Change Management in a South African Municipality: Can it Work?

Abstract

The business environment is ever-changing, and even companies with dominant market share needs to keep up with these changes. Not all change initiatives prove to be successful. Numerous obstacles have been highlighted in literature such as a lack of communication and poor support from management. This study, therefore, set out to identify the different factors that affect the successful implementation of change management initiatives in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. The study followed a quantitative method, and the primary data was collected by means of an online questionnaire through SurveyMonkey. The data was analysed via SPSS software and presented in graphs and tables for easy interpretation. The results and knowledge gained from this study will add to the existing body of knowledge in the discipline. It might also assist municipalities to effectively identify and quantify factors that affect their ability to manage constructive change at the workplace. All ethical requirements were considered during the study. The outcome of the study indicated that managers seem to be unaware of the benefits and principles of change management. Organisational structures and processes were found to be key contributors to the employees’ resistance to change. The participants also displayed uncertainty whether communication, employee readiness for change initiative, leadership, and resources were fully addressed in the implementation of change management. The study therefore recommended that the city presents awareness sessions to all city employees including managers on the change management models, the principles of change management as well as the benefits of implementing such models and principles in the operations of the City of Tshwane. The study further recommended that the city provides the required resources for the implementation of change initiatives, and fully address the requirements for communication and employee readiness for change initiatives.