MA, Faculty of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand, 2001

The Irish Institute of Technology (hereinafter referred to as IoT) sector is poised to undergo a period of transformation, consolidation and system reconfiguration, to be brought about through a series of institutional mergers, collaborations and alliances. This research focuses on the Irish higher education (hereinafter referred to as HE) landscape, and in particular, on the journey of three groups of IoTs (hereinafter referred to as Alliances) as they plan to merge and subsequently apply to be re-designated as technological universities (hereinafter referred to as TUs). This research provides a contemporaneous account of how the Irish IoTs are organising themselves for merger and examines the substantial challenges which lie therein. By examining and comparing three Alliances which are undergoing a similar process but with varying degrees of success, this research explores the key factors which facilitate on one hand, and/or inhibit on the other, merger negotiations and the merger process in HE, both at a system and institutional level. This knowledge will be useful to policy makers and other higher education institutions (hereinafter referred to as HEIs), particularly in Ireland’s IoT sector, which is likely to experience a wave of mergers over the coming decade. It also contributes to the relatively scant body of literature on the nature of and the factors impacting upon the merger process in higher education, and of mergers in the Irish HE context. A qualitative study, employing a multiple case study approach, was adopted. Based upon a thematic analysis of data gathered from the three cases, this research identifies and categorises the key factors that are perceived to facilitate on the one hand, or inhibit on the other, the merger process in HE, both at a system and institutional level. A framework consisting of political, strategic, operational, emotive, historic and cultural factors is proposed, examined and discussed, and recommendations for both institutional and system level actors are provided. In addition, this research proposes a micro-political model which details the various phases through which HE mergers proceed, and argues that it is the macro and micro-political and emotive factors, rather than strategic or operational factors, which have the most powerful influence on the merger process.

The aim of the study was to explore the process and practice of leading change in residential child care and assess the efficacy of ‘emotional containment’ in this context. Residential child care in Ireland is experiencing significant change. Change is an emotional experience for staff and leadership is named as pivotal in organisational change. However, there is gap in the literature because leadership and organisational change theory does not fully fit with the relational nature of residential child care. The study is responding to this gap in literature and employs a qualitative case study to explore the impact of organisational change on residential child care, strategies used by leaders to manage the emotional impact of change and identify what practices support emotional containment. Central to the study was a nine-month observation of a child care organisation (Liffey View). Funding reductions in response to austerity emerged as the change event having the greatest impact, strategies to manage funding cuts (team restructuring, reductions in salary) evoked emotions of loss, despair and anger towards external funding bodies. In fact, austerity challenged the very survival of Liffey View Children’s home. The findings highlight how emotional containment supported the organisation to manage the impact of austerity. Containment is linked to the capacity of residential leaders to hold and work with emotion, providing structures (e.g. team meetings) that allow teams to make sense of emotion and finding ways to influence relationships with funding agencies. However, containment on its own is not sufficient to lead change, learning gained through containment needs to be linked to action and the theory of emotional containment is enhanced by integrating thinking from leadership and strategy. A framework integrating thinking from emotional containment and wider management theory is offered as a tool for leading change and for leadership development in residential child care.

The purpose of the research is to investigate the impact of constant change on the motivation and satisfaction of employees involved in a strategic alliance environment. The conclusions highlighted that employees wholly understand the need for the organisation to change; however, employees note that employee involvement, communication and effective leadership were poorly implemented during the change process. Furthermore, the existence of various sub-cultures led to cultural differences that had an impact on the success of the change initiatives. Despite these challenges, the results showed the motivation and job satisfaction levels of employees were high and employee commitment to the organisation was positive. Employees considered the following as crucial to their support, namely, strong, consistent and inspiring leadership, urgency around decision-making, and honest and frequent communication. The report is concluded with recommendations to assist the organisation in managing future changes. It is recommended the organisation change its culture to one more conducive to change in the strategic direction of the organisation. It is further recommended future organisational change be preceded by explicit and ongoing communication. It is critical managers be fully equipped to handle change management and able to provide strong, inspiring leadership amidst the uncertainties and insecurities that arise when change is implemented.

