The role of leaders in the effective implementation of transformational initiatives in South African gold mines

Abstract

Acting on behalf of the its executive council, the Chamber of Mines of South Africa conducted research into the impediments to improvements to health and safety in the mining industry. The study concluded that there was a need for a transformational change of the mining culture to embed health and safety as part and parcel of production. The study further concluded that the involvement of senior executives and underground mineworkers was critical to the success of the initiative. This was to ensure that the initiative does not end with the people who were running it in the mines.This study led to the implementation of the MOSH Leading Practice Adoption System which was intended to ensure that the culture of health and safety was embedded in the culture of the mining industry to an extend where mineworkers were perceived, and saw themselves, as part of the decision process specifically on health and safety.The leaders of the mining industry were critical in creating an environment that would ensure that impediments to the transformational initiative were removed as well as creating incentives for the change initiative.This research was conducted in 2012 with the objectives of establishing the role played by leaders in the effective implementation of transformational initiatives with a specific focus on the MOSH Leading Practice Adoption System. To establish this qualitiative research was conducted with a group of underground mineworkers and mine officials who wer part of the transformational initiative.The findings of this research, supported the findings of a survey conducted early in the year that the transformational initiative did not achieve the intended results of transforming the behaviours and attitudes of underground mineworkers.Literature is sparse on transformational initiatives that are industry-wide as the MOSH Leading Practice Adoption System was. Based on Organisational Development and Transformation principles, recommendations are made on how an industry-wide initiative could be successfully implemented.