Organisation faced with competitive market pressures and those that are looking at sustaining their market position may adopt collaborative product design as a strategy to improve quality, increase market share, increase efficiencies and reduce the time to market for their products. Conversely, in a design environment engineering changes are unavoidable and need to be effectively coordinated because they may become costly for a company in product recalls and reputational damage. They can however be viewed as a cost benefit as contributors to optimisation of product quality. In this study, engineering changes were examined as enablers to collaborative product design where the study was undertaken in the land systems sector of defence in South Africa. The sector is faced with defence cuts resulting in direct and indirect job losses across the supply chain. An exploratory study was conducted where the constraints to design performance were evaluated. The applicability of the data and process orientated information exchange models were explored on the extent they influence the speed of engineering changes. The outcome was a model that can be used as an evaluation and decision making tool for companies conducting collaborative strategy with emphasis on engineering changes and information flow. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / ccgibs2014 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

This study is designed to examine churches in transitional areas of urban centers and how they adapt to social change. The research questions are: What modes of adaptation do churches select in response to social change? Why do churches when faced with social change select different modes of adaptation?

M.A. / Contemporary organisations and the people working within these organisations are currently facing a high degree of change which is having an adverse affect on the employer-employee trust relationship. This study examines the nature of this change and, in so doing, considers the issue of the post-industrial and the post-modern as an indicator of the arrival of a new era. The conclusion is reached that the grand narratives are inadequate as explanations for the arrival of a totally new era and that they rather refer to what may be seen as a transformational process. In this regard, attention needs to be given to more narrow theories. With this in mind emphasis is placed, not only on the continuities within society, but on social discontinuities and, in particular, on the erosion of employer-employee trust. The issue of trust as a factor in organisational success is discussed in some depth while attention is given to contemporary theories of trust and the apparent lack of synthesis amongst these theories. An attempt is made, based on some of the theories discussed, to develop a comprehensive model of trust. This model deals with both the conditions that lead to the onset of trust and those factors of trustworthiness which may enhance or erode trust within an existing relationship. The impact, of what appears to be the emergence of a new epoch and in particular the changing nature of work, on the notion of organisational trust is also discussed. Such issues as job losses, reduced opportunities and increasing work loads, changing job structures, changing employee values, organisational diversity and the rise of individualism are considered. This leads on to the conclusion that, within an increasingly competitive world, trust plays a central role within an organisation. For this reason it is argued that it is important for employer and employee to address the erosion of trust, and for the sociologist to become involved by taking an active role, as both researcher and facilitator, in the process of improving the employer-employee trust relationship.

The competitive advantage in a dynamic environment can only be gained if the organisation stays aligned with underlying tendencies of that environment, which makes the management of change one of the most important functions of organisations. Organisations often find that earlier paradigms for the management of change are no longer relevant. This necessitated a new paradigm for the management of change, in order to enable organisations to adapt to a turbulent environment. In this article the focus is therefore on the development of a new paradigm for the management of change, in which the management of change is viewed as a strategically planned process in which a communication strategy plays a core role. Existing models and theories were therefore refined and incorporated in order to develop a holistic, systemic model for the management of change. / Prof. Sonja Verwey

The purpose of this study is to investigate creativity, innovation and certain determining factors, which have an influence on creativity and innovation in the micro business environment and specifically in an information technology firm. The information and communications technology (ICT) sector is very dynamic and very fast paced both in the world and in South Africa. Businesses in this sector have to adapt, almost constantly, to incessantly changing technology, customer demands and macro-environmental variables. A vast amount of research exists to suggest that businesses have to adapt to and embrace change in order to survive in this environment. Creativity and innovation are central to change in the organisation. For the purposes of this study creativity is defined as an intellectual process evident in four discernible components, namely the creative person, the creative product, the creative process and the creative environment. Evidence for creativity and innovation includes novelty and usefulness of ideas and new or improved solutions to existing problems within a given context. Novelty and usefulness are therefore characteristic and typical evidence for the presence of creativity. All four components are important for the development and facilitation of creativity and innovation. The four components have a determining influence on creativity resulting in a feedback system. The study specifically focuses on creative environment and in this case - the organisational climate. Organisational climate is the observed recurring behavioural patterns and attitudes in the organisation. This climate influences creativity and innovation by supporting or inhibiting it. An organisation’s climate can also influence other psychological processes such as job satisfaction, decision-making, communication, team effort and motivation of workers across the organisation. The goal of this study was to identify and measure organisational climate factors known to have a significant, determining influence on the work environment, conducive to creativity and innovation. The organisational climate of a firm in the South African ICT sector was measured and analysed. The “Situational Outlook Questionnaire” (SOQ) was used to measure the organisational climate observable in the organisation. The SOQ is employed to assist organisations in assessing the organisational climate for its conduciveness to creativity and innovation, as well as the climate’s ability to foster and promote productivity and change within the organisation. The SOQ was developed over a period of fifty years and is proven to be a reliable and valid measuring instrument. The SOQ assesses nine dimensions that have a direct impact on a creative organisational climate. The nine dimensions are: Challenge/involvement, trust, risk-taking, playfulness/humour, freedom, conflict, debate, idea support, and idea-time. The results indicated the organisation that has been assessed has a strong climate supportive of and conducive to creativity and innovation. The organisation’s SOQ results across all dimensions, except the freedom and debate dimensions, compared very well with other innovative organisations. This could indicate that there is too much debate around decisions, resulting in too much talking before important issues are decided upon. The freedom score was also somewhat low because employees are probably not allowed to make independent decisions related to their jobs. Employees are under obligation to report to superiors before deciding important issues. This organisation’s management strives towards promoting and fostering a climate that is supportive of and conducive to creativity and innovation. This is evident in the results provided by the SOQ as well as the innovative products and services delivered to customers. / Prof. W.M. Conradie

