It was boarding day, 2008, and I stood on the dock waiting to board. The receptionist buzzed the door open for me and greeted me with a smile.
Me: Hi, I’m here to see Tim (managing director).
Mary (receptionist): Sure. Is he expecting you?
Me: I think so. I’m here to do research.
Mary: Oh. Your name is?
Me: Genevieve
Mary: Please wait a moment while I call him.
Tim emerged from the office area into reception after a few moments. He was a large-framed man with a firm handshake. I had met him about two years before when I spent a few months aboard, assisting him, the captain, to draft reports for a government department which had procured the vessel’s services. We had had a previous conversation during which I requested permission to research his vessel. We exchanged pleasantries before discussing the purpose of my visit.
Tim: So, you’re here to do your research. What do you need?
Me: I’ll first be doing observations and just need to sit where I can see what’s going on.
Tim: Okay. Then come into the office where the staff are. There’s a couch in the corner if you want to sit there.
Me: Okay. Thanks.
Tim: Anything else you need?
Me: Company documentation.
Tim: Okay. You can get that from Angela…
Me. Great, thanks. I’ll ask her for it.
Tim: Alright, then. If you have any questions, just let me know.
Me: Sure, thanks. Will do.
I entered the office area with anticipation and excitement. The crew greeted me, some with smiles and others with apprehension, not quite sure what I would be doing or looking for while on board. Some of the faces were familiar but there were also many new ones. The crew complement had grown since I was last aboard – it had more than doubled and the organisation had moved to a larger vessel to accommodate the new crew. I was eager to continue exploring the vessel and looked forward to the journey, considering the initial growth in staff numbers and premises I had observed.
My plan for exploring the vessel while on board was to firstly assess our co-ordinates, that is where we were at that point in time. I would then survey the layout of the vessel
and the crew complement. Thereafter, I intended to identify the facets of a learning organisation reflected in the vessel through analysing its documentation, observing crew in various settings and forums, analysing questionnaires completed by the crew, and consulting with the crew individually through interviews.
When the vessel set sail with me aboard, the waters were calm and predictable.
Little did we know that a short while into the journey the waters would become stormy and unpredictable, and the journey an uncertain one…
In early 2008 the commodities markets were doing well, with gold and platinum at highs (see Chapter 1). The vessel (ODC) had two capital projects lined up with mining houses for 2009 and a concern for them was whether they had sufficient staff resources to deal with the anticipated workload. However, this concern changed when the markets did an about-turn in September 2008, a stormy period when many international banks closed their doors permanently due to the global credit crisis. Mining houses placed new capital projects on hold and downgraded existing projects. ODC were placed in a position where contingencies were necessary, focussing on how they could stay afloat as the waters became turbulent with no indication of how long the storm would last. It was not the first time that ODC had been through a storm; they had experienced three similar ones in their ten year existence. This change in market made the study more exciting and interesting – it was a time when the true colours of ODC could be seen as the fluctuation in the market tested characteristics and disciplines of the organisation.
I boarded ODC in April 2008, with my research instruments and recording tools on hand. My timing for the study was apt – it was a good time to capture how this small vessel could ensure its sustainability and navigate through the global credit crisis that, unbeknown to us, lay before us. I was on course to collect data for the research questions, as can be seen in Table 6.1.
I first wanted to explore the layout of the vessel, meet the crew and understand their roles on the vessel. Once I had found my sea legs by spending some time on the vessel, felt comfortable with the crew and they with me, I proceeded to gather data for the research questions. The findings from the initial research period (phases 1 to 3 during 2008) are presented in this chapter.
After taking a break from the vessel and returning in 2012, I had acquired further insights into learning organisations and continued to gather data. Findings related to the first research question gathered during phase 6 in 2012 are discussed in Chapter Seven. Findings for the second and third research questions during both research periods (phases 1 to 3 and phase 6) are presented in Chapter Eight. Research questions and instruments for the two periods are 2. What does sustainability mean in the context of
the small organisation? 3. How can facets of a learning organisation be
corrected or strengthened in the organisation in