Chapter 1: Introduction
Management style has a significant impact on the productivity of any team in an organisation. In different organisations, managers adopt dissimilar leadership styles to help them to achieve efficiency in various functions within the firms. One of the challenges that organisations continue facing is determining the best style that will efficiently lead to realising set organisational objectives. According to Candy (2016), however, effective leadership styles are dependent on the manager’s ability to comprehend a situation and his/her environment that may include the corporate culture, and employees, among others.
Background of the Organisation and Description of the Issue at Hand
The organisation that has been engaged in the study is Access UK Ltd, which has about 1500 employees working across the nation. In addition, another company called Safe Computing Ltd joined the Access Group in 2017 where its main business segment is the front office, payroll, and financial software development. Safe Computing Ltd has a team called Safe Outsourcing, which deals with the management of both payroll and credit control. The department of interest in the research paper is the outsourced payroll team. The department is currently comprised of two teams: weekly and monthly teams where each facilitates the payroll processes using different software. The primary duty of the weekly team is to operate payrolls for the recruitment industry where a timesheet-based payroll and resulting recharge invoices are required. The monthly team, on the other hand, is tasked to process monthly payrolls; an activity done while focusing on the user managed front office imports and human resources data, which is a more classical system of the payroll. The differences in duties and nature of payrolls that are developed have caused a considerable division within the department hindering the productivity of the team. The problem that is apparent from having two different teams is that they are not able to cover each other since they perform their duties using dissimilar software and basic resources. To ensure that the productivity of the teams is not interfered with, cross training on the different payroll software can be done so that the department can work as one.
Aim of the Study
The aim of the study is to explore the most effective approach and management style that will facilitate the efficient merging of two teams in order to create a more positive and unified environment that will lead to increased team productivity.
Research Objectives
The primary objectives of the study are:
• To ascertain team members feelings on the change
• To find out the most effective management styles to facilitate change
• To examine the most effective/e change management methods
• To identify the management style and change method/model to use after merging the two teams
• To make conclusions and recommendations based on the findings of the study
Rationale
Management styles are essential to the success of any organisation, and the style to use is what determines the achievement. The current situation at Access Group UK Ltd shows that methods of management are not considered within the department. The situation calls for a more effective management style that can be embraced in order to foster productivity and positivity within the department and staff. Imperative to note is that merging the teams can have a significant benefit to the department and company as a whole. A plethora of literature shows that the right management style and method, when implemented effectively, can have a positive change. The current situation within the organisation shows that there is a strong division between the teams. Therefore, division may not necessarily mean that the teams will oppose the change. The most vital thing to note is that the change can only be implemented if the most effective way to handle the transformations is identified. Mainly, the result will prevent loss of staff and poor services to customers. Candy (2016) provides different management styles that an organisation can adopt. While the description of these styles is found in many studies, the impact that each management approach may have on merging two teams is little known. Consequently, there is need for identifying a suitable change management style that can be used in order to ensure a successful outcome when the two teams are merged.
 
Chapter 2: Literature Review
According to Belias, D. and Koustelios, (2014, p. 1) change and leadership within an organisation has the capability to influence the organisational culture. Therefore, in a world where the technological environment is experiencing rapid developments, organisations that seek to gain competitive advantage and survive in the market need to adapt making relevant changes constantly. Hao, and Yazdanifard, (2015, p. 4) state that effective leadership is critical to facilitate change through innovation and improvement. Evidently, in the current organisations, leaders are constantly navigating the dynamic change in standards, mobility, technology, consolidation, succession, cultural values, and the global economy, among others. In order to understand the impact that a management style has on merging two teams and their productivity, it is essential to look at past studies on how to manage change in an organisation as well as the various types of management styles.
Types of Management Styles
Henri (2004, p. 93) states that effective organisation management is the art of ensuring that employees are brought together on a common platform and allow them to exploit their full potential. The style of management adopted within an organisation plays a crucial role in building a strong bond amongst employees and making them embrace team spirit. Management has the responsibility to ensure that employees get job satisfaction in order to perform their duties with diligence. To create ambiance in an organisation, management should understand its employees and work towards fulfilling their expectations. There are various management styles that an organisational leader can apply including autocratic, paternalistic, democratic, Laissez-Faire, as well management by walking around (MBWA).
