Managing organizational changes in a company in the Western Cape to survive the changing landscape

Abstract

South Africa has a young democracy, with significant changes in legislation and new cultures are formed daily as the country is trying to build a new future for all. Amongst this the whole world is changing at a rapid speed with new technologies emerging almost daily. Some organisations are struggling to cope with the changes within South Africa and at the same time need to compete in the global markets in this ever-changing landscape. One thing for sure, to manage these changes, leaders need to emerge amongst the ordinary citizens to guide our people through this time of uncertainty. Managers need to obtain critical leadership skills to ensure survival of organisations. Organisations need to understand what makes their workforce tick, be aware of the organisational culture and understand how to create cultures that embrace changes and winning teams. The researcher embarked to understand the factors that influence and that could possibly form barriers in managing organisational changes. The research allowed for a qualitative section to place the quantitative data into context. The study discovered that one of the biggest factors that is affecting the morale and productivity in the organisation with so many cultures, languages and beliefs is communication. Leaders and managers must place significant emphasis on this aspect if it ever hopes to manage changes successfully.