South Africa is often described as a nation in transition since the societal and political transformation is an ongoing process. The South African employment environment is one area that now boasts a number of laws that are interrelated and aimed at achieving transformation of the workplace, as well as the economic empowerment of those who had previously been victims of racial segregation. The Employment Equity Act No. 55 of 1998 is regarded as central to the appreciation of equality of individuals in the workplace, irrespective of race, gender and/or disability. The management of communication is central to the process of corporate transformation as a result of this Act. (This fact is confirmed by the emphasis in the Act itself on organisations’ duty to inform and consult with stakeholders and several guideline documents.) Since previous research had pointed to broadly defined communication problems, the overarching research question of this study is: “How do South African organisations manage communication about Affirmative Action (within the context of Employment Equity)?” Chaos theory (a postmodern perspective) serves as the theoretical framework from which organisations’ approach to the duty to inform and consult with stakeholders, transformational change management, the management of communication and transformational leadership were investigated. A conceptual framework for the management of communication in this context, which is based on the ideas of the chaos perspective, is also proposed. Empirical evidence regarding the research question was gathered by means of a qualitative, multiple case study investigation. The most senior Communication, Human Resources and Employment Equity practitioners were interviewed in each of the three organisations, while the Employment Equity communication strategy of each organisation was compared to the theoretical framework by Thomas and Robertshaw (1999). The unique corporate philosophy of each organisation influences the manner in which Employment Equity strategies are implemented. The term “Affirmative Action” is not utilised in any of the organisations. Communication has strategic value in the external arena, while internal communication about Employment Equity is not satisfactory in two of the organisations. All types/levels of leaders have communication responsibilities in this context, while one organisation also relies on the philosophy of self-directed leadership. Only one organisation is currently managing communication according to a formalised strategy. Recommendations regarding the management of communication in this transformational context can be summarised with the overarching requirement that transformation should be approached as a “thinking science”. The multitude of paradoxes that were highlighted by the chaos perspective should be considered constantly: herein lies the real challenge for South African organisations. / Dissertation (MPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Communication Management / MPhil / Unrestricted

This mixed methods study aims at evaluating the transformative potential of Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs). Earlier studies on the subject have outlined a lack of clarity both on the concept of NAMAs and on how developing countries will use it in their climate actions and thus its ability to contribute to transformational change. The mixed method approach used was: quantitative content analysis of Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) from developing countries referring to NAMAs combined with qualitative thematic analysis of NAMA proposals from eight selected countries. An explanatory sequential design was used which means that the first quantitative phase aimed at giving an initial understanding of NAMAs transformative potential. The purpose with the second phase, the qualitative analysis was then to deepen that understanding, by applying transformation theories. The two phases of analysis was integrated in the discussion section to get a more complete picture of the transformative potential. The result shows that the intent with NAMAs in the INDC consists of great uncertainties. A variety of NAMA designs was found in both phases of the study. In all of the eight more closely studied countries elements of transformation could be identified, which indicates that NAMAs could be designed to have transformative potential.

This thesis examines the transformation of work in two public sector organisations, the Commonwealth Employment Service and the Department of Social Security. The analysis considers the impact of organisational and technological change on operational staff at Administrative Service Officer 3 level within these agencies. The relationship between these changes, managerial control and the degree of alienation experienced by staff is highlighted. Considerable transformation of the labour process of workers in both organisations is evident. The most significant cause of these transformations has been facilitated by new technology. New technology has facilitated the reorganisation of work and permitted government policies to reorient the focus of these agencies. In both, a more professional relationship is being fostered between clients and staff, not only through government programs but also through a quality service emphasis. A close relationship between clients and public servants was contrary to all traditional notions of bureaucracy, where impersonality and impartiality are highlighted. This change in focus has been facilitated in the CES by circumstances which rendered newer staff unprepared in the face of increasing client numbers, inadequate training and constantly changing government policy. Staff under these circumstances resorted to empathetic behaviours and emotional labour to offset their deficiencies. These behaviours have now been incorporated into organisational practices. The emotional labour has become regulated empathy. In the DSS regulated empathy has been imposed upon staff as an outcome of new technology facilitating job redesign, and government policy requirements. The utilisation of emotional labour in the DSS is in an embryonic stage consistent with it having been imposed upon workers who were previously all but invisible to their clients. Regulated empathy is argued to be a new type of managerial control in the public sector, incorporating aspects of the worker's personality into the wage-effort bargain. Management has invaded spaces which were once private and has incorporated these into the labour process. Furthermore, it is concluded that the incorporation of these aspects into the wage-effort bargain has the potential to create incompatibilities between constructed work identities and non-work identities, resulting in psychological harm to workers.