Autocratic Style
According to Bhatti, Maitlo, Shaikh, Hashmi, and Shaikh, (2012, p. 192) autocratic style of management involves situations where the superior employees disregard any inputs from their subordinates. Top-level management such as managers and superiors are the only ones responsible for decision-making without taking into consideration any ideas from the rest of the employees (Bhatti et al. 2012, 193). In this type of leadership, employees depend solely on their bosses to make decisions and are not allowed to contribute in matters affecting them internally or externally. Subordinates working in an organisation with this type of leadership style often lack morale and job satisfaction (Bhatti et al. 2012).Therefore, in an autocratic style the role of the subordinates is simply to adhere to the policies and guidelines that have been formulated by their superiors. The shortcoming of this style is that employees are not motivated in any way.
Paternalistic Style
In this type of style, managers make decisions on what is best for employees and the company. According to Pellegrini, and Scandura, (2008, p. 566) the paternalistic style is where the leader treats partners and employees as members of their extended family. The leaders establish policies that are beneficial to both employees and the organisation. Unlike autocratic style, paternalistic puts into consideration the suggestions and feedback of subordinates in making decisions. The style provides an opportunity for employees to contribute towards the growth of the company and hence, making them remains loyal and feel attached to the organisation (Pellegrini, and Scandura, 2008, p. 566). When applying a paternalistic approach of management, it fosters employees’ motivation and makes them enjoy performing their duties.
Democratic Style of Working
In a democratic style of working, leaders consider suggestions of the other employees (Bhatti et al. 2012, p. 192). In applying this leadership style, all employees participate in an open forum in order to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the ideas and suggested plans. According to Bhatti et al. (2012, p. 192), this style of management encourages healthy and effective communication between the employees and the management. The organisation managers listen to their employees’ suggestions before concluding on any issue.
Laissez-Faire Style of Working
Another style of management is the Laissez-Faire. In this style, leaders or managers do not take part in decision-making; instead, they are allow employees to make decisions and research has found that it leads to the lowest productivity (Chaudhry, and Javed, 2012, p. 2). The employees of an organisation manage their work and take decisions on their own. It is a type of management where individuals who are innovative and have dreams of taking the organisation to the next level, outshine other employees who do not make any significant contribution. Employees do not depend much on the managers and understand what is right and wrong for the organisation.
Management by Walking Around
The final management style that organisation s can adopt is management by walking around. In adopting the style, leaders consider themselves as an important part of the organisation’s team and are good listeners (Tucker, & Singer, 2015, p. 253). The managers often interact with the rest of the employees in order to identify any concerns and issues that might be present. In this style, the manager acts as a mentor and provides guidance to employees whenever it is needed (Tucker, & Singer, 2015, p. 253). Managers practicing the style are rarely in the office. Often they walk around to hear and resolve any problems that might hinder improved productivity.
Impact of Leadership Styles on Employees’ Attitude
The study by Asrar-ul-Haq and Kuchinke (2016, p. 54) explores how leadership styles of managers relate to employees’ performance based on various variables. Specifically, the study examines transformational, transactional and laissez-faire leadership styles through a sample of 224 subordinates from five different banks in Pakistan. Asrar-ul-Haq and Kunchike (2016, p. 54) sought to determine the relationship between these styles of leadership and the performance characteristics such as the effectiveness of leaders, satisfaction with leaders and leaders’ readiness to put extra effort. A descriptive statistic was used in demonstrating the various demographics of the sample under study. The findings revealed that, of all the three styles, transformational leadership had the greatest impact on all the factors under consideration; i.e., extra effort, effectiveness, commitment to organisation and satisfaction (Asrar-ul-Haq and Kunchike, 2016). The results also established that transformational leadership significantly influenced the effectiveness, job satisfaction, and extra effort. Laissez-faire leadership style, on the other hand, showed a negative correlation with effectiveness, and job satisfaction (Asrar-ul-Haq and Kunchike, 2016, p.54). For transactional leadership style, Asrar-ul-Haq and Kunchike (2016, p. 54) found out that it had a mixed relationship with the variables. A reward system was identified as an important determinant of satisfaction while no aspect of a transactional style of leadership was seen to have any relationship with the variables (Asrar-ul-Haq and Kunchike, 2016, p. 54). The findings of the research indicated that transformational leadership is largely effective among banks in Pakistan.
Overcoming Resistance to Change
According to Jansen (2000, p.53), the fear of losing a job is one of the primary reasons why employees resist change in the organisation. In the workplace, there will always be changes made to improve efficiency and the general performance of the company. Therefore, the employees need to be assured that even thou job more job opportunities are created for experienced personnel, their job is safe. Moreover, the company needs to communicate with the employees to make sure that they are aware of the changes to be made (Talke and Heidenreich 2014, p.898). Lack of proper communication leads to resistance since the interaction between the employee and the company managers prepares both parties for what is yet to come. The organisation should be clear on the process of change, what is to be changed and how it should be changed (Jansen 2000, p.53). When an employee starts to gossip and rumble about expected changes which have not been communicated, uncertainty is created and therefore fear for the unknown reigns over the workers leading to resistance. Catalysts to the above are speculations and assumptions, and thus, the management should be transparent with the staff in every situation concerning the organisation.
