CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0 Background

The Republic of Zambia and the Republic of Zimbabwe, desiring to obtain the greatest possible
benefit from the natural advantages offered by the waters for the Zambezi River and to improve
and intensify the utilisation of the waters for the production of energy and for any other purpose
beneficial to the two countries, decided to enter into an inter-governmental agreement. Zambezi
River Authority was therefore established as a corporate body on the first day of October, 1987
by parallel legislation in the Parliaments of Zambia and Zimbabwe following the reconstitution
of Central African Power Corporation - under the Zambezi River Authority Acts (Act No. 17 and
19 of Zambia and Zimbabwe respectively) and jointly owned by the governments of Zambia and
Zimbabwe in equal proportions. The Authority is the third generation after the now defunct
Federal Power Board and Central African Power Corporation (CAPCO), which were established
in the 1950’s and 1960’s respectively.

Having realized that the operation and maintenance of the Zambezi Scheme in particular the
Kariba dam complex, is an economical and effective means of providing water for the generation
of electric power and for any other purposes, Zambezi River Authority was mandated to manage
the utilisation, operation and maintenance of the said complex. It was further mandated to
collect, accumulate and process hydrological and environmental data of the Zambezi River and
to make recommendations that will ensure the effective use of the waters and other resources of
the river. Therefore the creation of Zambezi River Authority was solely to undertake dam
maintenance and flood forecasting functions to ensure optimum water availability for power
generation by ZESA in Zimbabwe and ZESCO in Zambia.

The Zambezi River Authority is governed by a Council of Ministers consisting of four members,
two of whom are Ministers in the Government of the Republic of Zambia and two of whom are

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Ministers in the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe. The Ministers designated by the two
Governments to be members of the Council are those holding portfolios of Energy on the one
hand and Finance on the other hand. Under the Council of Ministers is a board of directors
which, is responsible for policy formulation, strategy thinking, supervision and control of
management of the Authority. In essence the board is accountable for everything that happens in
Zambezi River Authority since it is the one to direct the organisation but not manage it. This
board is comprised of six members, three from each contracting states. An alternate member is
also appointed in respect of each member. Chairmanship of the board of directors is held
alternately by a board member appointed by the government of the Republic of Zambia and the
Republic of Zimbabwe. The board is mandated to meet for the transaction of its business at least
once every three months.

The Authority currently employs 152 members of staff who are based in Lusaka Zambia, Harare
and Kariba in Zimbabwe. A Chief Executive is appointed by the board and shall at any one time
be a national or resident of the contracting state other than that in which the Authority’s head
office is situated. That is if the Head office is in Zambia as the case is, then the Chief executive
should be a Zimbabwean. He or she is responsible for the operations and property management
of the Authority. His or her management team is comprised of three directors, that is Finance and
Human Resources Director, Water Rights and Environmental Management Director and Projects
and Dam Safety Director. Other functional managers and supporting staff then fall under the
three departments.

According to Armstrong (2005), the central issue in the objective – realization process is how to
make the employee more effective, efficient and productive. One of the major mandate for the
Authority is to keep the outlook of the dam complex at its best. However, over the years the
appearance have continued to deteriorate. In the 1980’s the south bank of the river was kept clear
of weeds in all the stone pitched areas throughout the year. Some employees were tasked to clear
these weeds and the question now is where are they? This is one of the various task which has
deteriorated over the years. The Authority is also tasked to produce dam safety reports at the end

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of each year based on monitoring data which is collected on a daily basis but at times such
reports are three or more months behind the schedule. Among some of the Authority’s task is the
prediction of correct weather forecasts, so as to enable it to maintain the water levels in the
reservoir. Such predictions are used on making decisions on whether to spill or maintain the
water levels necessary for hydro power generation. However, there are times when there are
mismatches from the forecasts and reality, resulting in unwarranted spillage.

The organization’s structure depicts that there are more Zimbabweans as compared to their
Zambians counterparts. In a bid to equalize the numbers of Zimbabwean against Zambians
recruitment is now being based on nationality at the expense of merit. Apart from that, the
demographic profile of the workforce is undergoing quite a change insofar as the representation
of cultures. The result is that organizations not only Zambezi River Authority, are experiencing a
necessity to make changes as well. Expectations of employees differ within cultures represented
in today’s workforce, more so if they are from different nations and therefore managers should
have a sound knowledge of the needs and expectations of the organization’s employees. Zambezi
River Authority’s workforce is increasingly becoming more diverse as it tries to address the
variance in numbers of Zimbabweans against Zambians employees.

