Case Study
Intertek Tech is a middle-sized organisation that employs approximately 500 employees. In the last few years, the organisation has grown rapidly. This rapid growth resulted from the introduction of new technology that enabled the organisation to increase its production by 30 per cent. The management team is currently investigating opportunities to export their products to China, Indonesia, and Italy. However, the increase in production due to better technology did not offset a lack of quality in some of the product streams. The company employs quality controllers whose task it is to check the quality of products at the end of the production process (post-process control). Ideally, quality should be checked during the process by employees and supervisors who are well trained in quality specifications. One of the areas in which the company has achieved is employment equity (EE). Both the management and supervisory teams, and the employee body are representative of the population. However, at this stage, there is no indication that EE is benefiting the organisation. There is little interaction between employees from different cultural groups, and there is continuous conflict due to different values, beliefs, behaviours, and opinions. The company is following a relatively traditional management approach based on providing employees with clear goals, instructions, and information. Although employees receive adequate training in how to carry out instructions, they often do not understand the rationale behind the instructions. Not much provision is made for upward communication between employees and managers. Status differences between management and employees are reflected in huge differences between salaries/wages and benefits, access to information, decision-making prerogatives, and even the dress code and parking allocation.
Question:
You are contracted by the Intertek Tech to help them change their culture to one that will encourage creativity, self-management, and achievement. What steps will you suggest for reengineering the existing culture or establishing a new organisational culture? Also, provide examples of specific strategies that can be used to ensure that the new culture is continuously reinforced. (10)