M.Com. (Business Management) / In the knowledge economy, the service delivery models, organisational structure and staffing, facilities, and workflows and procedures in academic libraries are changing continuously. Current technological growth and advancement is enabling academic libraries to change the way they deliver service to clients, redefining the academic library collection in order to meet the changing needs of clients and remain relevant. The focus of the study presented in this minor dissertation is to analyse and understand how change in terms of technology is managed in a decentralised academic library in a higher education institution (HEI) of South Africa. Change is something that is happening in most organisations on a daily basis, and academic libraries should be active in responding to change because of the vital role in supporting teaching, learning and research at HEI level. If the academic library can manage change in a planned manner, they would progress in effectively meeting the information needs of their clients. This study was placed within a qualitative research paradigm. A case study design presented the study with the opportunity to analyse the feelings, opinion and experience of the participants and ensured that the real life events are investigated. Semi-structured individual interviews were used to collect data for the purpose of this study. The most significant finding of this study is the emphasis on the importance of change management in the library and the need for effective communication in order to achieve low employee resistance to change. The majority of the research participants felt that technological change is improving the level of library service to clients. The findings enabled the researcher to make recommendations for future change practice in academic libraries.

M.Com. (Business Management) / The study was conducted with the purpose of finding a thorough understanding of the importance of the implementation of change within the context of the existing organizational culture. The culture of an organization can lead to a strategic myopia where leaders underestimate the changes in the external environment due to strongly held common beliefs. The paradox of planned organizational change is that the need for change develops at all levels in the organization, but the responsibility for implementing change rests with management who in themselves resists change and acts as guardians at the existing organizational culture. Managers must realize that the existing culture and the competitive needs of the organization may be in conflict, as a result of changes in the environment. Faced with pressures for change, managers will be likely to deal with the situation in ways which protect the culture from challenge. This raises difficulty when managing strategic change for it may be that the action required is outside the scope of the culture and members are required to change core beliefs and values. The findings of this study confirm the importance of the role of the existing organizational culture in the implementation of change. The lack of compatibility between the existing culture and strategic change leads to resistance to change programmes.

Prof. S. Kruger

The aim of this study was to develop a model to assist a South African information technology company with its organisation redesign interventions. A modernist qualitative methodology, with casing as research design and grounded theory as research strategy, was employed to develop a substantive model. Seven employees were selected as research participants by means of purposive sampling. Their experience of the company’s redesign was explored with a view to developing the model. Various data collection methods were used: semi-structured and follow-up interviews, solicited e-mail essays and policy documents. These yielded rich descriptive data, which were systematically analysed by means of grounded theory methodology. Manual and computer-based (ATLAS.ti 5.0) qualitative data analysis techniques were used to develop the substantive model. After conclusion of the data analysis, the literature on the most current organisation downsizing typologies, models and theories was reviewed. The results of this review informed a focus group discussion that was aimed at substantiating the model. This discussion culminated in the formulation of the Organisation Redesign Model. Thereafter recommendations were made for future research in this field. The Organisational Redesign Model has implications for the information technology sector in South Africa, and the formalisation of grounded theory and the roadmap thereof should facilitate the application of grounded theory in future research. Authenticity, trustworthiness, credibility and reflectivity were ensured by following the guidelines provided in the literature. / Prof. W.J. Schurink

M.Ed. / Organisation development as a tool for sustainable school improvement is at the core of this study and a qualitative case study research method was deployed. Organisation development in itself is a process, which applies behavioural science knowledge and systems theory to plan and implement change in schools. The goal is more effective schools and an educational environment supportive of human needs and developments and where the participation of all stakeholders forms a crucial determinant in the change process. The researcher's field experience as an organisation development consultant combined with an international literature survey brought to light evidence to the effect that there is a definite need for a more school-based model of organisation development. The importance of a comprehensive capacity building exercise for principals and school management teams on the knowledge, skills and attitudes required for organisation development are identified as an absolute necessity in this research. The aim of the research is therefore to describe the nature of organisation development within a school context, determine the perceptions of educators concerning organisation development, investigate aspects that could be enhanced and develop guidelines that could be used by educational managers to improve their schools and to facilitate the management of change. A detailed literature study embedded within a theoretical framework of organisation development emphasises the importance of the individual nature of schools with reference to school improvement interventions.