Exploring the coping practices of middle managers during organisational restructuring - a case study in a South African Bank

Abstract

Middle managers are implementers and agents of organisational change and, at the same time, are affected by organisational change. Their roles during organisational restructuring result in anxiety and uncertainty, impacting their well-being. Middle managers need effective coping practices to manage the conflicting demands of their roles and to deal with their own stress and well-being effectively. When middle managers do not have effective coping practices to deal with stressors linked with restructuring, their well-being, productivity, and performance are affected, thereby affecting the change outcome. This study explored the coping practices of middle managers during organisational restructuring in a South African bank from a strategy-as-practice perspective. Qualitative case study data was gathered using semi-structured virtual interviews with 13 participants and was thematically analysed and interpreted. The findings revealed that middle managers engage in internal and external coping practices that either foster resilience and positivity towards change or result in negativity. The departure point for this study was the practice domain situated in the strategy-as-practice research perspective. Practice theory offers a means to introduce efficiencies in everyday activities, resulting in a more efficient and successful organisation. It was not until the strategy-as-practice domain explored what “the doing of strategy” entails that research recognised the actual practical application of strategy. Middle managers have been the focus of a vast amount of research; however, little research has been done on the coping practices of middle managers during strategic organisational restructuring. There appear to be fewer studies on coping practices from an organisational perspective in the business management sector than in other sectors. Therefore, to reduce the current knowledge gap, it is beneficial to explore coping practices in the business management sector. The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has brought about different organisational challenges that have increased employee stress. Employees are facing greater challenges than ever before whilst trying to ensure they are emotionally, mentally, and physically well enough to be high-performing employees. It is important for business management studies to have an all-round focus on employees by not concentrating exclusively on business practices but also practices that help employees execute business practices well. The study findings offer knowledge for understanding the coping practices of middle managers and the role that these practices play in the success of strategic organisational restructuring.

Tussenbestuurders is implementeerders en agente van verandering in hul organisasies en hulle word terselfdertyd deur organisatoriese verandering geraak. Hul rolle gedurende organisatoriese herstrukturering gee aanleiding tot angstigheid en onsekerheid, wat ’n uitwerking op hul welstand het. Daarom het tussenbestuurders doeltreffende hanteringsmeganismes nodig om die botsende eise van hul rolle te bestuur en om hul eie stres en welstand doeltreffend te hanteer. Indien tussenbestuurders nie oor doeltreffende meganismes beskik om stressore wat met herstrukturering verband hou te hanteer nie, het dit ’n uitwerking op hul welstand, produktiwiteit en prestasie en word die veranderingsuitkoms sodoende beïnvloed. Hierdie studie het die hanteringsmeganismes van tussenbestuurders gedurende organisatoriese herstrukturering in ’n Suid-Afrikaanse bank ondersoek vanuit ’n strategie-as-praktyk-perspektief. Kwalitatiewe gevallestudiedata is ingesamel deur middel van halfgestruktureerde virtuele onderhoude met 13 deelnemers, waarna die data tematies ontleed en geïnterpreteer is. Die bevindinge het getoon dat tussenbestuurders interne en eksterne hanteringspraktyke beoefen wat όf veerkragtigheid en positiwiteit teenoor verandering kweek, όf tot negatiwiteit lei. Die vertrekpunt vir hierdie studie was die praktykdomein wat in die strategie-as-praktyk-navorsingsperspektief gesetel is. Praktykteorie bied ’n manier om nuttigheidswaardes in daaglikse aktiwiteite te vestig, wat ’n meer doeltreffende en suksesvolle organisasie tot gevolg het. Eers toe die strategie-as-praktyk-domein ondersoek het wat die “uitvoering van strategie” behels, het navorsing die praktiese toepassing van strategie in werklikheid erken. Alhoewel tussenbestuurders die fokus van velerlei navorsingsprojekte was, is daar nog min navorsing gedoen oor tussenbestuurders se hanteringsmeganismes gedurende strategiese organisatoriese herstrukturering. Daar blyk minder studies oor hanteringsmeganismes vanuit ’n organisatoriese perspektief in die sakebestuursektor as in ander sektore te wees. Om dus die huidige kennisgaping te oorbrug, is dit voordelig om hanteringsmeganismes in die sakebestuursektor te bestudeer. Die ongekende COVID-19-pandemie het verskillende organisatoriese uitdagings meegebring, wat werknemers se stres laat toeneem het. Werknemers word met groter uitdagings as ooit tevore gekonfronteer terwyl hulle probeer om emosioneel, geestelik en fisies goed genoeg te vaar om hoëprestasiewerknemers te wees. Dit is belangrik vir sakebestuurstudies om ’n algemene fokus op werknemers te hê, deur nie eksklusief op sakepraktyke te fokus nie, maar ook op praktyke wat werknemers help om sakepraktyke behoorlik toe te pas. Die studiebevindinge dien as kennis om die hanteringsmeganismes van tussenbestuurders, en die rol wat hierdie praktyke in die sukses van strategiese organisatoriese herstrukturering speel, te verstaan.