1.1 Statement of the Problem

Differing national cultures can have a big effect on international mergers or joint ventures. The
joint venture between Zimbabwe and Zambia brought about its own challenges. Firstly its
employees comprises of nationals from the two countries with different cultural values making it
difficult in building an organizational culture which is acceptable to the two different nationals.
According to Wong (2007), culture is a powerful, latent and often unconscious set of forces that
determine both our individual and collective behaviors, ways of perceiving, thought patterns and
values. As the nationals from the two countries strive for dominance, and try to influence the
organizational culture, operations and production suffers and without an immediate solution in
place Zambezi River Authority will continue to lose money through lost man hours, absenteeism

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and low production. Organizational culture in particular matters because cultural elements
determine strategy, goals, and modes of operating. The strength of an organizational culture
depends on the level of homogeneity in members’ perceptions and beliefs. According to Schein
(1992) organizational culture is nested within the national culture. It is therefore, a challenge to
build an organizational culture from two different nations who have different set of beliefs and
values.

Secondly variance in the composition of Zimbabweans and Zambians in terms of numbers is a

challenge in itself. Wong (2007)(ibid) also argues that many international theories or production
methods work well locally, but cannot receive expected result once they are practiced cross
nationally. The problem of equality and equity arises from the differences of economies in the
two countries. Also it is a challenge to have equal numbers of Zambians against their
Zimbabwean counterparts because the jobs within the organization are not equated equally. That
is an organisation can only have one Chief Executive at a time and this becomes a source of
problem in addressing equity and equality.

1.2 Research Objectives

It is from the above background that this research will seek to:

1) Establish the impact of cultural difference of the two nationals (Zimbabweans and
Zambians) on business performance or operations of the organization.

2) Ascertain if inter-country differences affect the alignment of human resource

management with the strategic goals of an organization.

3) Determine what features motivate workers from the two different nations to perform.

1.3 Research Questions

The research will sort to answer questions such as:

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 1) What challenges and contributions does the increasingly diverse workforce present?

2) To what extent does national culture influence organizational culture?

3) Are the human resources policies responding to the unique needs of individual
employees?

1.4 Significance of Research

The significance of this study is the information that will be added and knowledge gained by
organizations in the employment of multicultural work force. The study aims at contributing to
the improvement of managing a diverse work force and increasing work output. It seeks to reveal
the inefficiency caused by the cultural differences and how an organization can cope with the
cultural resistance to achieve expected goals.

Although several studies and research have been carried out, and vast literature on multinational
and bi-national human resources developmental relationships in the developed countries, it is
necessary to carry out a study of such a nature in developing countries. Inferences and
comparison can then be made for academic and economic benefits. Recommendations drawn
from such a study will not only help Zambezi River Authority but other institutions with a
similar set up.

An organization’s success and competitiveness depends upon its ability to embrace diversity and
realize the benefits (Robbins and Coulter 1996). The world is fast becoming a global village and
interaction has become more ramparts among different nationals in doing business. Bi-national
companies are comprised of people who share cultural values and hence concurrence – seeking
may become so dominant in a group that it overrides objective appraisal. Such tendencies are
often experienced when the composition of employees in an organization is made up of
individuals from different religious, social, ethnic and educational backgrounds. On a wider
scope, people from the same country tend to communicate and perceive the world around them
in the same way. Therefore in an organization employing a diverse workforce, such as Zambezi

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River Authority, cognitive dissonance can easily be realized. This is a state of conflict one faces
when one’s attitude is contradicted by the situation that one is experiencing. People often
rationalize anything that is inconsistent in their minds. It is eminent that a study be carried out to
find out if low business performance in a bi-national company such as Zambezi River Authority
comes from this line of thinking.

However, recognition has to be made that such organizations have the capacity to supply a
greater variety of solutions to problems in service, sourcing and allocations of resources.
Employees from diverse backgrounds bring individual talents and experiences in suggesting
ideas that are flexible in adapting to fluctuating markets and customer demands.

1.5 Scope of Research

Work place diversity encompasses a variety of differences between people in an organization

and is not limited to ethnicity and gender. It is based on a wider perspective that includes
diversity in age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, personality, cognitive tenure,
organization function, education, background and many more. This study will focus on cultural
differences among employees of Zambezi River Authority and how it impacts on business
performance.

