Transitioning through management change : the experiences of community learning centre educators

Abstract

BACKGROUND : When Public Adult Learning Centres (PALCs) were transferred to the Department of Higher Education and Training and renamed as Community Learning Centres (CLCs), educators increasingly experienced insecurity about the continuity and stability of their employment. OBJECTIVE : This article, which aimed to address this gap, presented a multiple case study design within an interpretivist paradigm. Drawing on Kurt Lewin’s three-stage theory as an underpinning theoretical framework, we explored the educators’ experiences and the effects of the transitioning. METHOD : Data were collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews with 6 African male teachers between the ages of 35 and 50 years. RESULTS : Our findings suggested that educators became anxious and insecure regarding their jobs. They became aggrieved because they were not consulted on or communicated with regarding the transitioning and management change in the CLCs. Educators experienced dissatisfaction, disillusionment, stress, confusion and depression and feared for the loss of their jobs because of the change in work environment and management. CONCLUSION : Recommendations that the Departments of Education should ensure that employees have a sound knowledge and understanding of the issues of transition and change management were implied. Consultation, communication, training and development should have been planned for all educators affected by the transitioning to avoid stress and anxiety amongst employees.