Abstract
The transformation of the South African higher education landscape resulted in, among other things, the merger of three distance education institutions: Unisa, VUDEC and TSA. The macro level of the merger will no doubt be studied in detail. This article explores a micro level process for two departments merged by a top-down decision that did not take cognisance of their dissimilar functions and structures. The result was both a merger and a demerging process. The two departments first had to confront the realities of their different functions and structures before a reconfiguration could occur, including the emergence of a strategic plan focusing on aspects such as specific contribution, drivers, objectives and structure. The change management principles adopted to ensure the success of the process are outlined, analysed and reflected upon.
Highlights
Die gedaanteverandering van die hoëropvoedkundigelandskap in Suid-Afrika het, onder andere, die samesmelting van drie afstandsonderriginstansies, naamlik University of South Africa (Unisa), VUDEC en Technikon South Africa (TSA) tot gevolg gehad
This article describes the merger between the University of South Africa (Unisa), Technikon South Africa (TSA) and the distance education campus of Vista University (Vudec) as a background to a discussion of the merger between two departments from the former Unisa and TSA: the Bureau for Learning Development (BLD) and the Centre for Courseware Design and Development (CCDD) respectively
The evidence sources used were university merger documentation, documents produced by the merged department that is the focus of this article – the Institute for Curriculum and Learning Development (ICLD), the results of a questionnaire evaluating the director of the ICLD at the end of 2004, focus group interviews in the department in mid-2005 and participant observation
Summary
Mergers have become an established part of life, in the corporate environment (Brousseau, 1989). In the Unisa-TSA-Vudec merger, after some initial opposition – including legal proceedings against the Minister of Education – top management members and Councils began to communicate, negotiate and plan. Implementation at macro level: 3 to one On 1 January 2004 Unisa merged with TSA to form the new comprehensive University of South Africa. This was certainly the perception in early 2004 and possibly it remains a reality for some people as change happens at different rates for different people It was after January 2004 that the focus expanded from the macro to the micro level and the majority of individual departments at the new institution started to be intensively involved in the merger. One has to conclude that the new management had no communications plan, based on perceptions of poor performance in this area
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