1.6 Definition of Terms

Though there could be other meanings to the same words, the researcher decided to use these
meanings for the purposes of this research work.

Kariba Dam Complex

This refers to the Kariba Dam and reservoir, all telemetering stations relating to the Kariba Dam
and any other installations owned by Zambezi River Authority at Kariba

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1.7 Dissertation Structure

This study was organized into five chapters. Chapter one gives the background information of
the organization under study, statement of the problem and the research objectives. Chapter two
is the literature review on the subject of study. Chapter three highlights the research philosophy,
research design, the population, sample and the research instruments which was used. It also
gives the ethical considerations for the research that was undertaken and the limitations to the
study. Chapter four presented and analyzed the data that was collected through a questionnaire.
Some interpretation of the data was done in this chapter. Finally chapter five gives the
conclusion on the basis of the research findings and submits some recommendations to help
improve or solve the problem of poor business performance observed in the Authority.

1.8 Chapter Summary

This chapter gave the background to the problem of study, the statement of the problem and
objectives of the study was outlined. A number of research questions were highlighted. The rest
of the chapters in this study will present the literature review, methodology used, the actual data
collection process, analysis and conclusions. The recommendations seek to advise how the
organization can best improve on its business performance given its bi-national nature.

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 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Introduction

The pace of change has accelerated dramatically in recent decades, producing seismic changes in
business and society. Companies are becoming global organizations and by such expansion, they
are facing increasingly complex human resource environment, particularly as they try to recruit
and retain high performing employees and integrate diverse cultures. Thibault, Wilcock and
Kanetkar (2002) suggest that factors influencing business performance could be attributed to
personal factors such as demographic variables and business factors such as amount of financing,
use of technology, age of business, operating location, business structure and number of full-time
employees.

It is not effective to manage workers the same in all countries. Managers need to understand
cultural differences and adjust their styles, communications and rewards to fit within each
culture. One cannot contemplate facilitating any organization-wide process improvement
activities without understanding a fundamental quality of human nature: resistance to change
(Callaway 2007). There are always employees who will refuse to accept the fact that the social
and cultural makeup of their work place is changing and would rather stick to the old way of
doing things.

2.1 Globalisation

Globalisation is the most significant change taking place in today’s work environment (Arnett,
2002). Despite international business have been around for a long time, such business could have
best been described as international competitions between countries. This global competition was
reshaped into regional co-operation agreements in the 1990s (Robbins and Coulter, 1996). Most
notable of these agreements was the Maastricht Treaty which saw the formation of the European
Union. This treaty removed national barriers to travel, employment, investment and trade. Such

8
similar agreements can also be traced to that of Canada, Mexico and the United States of
America. Free trade agreements were created to promote business relationships among member
countries (NAFTA 1992).

In the developing countries, the evil system of apartheid in South Africa prompted the formation
of Southern African Development Coordination Conference. In 1991 the thrust of SADCC
changed towards regional economic integration. The main aim was to urge SADCC countries to
pursue economic liberation and integrate development of their economies. Such inter-state
relationships brought about a life line for doing business for most multi-national companies. This
saw the birth of bi-national organizations such as Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) and Tanzania
and Zambia Railways company (TAZARA) to name but a few.

Global organizations get benefits of workplace diversity in that it incorporates a diverse

collection of skills and experience. A diverse workforce provides a large pool of ideas and the
organization can draw from the pool to meet business strategy needs (Greenberg, 2004).
However, taking full advantage of the benefits of diversity in the workplace has its own set of
challenges.

One of the challenges faced by these international businesses is understanding the differences of
national cultures of the people in the countries they operate in. Culture shapes the core values
and norms of its members. These values are shared and transmitted from one generation to
another through social learning processes of modeling and observation, as well as through the
effects of individual actions (Bandura, 1986). The ultimate perception and attitude to work and
the overall performance is to some extent indirectly related to culture. Therefore, to improve
business performance, one has to change the employees’ perceptions so that they are in line with
that of the organization.

2.2 Culture

Zambezi River Authority is comprised of employees from Zambia and Zimbabwe who share the
same boarder. By sharing the same boarder a false perception of similarity may lure individuals

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into a false sense of confidence and fail to perceive that they are not culturally close. This can
have a negative impact on business communication processes and personal relationships
(Henderson, 2005). For example there is a perception that culture will be similar because there is
a shared language which is English between Zambians and Zimbabweans therefore managers
may be tempted to treat human resources challenges in a similar way.

