A phenomenological study was conducted to explore and understand the personal
experiences and meaning ascribed by senior leaders within a large multidisciplinary
construction company. An effort was made to understand how they personally experienced
leading others, what they learnt about themselves, what challenged them most, and what
support, if any they had during their leadership of large-scale organisational change. The
research found that there is a significant personal cost to the individual. This cost comes in
terms of career, work-life balance and even reputation. It provides an opportunity to grow in
self-knowledge, provided leaders are open to learn and reflect and that there is a substantive
support structure both internally and externally to the organisation in order to ‘survive’.
Without this malleable disposition, the already high cost escalates to the extent that it could
be life threatening. In spite of the prolific literature available, the leaders claim that
shareholders and most others do not understand the extreme length of time it takes to start
and embed change that is sustainable. Without that understanding from the other role
players, the leader carries not only the blame but also the scars of failed change. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:unisa/oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/8590 |
| Date | 01 February 2013 |
| Creators | Koopman, Sharene Grace |
| Contributors | Levin, Madia |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | 1 online resource (viii, 105 leaves : ill.) |
| Rights | University of South Africa |
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