Abstract

NYAMUNDA, John. The COVID 19 pandemic as a driving force for transformational change in organisations. JCMAN [online]. 2022, vol.19, n.1, pp.198-218. ISSN 1815-7440.  http://dx.doi.org/10.35683/jcm21023.143.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: The COVID 19 pandemic forced widespread personal and organisational changes by a scale never experienced before in this generation. It was a driving force which triggered changes in organisations and people. This study uses Kurt Lewin's (1951) model of change to investigate the degree of organisational change and whether the changes implemented by organisations are temporary or transformational. The Kurt Lewin model postulates that change occurs when driving forces overcome restraining forces and/or when restraining forces weakenDESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A survey was conducted among 293 working professionals occupying different hierarchical levels in different size organisationsFINDINGS: The results showed that a significant majority of organisations (83.3%) changed processes due to the impact of the pandemic. In addition, most respondents acknowledged that they have changed their work processes and are now comfortable with the newly adopted processes. Despite the widespread adoption of these new processes, about 51.9% of respondents still think that their old processes were more effective. Notwithstanding the nostalgia, it is unlikely that most organisations will revert to old processes post pandemic, as new norms are already forming around the newly adopted processesRECOMMENDATIONS/VALUE: It is recommended that organisations investigate the impact of the changes brought about by the pandemic on organisational culture and effectiveness of performance management practicesMANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS: Managers should work on building strong functional and collaborative teams supportive of the new norms emerging after the pandemicJEL CLASSIFICATION: M10

Keywords : COVID 19; Field Force theory; Kurt Lewin's change model; the three steps of change; Transformational change.

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