onto SEM in total, it was re-specified into four sub-models. Each sub-model was subjected to SEM to test the hypothetical model and to indicate the significance of the relationships hypothesised between the various independent, mediating and dependent variables. Eight statistically significant relationships were identified in the study. The factors identified as having a statistically significant relationship with organisational culture included the following: degree of flexibility, degree of teamwork, task directiveness, degree of formalisation, leadership styles and decision making. In addition, a statistically significant relationship was found between organisational culture and strategy implementation. Furthermore the findings indicated a statistically significant relationship between strategy implementation and strategic outcomes in a higher education institution. There was no statistically significant relationship found between diversity and strategy implementation. This finding is contrary to empirical evidence by various other researchers. The study makes a contribution to multicultural higher education institutions by highlighting the crucial role of organisational culture in effective strategy implementation. It was clear from the results of the study that the nurturing of human capital is critical if higher education institutions wish to successfully aligning culture with strategy implementation. This study provided constructive and very practical guidelines to higher education institutions to ensure effective alignment of culture with strategy implementation and so enhance local and global competitiveness and long term sustainability. University councils throughout South Africa can apply the findings of this study in their respective institutions to support effective strategy execution.

Local Government in South Africa has undergone much transformation since 2000. Although much of the change has been to correct imbalances, inequities and disparities within our local communities as a result of Apartheid, change has also been motivated by National Government’s realisation that, as with governments throughout the world, there is a need to modernise all spheres of Government. Part of this transformation process at a local government level in South Africa has been to ensure that municipalities become more responsive to the communities’ needs. The guiding principles for this transformation are contained in the White Paper on the Transformation of the Public Service (1995) and the Batho Pele White Paper (1997). This has informed the Municipal Systems Act: Act 32 of 2000 of which Chapter 6 determines that municipalities will have a performance management system to promote a culture of performance management amongst the political structures, political office bearers, councillors and administration. The performance management system must ensure that the municipality administers its affairs in an economical, effective, efficient and accountable manner. A literature review contained in this research, indicates that internationally, implementing performance management systems at a local government level is impact upon by a number of factors such as the organizational culture of an institution. This research, which has been grounded within a constructivist paradigm, describes the impact organizational culture has had on the implementation process of the performance management system at Buffalo City Municipality. Interviews were conducted amongst the Section 57 employees (i.e. the Directors) and those employees directly responsible for implementing performance management. The four Directors, two General Managers and the portfolio councilor were interviewed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the interviewees and this culminated in a total of 10 hours of interviewing. The protocols were analyzed using the guidelines suggested by Boyatzis (1998) and the findings are detailed in two chapters. The findings of the research were that the implementation of the performance management system at Buffalo City Municipality has been impacted on by the dichotomy between the political and administrative leadership, resulting in non-implementation of council resolutions, the lack of an organizational strategy, poor institutional arrangements and inadequate resource allocation, are reported. However, the most important finding was the impact that a culture of fear has had on the implementation process. This culture of fear and its impact on the implementation of performance management system is described as the most pervasive and insidious of all the findings to have negatively impacted on the implementation process. This research ends with recommendations for further research and it is argued that each organization has its own unique organizational culture. The conclusion is that no single typology, as contained in the literature, which can account for the specific impact organizational culture will have on the implementation process of a performance management system at local government level in South Africa. Consequently, implementers of performance management systems must assess the unique characteristics of each organization’s culture prior to implementation, in order to evaluate its impact that the organizational culture can have on the process.

Since 2000, local municipalities have been through a process of transformation which amalgamated a number of smaller local municipalities into larger municipalities. The amalgamation of a number of municipalities brings together an array of people, and therefore a myriad of organisational cultures are combined. The organisational culture of an organisation has an effect on the organisational commitment of its employees. A fit between the organisational culture and the employees will increase the organisational commitment of those employees and contribute towards improved service delivery. A survey conducted in South Africa indicated that the local municipalities have been delivering poor standards of service to the community; therefore there is a need to increase the service delivery within local municipalities. The importance of looking at the organisational commitment of a local municipality is because if there is commitment within the organisation, then employees will identify with their organisation and its goals, and will deliver the service more effectively and efficiently. Therefore, increasing the service delivery of local municipalities can be achieved through diagnosing the organisational commitment and organisational culture of employees within the selected municipality. The primary objective of this research was therefore to diagnose the relationship between organisational culture and the organisational commitment of employees at the selected municipality. In order to achieve this objective, a survey was conducted to canvas the opinions of respondents (N = 148) from the selected local municipality regarding their perceptions of the existing organisational culture, their preferences regarding the organisational culture within the selected municipality, and finally the organisational commitment. The main findings of this research conducted at a selected municipality can be summarised as follows: The dominant existing organisational culture is the power culture, while the dominant preferred organisational culture is the support culture; There is an organisational culture gap between the existing and preferred organisational cultures at the selected municipality; The dominant organisational commitment within the selected municipality is normative commitment; The findings pertaining to the relationship between organisational culture and organisational commitment of employees within the selected municipality can be stated as follows: The existing organisational cultures have significant effects on the organisational commitment of employees; The preferred organisational cultures do not have significant effects on the organisational commitment of employees; and The organisational culture gap does not have a significant effect on the organisational commitment of employees; The findings pertaining to the relationship between the biographical variables and the existing and preferred organisational culture, organisational commitment and the organisational culture gap can be stated as follows: There is no significant relationship between biographical variables and the existing organisational culture; There are significant relationships between the biographical variables, namely the departments in which respondents work, and the education level of respondents, and the preferred organisational culture; There are significant relationships between the biographical variables and organisational commitment; and The average organisational culture gap scores of the organisational culture scales for the biographical variables are significantly different. It can be concluded that organisational culture has a significant effect on the organisational commitment of employees within the selected municipality and therefore can affect the service delivery of the selected municipality.

This research investigates the relationship between organisational culture and financial performance in a selected financial services institution in South Africa. The banking sector as part of the financial services industry contributes to economic growth in the economy. The banking sector in South Africa is highly concentrated, but also highly competitive. It is important for banks to retain their competitiveness and increased global competition places further pressure on banks to perform financially in order to satisfy the demands of shareholders. The literature reviewed and previous studies both suggest that organisational culture is an important variable that influences organisational performance. For purposes of this research, organisational performance will be measured in terms of financial performance. The concepts of organisational culture and financial performance are discussed and a questionnaire based on Hall’s (1988) theory of organisational competence is used to determine the strength of the levels of the dimensions of competence as indicators of organisational culture within the selected financial institution. The financial performance of the branches within the organisation is determined by calculating certain selected financial performance ratios, namely cost-to-income ratio, cumulative leverage and contribution per employee. A correlation analysis is conducted in order to establish whether there is a statistically significant relationship between organisational culture and financial performance. A conclusion is drawn that there is a statistically significant relationship between the organisational culture and the financial performance of the branches of the selected institution and recommendations are made as to how financial performance can be improved by strengthening the dimensions of competence as indicators of organisational culture. These recommendations include specific actions that can be taken by leaders to improve commitment, collaboration and creativity.