The organisation should ensure that they structure or manage the employees to maximise their potentials while performing specific tasks (Talke and Heidenreich 2014, p.899). Nevertheless, this can be ensured by giving the employees appropriate responsibilities and roles such that they can use their skills in areas which they are best suited. Moreover, the employees develop potentials for personal development as well as the team thereby providing a healthy working relationship which prevents any chances of resistance from being generated. When change is introduced, the organisational leaders should ensure that they resolve any conflicts in the workplace quickly and efficiently (Bovey and Hede2001, p.536). The leaders should lead by example and encourage openness in any areas which the employees are uncomfortable as it builds trust and honesty in the organisation ensuring that change is appreciated with time.
Being persuasive and showing passion in organisational tasks motivates the employees to work thus minimizing any chances of resistance (Talke and Heidenreich 2014, p.904). When the leaders emulate and embrace the change, the employees follow suit and within time, the employees become advocates of change themselves. In most cases, resistance to change is emotional rather than basing it on the logic. Therefore, the employer can use examples to show the results that can be influenced by change; enhancing transparency and influencing the employees to improve and accept change (Talke and Heidenreich 2014, p.906).According to Bovey and Hede(2001, p.541), the best way to overcome resistance is by fighting it with organisational culture. The leader can use workers who are natural leaders and train them to see the logic behind making the change. These workers will act as influencers and role models to other employees making them stop the resistance and embrace change.
Change is about what the employees can do to make the company more productive. Therefore, when introducing change in the organisation, the employer needs to ensure that the employees focus on the process since without full attention of the human resources there is a likelihood of recording negative results. One of the best ways to fully overcome resistance is to explain to the employees the benefits which shall be brought about by change and how these benefits will affect them.
The Role of Leaders in Change Management
The leaders are supposed to establish a clear vision which explains the change management process. Nonetheless, this means that the leader should show the employees a clear picture of where the organisation will be when the changes are made (Kavanagh and Ashkanasy 2006). Moreover, the leader should make sure that the picture is real and not an imagination of what he/she would wish to occur. When communication is done, and the vision is clear to all employees, the manager should make an effort to know the impact made by the change to the employees. Executive managers make sure that all the leaders and employees are part of the process ensuring planning and implementation of change are efficiently done (Gill 2002, p.314).
The leader should focus on the progress made by making sure that other leaders implement the change since their subordinates look upon them. Moreover, the best cause of action to take to ensure that the change process is maintained is to create a structure which only deals with the process. This involves a committee or leadership group which monitors negative or positive impacts of change towards the organisation. During the implementation of reforms, the leader should act upon and solicit the feedback from employees explaining to them why or how things have been updated in consideration to how they were doing it before.
According to Oreg and Berson (2011, p.627), people have a different reaction towards change, and therefore, the manager has to consider the human elements which include giving the employees time to adjust to change. Leaders can create tapes and other reading materials which can help the employee to adapt to change more easily as a way of educating them. Moreover, the leaders have to be honest and trustworthy such that they have to treat everyone with the same respect since the change process is complicated and can only bore fruits when people feel respected and supported.
The leader has to be close and connected to the employees all the time. Most employees want a manager who is approachable and whom they can have an open conversation with (Oreg and Berson 2011, p.639). The interactions help the managers to know what the employees feel in regards to the change. Leaders must be accountable for the change they introduce in the organisation. Additionally, this means that they must exercise the agreements they make aimed at making the company more competitive.
Effective leaders collaborate with their subordinates such that they ensure that the workers are adequately trained and prepared for the change (Kavanagh and Ashkanasy 2006). Such teamwork will help to reduce cases of resistance since most workers resist because they were not ready or fear the effects of change. The employer has the responsibility of removing any uncertainties from the faces of employees and ensures that the organisational staff is prepared to implement change. During the transition, the leader has to remain positive and be supportive such that the employees are inspired by the actions of the leader to push on and adjust to the changes made. The leader should also set achievable and challenging targets which are obtainable by the employees. According to Gill (2002, p.309), the goals set by the organisational manager should align with objectives of change to make sure that the organisation is productive.

