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Accepting change as part of organisational life: Does this resonate with high-change organisations in South Africa?

Does this resonate with high-change organisations in South Africa?

Yolandi Slabbert
University of South Africa
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Accepting change as part of organisational life: Does this resonate with high-change organisations in South Africa?. (2022). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 37(2), 127-149. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v37i2.1559
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  • Submited: October 10, 2022
  • Published: October 11, 2022

Abstract

This article proposes a new concept, co-change-orientated communication (co-COC), which
encapsulates the daily social and communication processes of organisational members in
making sense of change from a critical strategic communication perspective. Guided by an
evolutionary approach to concept development, this article aims to quantitatively measure the
pragmatic relevance of identified attributes and antecedents of co-COC to the development of
a fully-fledged concept at six high-change South African organisations. An exploratory factor
analysis confirmed that co-COC is attributed by meaningful dialogue, employee engagement,
collaboration and co-creation, and the encouragement of dissent. It is bottom-up in nature and
enabled by the antecedents of organisational agility, leadership agility, a change-able culture
and stakeholder engagement. Co-COC further extends theoretical development on the need for
change in approaches to communication that support ongoing organisational change and hasve
potential to assist communication professionals to recognise the need and pragmatic relevance of
contemporary developments in strategic communication. The various antecedents and attributes
of co-COC could also provide organisations with guidance on the implementation of changeorientated
communication approaches in support of ongoing organisational change.

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How to Cite
Accepting change as part of organisational life: Does this resonate with high-change organisations in South Africa?. (2022). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 37(2), 127-149. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v37i2.1559

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