Fear of global, social and environmental catastrophes has led to most developed and developing economies to embrace sustainability as a desirable public policy goal. Therefore, the Abu Dhabi government has made public commitments to transform along a more sustainable trajectory and assigned the public sector the collective responsibility of leading this transformation. Henceforth, public sector organisations have to embrace sustainable practices, re-orient their activities to achieve wider societal sustainable outcomes and govern others to act more sustainably. However, little is known about how public sector organisations are responding to this encouragement in the Abu Dhabi. The aim of this research is to explore how Abu Dhabi public sector organisation is embedding sustainability strategies for improved competitiveness. Given the relatively new and unexplored nature of the research problem, qualitative research method was adopted to collect and analyse data. Semi-structured interviews with 60 professionals were used to collect data which was then analysed using content analysis for inference and conclusion. The study concluded that the concept of sustainability is perceived as a distinct concept. It is suggests that an organisation wide awareness-raising training programme on the concept of sustainability needs to be to developed and deployed. Also, there is a need for cross-sector collaboration to capture and share best and worst practices related to transformative change towards sustainability. The lack of leadership skills for successful deployment of sustainability initiatives is one of the most important challenges for organisation. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop and deliver a bespoke training framework to address, improve and measure the effectiveness of leadership skills for driving change towards sustainability. Green technology has enormous potential to enable Abu Dhabi public sector organisation to meet its sustainability goals. It is recommended that future research on mobile applications for sustainability should focus on user readiness aspects, as well as organisation readiness for adoption and usage patterns of mobile devices. Overall, it is evident from the empirical findings that the outlook of improved sustainability initiatives efforts from the Abu Dhabi public sector organisation is quite promising at present. A strategic framework for transformative change towards sustainability was developed and validated. It is recommended to explore the level of embeddedness of sustainability initiatives in the public sector between developed and developing countries. This should lead to a generation of benchmark data and best practices in addressing global sustainability issues.

Yes / ‘Digital Era Governance’ (DEG) enables electronic networked processes for integrated, holistic public sector delivery through the adoption of contemporary digital technologies. Our study, based within the States of California and Nevada (USA), investigates the logics embedded in DEG and the critical issues involved for transformational change. We draw upon the concept of ‘enactment’ as a lens to provide insights into relevant theoretical issues. These are operationalised through an enhanced Technology Enactment Framework (TEF) to consider reforms to explore the new DEG environment and, specifically, the role of the CIO and e-government policies. Our findings reveal how public sector CIOs adopt the role of an ‘institutional entrepreneur’, who demonstrate a series of initiatives augmented through identified behaviours relating to proactive community mobilisation (leadership, member focus) and legitimisation (discourse, success stories). Furthermore, the characterisation of entrepreneurial enactment appears to be extremely beneficial to the transformation to DEG within any contemporary public sector context.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2006. