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Employee Transition throughout an Appreciative Inquiry Intervention

Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2016.

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Other Authors: Verster, John
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: University of Pretoria 2017
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access_status_str Open Access
author2 Verster, John
author_browse Verster, John
author_facet Verster, John
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv © 2016 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
description Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2016.
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institution University of Pretoria (South Africa)
language English
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license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
publishDate 2017
publishDateRange 2017
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publisher University of Pretoria
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spelling oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/58701 Employee Transition throughout an Appreciative Inquiry Intervention Verster, John Maxton, Philip John UCTD Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2016. As the practice of organisational development (OD) bifurcates into the traditional form of diagnostic OD and the emerging form of dialogic OD (Bushe & Marshak, 2009) it is especially important to obtain a better theoretical understanding of dialogic OD. This need is particularly true of Appreciative Inquiry (AI) as the most prominent form of dialogic OD. The purpose of the research was to build on current theory underlying AI. The specific research question addressed was: In the course of an AI intervention aimed at transformational organisational change, how do transitioning individual employees feel and make sense for themselves? The research adopted a multiple-case study design with a predominantly qualitative methodology. A form of theory-driven evaluation known as realist evaluation (Pawson & Tilley, 1997)—comprising of context-mechanism-outcome pattern configurations—was applied. The purposively selected sample consisted of six employees who had not transitioned well following an earlier diagnostic OD intervention with a comparable change objective. Data were collected longitudinally using a combination of diary prompts, direct observation, and interviews. The main findings indicate that: (a) three conceptually independent types of cognitive outcome patterns can occur under AI; (b) during-AI contexts of positivity-orientated activities and a safe environment each predispose transition towards particular types of cognitive outcome patterns; (c) certain pre-AI contexts, such as dogmatism at the level of the individual, influence the degree of transition; and (d) certain reflective mechanisms link particular contexts and affective outcome patterns. The findings of the study build on, and are partly presented in the format of Bushe’s (2013b) facets of generativity model and an analytic framework is presented which offers a “way of seeing” transition under an AI intervention. By studying employee transition under AI in a well-specified research design, using clearly defined and well operationalised constructs, the research contributes theory which is substantially more comprehensive than previously available and from which testable propositions can be developed. It thereby overcomes concerns of authors such as Golembiewski (2000) and Bushe (2007) regarding the incompatibility of AI—with its basis in social constructionism—and “rigorous” research. Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) PhD Unrestricted 2017-01-31T06:28:53Z 2017-01-31T06:28:53Z 2016 2016 Thesis Maxton, PJ 2016, Employee Transition throughout an Appreciative Inquiry Intervention, PhD Thesis, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd <http://hdl.handle.net/2263/58701> http://hdl.handle.net/2263/58701 en © 2016 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria
spellingShingle UCTD
Employee Transition throughout an Appreciative Inquiry Intervention
title Employee Transition throughout an Appreciative Inquiry Intervention
title_full Employee Transition throughout an Appreciative Inquiry Intervention
title_fullStr Employee Transition throughout an Appreciative Inquiry Intervention
title_full_unstemmed Employee Transition throughout an Appreciative Inquiry Intervention
title_short Employee Transition throughout an Appreciative Inquiry Intervention
title_sort employee transition throughout an appreciative inquiry intervention
topic UCTD
url http://hdl.handle.net/2263/58701