- Title
- A case study of role conflict experienced by middle management during organizational change
- Creator
- Sepeng, Mugabe
- ThesisAdvisor
- Pearse, Noel
- Subject
- Role conflict
- Subject
- Change management
- Subject
- Middle managers
- Subject
- Middle management
- Subject
- ISO 9001 Standard Implementation of
- Date
- 2023-10-13
- Type
- Academic theses
- Type
- Master's theses
- Type
- text
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10962/419189
- Identifier
- vital:71624
- Description
- This research investigation is based on continuous improvement changes arising from - and related to - ISO 9001 implementation at Sundays River Citrus Company (SRCC), which is one of the biggest packers, marketers, and exporters of citrus fruit in South Africa. The Board of SRCC adopted ISO 9001 to ensure organizational efficiency and sustainability while improving quality control, customer service, teamwork and leadership. However, research indicates not all organizations that have Implemented ISO 9001 realize the intended benefits. While no research was available on the citrus agriculture industry, research in the tourism industry indicates that not only did some companies not realize the expected benefits, but also incurred substantial investment costs. It is estimated that approximately thirty to ninety percent of change initiatives fail to meet their objectives, and research studies also indicate that middle managers play a critical role that can influence the outcomes of a change project. However, Balogun (2003) indicates that middle managers play a complex role and are exposed to role conflict, which can influence the outcomes of change initiatives. In this context, this research study aimed to investigate the role conflicts experienced by middle managers during the process of an ISO 9001 continuous improvement change. The study draws on role theory, applying it to their management of change. The following role conflict types were investigated: (1) intra-sender conflict, (2) inter-sender role conflict, (3) inter-role conflict, (4) role ambiguity and (5) role strain. The research approach is qualitative, and has adopted a post-positivist paradigm, utilizing a deductive qualitative method. The study adopted a case study approach. Data was gathered mainly from interviews and supported by organizational documents. Semi structured interviews were conducted with questions formulated through the use of the coding manual (See Appendix C) to ensure alignment of data collection with the research propositions derived from literature. A deductive thematic analysis method was used to analyze the interview data. The research findings confirmed that during continuous improvement change, as middle managers strived to satisfy the incompatible expectations of role senders (mainly senior and junior managers), they experienced the five role conflict types. The study findings also indicate that middle managers experience conflicts due to the incompatible expectations of other role senders such as quality and marketing departments. The findings suggest that middle managers are managing these conflicts, but notes that they do require some assistance and support from senior management. The study concludes with managerial and research recommendations.
- Description
- Thesis (MBA) -- Faculty of Commerce, Rhodes Business School, 2023
- Format
- computer, online resource, application/pdf, 1 online resource (105 pages), pdf
- Publisher
- Rhodes University, Faculty of Commerce, Rhodes Business School
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Sepeng, Mugabe
- Rights
- Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons "Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike" License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/)
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | SEPENG-MBA-TR23-31.pdf | 917 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |