Appreciative inquiry and change management in a selected automotive component factory in Cape Town, South Africa

Abstract

Globalisation has placed increased pressure on South African organisations to transform in order to compete against the world’s best. Low cost manufacturing countries such as India, China, Brazil, and Thailand pose a threat to businesses across a variety of sectors in South Africa. The prospects of failure are real, even more so in light of the current economic climate in which businesses operate, as competition is on the rise. In today’s world of work, change is constant and organisations are required to continually renew their business and practices in order to meet the evolving needs of their clients. An organisation’s inability to phase out strategies, policies, procedures and businesses that are no longer relevant may shorten the lifespan of the business. Successful management of organisational change processes is thus essential for survival in the global market. This research was prompted as a result of production line employees being resistant to the implementation of new work procedures between 2013 and 2014, with the result of low commitment to change, at a selected medium sized automotive component manufacturer in Cape Town, South Africa. Traditional change management considers fixing problems and may be outdated, especially in light of the introduction of Appreciative Inquiry (AI). AI is a structured change intervention that uses positively directed questions. AI attempts to involve people to share their experiences of what worked well in the past in order to create a shared vision and an action plan that can be implemented to realise their set vision. AI has created a shift in thinking in change management, as it seeks to find the positive, whilst creating hope and a sense of triumph over past victories.