The nature of responses of survivors to downsizing: the case of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology

Abstract

The study's principal objective was to identify the survivors' responses and the factors influencing their appraisal of downsizing within the civil service of Kenya. Explaining survivor responses to downsizing and the factors influencing those responses is considered a manager's first step towards the management of this phenomenon. This helps managers stem a variety of dysfunctional consequences that downsizing can have on surviving employees. The researcher was motivated by the fact that a large number of organizations, the world over, have and continue to downsize inorder to transform organizations. These transformations ultimately result to laid - off workers and surviving employees. And although laid-off workers have had to pay a high price due to loss of jobs and income, the effects on employees who survive have been substantial as well. To achieve the stated objective, the study was conducted on the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in Kenya. The target respondents were all employees of the Ministry who are based in Nairobi. The results indicate that a number of responses are exhibited by surviving employees. Among them are reduced work motivation, emotional problems, fear, insecurity, mistrust, job stress, tension and anxiety. Further, the study shows that various factors influence survivors' responses. These include planning, selection, compensation, communication, participation, job reallocation and management's attitude. The study provides guidance to managers who anticipate future organizational downsizing and those in the process of downsizing. Although implementation of downsizing does make an explicit difference to employees, the study also points out the importance of long-term planning and managerial relationships. In this way, downsizing is to be seen not as a short-term fix but, rather, a long-term investment in the human resources of the organization. The study has pointed out both the negative /destructive and the positive/constructive responses that survivors of downsizing exhibit. Although the study also identified factors that influence the occurrences of these responses, survivor responses have been found out to be dynamic. This therefore implies that effective management of surviving employees will depend on the presence and adequacy of a number of factors that include advance information, selection processes, training, compensation and management attitudes. The study further suggests that a similar study be undertaken using one category of employees, or one specific cadre of employees, as the target respondents. This will avail an opportunity to cross-check the findings in this study.