The relationship between organisational culture and organisational performance: a study conducted within a large South African retail organisation
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The underlying problem that prompted this study was to determine whether a relationship existed between organisational culture and organisational performance within a South African organisation. The research problem, furthermore, not only focused on establishing a relationship between aspects of organisational culture and performance, but also on whether variations in the perception of organisational culture are related to organisational performance, i.e. whether the degree to which the organisational culture is widespread or shared among members of the organisation, is related to organisational performance. To answer this question, six hypotheses were formulated with the intention of subjecting them to statistical analysis. The Competence Process of Jay Hall (1996) was used to provide a theoretical framework in terms of which the relationship between the constituent dimensions of organisational culture and organisational performance may be explained. Based on the competence theory it is hypothesised that the dimensions of organisational culture or competence - collaboration, commitment, creativity and the supporting conditions thereof, are directly proportional to the potential for performance. The 40-item Organisational Competence Index (OCI), which forms part of the Organisation Culture Analysis (OCA), is designed to assess the conditions for competence within an organisation. The sampling process finally produced a sample of 988 respondents that completed the organisational culture questionnaires (OCls). The organisation was divided into 60 areas or business units that were stratified throughout the organisation. A stratified sampling technique was therefore used, and the above mentioned geographical subdivisions were used as strata. Because of the all-pervasive nature of accounting as the language of business, financially based indicators are universally adopted to measure organisational performance. Taking the various arguments and proposed measures into consideration, it was decided to use the following three objective performance criteria: 1) financial profits; 2) stock losses; and 3) labour turnover - (indicative of the voluntary survival rate). Commercial organisations ultimately have one important "bottom line", to create wealth for all associated with the organisation and therefore to be financially successful. Thus, the indicators of organisational performance that were used are all directly relevant and based on the so-called financial "bottom line" of the organisation. To determine the relationship between the average organisational culture scores and the performance indicators, the product moment correlation coefficients were computed between each area's average organisational culture dimension scores and the three indicators of performance. Commuting the coefficient of variation arrived at the variation in average culture dimension scores per area. To establish the relationship between the variation in average culture dimension scores and the performance indicators, the correlation coefficients were computed between the coefficient of variation and the performance measures. All of these relationships were found to be significant, at least at the 0.05 level. The findings and conclusions arrived at, may be summarised as follows: The first conclusion that can be drawn is that the business units in which the members experience collaboration and the supporting conditions thereof to a greater degree are likely to be more profitable, to experience fewer stock losses and lower labour turnover, compared to those business units where members experience the collaboration dimension to a lesser degree. The second conclusion that can be drawn is that the business units in which the members experience commitment and the supporting conditions thereof to a greater degree are likely to be more profitable, to experience fewer stock losses and lower labour turnover compared to those business units where members experience the commitment dimension to a lesser degree. The third conclusion that can be drawn is that the business units in which the members experience creativity and the supporting conditions thereof to a greater degree are likely to be more profitable, to experience fewer stock losses and lower labour turnover compared to those business units where members experience the creativity dimension to a lesser degree. The fourth conclusion that can be drawn is that the business units in which the members experience the dimensions of competence and the supporting conditions thereof to a lesser degree of variance are likely to be more profitable, to experience fewer stock losses and lower labour turnover compared to those business units where members experience the culture dimensions to a greater degree of variance. In more practical terms, it would seem that the dimensions of competence might well explain why some business units (possibly organisations) are more successful than others.
Please refer to this item in SUNScholar by using the following persistent URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/52008
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Worldwide, energy has been, and continues to be, key to economic development. However, the current global consensus is that energy-related carbon dioxide emissions would, at current rates, put the world onto a potentially catastrophic trajectory which could lead to global warming of 5 degree Celsius or more compared to pre-industrial times. There is a critical need for a low-carbon development or a move away from conventional fossil fuels energy sources. This study explores impacts of policies that South Africa developed in order to champion sustainable energy strategies based on energy efficiency and non-conventional energy sources, including renewable energy. The mining sector, because of its energy-intensive nature, was chosen. In order to achieve this objective three approaches were carried out: (i) a critical review of literature on energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE) ; (ii) two case-studies that demonstrate the impacts of the policies; and (iii) action research on a sample of mines using survey questionnaire and interviewing. The research results show that the need to have security in energy and the need to be competitive and grow revenue are significant in deciding to carry out EE and RE initiatives in the mining sector. The results also show that safety followed by production are the priorities and are accompanied by a range of other demands, such as cost reduction and legislative requirements. It is, therefore, within this context that EE and RE initiative will always be carried out in the mining sector. The research concludes that, under the current market framework, South African EE and RE policies are not as effective as hoped they would be. The research, therefore, recommends that a percentage of the mines’ revenue could be dedicated to EE and RE initiatives. In addition, South Africa needs to come up with a new type of productive endeavour that would lead to less extractive industries, including mines.
Please refer to this item in SUNScholar by using the following persistent URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/96668