Chatman, and Jehn (1994) define an organizational culture as the shared assumptions, values,
and beliefs that guide the actions of its members. Schein, (1992) tends to agree with the above
authorities when he defined culture as what a group learns over a period of time as that group
solves its problems of survival in an external environment and its problems of internal
integration.

Organizational beliefs tend to influence the work norms, and communication practices of
employees. The socialization process helps to adapt new employees to the organization's culture.
According to Armstrong (2005), it is the market that ultimately determines the movement of
employees. However, if employees do not adapt well, they feel increasing pressure from
supervisors and from coworkers who are better acculturated and it may be difficult to retain them
in an organization. They might stay and fight, stay and become isolated, or leave the
organization, voluntarily or involuntarily, and look for a different organization whose culture
they fit better.

It is therefore clear that national culture impinge on organizational cultures both positively and
negatively. Besides language differences, employees bring to the job many radically different
assumptions about aspects as dignity of work, the proper relationship between employee and
supervisor, the value of initiative, treatment of unwelcome information and the voicing of
complaints. Hence the need to adapt to a multicultural environment, failure which may
jeopardize an organization’s chance of success.

The overriding feature in African culture is tribalism (Scott and Billing 1990). To do business it
is important to have connections at the right level with the dominant tribe. For example, by virtue

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of its location on the Zambezi basin, the dominant tribe is the Tonga people, one has to take
cognizant of them when recruiting, especial on areas where skill is not of paramount importance.

According to Kotter and Heskett (1992) a strong culture aligned with organizational strategic
context and which is adaptive to environmental changes can enhance an organization’s long term
financial performance.

2.3 Work Group Dynamics

In a diverse workforce such as Zambezi River Authority, companionship and identification,

protection, problem solving and behavior guidelines are reasons why work groups form and
function. Such groupings can work for or to the detriment of the business objectives. Haimann
and Hilgert (1982), classified these work groups into four namely, command group, task group,
friendship group and special interest group. The special-interest group exists to accomplish in a
group effort something which individuals feel incapable of or unwilling to pursue on an
individual basis. De Beer etal, (1998) further distinguishes these groups into formal and informal
groups.

Bi-national companies are comprised of people who share cultural values and hence concurrence
– seeking may become so dominant in a group that it overrides objective appraisal. However,
according to Smith, et al (1981), controversy promotes higher achievement and retention, greater
search for information, more cognitive rehearsal and accurate understanding as compared to
concurrence seeking and individualism. Such tendencies are often experienced when the
composition of employees in an organization is made up of individuals from different religious,
social, ethnic, educational backgrounds and even nations. On a wider scope, people from the
same country tend to communicate and perceive the world around them in the same way. Thus
there is a tendency of Zimbabweans forming their own group and Zambians doing the same.

The concept of teamwork varies between cultures. Members from different cultures will, in all
probability, describe a team’s objectives, membership criteria, and activities in very different
terms (Zakaria, 2004). The value of individual work as opposed to teamwork differs greatly

11
between countries. Below is a diagram showing the effects of diversity on group process and
outcomes. Diversity if unattended to is likely to have an adverse effect on group or team
processes, such as those mentioned in the diagram.

Figure 2.1 The effects of diversity on group processes and outcomes

Organizational Context
Organizational culture
Business Strategy
HR policies & Practices

Diversity Group/Team Process Outcomes

Cultural Communications Performance
Demographic Conflict Satisfaction
Technical Cohesion Turnover
Cognitive Information
Creativity

Source: William (1994).

2.4 Motivation

Armstrong (2005) defines motivation as a reason for doing something. The resultant behavior on
human action is driven by factors or some impetus that is desirable to the individual. In his
definition Analoui (2000) stated that motivation can be regarded as the necessary rive towards
achievement of some goals. This entails that the required effort to perform is directly related to
the attractiveness intensity of the need to satisfy the goal. Stoner and Freeman (1992) defined
motivation as factors that cause, channel and sustain an individual’s behavior. Motivation is the
willingness to do something and is conditioned by this action’s ability to satisfy some need for
the individual (Robbins, 2003).

