Abstract
M.Comm.
South Africa is in transition. Changes are taking place on the
political, social and economic fronts at an increasingly rapid pace.
Past practices and wisdom are being openly challenged.
Enterprise/Corporate managers today are deeply concerned with
two major dilemma. Firstly to fully mobilise the energy of the
organisation's human resources toward achievement of the
organisation's performance objectives. Secondly to organise the
work, the work environment, the communication systems, and the
relationships of people.
To resolve this dilemma in our rapidly changing environment, new
organisation fon-ns must be developed. More effective goal setting
and planning processes must be learned. Practised teams of
interdependent people must spend real time improving their
methods of working, decision-making and communicating.
Competing or conflicting groups must move towards a collaborative
way of work. In order for these changes to occur and be
maintained, a planned, managed change effort is necessary - a
program of affirmative action.
This dissertation is about affirmative action in employment, and the
development of people in organisations. These two concepts
overlap in the sense that affirmative action is (or should be) about
the development of black people and women but not at the
expense of competent white men who are already part of an
organisation.