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The people dimension of change management for small-to-medium organisations in the New Zealand business environment : a 90 credit research report presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Masters of Business Studies at Massey University, Albany
(Massey University, 2017) Stephens, Heather
Change occurs recurrently in business organisation. Change Management (CM) is the instrument that guides how the organisation formulates, prepares and supports employees to effectively accept changes in order to drive organisational accomplishments and results. The aim of this research is to explore the people dimension of CM. This study took a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews with 10 employees from a small-to-medium enterprise (SME) and three employees from a large-sized organisation. Whilst there is a range of literature on CM, this research seeks to address gaps within that body of literature relating to the importance of including people when making changes within an organisation. It highlights the necessity of giving thought to people for any successful change implementation. People are at the core of an organisation and without them collectively on board with the change, the implementation of the new process could be put in risk of failing. The key findings identified six major themes regarding the people dimension of CM: communication, culture, resistance, conflict, change leadership and empowerment. Communication is a key component in the change process. Many participants in the study reported that the change plan was communicated to them by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who they felt was open and transparent through the whole process. Organisational culture comes in the form of shared beliefs and values. It is the commonly accepted behaviours in an organisation and the way one behaves and conducts oneself. Some participants felt that the culture of the organisation has changed however, they felt that it still needs to progress to being one of change ready. Resistance can come in many forms and this brings with it a lot of emotional reactions to change. If left unchecked, resistance to the change process can put the whole programme at risk and therefore potentially damage the organisation. Conflict can happen when a person feels that they have not been heard or feel unsupported through the process. The idea around conflict is to not make it about personal issues and focus on what is best for all concerned. However, conflict can also be seen as being important in that it is a pointer for detecting faulty processes and therefore become an indicator for corrective action to be taken by change leaders and senior management. Change Leadership findings were that managers were aware of the need to be supportive of employees and transition them into the change plan thereby valuing open and clear communications with everyone involved. Employee feedback is an integral part of the change process as employees can feel empowered in that they feel heard. It was also found that empowerment can come through social interactions at work situations and not just through the pay and reward systems. This report focuses on how to successfully implement change, not only through leadership but also employee empowerment and targeting behaviours as an effective driver for reconfiguring the organisation. It will discuss the theoretical implications as well as the extent to which the study addresses some identified research questions. Then it will discuss workplace policy implications on CM and if there are any learning for CM and Human Resource (HR) professionals. These implications predominantly relate to an increased awareness to value people when designing and implementing a change process in today’s SMEs in New Zealand (NZ). It also discusses the methodological implications arising from to the semi-structured interview design used in this study. This report concludes with a summary of the people dimension of CM for SMEs in the NZ business environment.
Is the boundaryless career an organisational benefit, liability or irrelevance? : an investigation into boundaryless career competencies, career success and intention to leave : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University
(Massey University, 2009) Boyd, Charlotte Rebecca
This thesis asked whether contemporary organisations are faced with a paradox: are boundaryless career competencies linked to career success but also organisational turnover? Employees of a large New Zealand organisation (n= 568) were surveyed using an intranet based questionnaire. Through analysis using structural equation modelling, the best fit model showed that people who demonstrate a high level of investment in career competencies were also likely to show a high level of career success but, contrary to expectations, people who are successful in their careers are less likely to think about leaving the organisation. Therefore, contrary to boundaryless career theory, inter-organisational movement is not necessarily the goal for contemporary career actors. It may be that people stay in an organisation despite, or even because, they are investing in boundaryless career competencies. Furthermore, people who see internal opportunities for mobility are less likely to consider leaving, while people who see external opportunities for mobility will have a higher intention to leave. Hence whether people with high career success stay or go may depend on whether the organisation allows for expression of career competencies. It may be that internal opportunities trump external opportunities, or vice versa. This research is valuable in three key ways, providing: (1) the operationalisation of career competencies, tentatively shown to link to career success, for use in career management and further research (2) findings which question the key boundaryless career assumptions of mobility and the end of the organisational career (3) an interpretation of results suggesting non-significant effects of age and gender may be due to allowance for shifting priorities and context in the model. In light of these findings the Chameleon Career is suggested as an alternative metaphor to the boundaryless career, to reflect the need for the individual and the organisation to adapt to the changing environment.
