Organizational Change Capacity in Dubai Government Sector - Case Study Example

Organizational Change Capacity Case in the Government Sector Abstract The complexities and dimensions of organisational capacity for change are challenging the growth capability of government sector organisations in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Al-Khouri A 2012). A direct concern therefore is a need to explore the norm and attributes of organizational capacity for change existing in the government sector organisations and a statistical relationship between organisational capacity for change and organisational development. This research paper will generates actionable mechanisms on how to enhance the organisation’s capacity for change in Dubai’s local government based on an outline of the mainstream organizational literature on organisational capacity for change and a survey of organisations in the sector. The study will examine how government sector organizations can build sustainable change capacity and underlying relevant mechanisms or characteristics in building capacity for change. The study is guided by two research objectives: to identify the norm of organizational capacity for change, which exists and the attributes contributing to it especially for local government sector, and to explore the relationships between organizational capacity for change and organisational development in the sector. Corresponding research questions include: (i) what are the attributes that should be considered when enhancing the organisational capacity for change in government sector in Dubai? And (ii) is there a statistical relationship between organizational capacity for change and significant organisational development in the entire government sector of Dubai? The study will use quantitative research methods) due the descriptive and exploratory data needed to develop insight into organisation capacity for change and development. Quantitative approach will be primary analysis method, where data will be collected directly using questionnaire instrument to measure primary attributes. Secondly, using statistical analysis of secondary data and company records, the research will examine the relationship between organizational capacity for change and organizational development by investigating trends over the past ten years that shows organizational performance results through multivariate analysis, the correlation and regression between the two variables and the subsequent attributes of capacity for change. The study will contribute in clarifying the conceptualization of the concept of organizational capacity for change in the existing literature. In consistency with the research objectives, the study aims to underscore the attributes that could lead to a dynamic capacity for change, by looking at dynamic capabilities, areas of significant strength, and areas of improvement within the various government departments. The aspects explored are based on the premise those that sustainable change capacity is based on three primary attributes, namely: resources, learning, and infrastructure . The study will further present a discussion and reflection on the status of capacity for change in local government in Dubai, looking at what effects, if any, that the change capacity has had on existing capabilities, or on the development of new ones. A framework for understanding the status of capacity for change, as it is manifested in local government is expected to be developed. Research paper: Organisational capacity for change and development Building a capacity for change involves promoting the ability of an organisation to effectively navigate a range of changes in reaction to expectancy of the ever-changing market conditions, competitive pressure, social conditions, and market demand (Gravenhorst et al 2003). Organisational capacity for change calls for focused intervention at the understanding and acknowledgement of divergent approaches to change (micro), instituting a change that promotes effective use of resources (meso), and lastly creating a culture that facilitates organisational change. Therefore, creating capacity for change requires systematic approach that enables the organisation to tap into the human resource’s natural capacity to change and establishing it as a part of organisational life (Andriany & Djumahir 2013). A critical aspect of organisational development is that it helps in focusing attention on the social and psychological dimensions of change (Krishnan (2012). From this, linking organisational capacity for change to organisational development relates to how an organization can leverage the capability it owns, both managerial abilities as its intangible capability and intangible organizational capabilities, to make use of capabilities in transforming threats into opportunities in order to realise organisational development (Ray 2011). Organizational development plays an important role in determining the ability of an organization to cope with changes (Cameron 2012). To establish determine an organisation’s capacity for change, variables to be examined should include the gaps between the organisation’s current and desired performance. Additional variables include organisational communication, structure, leadership, strategy, or culture (Ganesh 2010). In line with the three elements of organisational change capacity framework suggested by Meyer & Stensaker (2006) (which include building the capacity to implement subsequent changes), to maintain daily operations and to implement single change, the capacity for change can be determined by examining three interrelated factors, such as people, enablement, and business complexity. There are eight dimensions for organisational capacity for change; four of which focus on human capital and the other four on social infrastructure (Andriany & Djumahir 2013). Those focused on human efforts (people) include trustworthy leaders, capable champions, trusting followers, and involved middle management, while those focused on social infrastructure include systems thinking, communication thinking, innovative culture, and accountable culture (Judge 2011). Research problem and objective United Arab Emirates (UAE) has in the last two decades made progress in increasing use of e-government and other ICT technologies to increase the level of technology diffusion and participation (Lerner et al, 2011). Dubai’s government has been at the forefront of a new model for development, and it is now positioned to take that model further based on the entrepreneurial orientation, or the tendency to engage its sectors in commercial activities for purposes of increasing its revenue base (Ahren, 2012). In order to sustain these new developments, the integration and maintenance of the capacity for change into the next phase of its growth is essential. Indeed, the Dubai Strategy plan 2007-2013 highlights the need for excellence and continuous improvement and outlines the need to: Address the organisational capacity for change in the government sector of Dubai based on its attributes. Discover the relationship between organisational capacity for change and organisational development based on performance results. Studies have showed that many public sector organizations are vulnerable to global competition, limited supply of human skills and resources, and constrained domestic market (Christensen & Gazley, 2008). These organizations have experienced problems associated with effectiveness, accessibility, and efficiency of public service delivery, which have affected their growth and development. Current studies also suggest that UAE has challenges bordering a broader organization development agenda that drives government organizations towards efficiency and