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Today's market environment stands in stark contrast to the business world of just a few decades ago when there was less global competition, the pace of business was much slower, and work was predominantly non-tacit in nature. This new environment calls for transformational change, which is the topic of this project. It is also about a small company called Pragma that had to find its way in a twnultuous business environment. Not only has Pragma had to contend with the prevailing macroeconomic forces, but the company also found itself in one of the most turbulent market environments, namely software development. In response to mounting external pressures, Pragma launched a change initiative dubbed "Recubed". This thesis evaluates this initiative by first considering a wide spectrum of change management literature and cases before applying it to Pragma. Pragma provides solutions that improve the perfonnance of physical assets at optimal lifecyc1e cost. Since the company's foundation in 1990, it has helped hundreds of organisations ranging in size from small enterprises to large multinationals to achieve improved operational efficiency. Clients have billions of rand invested in plants and equipment. In order to be globally competitive it is crucial that they should derive optimal value from these assets during their lifecycles, and Pragma helps them achieve this through a range of offerings that include software, outsourced services, consulting, and training. In late 2003, faced with poor company perfOiTIlanCe, Pragma had to ask itself in depth questions about the industry it was competing in, the business models and corporate structures it was employing, the vision it was pursuing and the culture it was living. The first change management model to be considered is the Four Box model as it provides a very basic, yet universal approach to thinking about change. The more complicated BurkeLitwin model is discussed next, as it has in recent years become a favoured framework for thinking about organisational change and perfonnance. The DICE model is a recent innovation purported to provide some hard handles on a very soft subject. The Positive Deviance approach seeks to identify individuals or organisational divisions that defy the status quo. Organisations can then learn from their practices and apply it throughout. Collins' Good to Great model is included since it provides a non-traditional view on what is really important in bringing about lasting change. To balance this, the author also include Kotter's model as the traditional change management benchmark. The MegaChange model is based on the assumption of human capability rather than limitations. The thesis considers the situations at some large international companies that successfully transfonned themselves. These companies are P&G, Telef6nica de Espaiia, D&B, Poste Italiane, Banca Intesa, EMC and Barclays Bank. The one overriding conclusion is that deep change is possible, whatever the challenges faced or the industry under consideration might be. Yet change does not bappen by itself, and in each of the cases there was a strong leader and a competent and motivated team that supported him. Each case places emphasis on a different element of the change process, but underlying patterns emerged. These include the importance of speaking to both the hearts and minds of people, ceaseless communication, facing up to the current reality, managing simultaneously for the short and long-tenn, the alignment of systems with the vision, and progress measurement. Leadership is essential to organisational change. Change, by definition, requires an alternative vision of the future. Leaders are required to craft this vision and to get people to believe in it. Employees and managers today need to know much more about leadership than their predecessors. In the modem organisation, every employee should be a leader, as he will be required to lead at least himself. Great leaders are instigators. Their challenge is to do everything in their power to get other people to join together to make the envisioned future come true. To do this they require a capacity to stir an excitement and belief within people, and the way they do this is through words, actions, images, pictures, and scores. If they can tap into the common thread that runs through humanity's hopes and dreams, they will be successful. There are many leadership styles, each with its own pros and cons. This thesis will consider charismatic leadership, leadership when you are not the boss, servant leadership, and spiritual leadership. The leadership chapter concludes with a case study on leadership - the leadership style of Colin Powell. The main positive elements of the Recubed initiative included strong individual leadership, a willingness to face the reality of the crisis, a