This dissertation explores how middle managers use their micro-strategising practices
of agency and sense-making to shape strategic outcomes during and after strategic
change implementation within an enabling and/or constraining organisational social
structure. The researcher examined this phenomenon through the theoretical lenses
of strategy-as-practice perspective and sense-making. The qualitative case-study
research design with an interpretivist, social constructionist paradigm captured the
lived organisational social reality of the administrative middle managers over time at a
for-profit educational brand of a private higher education (PHE) provider. A thematic
data analysis approach integrated manual coding with electronic coding to analyse
data gathered through an emergent research design of text messages and e-mail
journals over a four-month period. Data-driven inductive coding was synthesised with
structural deductive coding in response to the research questions. The dissertation
concludes that administrative middle managers use micro-level strategising practices
of retrospective and prospective cognitive and emotional sense-making and the
practical coping of agency, or embodied sense-making, to navigate a complex and
contradictory organisational socio-cultural context that is both enabling and
constraining. A further contribution of the current study speaks to the embedded
practices between the two discrete levels of organisation and individual, which has
been interpreted through the contradictions following the equivocal signals that these
two main levels demonstrate. The porous inter-dependency between the two levels of
organisation and individual creates an inter-woven entity where the strands of
individual and organisational action are difficult to pull out and name distinctly, without
unravelling the tapestry that is the organisational entity. These contributions affirm the
intellectual puzzle which sought to understand and/or restore the balance of the
individual within an organisational socio-cultural context to attain organisational
security and equilibrium after organisational change. The findings of this current study
is not generalisable to the other seven educational brands of the PHE provider.
Boithuto bona bo shebana le tsela eo ka yona baokamedi ba mahareng ba sebedisang
ditlwaelo tsa ketso ya meralo e menyane (micro-strategising) ya diejensi le ketso ya
moelelo ho bopa diphetho tsa meralo nakong ya le kamora ho kenngwa tshebetsong
ha phetolo ya moralo kahare ho sebopeho se dumellang le/kapa se thibelang sa
setjhaba. Mofuputsi o hlahlobile mohopolo ona ka leihlo la thiori ya moralo-jwalokaketso
le ketso ya moelelo. Sebopeho sa dipatlisiso tsa phuputso ya boleng se nang le
saense ya setjhaba le paterone ya kgaho ya setjhaba se hapile mokgatlo wa setjhaba
wa sebele o phetsweng wa baokamedi ba mahareng ba tsamaiso nako e telele
letshwaong la thuto la phaello ho mofani wa thuto e hodimo ya poraefete (PHE).
Katamelo ya manollo ya pokello e amanang le thuto e ikgethang e kopantse tokiso ya
tokomane ka letsoho le ka elektoniki ho manolla pokello e bokelletsweng ka sebopeho
sa dipatlisiso se qalang sa melaetsa ya mongolo le di-emaili nakong ya dikgwedi tse
nne. Mongolo wa qaleho o tsamaiswang ke pokello o ile wa hlahiswa ka elektoniki le
mongolo o latelang dikarolo tse itseng tsa molao o akaretsang ho araba dipotso tsa
dipatlisiso. Thuto e phethela ka hore baokamedi ba bohareng ba tsamaiso ba
sebedisa ditlwaelo tsa mekgwa e boemong bo tlase ba ketsahalo ya moelelo
boiphihlelong ka ho kgutlela morao le ho nahanela pele ka kellelo le maikutlo le ho
sebetsa ho kgonehang ha mokgatlo, kapa ho fana ka moelelo boiphihlelong ho
kopantsweng ho batlisisang maemo a rarahaneng le a hananang a moetlo wa
mokgatlo a nolofatsang le a thibelang ka bobedi. Monehelo o eketsehileng wa thuto
ya morao-rao o bua ka ditlwaelo tse keneletseng dipakeng tsa maemo a mabedi a
fapaneng a mokgatlo le a motho ka mong a tolokuweng ka ho hanyetsana ho latela
matshwao a ka tolokehang ka ditsela tse fapaneng tseo maemo ana a mabedi a ka
sehloohong a di bontshang. Ho emelana hona ho kenellanang ho dipakeng tsa