Chapter 3: Methodology
The chapter below provides information on the methods that were utilised in the research. According to Bryman and Bell (2015, p.12), methodology can be defined as a systematic campaign that seeks to acquire specific knowledge. Through research methodology, the researcher understands the study problem, and obtains relevant data systematically.
The Research Approach
The study used a deductive research approach. The deductive approach or reasoning is where the researcher seeks to test a particular theory through a certain case study (Saunders, & Lewis, and Thornhill 2009, p.106). Thus, the data is collected to test the theory.
The data collected was qualitative and quantitative, gathered through interviews and questionnaires respectively.
Research Design
In addition, the survey case study research design was used for the study and specifically the case is Access Group where the researcher investigated the impact a management style adopted can have on the positivity and productivity of merging two teams. The advantage of using a case in the research was due to its’ empirical inquiry nature which examines a certain occurrence in real-life. More either qualitative or quantitative methods are applicable to the case study strategy (Saunders, et al. 2009, p. 414). The research respondents were recruited from Access Group employees.
Data Collection
Random sampling was used to select fifteen payroll administrators. Questionnaires were distributed to all the participants. Interviews were also used to collect data. Consequently, the questionnaires gathered quantitative data while the interviews collected qualitative data. Thus, the study adopted a mixed methodology.
The researcher collected primary data for analysis. Primary data has been referred to as information that is raw and has not been previously used. A benefit of primary data is that the researcher is able to take control of the process and the collected data is quality with less bias compared to secondary data (Bryman, and Bell 2015, p. 12). Questionnaires were used to obtain a general overview of how they feel about the changes and the previous changes that may have happened in the department. According to Hines (2000), a questionnaire refers to a list of structured questions that have been chosen after testing with a perception of getting reliable responses from the sample that was chosen. Generally, questionnaires are considered suitable for asking specific questions other than general questions, and its questions are mostly closed-ended as opposed to open-ended. Hines (2000, p. 7) states that questionnaires are faster research instruments and more convenient data collection method than interviews. The interviews were conducted to determine the managers’ experiences had been in the past and how the team reacted. Unstructured type of an interview was conducted.
Data Analysis
The analysis of the thoughts and comments of both teams using interviews and questionnaires helps the researcher to understand the teams better; crucial in selecting the appropriate leadership style and change model appropriate for their needs. The use of secondary sources was considered and used in the literature review and draw comparison with the findings from the primary data. The data gathered through the questionnaires was analysed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS. Coding was done with Excel while SPSS was used for analysis and gives the data meaning. The data was presented using figures such as chart and graphs. The interviews were recorded and were transcribed for analysis.
Ethical Considerations
A successful research should adhere to the research ethics. First, the researcher assured the research respondents that their privacy would be respected. Thus, the questionnaires lacked their real names and no personal information was collected. Secondly, the researcher assured them of confidentiality through ensuring no non-authorised personnel got hold of the collected data. The information was safely stored in a personal computer locked with a unique password. In addition, before collecting the data, consent was sought from all the research participants. The researcher had prepared a consent form that all respondents signed before the process of data gathering. The respondents also were informed of why the research was necessary and it would be used for academic purposes only. Their right of withdrawal was also communicated before commencing the data collection process. Finally and importantly, the researcher filled an ethical form provide by the University (Saunders et al., 2009, p. 168).
Reliability, validity, and generalisability
Reliability and validity of the research instruments was tested using a pilot study. A pilot study is a mock research which aims to ensure the research question are flawless and at the same time answer the research objectives. Considering that the research design used in the study is case study, generalising the results of the study is limited.
Limitations
Some of the limitations of the research include timelines provided by the institution as well as the budget to conduct the research. The scope of the research was also a limiting factor. Due to these challenges, the methodology selected for the study was quantitative as conducting a mixed methodology was not possible. Nonetheless, these constraints did not prohibit the researcher from conducting a successful study.
Appropriateness of the Research Design
The research design; survey case study design was appropriate for the study having that the focus was on a single department in one organisation. Moreover, through the case study design, the researcher is able to clearly know where the problem lies in the firm. The design supports more detailed and deeper investigation without encouraging any form of manipulation. Finally, a case study design generates large amounts of data from one pool which makes the researcher less overwhelmed by the research.
 
Chapter 3 Analysis and Discussion

Figure 1 Number of years employed
Source: Author
According to the question one above, the researcher sought to find out the number of years that the respondents had been employed in the particular organisation. During the first day, two of the respondents had been employed in the particular organisation for one to two years while the remaining was an employee for more than four years. On the second day, three of the questionnaires collected depicted that the staff were employees of the company for a period between one and two years while the other single employee had worked for 6 months to 1 year. Finally, on the last day, the only questionnaire collected revealed that the staff had worked for the company between three to four years. Overall, from the eight research participants, a majority, 4 representing 50% had worked for the company for between one to two years.