culture of discipline, a commitment to a Hedgehog Concept, and copious communication of the vision. The element that most set the initiative apart from other literature and cases is the use of sensual stimuli to tap into the emotional side of the audience, as well as the use of creative elements such as stories, riddles and puzzles. The primary shortcomings of the initiative relate to its implementation. There were not enough senior managers who were prepared to devote the required amount of time to cascading change down into the organisation. Progress measurement tools were also not implemented. The lack of a fonnal HR function exacerbated the implementation problems. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Vandag se mark omgewing sien daar baie anders daar uit as die besigheidswêreld van’n paar dekades gelede toe daar minder globale kompetisie was, die pas waarteen besigheid bedryf was aansienlik stadiger was, en werk tipies nie-taktiel van aard was. Hierdie nuwe omgewing verg transformele verandering, wat die onderwerp van hierdie studie is. Dit handel ook oor ‘n klein maatskappy genaarnd Pragma wat sy weg moes baan te midde van 'n ongeordende besigheidsomgewing. Pragma moes nie net rekening hou met die heersende makroekonomiese kragte nie, maar die maatskappy het homself ook bevind in een van die mees turbulente mark segmente, naamlik sagteware ontwikkeling. In reaksie op toenemende druk het Pragma 'n veranderingsinisiatief geloods wat "Recubed" genoem is. Die tesis evalueer hierdie inisiatief deur eerstens 'n wye spektrum literatuur en gevallestudies oor verandering bestuur te oorweeg voordat dit op Pragma van toepassing gemaak word. Pragma voorsien oplossings wat die prestasie van fisiese bates verbeter en die lewensiklus koste optimeer. Sedert die maatskappy se ontstaan in 1990 het dit honderde organisasies wat wissel vanaf klein ondernemings tot groot multinasionale maatskappye gehelp om hul operasionele effektiwiteit te verbeter. Kliënte besit aanlegte en toerusting ter waarde van biljoene rande. Om globaal te kan kompeteer is dit noodsaaklik dat hulle optimale waarde uit hul bates put, en Pragma help hulle hiermee deur middel van 'n reeks aanbiedinge wat sagteware, uitkontraktering, konsultasie en opleiding insluit. In laat 2003 het Pragma swak presteer, en die maatskappy was verplig om diepgaande ondersoek in te stel na die industrie waarbinne dit kompeteer, die besigheidsmodelle en strukture wat dit aanwend, die visie wat dit nastreef, en die kultuur wat dit leef. Die eerste bestuursmodel wat oorweeg word, is die Four Box-model aangesien dit 'n baie eenvoudige, maar tog universele benadering tot verandering versinnebeeld. Die meer ingewikkelde Burke-Litwin-model word ook bespreek aangesien dit die afgelope jare 'n voorkeur raamwerk vir denke oor organisasie verandering en prestasie geword het. Die DICE model is 'n onlangse innovasie wat streef daarna om vaste greep te kry op 'n klaarblyklik moeilike onderwerp. Die Positiewe Afwyking-benadering streef daarna om individue te identifiseer wat beter as die status quo presteer. Organisasies kan van hul praktyke leer en dit regdeur die organisasie aanwend. Collins se Good to Great-model word ingesluit as 'n nie-tradisionele uitkyk op wat werklik belangrik is om volhoubare verandering teweeg te bring. Ter wille van balans word Kotter se model ook beskou as 'n tradisionele riglyn vir bestuursverandering. Die MegaChange model is gegrond op die veronderstelling van menslike bekwaamheid eerder as beperkinge. Die tesis bestudeer ook 'n aantal groot internasionale maatskappye wat daarin geslaag het om suksesvol te transformeer. Hierdie maatskappye is P&G, Telefonica de Espana, D&B, Poste ltaliane, Banca Intesa, EMC en Barclays Bank. Die sentrale gevolgtrekking wat uit hierdie gevallestudies gemaak kan word, is dat verandering moontlik is, ongeag die uitdagings of industrie ter sprake. Tog gebeur verandering nie vanself nie, en in elk van die bespreekte gevalle was daar 'n sterk Ieier wat ondersteun is deur 'n bevoegde en gemotiveerde span. Elke geval benadruk 'n spesifieke element van die veranderingsproses, maar onderliggende patrone tree na vore. Dit sluit in die belangrikheid daarvan om tot mense deur te dring deur sowel hul hart as hulle verstand aan te spreek, onophoudelike kommunikasie, die trotsering van die huidige realiteit, om gelyktydig vir beide die kort- en langtermyn