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Assessing and improving the organisational performance of process engineering at Sasol Technology using the Burke-Litwin model

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2003. / Some digitised pages may appear illegible due to the condition of the original hard copy / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Change management is a field of study that is becoming increasingly more important
as the rate of change in organisations increases and technology develops. The
number of change initiatives within organisations is increasing daily, but unfortunately
the success rate is decreasing. There are various reasons for this, but two significant
reasons are organisations looking for quick fixes, and change not being properly
planned.
Organisation development is a field within change management that addresses both
these problems. The field is anchored in the action research methodology, ensuring
that chanqe is properly planned. The other strength of organisation development lies
in the systems approach that is followed. A systems approach ensures that a proper
understanding of the organisation is developed before corrective interventions are
proposed.
This study project makes use of the Burke-Litwin model as part of an organisation
development process to identify problem areas in the Sasol Technology Process
Engineering functional department. After the identification of the problem areas,
interventions are planned to address these issues.
A literature study on the field of organisation development is presented in Chapter 2.
This study begins with a review of the origins and development of organisation
development, including the role of the change process and systems thinking. The
study further evaluates various organisation development models and uses the information to evaluate the Burke-Litwin model. Finally the study presents the
organisation development process that is followed in the Sasol Technology Process
Engineering department and how it impacts on this study project.
Chapter 3 supplies information on the organisation that is studied and places the
organisation in context with its environment. This chapter also presents the results of
the diagnostic phase and draws conclusions from these results. The results are
interpreted for the overall organisation, but also for different categories within the
organisation. The conclusions from this chapter form the identified problem areas
that are one of the objectives of the study project.
Interventions to address the problem areas identified in Chapter 3 are planned and
developed in Chapter 4. To place the interventions in context, a short literature
review on intervention theory is presented. The results of the development process is
a plan of interventions that can be implemented for the overall organisation, as well
as for the two geographic environments that the organisation functions in.
Chapter 5 of the study project presents a summary of the study, as well as
conclusions that are made by the author, and recommendations on the completion of
the organisation development process. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Veranderingsbestuur is 'n veld wat al hoe meer relevant raak soos die pas van
verandering toeneem en tegnologie ontwikkel. Die aantal veranderingsbestuur
initiatiewe binne organisasies neem daagliks toe, maar die suksessyfer is ongelukkig
aanhoudend besig om te daal. Daar is veskeie redes vir die veskynsel, maar twee
beduidende redes is gekoppel aan die feit dat organisasies kitsoplossings soek, en
dat die verandering nie deeglik beplan word nie.
Organisasieontwikkeling is 'n veld binne veranderingsbestuur wat beide die probleme
aanspreek. Die veld is stewig geanker in die aksie-navorsingsmetodologie wat
verseker dat die verandering deeglik beplan word. Organisasieontwikkeling se ander
sterk punt is dat dit die sisteembenadering volg. 'n Sisteembenadering verseker dat
'n deeglike begrip van die organisasie ontwikkel word voordat intervensies voorgestel
word.
Hierdie studieprojek maak gebruik van die Burke-Litwin model as deel van 'n
organisasieontwikkelingsproses om probleemareas in die Sasol Tegnologie
Prosesingenieurs funksionele departement te identifiseer. Nadat die probleemareas
geïdentifiseer is word intervensies beplan om die probleme aan te spreek.
'n Literatuurstudie oor die veld van organisasieontwikkeling word in Hoofstuk 2
aangebied. Die studie begin met 'n oorsig oor die ontstaan en ontwikkeling van
organisasieontwikkeling, wat die rol van veranderingsproses en sisteemdenke insluit.
Die studie gaan verder deur verskeie organisasieontwikkelingsmodelle te evalueer en die inligting te gebruik om die Burke-Litwin model te evalueer. Die studie sluit af
met 'n oorsig oor die organisasieontwikkelingsproses wat gevolg word en hoe dit die
studieprojek raak.
Hoofstuk 3 verskaf inligting oor die organisasie wat bestudeer word en plaas die
organisasie in konteks met die omgewing waarbinne dit bedryf. Die hoofstuk sluit ook
die resultate van die diagnostiese fase in en bied die gevolgtrekkings wat gemaak
word aan. Die resultate word vir die organisasie in geheel aangebied, maar ook vir
verskillende kategorieë binne die organisasie. Die gevolgtrekkings wat bereik word
vorm die geïdentifiseerde probleemareas wat een van die oogmerke van die
studieprojek is.
Hoofstuk 4 bied die intervensies aan wat ontwikkel en beplan is om die
probleemareas van Hoofstuk 3 aan te spreek. 'n Kort literatuurstudie oor die teorie
van intervensies word aangebied om die intervensies in konteks te plaas. Die
resultaat van die ontwikkelingsproses is 'n plan vir intervensies wat geïmplimenteer
kan word vir die algehele organisasie, maar ook vir die twee geografiese omgewings
waarbinne die organisasie funksioneer.
Hoofstuk 5 veskaf 'n opsomming van die studieprojek, asook die gevolgtrekkings van
die skrywer aangaande die studieprojek en aanbevelings oor die voltooiing van die
organisasieontwikkelingsproses.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/53295
Date03 1900
CreatorsStrydom, Johan
ContributorsDenton, Mario, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic & Management Sciences. Graduate School of Business.
PublisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
Languageen_ZA
Detected LanguageUnknown
TypeThesis
Format124 p. : ill.
RightsStellenbosch University

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