maemo a mabedi a mokgatlo le motho ka bo mong ho theha mokgatlo wa kgokahano
oo ho ona dikgwele tsa motho ka bo mong le kgato ya mokgatlo di bang thata ho hulwa
le ho reha ka tsela e hlakileng kantle le ho senya lesela leo e leng mokgatlo. Menehelo
ena e netefatsa selotho se neng se batla ho utlwisisa le/kapa ho tsosolosa tekanyo ya
motho kahare ho maemo a setso sa setjhaba sa mokgatlo ho fumana tshireletso ya
mokgatlo le boikgutso kamora ho fetoha ha mokgatlo. Diphumano tsa thuto ena ya
morao-rao ha di akareletswe ho matshwao a mang a thuto a supileng a mofani wa
PHE
Lolu cwaningo lucubungula udaba lokuthi izimenenja ezisezikhundleni ezimaphakathi
zizisebenzisa kanjani izinkambiso zazo zokwenza amaqhinga namasu emazingeni
aphansi okusebenzisa ikhono lazo lokuzikhethela nokuthatha izinyathelo ngokuzimela
(agency) nokwenza kuzwakale futhi kuqondakale lokho ezikwenzayo nezikushoyo
(sense-making) ngenhloso yokubumba imiphumela enobuqhinga ngaphambi kokuba
kuqaliswe uguquko olunobuqhinga futhi nangenkathi sekuqaliswa uguquko olunjalo
olwenzeka ngaphakathi ohlakeni lwesakhiwo senhlalo esivumelayo kanye/noma
esivimbelayo. Umcwaningi wakuhlaziya futhi wakuhlolisisa lokhu esebenzisa indlela
yokubheka izinto ngokwethiyori yokusebenzisa iqhingasu njengenkambiso (strategyas-
practice perspective) kanye nokwenza kuzwakale futhi kuqondakale lokho
okwenziwayo nokushiwoyo. Idizayini yocwaningo lwesigameko olukhwalithethivu
olugxile ekutheni izimenenja zibheke izinto njengoba zinjalo ngokweso lezigameko
ezidlule kuzona izimenenja, ngokuqhubeka kwesikhathi, ekuxhumaneni
nasekusebenzeni kwazo nabanye abantu esikhungweni semfundo ephakeme esithile
esizimele esiqhuba umsebenzi wokuqeqesha ngenhloso yokungenisa imali nokwenza
inzuzo, phecelezi umhlinzeki we-private higher education (PHE). Ucwaningo
lwasebenzisa indlela yokuhlaziya idatha ngokucubungula nokuqopha amaphethini,
okuyindlela eyadidiyela ukuhlelwa nokuhlungwa kwedatha ngesandla
nangobuchwepheshe bekhompyutha ngenhloso yokuhlaziya idatha eqoqwe
kusetshenziswa i-emergent research design yemiqhafazo (text messages) kanye
namajenali ama-imeyili esikhathini esiyizinyanga ezine. Ukuze kuhlinzekwe
ngezimpendulo emibuzweni yocwaningo kwahlanganiswa indlela yokuhlela
nokuhlunga idatha esuselwa kuhlobo lwedatha eqoqiwe (inductive) kanye nendlela
yokuhlunga ngokusebenzisa uhlelo olwenziwe ngaphambi kokuqoqwa kwedatha
(deductive). Ucwaningo luphetha ngokukhipha umbono wokuthi izimenenja
ezisezikhundleni ezimaphakathi zisebenzisa izinkambiso zazo zokuqhamuka
namaqhinga namasu emazingeni aphansi okwenza izinto ziqondakale
ngokusebenzisa ingqondo nemizwa mayelana nezigameko ezenzeke esikhathini
esedlule, nalezo ezingahle zenzeke esikhathini esizayo kanye nokubonela kwikhono
lomunye umuntu, njengoba linjalo, lokuthatha izinyathelo nokwenza izinto
ngokuzimela noma ukwenza izinto ziqondakale, okuyingxenye yalokho, ngenhloso
yokuchusha nokuthubeleza esimweni senhlalo-masiko esiyinkimbinkimbi futhi
esiziphikisayo, esikwenza kokubili ukuvumela kanye nokuvimbela. Elinye futhi igalelo
lalolu cwaningo lwamanje liphathelene nezinkambiso ezifakwe zagxila emazingeni
amabili ahlukene ngokucacile phakathi kwenhlangano kanye nomuntu ngamunye,
ahunyushwe ngokuphikisana okulandela izimpawu eziyindida futhi ezingaqondakali
kahle eziboniswa yilawa mazinga amabili amakhulu. Ukuncikana nokuxhasana
okuntekenteke phakathi kwalawa mazinga, okuyinhlangano kanye nomuntu
ngamunye, kwakha uhlaka oluxhumene lapho kunzima ukutomula nokugagula
ngokucacile izingxenye ezakhe izenzo nezinyathelo zenhlangano ezingxenyeni
ezakhe izenzo zomuntu ngamunye, ngaphandle kokuqaqa nokuhlukanisa ingxenye
ngayinye eyakhe inhlangano ebumbene. Lawa magalelo ocwaningo aqininisekisa
futhi asekele indida-mqondo (intellectual puzzle) ebihlose ukuqonda kanye/noma
ukubuyisa ukuzimelela komuntu ngamunye esimweni senhlalo-masiko yenhlangano
ukuze kuzuzwe ukuvikeleka kwenhlangano nozinzo-kulingana (equilibrium) emva
koguquko olwenzekile enhlanganweni. Imiphumelangqangi etholakale kulolu
cwaningo lwamanje ayinakuthathwa njengemiphumela engaphinde isetshenziswe
futhi iqondaniswe nezimo ezitholakala kwezinye izikhungo eziyisikhombisa
zomhlinzeki we-PHE.