te bestuur, om stelsels in lyn te bring met die visie, en die meting van vordering. Leierskap staan sentraal tot verandering wat per definisie 'n alternatiewe visie van die toekoms vereis. Leiers word benodig om hierdie visie te vorm en om mense te oorreed om daarin te glo. Werknemers en bestuurders moet vandag meer weet van leierskap as hul voorgangers. Binne die moderne organisasie moet alle werknemers leiers wees, aangesien hulle ten minste hulleself sal moet lei. Goeie leiers is aanstigters. Hul uitdaging is om alles binne hul vermoë te doen om ander te kry om hulle visie 'n realiteit te maak. Dit verg die vermoë om mense te inspireer en aan te moedig deur middel van woorde, dade, beelde, prente en tellings. Hulle is suksesvol wanneer hulle mense se universele hoop en drome aanspreek. Daar is verskeie leierskap style, elk met sy eie voor- en nadele. Die tesis sal 'n aantal andersoek - charismatiese Ieierskap, leierskap wanneer jy nie die baas is nie, dienende leierskap, and geestelike leierskap. Die Ieierskap hoofstuk sluit af met 'n gevallestudie - die leierskap styl van Colin Powell. Die belangrikste positiewe elemente van die Recubed-inisiatief sluit in individuele leierskap, 'n bereidheid om die realiteit van die krisis te trotseer, 'n kultuur van dissipline, 'n verbintenis tot 'n Hedgehog Concept, en oorvloedige kommunikasie van die visie. Die element wat dit die meeste onderskei van ander modelle en gevallestudies is die gebruik van sensuele stimulus om die emosies van die luisteraars aan te spreek, asook die gebruik van kreatiewe elemente soos stories en raaisels. Die primêre tekortkomings het betrekking op die implementering van die inisiatief. Nie genoeg senior bestuurders was bereid om die tyd te bestee wat dit sou verg om die verandering deur die maatskappy te laat filter nie. Die nodige instrumente om vordering te meet, het ook ontbreek. Die gebrek aan 'n formele personeelbestuursfunksie het die probleem vererger.

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The role of top managers in shaping the performance of the firms that employ them represents a central issue to strategic management research. Indeed, a substantial amount of research has examined potential linkages between the characteristics of top managers and firm performance. However the empirical results of research in this area have been ambiguous. This study attempts to theoretically and empirically extend research on the influence of top managers on firm performance by examining the relationship between managerial prestige and firm performance in the post-IPO context. Although upper echelons researchers have attempted to link top managers with firm performance in the past recent reviews of the upper echelons research note that little attention has been paid to top management characteristics other than those of top management team (TMT) heterogeneity, TMT size and TMT tenure. Additionally, recent reviews also suggest the need to consider potential intervening mechanisms between TMT characteristics and firm performance. This study addresses these two limitations of prior upper echelons research by examining the direct and indirect influences of managerial prestige on post-IPO firm performance.In this study I develop a model which incorporates the resource based view and resource dependence theory with insights from upper echelons research and research on the IPO context. Results for the model developed in this study suggest the following. First, executive undergraduate prestige is positively related to post-IPO firm growth. The other aspects of managerial prestige examined in this study were not found to influence post-IPO firm performance. Second, the influence of the key external resource holders identified in this study, namely prestigious alliance partners and institutional investors with stable equity portfolios, were found to enhance firm survival rates, but were negatively associated with firm growth. Third, executive undergraduate prestige was found to garner the support of prestigious alliance partners. The remaining aspects of managerial prestige were not found to influence the support of prestigious alliance partners or dedicated institutional investors. Finally, no support was found for prestigious alliance partners and dedicated institutional investors as mediators of the relationship between managerial prestige and post-IPO firm performance.

