Rod R Waddington . PhD candidate North-West University . Prof. Lesley Wood

Transforming a toxic workplace: organisational development through action research

Rod Waddington - NWUProf. Lesley Wood - NWU

Acknowledgement

A community engagement grant from the National Research

Foundation (NRF) enabled the research reported on here. Any

findings, opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the

author and therefore the NRF does not accept any liability thereto

The College Context

• Central Office of a TVET College. (1 of 50 TVET colleges in RSA).

• 5 campuses (covering 300km)• 9800 exam candidates• 344 staff members • 55 staff working at the Central

Office• HRM/HRD Manager

EFFECTS OF TOXICITY• Drop in morale - Academic performance - top 5 (2003/8)

to bottom 5 in 2011/15. Slight improvement in 2016.

• High stress -Some staff have migrated/merged thrice in the past 12 years.

• High emotions - Unnecessary strikes every year for the past 6 years, both staff and students have at separate times been on strike

• Staff wellness noticeably affected principal on 3 months ill health twice in 2016. (emotional, mental, physical, spiritual) – indication of toxic climate

• Rise in absenteeism, grievances, CCMA & ELRC cases“As an HRD manager – do I want to do something about it?, what can I do about it? - as a result of cognitive dissonance”

Toxic Triangle Model

Toxic Leaders – destructive

leaders

Toxic Environment –

conducive environments

Toxic Followers –vulnerable followers

Adapted from Padilla, A., Hogan, R. & Kaiser, B. 2007. The toxic triangle: destructive leaders, vulnerable followers, and conducive environments.

My PhD Research Question

“How do I improve my practice and influence those that I work with to

improve their practice, so as to bring about personal and institutional

healing?”

Methodology & Theoretical Underpinnings

• Action research project using a qualitative research approach: embedded in existential, phenomenological, critical, participative, research paradigms using the following theories

• Toxicity theory, Wellness theory, Dialogical OD theory, Chaos & Complexity theories, and Values theory

ALS Managers generating data

No

Position Gender Race Age Status

1 Accountant F White 33 Resigned2 Principal F Indian 51 Current3 HRD M White 60 Current4 CM M Coloured 50 Current5 CM M African 48 Current6 CM F White 46 Current7 HRM F African 42 Resigned8 CM F African 51 Current9 TQM M White 45 Current10 New Bus

ManagerM African 53 Current

11 CM M African 39 Dropped out

“How can action research using dialogic OD interventions positively contribute to

organisational wellness by enhancing life enhancing values?”

Dialogic OD / Diagnostic OD  Diagnostic OD Dialogic ODInfluenced by Classical science,

positivism, and modernist philosophy

Interpretive, constructionism, critical postmodern philosophy

Organisational construct

Organisation machines or living systems

Organisations meaning-making systems self-adaptive and self-organising

Ontology and epistemology

Reality objective fact, a single reality, truth is transcendent discoverableReality discovered using rational / analytical processes

Reality socially constructedmultiple realitiesTruth is imminent and emerges from the situationReality is negotiated and may involve power political processes

Constructs of change

Usually teleological based oncollecting/applying valid data using objective problem-solving methods. Change can be created, planned, and managedValidation and transference of data from one context to another

Dialogical or dialecticalCreating containers/processes to produce generative ideas leads to change which can be encouraged, but is mainly self-organising. Change may be continuous and/or cyclical follows a process of disruption, differentiation, and coherence

Focus of change Changing behaviour and what people do

Emphasis on changing mindsets and what people think

Adapted from Bushe & Marshak’s (2009, 357)

AR: Cycle 3’s Interventions

Values denied - supported toxicity

Poster campaign (VALUES)

OpenSpace Technology

Changing conversations

# Making hope happen# Just do better# Change is good

Evidence of Personal Learning/Change PERSONAL MANAGEMENT

“…we don't wait for somebody to intervene. Because that was in the past,

I was always waiting for somebody to come and manage it, and I realised that

other people also don't know what to do. So we were actually, I learnt to manage myself”. .

PERSONAL LIMITATIONS

“If I have tried my best, if I did things the way they're supposed to be done, if I've

followed policies, if I've tried to implement what was supposed to be implemented, and it

failed and I'm not getting any support, then I have to learn to accept that I can only go

this far”’ PERSONAL DETACHMENT

“And so I think I've learnt, a few things that I've learnt from this process was that I do not

take things personally anymore. Because previously that was my main thing”.

Evidence of System Change

1. Management style changed, more trust and freedom to manage.“…there's a change in the organisation, we are given trust… and the organisation has

changed, because the organisation now allows It …and they are, I think they are expecting it

from us, ... It’s not – you’re not wrong any more to think. You are now allowed to think and

act…I feel trusted by my superiors to handle the situation, so that changed definitely”.

2. Management structures changed to include quarterly staff meetings

An extract from the agenda for the first staff meeting of the corporate centre (18 April 2016)

2. MATTERS FOR DISCUSSION

2.4 Employee wellness

2.5 Toxic work culture: how can we fix it?

2.6 Initiatives to build staff morale

2.7 More informed staff meetings regularly

Notice the language that changed, toxic, wellness & staff

meetings

EXT ENVIRON

MENTNat

PoliciesDHET

CONTENT WHAT IS TOXIC?

PROCESS HOW

MUST IT HANDLED?

INT. ENVIRON

MENT Leaders Unions

Col.Council

TOXIC WORKPLACE Change Conversations, Create Containers - Spaces, Live out Life Enhancing Values

+

POWER

-

-

VALUES

+

OD MODEL FOR TOXIC WORKPLACES

Conclusion

Dialogic organizational development approaches/interventions and life enhancing values positively contribute to a reduction in organisational toxicity, improves employees’ personal and organisational wellness.

Thank you.

CHANGE CONVERSATIONS TO BRING ABOUT WELLNESS SO THAT ALL EMPLOYEES CAN FLY