UNDERSTANDING CHANGE AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT PROCESSES: A CASE STUDY

The central focus of this case study is to advance knowledge regarding employees’ understanding of change and change management within a public sector organisation, namely, the South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC). This organisation, like other public sector organisations in Australia, has undergone and is currently undergoing a series of significant organisational changes, mainly due to mandates brought about by public sector reform policy. Present trends in change and change management in Australia, both at the federal and state level, reflect a sense of urgency on the part of governments to revitalise a Public Service that is able to sustain continuity and change. This is based on the premise that it is only through reform that the Australian Public Service will be able to address the challenges of a rapidly-changing world. However, this means that public sector employees are now called upon to adjust their thinking and practices to respond to the changing needs and expectations demanded of them by governments. 

In view of the above, this case study sought to understand and represent employees’ understandings regarding what influences effective change processes and how these have impacted upon them. This is not to imply that this study has engaged in critical policy analysis but rather it has analysed trends, both nationally and internationally, in order to ascertain the manner in which public sector organisations, more so those in South Australia, are embracing contemporary practices in the arena of change and change management and if so, at whose and what expense?

The study, conducted at grassroots level, spanned approximately six years and sought to give voice to those least often heard or asked, that is, public sector employees. The questions asked of participants in both the informal and formal interviews – as part of the data collecting process – were related to changes that the organisation was undergoing, how these changes were being implemented, and the influence that these changes were having on them. Insights about public sector reform were gained by questioning organisational change processes and practices, and for viewing and describing the meanings that employees created around their roles, professions, and organisation.