This study explores the development of a discharge programme in one learning disability hospital in Scotland. The aim of the study is to explore professionals’ perceptions of how the discharge programme developed with a focus on capturing professionals’ experience and knowledge so as to reach an understanding of how best to facilitate a discharge programme and help professionals make the transition from the institution to the community. Different groups of professionals were interviewed and different views and perspectives regarding the progress of de-institutionalisation were collected. Based on the professionals’ perceptions and with a particular emphasis on those of social workers, the following issues were identified as the key points which have to be taken into account for facilitating stable progress in a discharge programme: the creation of a consortium with centralized authority which includes the establishment of a formal process and joint working between health and social work, the setting up of a socalled “stakeholder” management model, the implementation of specific practices and policies with regard to the actual discharges and arrangements for enhancing professionals’ adaptability.

In 1989 the University of Central Queensland, Faculty of Health Science, committed itself to a major instructional development project for its nursing education program. This thesis is a case study report documenting and analysing the management of the resulting project, funded by both the National Priority Reserve Fund (NPRF) and the University, to develop computer-based learning materials. This study examines the project and its management from the perspective of the project participants to demonstrate the motivation for some of the decisions and their consequences. The study highlights some of the deficiencies of the project and its management, how they were resolved, and their consequences. Initially the study was seen as simply descriptive, using qualitative techniques that allowed the participants to describe the process and its results. As the project, and this study, progressed it became increasingly obvious that the participants were involved in changing a system where the most obvious challenge was change itself. The changes experienced were not only technological, but included a redefinition of the nursing education program, new roles and directions for the University, and the necessity to adapt to new management techniques and structures. This study includes excerpts from interviews with almost all of the staff and project students engaged in the first two years of the Health Science project, selected nursing students from the pre-registration program, staff and administrators from other areas of the University, and individuals involved as computer suppliers and consultants to the Project. Another source of data was the documentation generated by the operation and management of the project. This documentation included formal project papers and reports as well as day-to-day memorandums, electronic mail messages and other correspondence, formal and informal. This study was not intended to judge the success of the CAL/CML activities within the faculty of Health Science. Inevitably, however, participants and observers ask whether the activities were a success. The response has been mixed, and may depend upon the respondent's degree of involvement in the CAL/CML activities. From a short term perspective: o all of the staff and students use computers regularly, o many of the staff are involved in developing computer-based instructional materials, and o some staff are using the available tools to develop courseware that is very different from standard Health Science materials. As well, from its own budget Health Science funds computer support positions and infrastructure (hardware, software and network) upgrading. It is budgeting for an additional student lab, and has begun investigating multimedia applications. As the CAL/CML Academic Coordinator (1993, personal communication, 23 February) indicated: In hindsight, we've done at least two-thirds of what we started out to do-and the base is there-staff are committed to CAL. Some of them will never do any CAL development themselves, but they are all committed… The real benefit is to the students. They are getting the benefit of the materials developed and in the pipeline… and the materials and ideas are being taken elsewhere, through consultancies, etc. Issues addressed in the study include the novice's fear of computers, the use of electronic mail and related network services, the timing of change, project management, and staffing. Staffing issues include the use of students as technical experts, the acceptance of non-nursing staff in the development of nursing education materials, and the roles of academic and general staff in the development of instructional materials. The strategic direction provided through the CAL/CML Project faltered as staff size increased and institutional priorities changed. The challenge for Health Science is to develop a new strategic plan that takes into account the current institutional priorities, student needs, and technological realities. The strategic plan must provide a blueprint for the future that is sufficiently flexible to adapt to changing circumstances, people, budgets, and technologies. Finally, the Faculty must look at the form of its management as one of the strategies for achieving its goals. The conventional management structures of a hospital or teaching institute may not be appropriate for managing change in a technology-based organisation where change is constant.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Victoria University (Melbourne, Vic.), 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Organizational change- its mechanisms, and its outcomes - is a topic of increasing interest and study in both business and education. The external environment, including the economic, political, and cultural dimensions of society is rapidly changing, growing in complexity and posing numerous challenges. The creation of the learning organisation is one of the responses to these challenges. During the 1990s the concept of the “learning organisation” attracted much attention and generated a significant amount of research. The central tenent of a learning organisation is that it is able to learn and therefore able to adapt better to both external and internal challenges. The study of how learning takes place in organisations has therefore become important in understanding organisational change. In the current research study, the implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system meant that organisational change would be inevitable. New information technology software would result in changes in business processes, changes in work groups, changes in terminology and changes in how work is processed. The implication was that there would be a need for learning to take place in order for organisational change to take place. The Guttman’s Stage of Assimilation Model formed the theoretical basis for the research. A key assumption is that the assimilation of technology is best characterised as a process of organisational learning. The research findings indicated that learning did take place and Guttman’s model provided interesting insights into the different types of assimilation that took place at different level of the organisation. Interesting differences were found between academic and support staff and useful lessons were learned about how ERP systems can be introduced into higher education organisations. The current research findings also provided evidence that training and communication were crucial during a change process. These two elements are also vital in enabling organisational learning to take place.

