The study conducted was An Appreciative Inquiry approach into the post-merger Campbell
Collections at UKZN. The study was meant to explore and discover the value of the
Campbell Collections in the new merged institution, which is the University of KwaZulu-
Natal. The study was appreciative in nature, and it took the complete interconnected
elements that affect the system into consideration. Every year since 2004, when the
University of Natal and the University of Durban Westville were officially declared as
merged, there have been various changes that took place. The merger is one huge change
project that the universities engaged in. Thus the concepts ‘merger’ and ‘change’ were used
inter-changeably in the study. The background on the merger was brought into perspective,
and an in-depth literature review on Appreciative Inquiry was conducted.
Appreciative Inquiry (AI) introduced to the study a research perspective that was very
different in focus from more traditional approaches. AI is a highly participative, systemwide
approach that seeks to identify and enhance the life-giving forces. It concentrates on
things we want to increase to add value, and it is a radical approach to understanding the
social world. It concentrates on exploring ideas that people have about what is valuable in
what they do and then tries to work out ways in which this can be built on. The emphasis is
strong on appreciating the activities and responses of people, rather than focusing on their
problems. Appreciative Inquiry is declared to be a strong pillar of research which looks to
build a productive link between people and the substance of what they talk about as past
and present capacities. In general AI studies are carried out through the use of 4-D Cycles.
The 4-Ds represent: discovery; dream; design and destiny. This study was conducted
through the application of only two Ds which are discovery and dream phases. The
questions used in data gathering were crafted based on affirmative topics to meet the
principles of AI. The interview technique was employed and carried out in the form of
individual/one-one interviews as well as through focus groups. All Campbell Collections’
staff members were invited to participate in the study, and a few former staff members
were also part of the study. The strategic decisions made about whom to invite to take part
in a study were based on their experience, familiarity, and understanding of Campbell
Collections and the merger.
The study findings revealed the strengths and value of Campbell Collections as well as the
impact of the merger, mainly in terms of decisions taken at the University’s executive level.
One limitation of the study was that it was bound to Campbell Collections; therefore, the
information generated could not be generalised and remained specific to the particular case
studied. However, the same research can be studied further to evaluate the entire postmerger
system of the University. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ukzn/oai:http://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za:10413/9667 |
| Date | 04 October 2013 |
| Creators | Mbhele, Hlengiwe Witness. |
| Contributors | Pillay, Kriben. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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