D.Phil. (Leadership in Performance and Change) / The desire for organisational competitiveness as a result of factors such as the changing and increasing needs of customers, deregulation, the globalisation of the economy and work, the increasing competition due to globalisation, the need to control costs and increase efficiency, as well as the fast pace of technological advancement, has compelled organisations to embark on changes that take place at a fast and ever-increasing rate. However, it was noted that organisations are not at all succeeding in implementing and institutionalising change initiatives effectively. There is a high failure rate in the implementation of transformational change efforts, and this is attributed to the fact that managers are not well-equipped to deal with challenges associated with the implementation of transformational changes in organisations. As a result of the high failure rate in change implementation, there had been a number of empirical studies conducted, which investigated reasons behind this low success rate. Unfortunately very few studies have focused on the human side of transformational change. Most of the researches have dwelt more on the technical side of change. This quantitative study was then conducted in order to identify and explore the elements and dynamics of transformational change, which can be regarded as constituting the human dimension of transformational change. Specifically, the main objective of this study was to determine the extent to which the elements and dynamics of transformational change (that is, perceptions, reactions, experiences, personal impact, and organisational impact) relate to the status of the change process. This research adopted a two-pronged approach, which incorporated a literature study first, and thereafter an empirical study. The literature study contextualised the elements and dynamics of transformational change within the Correctional Services environment. An overview of transformational change in the Department of Correctional Services was also provided. Based on the results of the literature study, a theoretical model, which hypothesised the relationships between perceptions and experience on one side, and the status of change on the other, was developed and empirically tested. The empirical data was collected by means of two survey questionnaires – one for correctional officials and the other for offenders, which were administered to 1000 correctional officials and 500 offenders. Methodologically, the study was guided by an exploratory, survey, descriptive, correlational and explanatory research designs, which were underpinned by ontological and epistemological perspectives. All completed and returned questionnaires were computed to analyse the responses of the respondents. The results of the analysis of data showed that the DCS change was characterised by positive perceptions; positive, negative and introspective-anxious experiences; negative responses in terms of emotional reactions and resistance; negative personal impact at intrapersonal and interpersonal levels; and positive organisational impact as the key aspects of the elements and dynamics of transformational change. The discussion in this thesis revolves around the above-named elements and dynamics of transformational change. Through performing exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, a three-factor measurement model which encompassed perception, experience and the status of change, was identified and confirmed. The structural equation modelling found that both perceptions and experiences were the predictors of the status of change.

This research applies institutional economics theory to management challenges arising in connection with e-business related transformational change. The research was carried out in response to widely recognised problems in managing IT-enabled change in complex organisations. A cyclic approach builds researcher competence in both the chosen theory, New Institutional Economics (NIE), and its application through a series of four contrasting case studies. The case situations, which derive from the researcher’s work as a technology management consultant, are treated as action research experiments which investigate e-business related transformational change in financial services, retail and government settings. A constructivist stance is adopted within the case situations with the researcher acting as a participant observer. Reflective practice is used to improve the experimental method for the case studies through the course of the research, leading to the use of participatory action research (PAR) for the final case. A literature review of NIE shows it to be loosely defined as a theory, so an analytic NIE framework is created to provide a cognitive model. This model is then modified and extended to produce a final theoretical framework. In parallel, a conceptual map of NIE is created from the research as a practical aid to illustrate NIE concepts and linkages. These two models, the theoretical framework and the conceptual map, evolve through the four case situations which were selected from a range of e-business consulting opportunities available to the researcher over the period of the research. The second case study drives the main development of the two models and draws out the necessary and complementary contributions of both transaction cost economics (TCE) and agency theory (AT) as parts of NIE, neither of which is sufficient on its own. The final case study demonstrates application to practice. The overall sequence of case studies shows the researcher’s cognitive growth from being a novice in the theory and its application in the first case through to a level of proficiency in applying NIE to the rigours of e-business practice in the final case. The research makes several contributions to knowledge. It makes a significant methodological contribution by bringing research methods developed for other forms of professional practice to the management discipline. It also makes a significant contribution to theoretical knowledge. It develops two theoretical models of NIE – a conceptual map and a theoretical framework – which present a way of linking NIE concepts in a meaningful way, and a structure by which NIE can be used in the analysis of highly complex organisational situations. These models clarify the complementary roles of TCE and AT, and indicate a reason why so many studies limited to TCE alone have been inconclusive. Applying NIE to the rigours of e-business management produces, in turn, a contribution to IT strategy formulation. The research makes a practical contribution by showing how NIE can be applied to e-business practice, subject to a number of significant caveats. NIE, as a descriptive theory, is shown to provide a powerful conceptual framework when combined with PAR, although both require deep knowledge and skill. In particular, adopting PAR as a case study method depends on an experienced, skilled and committed practitioner for its effective use. Finally, the research finds that NIE’s strengths as a framework for strategic analysis of large scale and complex e-business situations involving transformational change, which make it unduly sophisticated for less challenging situations, mean that NIE is suited to use by highly skilled, specialist consultants rather than by general managers.