Balaodi ba magareng ke baphethagatši ebile ke bakgontšhadiphetogo ba mokgatlo, gomme le bona ba angwa ke diphetogo tše tša mokgatlo. Mešomo ya bona ka nako ya kagoleswa ya mokgatlo e ba šia tlalelong le dipelaelong, gomme se se ama maphelo a bona. Balaodi ba magareng ba hloka mekgwa ya go šogana le mathata go laola dinyakwa tšeo di thulanago le mešomo ya bona le go laola kgatelelo ya bona ya monagano le go phela gabotse mmeleng. Ge balaodi ba magareng ba hloka mekgwa ya go šoma gabotse ya go šogana le mathata go lokiša dilo tša go ba fa kgatelelo ya monagano yeo e amantšhwago le kagoleswa, go phela botse mmeleng ga bona, tšweletšo, le mošomo di a amega, gomme se se ama dipoelo tša diphetogo. Nyakišišo ye e nyakišiša mekgwa ya go šogana le mathata ya balaodi ba magareng ka nako ya kagoleswa ya mokgatlo ka pankeng ya Afrika Borwa ka tšhomišo ya maano a go dira mošomo. Datha ya khwalithethifi ya thuto ya nyakišišo e kgobokeditšwe ka ditherišano tša inthanete tša go beakanywa seripa tša go dirwa le batšeakarolo ba 13 gomme datha e sekasekilwe le go hlalošwa go ya ka maemo a bjale. Dikutullo di bontšha gore balaodi ba magareng ba šomiša mekgwa ya go šogana le mathata ya ka gare le ya ka ntle yeo e hlohleletšago kgotlelelo le go amogela diphetogo goba dipoelo ka gare ga maemo a go se amogelege. Nyakišišo ye e theilwe godimo ga mokgwa wa go dira dinyakišišo ka go sekaseka maano a go dira mošomo. Teori ya tirišo e fa mokgwa wa go tsebiša mafokodi ka mešomong ya letšatši le letšatši, yeo e dirago gore go be le katlego mokgatlong. Nyakišišo e bontšhitše tšhomišo ya “leano la go dira” morago ga go sekaseka leano la tirišo. Palo ye kgolo ya nyakišišo ya thuto ye e be e lebišitšwe go balaodi ba magareng, le ge go le jwalo dinyakišišo tše mmalwanyana di dirilwe ka maano a go šoma ao a šomišwago ke balaodi ba magareng ka nako ya go beakanyaleswa leano la mokgatlo. Go bonala go na le dinyakišišo tše mmalwanyana ka mekgwa ya go šogana le mathata go tšwa go ntlhakemo ya mekgatlo ka lekaleng la taolo ya dikgwebo go feta ka makaleng a mangwe. Bjalo, go fokotša tlhaelelo ya bjale ya tsebo, go bohlokwa go nyakišiša mekgwa ya go šogana le mathata a taolo ka lekaleng la taolo ya kgwebo. Leuba la COVID-19 la moswananoši le tlišitše mathata a go fapanafapana mekgatlong ao a okeditšego kgatelelo ya monagano mo go bašomi. Bašomi ba lebane le mathata a magolo le go feta peleng, mola ba leka go netefatša gore maikutlo, megopolo le mebele ya bona di dutše maemong a mabotse a go ba bašomi ba go šoma gabotse kudu. Go bohlokwa gore dinyakišišo tša taolo ya kgwebo di lebantšhe mahlakore ka moka a bašomi ka go se šetše fela mekgwa ya kgwebo eupša gape di akaretše mekgwa yeo gape e thušago bašomi go dira mošomo wa kgwebo gabotse. Dikutullo tša nyakišišo di fa tsebo ya gore go kwešišwe mekgwa ya go šogana le mathata ya balaodi ba magareng le karolo yeo mekgwa ye e e ralokago mo katlegong ya kagoleswa ya leano la mokgatlo.