Change management : structural change-- a case study in the Maldives : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Educational Administration at Massey University
(Massey University, 2007) Qasim, Mizna
Changes to schools structure is a common practice in the Maldives. Structural change impacts on people at every level of the organisation. It is essential to identify how change is managed at different levels in schools in order to implement change successfully. This study is based in a secondary school in the Republic of Maldives. This research examines the processes, school systems and practices, that facilitate change in structure. It seeks to understand how processes facilitate structural change at the various levels of school organisation, namely senior management (principal, assistant principals, supervisors), middle management (heads of departments) and teachers. In this inquiry, the structure selected to examine processes of change is the 'Organisation Chart'; in particular, changes to the roles and responsibilities of individuals. To understand aspects involved in managing change, a review of literature focused on change and change management, leadership, structures of organisations, change agents and culture. This provided the researcher insight into the processes, aspects and issues in managing change. A qualitative case study was undertaken for this research. A qualitative approach allowed the researcher to understand multiple realities, interpretations and perspectives of individuals associated with structural change. Data collection incorporated individual interviews, focus group discussions, document analysis and observations. Data was analysed using the, 'constant comparative method' (Merriam, 1998). Evidence from this study suggests that equal attention needs to be given to the systems, change agents and culture of the school to facilitate and manage change.
Organisational learning and the real estate brokerage industry in New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Studies in Property at Massey University
(Massey University, 2001) Flint-Hartle, Susan
The real estate brokerage industry offers and interesting opportunity to explore organisational response in an environment of rapid change. This thesis studies the effectiveness of organisational learning and more specifically the 'Learning Company' concept as a mechanism to cope with this change. In the present real estate environment, on going learning at both individual and organisational levels would seem a necessary part, not only of the continued commercial viability of real estate offices, but also of the creation of pleasant and fulfilling work environments. The focus of this thesis is organisational learning in real estate brokerage offices and a central purpose is to examine the degree to which they are perceived by staff as places of learning. The study also examines the link between organisational learning and overall office performance. Success criteria such as staff recruitment and retention, management and business competency, ethical practice, reputation, stimulating culture, qualification levels, and innovative marketing practice as well as profitability are used to measure performance. The SPSS statistical package is used to analyse data collected from a survey of real estate offices in the Auckland area. Qualitative information from in-depth staff interviews is also analysed to overlay the quantitative results with some real life stories of learning practices. The thesis finds that organisational learning is occurring at different degrees in real estate offices and that there are important differences between 'high' and 'low' scoring learning offices. It finds that while there is a link between office learning and performance, there are also other important factors such as office size, market location and the office franchise group affiliation. It also finds that the highly competitive nature of the real estate industry, together with emphasis on the training of individuals, may be a barrier to organisational learning. It suggests that some attitudes, behaviours and customs that have become embedded in the real estate culture may need to be changed before the benefits of organisational learning can be fully utilised as one way of coping with a rapidly changing environment.
Resilience training in a restructuring organization : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology, Massey University
(Massey University, 2006) Bullen, Heather Leanore
The aim of the present research was to investigate the extent to which resilience training helped to minimize employee stress levels and improve wellbeing during a time of organizational change. The 33 employees involved in this study consisted of three groups. Group 1 received resilience training in 2002 and 2003; Group 2 received resilience training in 2003; and Group 3, the control group, received no resilience training during this study. A baseline measure of stress and wellbeing was collected for all groups before the start of the 2003 resilience training (Time 1, April) and repeated after the resilience training (Time 3, November). Data was also collected on the resilience variables of curiosity and coping at Time 2 (August) and repeated at post training (Time 3, November). The 2003 restructuring was consistent for all groups at Time 1 (April) but subsequent changes during the year impacted more heavily on the resilience trained groups. The results showed that group 1 (Trained in 2002) reported significantly less somatic distress than the other two groups at baseline (Time 1). While none of the hypothesized differences were found at Time 3, the resilience trained groups showed low stress levels and good wellbeing levels despite the organizational stressors. All groups showed reasonable levels of resilient coping and low levels of non-resilient coping at both times. The research shows some support for the effectiveness of the resilience training, although the results are interpreted with caution due to the small sample size and the different exposure to work stressors of the control group. Further research on resilience is recommended.
