Factors influencing institutionalisation of change management practice in government departments

Abstract

This paper explored factors for infusing change management practices in the public sector and gave recommendations for policy execution of technology. The Western Cape Department of Community Safety (DoCS) launched the Expanded Partnership Programme (EPP) in 2010, as provided for in section 206 of the Constitution to reorient social crime prevention by Community Policing Forums Educate and Share towards Monitoring Guided Actions to increase sustainability, the efficiency of Community Police Forums (CPFs), and the accountability of the police. Even with an investment of R18 million, participation levels were still low and there was no service delivery improvement by the police, thus the need for a change management was borne. The study pointed out the need of strategic methods such as Kotter’s 8-Step Process, Prosci ADKAR, and McKinsey Influence Model to implement institutionalised changes. The research pursued a practical stance and therefore merged objectivist and constructivist positions with an abductive approach. Count data were collected through the use of a Likert scale questionnaire since it was quantitative in nature while qualitative data was obtained from semi-structured focus group discussions. Data analysis was performed using qualitative and quantitative methods such as descriptive statistics, Pearson’s Chi-square, and content analysis, among others. The research findings highlighted key factors such as organizational culture, interests of stakeholders, politics, resources, and the external environment a determinants of change management. The creation of detailed guidelines that are supported by evidence to direct decision making, resource allocation and prioritisation of policies by the government was advocated for in the study. These findings closed the loop between the research academic domain and the practical field, and demonstrated clear steps towards improving accountability, transparency and adequacy of change implementation.