Figure 2 Level of satisfaction in role
Source: Author
In this question, the respondents were asked how they would rate their level of satisfaction in the role they play in the company. On the first day, the questionnaires showed that three participants had given their ratings. These respondents represented 38% of the total respondents available in the study. From the results on the bar above, two respondents were somewhat satisfied with their role while the other participant was satisfied. In the second day, the researcher collected four questionnaires which represents 50% of the total. On this day, responses varied among the participants where one respondent was dissatisfied with his/her role in the company while one was neutral. The other two were satisfied with statement, one was very satisfied while the other was only satisfied. The third and final day had the least response with only one respondent from the eight participants involved filling the questionnaire. The participant represented 12% of the total respondents and had a neutral response. Thus, two respondents representing 25% were somewhat satisfied, another two were satisfied (25%), two were neutral (25%) while one was dissatisfied and the other very satisfied representing a combined percentage of 25.

Figure 3 Employee Individuality
Source: Author
The researcher sought to determine the opinion of respondent’s on the recognition of the employee’s individualism. On the first day, 38% of the respondents filled the questionnaires that meant that only three of the eight research participants involved in the study filled in the questionnaire. Two of the respondents who responded on the first day said that their individualism is rarely recognised while the other respondent said it is usually acknowledged. On the second day, more questionnaires were filled with the researcher getting responses from four participants. These participants were half of the total respondents involved in the study representing 50%. Moreover, the respondents had varying opinions where one of them said that individualism is never recognised in the organisation. Another respondent acknowledged that the company was aware of individualism while the last two participants opined that it was rare for the organisation to acknowledge. On the third day, the remaining participant said that the firm recognises individualism sometimes. Therefore, four with the “rarely” recognised answer had a percentage of 50, one with the “usually” opinion had 12%, “always” had 12%, “never” had 12% and finally the respondent who gave the “sometimes” opinion also had 12%.

Figure 4 Success of the company
Source: Author
The study wanted to find investigated the importance of the company’s success to the respondents. Therefore, the researcher issued questionnaires to the respondents where in a span of three days, all the results had been collected. According to the results above, the first day had three questionnaires answered where all the participants had a unanimous opinion on the study question. The respondents represented percentage of 38. Moreover, the participants opined that the success of the company is somewhat important to them. On the second day, the researcher collected four questionnaires which represented 50% of the total questionnaires. The questionnaires had varying responses with only two participants having the same opinion. Two respondents said that the success of the company is very important to them while one of them said that it was somewhat significant. The remaining participant acknowledged that it did not have a very important impact to him/her. Therefore, the participant’s response was that good progress for the company was also very important to him/her. The question had 1 respondent who said that success was not very important representing 12%, 4 with a ‘somewhat’ answer represented 50% and 3 who said that it was very important represented 38%.

Figure 5 Opportunities to further career
Source: Author
The research examined whether the respondents felt there are opportunities to further their careers. On the first day, three respondents filled the questionnaires with varying opinions. Additionally, these respondents represented 38%. Two respondents said that they somewhat disagree with the study question while one of them somewhat agreed. As a result, it showed that they were not completely sure about their decisions although they made their opinions clear. On the second day 50% of the questionnaires had been filled where one respondent strongly agreed with the statement, one of them had a neutral answer and 2somewhat disagreed. Finally, one respondent answered strongly agreed with the statement on the third day representing a 12% response. In total, two respondents representing a percentage of 25 said that they somewhat disagreed with the study question while only one participant with a percentage of 12 somewhat agreed to the statement. Nevertheless, 25% of respondents strongly agreed with the statement representing a figure of two individuals and only one respondent had a neutral opinion on the matter registering a percentage of 12.

Figure 6 Outlining of roles and responsibilities clearly
Source: Author
The respondents were asked whether they felt their roles and responsibilities were clearly outlined by the company. On the first day, three respondents filled the questionnaires where two of them had similar opinions. From the results above, two respondents strongly disagreed with the statement while only one respondent somewhat agreed to the study question. Nevertheless, on the second day most of the participants had similar opinions where three of them somewhat agreed to the statement while one of them had a neutral opinion. On the final day, the remaining questionnaire was filled and the respondent had a neutral opinion meaning that he/she did not have concrete decision on whether roles were clearly outlined or not. From the results, only one respondent strongly agreed to the statement having a percentage of 12 while two of them had neutral decisions which translates to 25%. Moreover, the highest number of respondents somewhat agreed to the statement having half the number of respondents in the study. The four respondents who somewhat agreed to the statement represented 50% of the total participants.