Within the working environment, the attitudes and behaviours individuals display toward change are a fundamental part of whether change initiatives succeed or fail. In a growing world of computer-mediated communication, social networking sites are being incorporated into the corporate arena to better communication and functionality. Yet it still remains as a change initiative. This research report looked at whether readiness for organisational change, resistance toward organisational change and behavioural support for organisational change related to the perceptions and usage of a corporate SNS. Similarly demographic characteristics were also explored. Correlations, ANOVAs, a Chi squared, a Multiple Linear Regression and a Moderated Multiple Regression were conducted. The sample consisted of 118 participants of which, 65% were female, 59% were white, 49% were married and the 69% were under 49 years of age. The researcher found that readiness and behavioural support for organisational change related positively to the perceptions of the SNS whereas resistance to organisational change did not. Race significantly related to the perceptions of the SNS and SNS usage significantly related to the SNS uptake data categories. Conclusions and recommendations are also presented.

In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, characterized by technological advancements, organisations are placing significant emphasis on digital transformation (DT) to survive. Concurrently, considerations of sustainability impacts have become crucial factors that organisations must take into account. The combination of the two is known as a sustainable digital transformation (SDT). There is currently a lack of research on how the organisational change of an SDT can occur. In particular, there is a lack of management tools that managers can use to actualise SDT. The actualisation of a SDT is what this study looks to explore by contextualising an organisational change model, known as Kotter’s 8-step model, to an SDT. The aim of the thesis was to provide guidance to practitioners on how to implement an SDT, and to add new knowledge to the theoretical understanding of how Kotter's 8-step model can be contextualised to an SDT. The thesis utilised semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, identifying 18 activities that can be executed during an SDT initiative across the 8 steps of Kotter's model. These 18 activities extend existing knowledge by emphasising the importance of highlighting the need for change in relation to sustainability, financial, and diverse stakeholder perspectives. The thesis also contributes new insights by emphasising the significance of engaging external actors such as regulatory bodies, like-minded businesses, and industry associations. During the vision for change phase, we found the necessity of strategically drawing out a long-term strategy that corresponds with sustainability goals, rather than solely focusing on immediate wins for leadership. Furthermore, our study highlights the value of providing training to overcome resistance to digital change and enhance digital literacy, acknowledging that digital transformation is a time-consuming process. Lastly, we found that sustaining an SDT requires retaining and promoting change leaders and selectively hiring individuals who align with the change, as reverting to previous practices can hinder progress. For future study it is recommended that further interviews be conducted with relevant professionals, and that a case study or observational study be done with an organisation that conducts an SDT using Kotter's model.