Nested complexities: navigating new organisational culture in the post-crisis era in South Africa

Abstract

In the current competitive business environment, the issue of sound organisational culture is gaining hegemony as it plays a quintessential role in organisational growth and talent retention. While there is an array of organisational culture literature, there is a paucity of studies that have looked at new organisational culture in the post-pandemic era in South Africa. Informed by Edgar Schein’s organisational culture model, the study sought to investigate the challenges and influences of new organisational culture in Higher education in the post-crisis era. The study adopted a qualitative research approach and used semi-structured interviews as the primary instrument for collecting data from 18 employees in South Africa. The findings of this study identified difficulties in adapting to change, digital technology accessibility, the inadequacy of resources, lack of leadership support, and lack of training and team-building initiatives as the main challenges and influences associated with the new organisational culture.