Figure 7 Management of change
Source: Author
The bar above represents the results from respondents on their thoughts concerning the management of change in the company. On the first day, three respondents representing a 38% response gave a unanimous answer. All the participants on this day said no to the statement meaning that from their opinion, change is not managed well in the company. On the second day, the researcher collected four questionnaires meaning that more than half of the respondents had now forwarded their questionnaires for analysis by the researcher. This represented a combined response of 88% together with respondents on the first day. Moreover, participants on this day had varying opinions although most of them had similar opinions. Therefore, the researcher recorded only one respondent with a “yes” answer with the other three giving “no’ as their answer. On the third day, the final questionnaire was forwarded and was ticked “yes’ meaning that the respondent agreed with the study question. In total, the researcher recorded six “no” answers which represents the highest percentage of participants. These respondents had a collective decision recording a huge percentage of 75. The remaining respondents were two who agreed with the statement therefore recording a percentage of 25.

Figure 8 Consideration of thoughts and opinions
Source: Author
The research question determined whether the respondents felt their thoughts and opinions were considered when changes impacting them were made. On the first day, the three respondents who filled their questionnaires all had the same opinion giving ‘no’ as their answer. Moreover, this meant that the respondents did feel their thoughts being appreciated or considered by the organisation during change. Four respondents forwarded their questionnaires on the second day where they shared opinions amongst themselves. Two of them said yes while the other two said no. On the last day, the researcher received the remaining questionnaire which had been ticked yes by the respondent. This means that there was a total of 3 participants who said yes while 5 participants said no. In terms of percentage, the no answer had a bigger percentage being represented by 62% while the yes answer had a percentage of 38. From the results shown above most of the employees felt the company when making changes did not consider their opinions.

Figure 9 Involvement in planning stage of intended change
Source: Author
The purpose of question nine was to examine if the respondents would like to be involved in the planning stage of the intended changes to the department they worked in. During the first day, the three questionnaires collected were marked yes, while on the second day, which was on 17th of January 4, questionnaires gathered had varying responses where 3 were yes and 1 no. Finally, on the last day, the final questionnaire had been marked yes. According to these results, seven of the participants agreed to the statement while only a single respondent was against it. Thus, 87.5 percent of the responses wanted to be part of the planning stage of any changes before approval and implementation.
Analysis of the Interviews
Two set of interviews were conducted one with three team members and the other with four of the organisational managers.
The first question sought to determine if combining the teams was a positive move and the answer was a strong and confident yes from all the interviewees. Secondly, the researcher asked the team members whether they saw any potential for developing skills because of the change. The answer to the question lacked confidence from the last interviewee as they felt there was no guarantee that due to the change they would develop skills. The first team member interviewee hoped that changes would result in skill development. Nevertheless, the second team member interviewee was determined to learn more and hence believed that more skills will be gained from a new beginning. Finally, when asked about how change within the organisation should be initiated three different answers were provided as below. First, it was recommended getting the team involved and asking who is interested in learning the other system. Secondly, proper training should be offered to the team members and finally, pick one or 2 payrollers to learn the other system to assist the rest of the staff.
The manager interviewee questions were different from the team members. The first question examined the experiences of managing change within the team. The respective answers include; “on the whole they are obstructive and not open to change at all,” and “it takes a very softly, softly approach, almost like making the change without them being informed.” The rest two were “they find change hard and will always try to continue as before,” and finally “not bad, you just need to sell the idea that it is a good thing to them.” The second questioned sought to determine main issues that the managers felt were needed to address when implementing the intended change. Some of the mentioned issues include ensuring that everyone felt they got something from the change process for instance progression in their career. Others included maintaining a balanced workload, offering superior customer services as well as meeting the SLAs. On the third question where the managers were called upon to identify the team members who had likelihood to promote this change various answers were recorded including names of preferred members and letting managers front the idea. Finally, the last question examined if combining the sections was a positive move and all managers agreed.
