M.A. / Since 1994 dramatic changes have taken place in the external environment of the Department of Welfare and Population Development. When these changes occurred • managers. in the Department were unprepared,. firstly, to accept the changes and, secondly, to manage the changes which were met with resistance and which created organizational conflict. Managers confronted with organizational conflict soon discovered that, in order to manage the organizational conflict effectively, they had to embark on a management program that would not only enhance their managerial skills, but also improve their knowledge of various aspects regarding the management of organizational conflict and change. This management program was developed to fit into the bigger management training program of the Department to empower present and future managers to manage the organization more effectively. The contents of the program first gives an overview of organizations as a systems approach. Within this approach the importance of environmental change and its effect on the organization are discussed. Change is known to meet with resistance, managers need to manage this resistance as it is a major contributor to organizational conflict. Organizational conflict has a detrimental effect on organizational effectiveness; if conflict is high and not resolved or managed effectively, organizations become very ineffective. Conflict is identified not only as negative (destructive), but also as positive and therefore positive conflict can become an agent of change within an organization. This form of change often ensures more effective services in organizations. In "The Prince" Nicolo Machiavelli states as follows: "It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out, no more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things. For the reformer has enemies in all - those who profit by the older order, and only lukewarm defenders in all those who would - • profit by the new order, this lukewarmness arising partly from the incredulity of mankind, who do not truly believe in anything new until they have actually had experience of it. Thus it arises that on every opportunity for attacking the reformer, his opponents do so with the zeal of partisans, the other only defend him half-heartedly, so that between them he runs great danger" (in Feldberg M 1975: 132).
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:9735 |
| Date | 07 September 2012 |
| Creators | Kilian, Martha Maria |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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