According to Armstrong (2005), motivation at work can take place in two ways. Management
can motivate their employees through pay, praise, promotion and other forms of rewards. Thus
extrinsic motivation entails what management does for its employees.

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According to Jordaan (1975), human beings are unique. They have certain attributes such as
feelings, attitude and expectations which cause them to act and react to stimuli be it at home or at
a work situation. Therefore people can motivate themselves by seeking, finding and carrying out
work that satisfies their needs. Such is intrinsic motivation and it influence people to behave in a
particular way. Employees need to feel that the work is important and that they have control over
the resources they use. We all work because we obtain something that we need from work. That
something obtained from work impacts morale, employee motivation and the quality of life.

Employee motivation describes an employee’s intrinsic enthusiasm about and drives to

accomplish work. Every employee is motivated about something in his or her life. Thus
motivating employees is about fulfilling the employee’s needs and expectations from work and
workplace. Maslow quoted in Cole (1997) shows the human needs to be in hierarch, when the
bottom is satisfied the one in the next level becomes a need. The diagram below shows the
hierarchy of needs as depicted by Maslow.

Figure 2.2: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Chart

Source: Cole (1997).

In today’s turbulent environment, commercial success depends on employees using their talents
to the fullest.

Thus as an organization’s Human Resources personnel should establish the reasons behind
employees working. People also work in order to satisfy needs such as hunger, thirsty, warmth,

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sex and other bodily needs, (Fisher et al, 2009). Is it for the love of work, personal fulfillment or
just to accomplish goals. Money is not always the primary motivator for most employees.
Recognition of employee’s good work will make them repeat the performance frequently. Praise
must be sincere and should be distributed equitably, if warranted. When possible, praise people
publicly in meetings or employee newsletters. It is therefore clear, that lack of motivation can
bring about poor performance by workers, since they will not have anything pushing them.

2.5 Economic Systems

The economic system of a country determines to a large extent both our individual and collective
behaviors, ways of perceiving, thought patterns and values. Goals of one government may be to
nationalize the country’s key industries whilst the goals for another would be to stimulate free
enterprise (Dessler 2004). Global managers of multinational companies must be aware of such
economic differences or concerns since they also translate into differences in human resource
practices. According to Robbins and Coulter (1996) three of the most obvious concerns are
fluctuating currency exchange rates, inflation rates and diverse tax policies.

The profits of bi-national companies, such as Zambezi River Authority, vary dramatically
depending on the strength of the currency of the two contracting states. Any devaluation of a
nation’s currency significantly affects the level of the company’s profits and this transcend to the
workers’ welfare. In November 2003, the inflation rate in Zimbabwe was running at around
200% and this was at the time a new Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor was
appointed. In his first monetary policy of December 2003, he announced measures to bring down
inflation to below 80% in about two years. However, five years later, inflation was 231 million
percent according to calculation made by the Central Statistical Office.

The impact of inflation on individuals and businesses depends in part on whether inflation is
anticipated or unanticipated (Riley 2006). Because people anticipated high inflation in
Zimbabwe, it prompted employees to demand rapid wage increases, so as to keep up with
consumer prices. Zambezi River Authority was face with many cases of collective bargaining
whereby workers continually asked for more and more wage increases. The RBZ had pegged the
Zimbabwe dollar against the US dollar and hence it was not responding to inflation and this
14
meant that salaries for the workers became insignificant and they could not afford to buy the
necessary basic food stuffs.

Mervyn King the governor of the bank of England quoted in Riley (2006) eluded that extreme
cases of hyperinflation can lead to a breakdown of the economy. Cash is needed in order to buy
commodities before the power of money declines and this means workers asked for more "trips
to the bank" to make withdrawals. In turn organizations lost man hours and there was reduction
in production. The pegging of the currency against other currency, also bring about equity and
equality problems on the wage system. Despite salaries and benefits being pegged against an
independent currency, employees are paid the equivalent in the local currency of the contracting
state they are working in. It is therefore possible that an employee in Zambia could earn more
than his or her counterpart in Zimbabwe, in the event that the currency is pegged. Such
scenarios, reduces the workforce’s morale and can lead to poor performance.