Discussion
According to the findings majority of the respondents had worked in the organisation for more than one year and hence were conversant with the organisational structures and culture. While the respondents were satisfied with their roles, it was evident that there are issues that need to be addressed considering two opted to be neutral on the question and one clearly showed dissatisfaction. Thus, there is need for the organisation to investigate the factors that might be contributing to the dissatisfaction. Additionally, many of the research participants stated that the organisation rarely recognised individualism; a critical component for achieving personal objectives. Employees are committed to achievement of organisational objectives when they feel their individual support is recognised regularly as it enhances a sense of pride. The result showing that 50% of the respondents felt that the success of the firm was only ‘somewhat’ important to them depicts problems in how employee’s issues are handled. At the same time, considering that participants ‘somewhat disagreed’ with the statement on opportunities to grow their careers in the current organisation depicts the need for change that will improve job satisfaction and motivation. Consequently, some employees respondents felt that their roles and responsibilities were not clearly defined an aspect that requires the leaders to initiate the necessary change for the benefit of the organisation. In addition, the findings showed that majority of the respondents felt that change was not managed, as it ought to be which depicts challenges in the organisation. The feeling that employees were not involved in change decision making as revealed by the study could have caused the problems. Finally, seven respondents wanted to be part of the planning stage of any changes before approval and implementation. The study findings depict the need to have effective structures that initiate change and ensure that employees are part of the process. According to Manning, (2012, p. 261) during hard times like the situation prevalent in the case, there various ways that change can be managed effectively. One key theme is significant to achieve successful change implementation and entails having a visionary leadership. Having visionary leadership in the organisation means that the leaders function is to communicate a vision that is compelling in regards to where the organisation is moving. Importantly, the leaders in the firm should adopt leadership styles such as transformational where the followers believe in the vision of the management. Transformational leaders engage employees before change decision making. In the current company, transformational leadership style would be largely appropriate. One of the characteristics of a transformational leader according to Sharma, and Bhatnagar, (2017, p.174) is the ability to efficiently delegate. Leaders using the style allow their employees to raise grievances and they are willing to listen and find an amicable solution quickly. More importantly, employees are allowed to be part of the planning stage of change. According to Mitchell, (2013) the transformational style of leadership when combined with the Lippitt’s change theory is effective and popular. Lippitt’s theory involves four elements specifically assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation (Mitchell, 2013, p. 33).
A study by Wilson (2014, p. 38) examined how organisation s can manage change. Specifically, the research investigated how to overcome resistance through strategy, communication, and patience where to successfully manage change, leaders in organisation s must design, execute and communicate strategically about their changes and ensure that the intention is conveyed well. Without investing in these efforts, companies risk failing in implementing the changes. Wilson (2014, p. 40) proposes a number of strategies that need to be applied in order to successfully manage change. Secondly, another way is to ensure that the communications change is executed and conduct change implementation elements. There is also need to recognise those who make the transition possible and encourage those who are not actively participating. In order to ensure that the change is successful, close monitoring of the progress is indispensable so that an organisation can identify what needs to be changed in the future.
 
Chapter 4 Conclusions and Recommendations
One of the things that the researcher could have done differently to avoid issues was using a qualitative or quantitative method rather than a mixed methodology. Conducting both interviews and questionnaires limited the study to only a few employees. However, if a single method had adopted, more research respondents would have been part of the study. In addition, the researcher could have used more research respondents for both the interviews and the questionnaire. Currently, the interviews were done with seven individuals where four were managers and 3 were employees. Detailed interviews would have been conducted with more interviewees to get more variant views. In addition, the questionnaires could have been distributed to more employees within the payroll department. If the researcher would have incorporated all the staff from this department would have been the best option as all their concerns and views would have been part of the research. Only eight research participants’ responses were utilised in the research which limits the views on how merging the two teams can benefit from adopting a management style that is effective. Thus, if done differently, the researcher could have accommodated all the staff from the payroll department with an aim of ensuring that all their views are accommodated before making relevant recommendations. Finally, to ensure that the solution recommended suits everybody despite their opinion, the researcher could have interviewed payroll managers from a different organization. The purpose would be to benchmark how efficiency was achieved in their department and what sort of leadership exists. Thus, if there were no limitations such as time, the researcher could have done a more comprehensive research with a bigger scope.