productivity (Al-Khouri 2012). These government organisations also use one-size-fits-all approach, which has undermined the emergence of flexible organizations that are responsive to changing and complex circumstances within their broader and institutional environment (Kearney & Kruger 2013). Studies have also established that government departments face challenges in reaching sustainable success and in achieving superior performance in delivering services to stakeholders in the most effective and efficient ways (Shipton et.al 2013). Therefore, an immediate concern is a need to explore the norm and attributes of organizational capacity for change existing in the government sector organisations and a statistical relationship between organisational capacity for change and organisational development. This will help determine how government sector organizations can build sustainable change capacity and underlying relevant mechanisms or characteristics in building capacity for change. Consistent with the problem statement, the study will aim to: Identify the norm of organizational capacity for change, which exists and the attributes contributing to it in the government sector in Dubai. Explore the relationships between organizational capacity for change and organisational development in the entire government sector of Dubai. Drawing from the aims of the study, the research questions developed are as follows: What are the attributes that should be considered when enhancing the organisational capacity for change in government sector in Dubai? Is there a statistical relationship between organizational capacity for change and significant organisational development in the entire government sector of Dubai? From the research objectives and questions, the underlying hypotheses include: Organisational attributes (such as organisational learning, organisational resources, and organisational infrastructure) enhance organisational capacity for change and development in government sector in Dubai. There is a relationship between organization capacity for change and development. Independent and dependent research variables develop from the research hypotheses. The independent variable include Organisational change capacity (OCC), which is defined as the capability to apply the tradition organizational managerial and organisational capability to allow an organization to adapt to the changing business environment and to survive through these conditions (Buono and Kerber 2009). The dependent variable is organization development (OD), which describes deliberate efforts aimed at improving an organization's performance to attain strategic goals (Buono and Kerber 2009). Research methodology This study will explore the relationship between organizational capacity for change and organizational development. The primary data collection method will be through questionnaire, which will be distributed to senior managers, middle management officers, and front line executives (equal random representative sample). The questionnaire will comprise several check questions to ensure the objectivity of the responding managers in completing the questionnaire. The instrument will be developed based on combination of tested instrument such as OCC (William Judge 2010) , ACIA ( Cameron 2011 ), OCC ( Ramazani 2013 ) which used to measure OCC attributes perhaps in different context or one attribute in particular . Secondary data will also be generated from performance assessment results based on the excellence model used by the Dubai Government Excellence Program (DGEP) along with the government performance trend results from government sector published assessment scores. Considering that organisational development shifts take a number of years to permeate the local government, the considerations made include: Consideration of organization capacity for change with respect to the dimensions of organisational capacity for change. Examining organisations performance assessment results for the last 10 years to look at the trend for development. In this regard the data analysis, the study used the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) to analyse responses. Regression analysis was also needed to explore the relationship between the research variables, including organization capacity for change and organisation development on the one hand and dimensions of organisational capacity for change and the organisations industry on the other. The Organisational Capacity for Change (OCC) model proposes eight dimensions (effective communication, accountable culture, systems thinking, trusting followers, innovative culture, capable champions, involved mid management and trustworthy leadership) (Ray, 2011; Judge, 2010). This present study however proposes to adopt six dimensions (team collaboration, knowledge management, strategic performance, organizational growth, organizational communication, and stakeholder’s satisfaction) of organizational performance to explore organizational development to test the hypothesis that they enhance organisational capacity for change and development in government sector in Dubai. There is a range of quantitative method of research design that can be used in this regards, such as sequential and simultaneous designs. Since the study is interested in exploring organisational capacity in organisations in Dubai, exploratory sequential strategy will be used, where the quantitative examination of data will be used in identifying variables that will in turn be used in developing a survey instrument to be used on a larger sample. Hence, the researcher will use quantitative method, where the quantitative data will build on the qualitative data. The quantitative data will be acquired through questionnaires, and annual reports on department performance for the last ten years. The quantitative data will assist in generalising the findings by exploring the dimension from the sample. Reference List Al-Khouri, A 2012, "Corporate Government Strategy Development: A Case Study," Business Management Dynamics vol.2 no.1, pp.05-24 Andriany, L & Djumahir, M 2013, "Organisational Change Capacity, Environmental Uncertainty, and Organisation Performance Studies on Traditional Retail Ownership of Chinese and non-Chinese in Malang," IOSR Journal of Business and Management vol 8 no 4, pp.28-39 Cameron, E, 2012, Making Sense of Change Management: A Complete Guide to the Models Tools and Techniques of Organizational Change, Kogan Publishers Christensen, R & Gazley, B 2008, "Capacity For Public Administration: Analysis Of Meaning And Measurement," Public Administration and Development 28(4): 265-279. Ganesh, S, 2010, Organizational communication in an age of globalization: Issues, reflections, practices, Waveland Press. Gravenhorst, B & Werkman, R & Boonstra, J 2003, "The Change Capacity of Organisations: General Assessment and Five Configurations," Applied Psychology: An International Review, vol. 52 no. 1, pp.83-105 Judge, W & Douglasm T 2009, "Organizational change capacity: the systematic development of a scale", Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 22 Iss: 6, pp.635 – 649 Judge, W 2011, Building Organizational Capacity for Change: The Leader's New Mandate, Business Expert Press, New York Kearney, W & Kruger, H 2013, "A Framework For Good Corporate Governance And Organisational Learning – An Empirical Study," International Journal of Cyber-Security and Digital Forensics (IJCSDF) vol 2 no1, pp.36-47 Krishnan, V 2012,"Transformational leadership and personal outcomes: empowerment as mediator", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, vol. 33 Iss, 6 pp. 550 – 563 Meyer, C & Stensaker, I 2006, “Developing capacity for change. 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