2.6 Communication

Flippo (1984) defines communication as an act of imparting ideas and making oneself
understood by others. It therefore, means that if communication is poor within an organization,
then information, instructions and ideas may not be interpreted correctly. Cultural differences
among team members may lead to various instances of miscommunication since different
cultures tend to contain certain biases, assumptions, or views of the world. Regardless of the
source, the fact remains that the ‘cultural factor’ may lead to information distortion and various
instances of miscommunication (Kayworth, 2000). Management of diverse workforce becomes
exceedingly complex due to cultural differences. If the team cannot communicate with each
other effectively, they can’t work together effectively. This makes the reliability of the
technology very important so that the flow of work can continue without interruptions.
Instructions are given through or via technical media to avoid misinterpretation of information
through gestures and other signs during a face to face communication. The media chosen should
also be carefully selected so that the end users, or those who are using the information, as
compared to those who are giving the information, are able to communicate effectively.

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De Beer etal, (1998) cited poor communication as a potential cause of conflict. Conflict arises if
detailed job descriptions have not been compiled. Job holders will not know precisely what
activities they are responsible for and may end up fighting over the scarce resources.

English is the official language and communication medium in ZRA. The nationals of Zambia
and Zimbabwe also use English as their official language since both countries were once English
colonies. Zambia gained its independence in 1964 and started promoting its people to speak and
other vernacular languages such as Bemba, Lozi, Luanda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga, and Tumbuka.
It has seventy-five tribes living in the country each with its own dialects and language. Such
cultural differences may lead to information distortion and various instances of
miscommunication (Kayworth, ibid). On the other hand Zimbabwe is comprised of two main
vernacular languages namely Shona and Ndebele.

Despite such a crossroads of culture in Zambia, these tribes have lived in harmony with each
other for decades. The slogan "One Zambia, One Nation,” which was introduced by Kenneth
Kaunda, was considered a strong symbol of the country's unified national identity. A lot can be
said of the Zimbabwe counterparts and this has a bearing on how coherent the groups formed is.

2.7 Education

Townsend (1977) holds the view that education has to be relevant to the whole of life,
contributing to the material, social and cultural improvement of each individual from childhood
to old age. Townsend (ibid), also argues that the wealth of a country is dependent upon more
than its natural resources and capital material; it is indirectly determined by the knowledge, skills
and motivation of its people. Todaro (1980) shares the same view when he said,

... human resources constitute the ultimate basis for wealth of any nation and human beings are
the active agents who accumulate capital, exploit natural resources, build social, economic and
political organisations and carry forward national development programmes.

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A country which fails to develop skills and knowledge of its own people will be unable to
develop. This statement holds true to organisations, if an organisation fails to impact skills and
knowledge to its employees it is bound to fail in its endeavours. Forojalla (1993) propounds that,
private employers should be encouraged by means of incentives to give on the job training in
specific skills to meet their own requirement. The planning of non-formal education could play
an important part in developing organisations, and moulding employees to suit the organisation’s
needs.
Gatawa (1998) explained the challenges of Zimbabwean formal education at independence in
1980. Despite being riddled with a horde of institutionalised problems, formal education was
divided into two: one sub-system catering for the minority group of whites, preparing them for
the white collar jobs and the other system preparing the black majority to be loyal servants and
manual work. The non-racial unitary education system established at independence fused the two
systems.
Globalisation is a process, which has affected many areas of human life, one of those being
education (Chinnammai 2005). The growth of educational facilities in the twentieth century in
developing countries has raised the skills and standards of education. However, some scholars
argue that the type of education is a modern version of cultural imperialism that will lead to the
creation of a universal, ultimately western society. The question one poses is that, is the
education system in a country improving work performance by individuals and if not how best
can we prepare our work force to be effective and efficient.

2.8 Resistance to Change

Change is inevitable. Without change, planning would be simplified because tomorrow would
be no different from today (Robin and Coulter 1996). Change is defined by Robins and Coulter
(1996) as, “An alteration in people, structure or technology”. Change therefore is an
organizational reality.
Change requires experimenting and taking risks. However to reduce risks of change one has to
approach change through incremental steps and small wins. Building incrementally, strengthens
commitment to the long term future. Not everyone is comfortable with risk and uncertainty
(Kouzes and Posner 2003). In baboon troops, the other members of the troop glance at the alpha
17
male two or three times a minute (Baboon theory). In workplace all eyes are on the boss for any
change in the air. Everyone studies his or her supervisor's every move and utterance for clues to
the danger ahead. Change within an organization need a catalyst and thus if the leader does not
appreciate the need to change then it because difficult to initiate any change.

