An investigation into the factors impacting people in transition from institutional to virtual employment

Abstract

Charting a way forward in the 21st Century will only be possible by discovering and meeting the strategic mutual needs of customers and the service providers as committed partners. Everyone has unique value to offer which can make the difference. Transformation has thus been brought about mainly due to the immense influences that technological development of electronic information and communication have on the world and all this found its outlet in the globalisation of the world economy. In order to survive, organisations therefore had to embark on adventures in the quest to search and discover unique resources in the market as well as in processes and ultimately their human capital. It was from a position of relative strength, that one of the biggest South African financial institutions boldly launched a change initiative to secure their presence in the local financial market. While leading the challenge from the front, it was – ultimately – up to each member of staff to decide in whatever way to support the transition. Comprehensive change management workshops were presented to both management and staff. These workshops gave specific focus to the emotional journey of change relevant to all people as well as the stages of transition. These transitional stages can be shortly referred to as: o Endings – the first step in the human adjustment to change is the letting go of something – the ending. o Neutral Zone – this zone represents a period in which neither the old ways nor the new ways work satisfactorily. This zone truly encapsulates the Chinese principle of change as encompassing both challenge and danger – a chaotic time ripe with creative opportunity. o New Beginnings – without the new beginning the transition is incomplete. Beginnings only happen once individuals make an emotional commitment to do things the new way and see themselves as new people. It can however, not be scheduled or forced on people. A survey was done to establish the factors relevant to the impact of the environment (space), relationships (work&family) and lastly privacy during a time of transition. This transition’s characteristics, from the view point of the people being affected, can be summarised as a change on a no choice basis or limited choice basis. The single most important observation made from this survey is that human capital is a world filled with wonders and as the only asset in any environment that can appreciate and measure up with the challenges of the future, man was created with an ability to adapt and choose. Despite the fact that man do not know from where the wind will blow, man’s choice is that he can set the sails in order to reach the destination.