The findings of the study revealed that upon implementation of the new changes, there could be resistance from some of the employees. Change resistance is common in organizations; however, how the managers responds to it determines the effect it has on the organization and the employees. Often, as the findings show, employees will resist change when it is introduced poorly, when staff sees no need for the changes, and when it affects how they work. Normally, a change within the organization has both the negative and positive sides. The management has the duty of ensuring that the changes will only have little effects that every employee will be able to cope with in time. As a result, the management style that is adopted during the process of change is critical towards achieving the desired changes and convincing all employees even those who resist. Importantly, a good manager should not ignore the concerns of the staff that resist a certain change idea. The manager has a responsibility to ensure that every concern of each employee is addressed before and during implementation of the change. Poor leaders often are unable to manage the situation as it should leading to some employees quitting and at times lowering the motivation in the workplace and eventually resulting to decrease in productivity and performance. Among other issues evident from the results includes the lack of job satisfaction by the employees of the two teams and hence the reason why some did not feel the success of the organisation was important to them. Lack of job satisfaction among employees is a vital concern that a good management should be aware of. Unsatisfied employees are often looking for greener pastures and have low productivity which negatively affects an organisation which seeks to gain competitive advantage. Thus, it is not astonishing that some employees careless on whether the organisation succeeds or not. Any manager should be concerned by this kind of attitude as it can be easily spread to the rest of the employees. The root of the problem should be identified and appropriate strategies put in place to rectify the situation. Nevertheless, most of the respondents would like before the merging happens to have their views had through being part of the change planning process. Employees feel motivated and satisfied when the management of the organisation consults them on various issues before implementing what they themselves think. Therefore, the need to be part of the process of planning for change is normal and employees would look forward to be in involved in making decisions that contribute to the efficiency and performance of the organisation. Following the findings of the study, some applicable recommendations are necessary.
First, Access Group Ltd is recommended to train their leaders in using the transformation leadership style, as it will allow job satisfaction and motivation for the employees. Moreover, transformational style of leadership allows delegation of work as well as providing opportunities for individualism and career growth. Transformational style of leadership best suits the current problems that the department is facing. Poor motivation and lack of job satisfaction can be easily addressed by using this style of leadership. A transformational leader can inspire the employees to believe in what they do by listening to their concerns and letting them be part of the change process. Before implementing the change, a transformational leader ensures that every single employee is on board. Having a leader who uses the transformational style has confidence and trusts that employees will achieve the objectives of the organisation without push and pull. Most importantly, employees will be involved in change decision making as well as the change planning stage an approach that will address concerns that individual staff have on the department.
Secondly, it is recommended that Lippitt’s change model should guide implementation of change in the organisation. A combination of the model and transformational leadership style would achieve effectiveness in the operations of the organisation. Employees would become more motivated and focused to contribute towards achieving organisational objectives. Lippitt’s model of change focuses on the responsibility and role of the change more than the change evolution. During the process of change, there is continuous exchange of information between the employees and the leaders. The model is seven stepped and includes diagnosing of the problem, assessment of the capacity and motivation to change among the staff, assessment of the resources available to facilitate change, choosing progressive objects for change, and selecting the role of change agents and ensuring all parties understand it. The final steps include maintaining the change and having a gradual termination with the change agent. The purpose of the Lippitt’s change model is ensuring limitation of resistance to change and addressing it immediately to avoid delay in process of implementation. A combination of this model and transformational leadership style at Access Group Ltd can help address the current problems in the payroll department. Subsequently, effectiveness and efficiency will be achieved in the department.
Finally, it is recommended that teamwork should be given priority between the members and the managers. A combination of these aspects can improve the levels of motivation and job satisfaction among the employees which will consequently improve the organisational performance. Developing a team spirit within the department will be sustained by having a management that adopts transformational features where the leaders provides guidance to their followers and constantly consults them before making decisions. Currently, the results revealed that some employees lack job satisfaction. However, working in an environment where employees regard themselves as a team can help eliminate poor morale through assisting one another to undergo difficult times in the workplace or at home. Organisations or departments that value team spirit work together towards achieving personal and organisational goals simultaneously. Employees are motivated to work harder because they realise their leaders recognise and appreciate their efforts. Transformational leaders in such a working environment develop fair and equal reward strategies an aspect that further contributes to job satisfaction.
Personal Reflection
One of the important things to note is that I have completed the study within the timelines provided in the Gantt chart. The timely success can be attributed to better management of time that enabled collection and analysis of data without major difficulties. Earlier knowledge on various techniques to collect and analyse data ensured that I was self-dependent when working on the study. Additionally, the writing provided is candid and reflects the intentions that I had after reading the guidelines of the dissertation. I make submission feeling confident that all the aspect of the thesis has been covered adequately. Nonetheless, as mentioned, one of the improvements that could reduce any issues would have been adopting either quantitative or qualitative method rather than a mixed methodology. I believe adopting one could have improved the process of data collection and consequently the results. In future, using another research design instead of case study would allow a wide scope of results from various organisations and hence easy comparison. Future researchers can seek to examine the effects of adopting transformational leadership style after merging of the two payroll teams. Moreover, other researchers could investigate the impact of alternative leadership styles such as democratic or transactional.
 
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Appendix
Gantt chart