Stories and organisational change : participants and sensemaking in local government : a thesis report presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy (Business) in Communication Management at Massey University
(Massey University, 2002) Day, Mary
This project explores the role of storytelling by individuals in times of organizational change. The study was carried out in a local body organization that, like other local body bodies in New Zealand, had been undergoing a series of changes over a period of several years as the result of central government reform. There is a wide body of literature supporting the theory that the performance of stories is a key part of an organization's members' sensemaking. It has been shown that people reconstruct and interpret different experiences of organizational change and learning. For this study a total of 21 employees from the local body were interviewed by way of storytelling. The main research question asked: "what do stories told by employees in an organization undergoing change indicate about the change?" Closely related sub-questions asked if stories indicated resistance or commitment to the changes, or degrees of resistance and/or commitment. Resistance to change is recognised as a critically important factor that can influence the success or otherwise of an organizational change. This resistance can be an impediment to progress. In times of organizational change, stories told by employees may indicate resistance to the change which, if not adequately addressed, may retard organizational change efforts. The major findings from the employees' stories revealed some important key themes. They were that the participants had conflicting views of what the purpose of the current changes were. In addition, there was a general sense of, "here we go again", following on from previous changes in the organization. This perception gave the effect that participants had difficulty in viewing the current changes seriously. There was also a general perception that the right people were not being included in the change- making decision process. People felt left out and therefore expressed resistance in their stories. Further, a special group of people was selected from within the organization to carry out the change process and they too indicated feelings of isolation from and rejection by the organization's employees, and that created for them feelings of resistance. Overall, it seemed clear the stories provided confirmed that participants resisted the change to varying degrees. Thornhill, Lewis and Millmore. (2000) states perceptions about change will affect its acceptance and may lead to resistance that could effectively minimise or even negate the purpose of the intended change. The analysis of these stories provided implications for change managers. This study has shown that the individuals' narratives orstories are a powerful vehicle and source of knowledge of how employees view happenings within the organization. A positive lesson to be learned from this research, and one which can be utilised by change managers in the future, is the significance of employees' stories and their importance to managers to listen to, gauge and assess the mood of the organization toward change. A second round of interviews with a small group of the original interviewees, one year on, served the purpose of giving the participants an opportunity to reflect on the events and for sensemaking of what they didn't necessarily understand or were not aware of at the time of the first round. This proved to be a valuable opportunity to consider, reflect and learn for future organizational change processes. It is suggested that it would be useful to conduct similar research within other local bodies that have also been undergoing series of changes over recent years following central government reform. Because of the uniqueness of local bodies and their position seated between public service organizations and the private sector, they are in a position where they are pressured to satisfy the demands of the stakeholders, both the community and the ratepayer-elected body of councillors. No doubt councils are continuing to investigate the most appropriate local government structures to meet their stakeholder's needs and the delivery of services. Key Words change, change management, commitment, culture, organization, organizational employees, resistance, sensemaking, stories.
Teamwork : re-engineering the division of labour for New Zealand's workplace of tomorrow : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of M.A. (Social Sciences) in Sociology at Massey University
(Massey University, 1997) MacFarlane, Nicola Jane
Conventional workplace structure in New Zealand is based on a Fordist specialist division of labour that fragments and isolated the workforce, reinforcing the individualistic nature inherent in society. Changes in the economic circumstances (primarily deregulation, internationalism and the Employers Contracts Act) have manifested into extensive organisational, cultural, social and political workplace re-engineering. Understanding the transformation of the division of labour from a Fordist separatist hierarchy to a flexible team-based cooperative system details the orchestration of social labour in the multiplication of industrial organisation. The rationalisation of unskilled mass labour has been replaced with the concept of the flexible multi-skilled labour force and the ability to transform the human element in production. By adapting new team-based methods of work composition, companies are able to internalise continuous quality improvements through individual self-empowerment. Encouraging the highest degree of satisfaction for the individual and the most effective work performance for the organisation, teamwork is able to provide the basis for productivity improvements while simultaneously delivering better work conditions to all team members. Organisational innovation and revitalisation are deeply implicated in the shape of uneven development, so rather than analysing a specific plan of workplace reform, the interpretation of key factors of work systems will be addressed to provide a framework of change; an unsettling period for internal politics between employees and employers, as they must reorganise themselves in line with new forms of interactive working. An empancipatory team environment improves communication and employee participation, re-aligns New Zealand's economy with the requirements for success in the modern global market as detailed by the sustainable advancements made by the Dairy Processing Board, BHP New Zealand Steel, Interlock Industries, MacPac Wilderness Equipment Ltd, Weddel Tomoana, Thames Toyota and Christchurch Parkroyal.
