Investigating causes of staff turnover at the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture.

Abstract

It has been observed that high employee turnover at the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture has adversely impacted on morale, efficiency and stability. From 2010 to 2014 sixty nine employees have left the KZN Department of Arts and Culture which has 464 employees in total. Out of the sixty nine, forty nine (49) took transfers or resigned whilst the rest retired or died. Whatever reasons for their leaving there seems to be a common factor which is the way in which the department is being managed. The purpose of this study was to determine the causes of high staff turnover, that is, whether it could be attributed to management and to recommend some tools, techniques, and policies that could be implemented to curb the problem. The basis for the research was a complexity theory and adaptive systems. An attempt was made to determine if what pertains in the department is in sync with the complexity theory driven organizational management style. The study triangulated, using quantitative and qualitative research design. Questionnaires were administered to thirty two former employees of the KZN Department of Arts and Culture, and supplemented by interviews conducted with thirty two current KZN Department of Arts and Culture employees. The quantitative data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and the qualitative data was analyzed using the thematic analysis approach called the Constant Comparison Method. The study found that a high level of turnover in the KZN Department of Arts and Culture was caused by different factors, many of which were related to senior management. Senior management did not ascertain that policies that directly affected employees, inter-alia, recruitment policy, induction policy, communication policy and retention policy, were implemented without favour or prejudice. They also did not ensure that issues such as job satisfaction surveys and exit interviews were conducted and that the results thereof were seen to be influencing future decisions with a view to improving employee morale. While the study has not reported on all government departments in KwaZulu-Natal, it does identify factors that may lead to high level of turnover in organisations and recommends some complexity theory related techniques and tools that could be used to minimize unwanted staff turnover.

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