Leadership guidelines in transforming the public sector

D.Phil.The aim of this study was to develop a clearly defined theoretical concept for organisational change to facilitate effective change leadership within state-owned entities. A modernist qualitative methodology, with casing as research design and grounded theory as research strategy, was employed to develop the concept. Six employees of a state-owned entity were selected as research participants by means of purposive sampling. Their experience of change was explored with a view to developing the construct. Various data-collection methods were used, the principal ones being semi-structured interviews and participant observation. These yielded rich, descriptive data that was systematically analysed by utilising grounded theory methodology. On conclusion of the data analysis, the literature on the most current change constructs (theories and models) of organisational change was reviewed. The results of this review informed the member-checking phase, which was aimed at substantiating the newly developed construct. Although certain shortcomings emerged, the main aim of the study was achieved. The guidelines provided in the literature were followed to ensure a quality and trustworthy study. Thus the study should not only contribute to practical change management guidelines for the state-owned entities, but also deepen theoretical knowledge of organisational social change. Furthermore, the in-depth description of the application of grounded theory and my personal experience thereof should contribute to the application of this construct in other organisational settings. Recommendations for further studies conclude the dissertation