Impact of organisational restructuring on employee morale and health.
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Date
2017
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Abstract
In today’s world, organisational restructuring and change is a continuous, inevitable
phenomenon, which impact and affects employees and organisations in various ways. The aim
of this research is to determine how the restructuring process was planned and implemented by
the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and if it had negatively or positively impacted the
morale and health of its employees. This would assist to determine possible approaches on how
any future change should be effectively managed within the organisation, to ensure there are
no adverse effects on employees and the organisation. A quantitative research strategy
approach was used for the study and the population consisted of all UKZN’s staff with a
response from 136 participants completing a web-based questionnaire developed for this
specific study. An analysis of the results revealed that there was a lack of consultation and
employee participation, with staff not given an opportunity to give input in planning and
implementation of the change and there was a lack of support and guidance from managers.
An important finding was that almost 70% of participants reported that the change has impacted
negatively on their morale and health at the institution. It was also reported that management
had not implemented the process effectively; as a result, there was a lack of trust and confidence
in management. There was also a lack of communication to staff and all relevant information
was not accurately and timeously communicated. It is recommended that for any future
restructuring process to be successful, a transparent and fair change process, together with
quality enhanced communication of changes and employee participation and feedback is very
important to ensure less stress related health effects are experienced by staff. Managers should
ensure supportive restructuring mechanisms put in place to ensure healthy change processes
and employee well-being is maintained.
Description
Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.