Workplace reform and Weddels staff : a study in retrospect of staff perspectives
(Massey University, 1995) Foster, Alan Barry
This dissertation addresses the question of the extent to which the concept of workplace reform has been compromised by the closure of the Tomoana (Hastings) plant of Weddel New Zealand Ltd. The Tomoana meat processing company in Hastings was part of the Weddel group that went into receivership on 19 August 1994 with the loss of approximately 1800 jobs. The company introduced an ongoing range of workplace measures, starting in 1991, and these measures were still continuing right up to the closure. The meat processing industry has been going through a series of restructuring measures since the late 1970s largely because of various trading difficulties and a sharp decline in sheep numbers. Weddels attempted to improve their position in the market by introducing Total Customer Service ("TCS") supported by International Standards Organization ("ISO") certification and Occupation safety and Health ("OSH") requirements. Alongside these measures was a cost saving and efficiency programme of various procedures such as teams, flatter management structure, skill-based pay system, redundancies and a wage cut of 13 percent for most workers. The on-site union officials were heavily involved in the implementation of TCS but once the delay 1993 announcement was implemented the union was fraught with internal problems resulting in a change of president. All the workers on site, approximately 1800, were put through an introduction of TCS. For the majority of workers that was the last time that they had any direct input into the changes until the wage cuts on May 1993. The workers reluctantly accepted the agreement negotiated by their union on the proviso that all workers would be assessed and reskilled so that their pay would reflect the work that they did. This was never acted upon because the system was too costly. Research of the literature found that workplace reform is an ill-defined concept because there has been no uniform approach that can actually pin-point and say with confidence, "that firm is applying workplace reform initiatives". However testing a number of defining characteristics, found in the literature on workplace reform, against the firm's change initiatives may demonstrate whether those initiatives satisfy various definitions of workplace reform. Those defining characteristics are embedded in a participative and cooperative model involving all the stakeholders in a firm. Was the concept compromised by the closure of Weddel? To ascertain whether this was correct the author reinterviewed a number of participants who had been part of a previous study on the initiatives introduced at Weddel Tomoana. In addition, to get a national picture of workplace reform, a key group of external participants were interviewed. What transpired from the evidence is that workplace reform initiatives at Tomoana were dominated by quality issues and cost saving measures. The participative and cooperative environment through involvement was management driven. The degree of involvement of all stakeholders in the initial stages of the change process was a marked improvement by meat processing industry standards. However this was short lived once management embarked on cost saving and efficiency measures. The trust that was in evidence in the initial stages gradually dissipated. The conclusion is that the concept of workplace reform was not compromised at Tomoana because it never fully met the criteria as defined by the characteristics found in the literature. "Therefore the Weddel experiment was indeed something considerably different from workplace reform".
"The change equation" : a holistic analysis of organisational change : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Studies in Human Resource Management at Massey University
(Massey University, 1997) Barr, Mary Jane
Introduction of new systems for clarifying work responsibilities within organisations require careful design. By fundamentally altering the way individual duties are defined impacts dramatically on organisational and sociotechnical systems. In this research a case study is used to explore the development and implementation of a system of Job Modelling for process management. The need for a holistic approach to change is highlighted.
An examination of the relationship between organisational commitment and communication climate in two organisations experiencing change: a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Studies in Communication Management at Massey University
(Massey University, 1997) Perkins, Tina Louise
This study investigated the relationship between organisational commitment and communication climate in two organisations experiencing change. Emphasis was placed on personal qualities of leaders and included a discussion on trust, honesty and openness, and the impact of the leader's personal qualities on each organisation's communication climate. Methodologies used were both qualitative and quantitative. Research settings were the Eastern Institute of Technology, Napier, and the New Zealand Fire Service - Napier and Hastings Stations. Eighty-seven respondents participated in the study. Both organisations were experiencing change which added another dimension to the study. Data collection techniques included a questionnaire survey and structured interviews. For the questionnaire survey, a selection of questions from sources which included Mowday, Porter and Steers (1979) Organisational Commitment Questionnaire and Dennis, Goldhaber, Richetto and Wiio (1979, 1984) communication climate questionnaire were used in conjunction with newly formulated questions. Communication climate is one of the many factors that impact on organisational commitment. In this study, it is isolated from other antecedents and correlates of organisational commitment. Results indicated that there is a relationship between organisational commitment and communication climate. Commitment to the organisation tended to be low when the climate exhibited characteristics of a defensive communication climate. When supportive characteristics were evident, organisational commitment tended to be higher. However, due to the nature of the work, when the climate was not as supportive, commitment to the clients of the organisation remained high.

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