Enhancing personal and corporate values to reduce toxicity in a TVET College environment : a living theory of organisational development

[摘要] As an HRD manager in a Technical Vocational Education and Training college in South Africa, I amawarethatthesecollegesfacevarioussystemicchallengesthatimpactnegativelyon employee wellbeing. I have first-hand experience of workplace toxicity that negatively affected my health and that of my fellow managers who report to the Senior Management Team at the corporatecentreofmycollege.Thissituationdeniedmyontologicalvalueswhichledto cognitive dissonance which was intensified as I was responsible for wellness and organisational development.Iwasthusdriventoembarkonavalues-basedpractitionerself-enquiryto generate a personal living theory of organisational development aimed at improving my practice andinfluencingothermanagersinthecollegetoenableustoimprovetheworkclimateby embodying life enhancing values into our practice. This study sets out to answer my research question: How do I improve my practice and influence those that I work with to improve their practice,soastobringaboutpersonalandinstitutionalhealingfromthecurrentclimateof toxicity which is experienced every day? My qualitative study is based on my paradigmatic and theoretical choices and the utilisation of appropriate methods of data generation and analysis. My theoretical choices stemmedfrom my epistemological, ontological and philosophical assumptions. My project was embedded in an existential, phenomenological, critical, participativeresearchparadigmusingthetoxictrianglemodel,wellnesstheory,dialogic organisationaldevelopmenttheory,chaosandcomplexitytheoriesandvaluetheory.Iused visualmethodologiestobuildrelationshipsandpromotehealthycatharsisbeforeidentifying possible areas for action. Further data was generated by video journals,transcripts ofaction learningsetmeetings,myownpersonalreflectivejournal,semi-structuredinterviewsand collegeartefactssuchasdocumentsandpolicies.Myresearchdesignwasrootedinaction research having three cycles in the project. Cycle 1 reflects my first attempt at organisational development through a diagnostic approach to enhance the colleges values. Due to its failure I learnedtochangemythinkingandpracticeonorganisationaldevelopmentandembraced dialogicalorganisationtheoryasanalternativeapproachtoorchestratechangewithinan organisation.Thisfailureledmetoembraceamorecooperativeandparticipativeapproach. Cycle2tracestheselection,establishmentandmaintenanceofanactionlearningsetas changeagentstohelpindataco-generationandanalysis.Thematicanalysisofthedata generated through visual methods including the drawing of two collages and video narratives of ourdrawings. Thefollowingthemesemergedfromthedataanalysisnamelythatemotional trauma is prevalent amongst managers, that when values are violated it impacts negatively on communication, and when values are violated it leads to experiences of trauma and finally that drawingactivitiesplayatherapeuticroleindealingwithtrauma.Theactionlearningset consistedof11memberswhowereallmaturemanagersandcoveredallgenderandrace groups with an average age of 47. Cycle 3 traced the action learning sets initiatives to identify the values that were negated that had created a breeding ground for toxicity to flourish due to poorcommunication.Inthislastcycle,projects,suchasposteradvocacycampaignson prioritised values was under taken that conscientised employees. Using dialogic organisational developmentapproachessuchas Open Space Technology,twoCriticalCaringConversation Cafémeetingswereheldatthecorporatecentrewhereasafespacewascreatedfor employees to address toxicity, victimisation and wellness and to change the conversation within the organisation. Coupled with the emphasis to change conversation in dialogical organisational development social media was used to drive home positive slogans. Assessment of the project wasgainedbytheactionlearningsetmembersparticipatinginsemi-structuredinterviews administered while they were grooming horses. My learning and that of the action learning set revealed that managers suffered emotional trauma due to toxic leaders, toxic followers and toxic environments. There was little support and the way mangers coped with trauma was to supress theiremotions.Afterbeinginvolvedintheactionlearningsetoveraperiodoftwoyears managers had improved their coping skills by acknowledging and speaking openly and sharing theirtraumaticexperienceswitheachother,takingresponsibilityfortheirownlivesand practices,supportingoneanotherandbecomingmoreassertive.Basedontheresearch findings, my personal learning and the learning gained by the action learning set members, I was able to produce my living theory of organisational development by developing a model of organisational development for use in my toxic organisation to nurture life enhancing values and improve personal and organisational wellness. I acknowledge that this model is relevant for my college now and may not be relevant for other colleges or relevant in some future time due to the ever changing context of colleges. However, the significance of this study lies firstly in the personaldevelopmentoftheactionlearningsetmembersandsecondlyintheirimproved practice.IhaveimprovedmypracticeasanHRDmanagerandhaveinfluencedothersto improve their practice and in so doing I have contributed to my own wellness and the wellness of others in the college. The broader significance of this research is that it may be of interest toother colleges facing the toxicity in the college sector as well as other education institutions.

[发布机构] North-West University