Organisational cultural change at WorleyParsons engineers in Bloemfontein

[摘要] The primary objective of this research was to investigate the success and/or failure of the organisational culture change at WorleyParsons Engineers in Bloemfontein after the merger with KV3. The problem at WorleyParsons is that the new global entity had its unique world-class systems and procedures and culture, best suited for mega-projects. These systems and procedures are not always compatible with the local conditions of focussing on small infrastructure projects. The lack of the KV3 personnel to adapt to the new organisational culture and the inability of the international company to accommodate the local culture, have resulted in resistance to change. The effect of this is that the KV3 personnel are misaligned in terms of the systems, procedures and culture of WorleyParsons.The study employed a quantitative method design with a survey research strategy using questionnaires with a 4-point Likert scale. Due to the size of the population a few open questions were included.The research findings on the merger indicated that the merger process was not very well communicated to the employees and that they were not really afforded the opportunity to comment and ask questions, thus there was uncertainty among employees.The majority of respondents did not have a sense of belonging indicating that the change management was not very well communicated to the employees and a change vision was not introduced.It was also established that the majority of respondents did not agree that loyalty and trust runs high in the organisation and they did not think that formal rules and policies held the firm together.These findings demonstrate the importance of a well organised change management strategy to engage the employees and get their buy-in to realise the benefits of the newly formed organisation. Communication is the key for any change to be successful to the benefit of employees as well as the organisation.

[发布机构] University of the Free State