According to Jopling (2004), the other dimension of work force diversity that has an impact on
business performance is that of age, namely Generation X and Generation Y (Why). As an
organization recruits new and younger employees the way of doing things tend to change.
The generation that a person is born within has some impact upon that individual in terms of
work styles, work values and self image (Lawsson 2009). Also the expectations of these
employees differ within the generations represented in the workforce. Unless managers have a
sound knowledge base of the needs and expectations of the organization’s employees then
keeping them motivated may prove to be quite difficult. The challenge is that a greater demand is
created for managers to possess knowledge that calculates expectations and needs of all
employees into the organizational management strategy (Strauss & Howe, 2000).

However, the veterans, that is generation X, tend to resist such changes as they seem to threaten
their jobs. Organizations that intend to gain competitive advantage on the global markets must
strive to gain great commitment of the employees. New cultures are bound to crop up as the
work force become more diverse hence management should increase its ability to attract and
retain the best talent.

2.9 Chapter Summary

This chapter tried to explain literature that is related to factors that affect business performances
in multi-national companies operating in more than one country. The dilemma faced by
managers of such organizations and those companies that operate in the areas of common are
how to integrate inter-country differences that may hinder the accomplishment of the
organization’s goals and mission. Managers must first acknowledge cultural differences found in
a diverse workforce, especially that of national culture, then they should adjust their styles,
communications and rewards to fit within each culture.

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 CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.0 Introduction

The purpose of this study was to examine factors that influence performance in a diverse work
force. The descriptive cross sectional qualitative research design was used since it had many
advantages in studying human behavior. A simple descriptive research design is used, when data
is collected to describe people, organizations, settings, or phenomena. The study is not purely
qualitative, since statistical data was also analysed.

According to Best and Khan (1993), research is the systematic, objective analysis and recording
of controlled observations that may lead to the development of generalizations, principles or
theories, resulting in prediction and possibly ultimate control of events. Therefore the ultimate
goal of a research is to discover cause and effect relationships between variables. It is more than
simple gathering of information but entails a systematic way of doing it. The gathered
information is then tabulated statistically and analysed for use in strategic decision making. It
entails that if research is used for making strategic decisions, then it demands for accurate
observations and descriptions. The data which is utilised must be valid and reliable.

In this chapter the research design, philosophy, strategy, respondents, data collection methods,
research procedure and research limitations will be explained.

3.1 Research Philosophy

This research sought to find evidence that is valid and sound proof for the existence of
phenomena (Philips 1990). It is therefore more qualitative or post-positivism. According to
Letourneau and Allen (1999) post-positivist approaches ‘give way’ to both qualitative and
quantitative methods. This is described as critical multiplism (Guba and Lincoln 1998). It

19
therefore implies that there is need for rigorous, precise, logical reasoning and attention to
evidence gathered, however analysis is not confined to what can be physically observed only.

Positivism adopts a clear quantitative approach to investigating phenomena as opposed to post-

positivist approaches, which aim to describe and explore in depth phenomena from a qualitative
perspective. Positivism also asserts that the only authentic knowledge is that which allows
positive verification. These two approaches were used in conjunction in this research study so
as to capture the strength from the two philosophies.

3.2 Research Design

The research design as explained by Mcmillan and Schumacher (1993) refers to a plan or
selecting subjects, research sites and data collection procedures to answer the research questions.
The design shows the details of individuals to be studied, when, where and under which
circumstances they will be studied. The ultimate goal of a sound research design is to provide
results that are judged to be credible.
There are quite a number of research designs that can be used when carrying out research work.
Among them as cited by Mcmillan and Schumacher (1993) are, “… the survey, correlational,
experimental, quasi-experimental” and so forth. In this particular study the survey design was the
most appropriate. Surveys are relatively inexpensive especially when self administered and are
useful in describing the characteristics of a large population. A survey was seen to be the most
appropriate since it could be administered through mailing, e-mailing or telephone since
Zambezi River Authority has offices in Lusaka, Kariba and Harare.

The results from a survey design are made statistically significant because a large sample is
feasible. Many questions can easily be asked on a given topic and this gives flexibility on the
analysis.

20
3.3 Population

In this study the population comprised all the employees of Zambezi River Authority. The total
number (N) of one hundred and fifty-two (152) employees constituted the population. These
employees are spread into three locations namely Lusaka in Zambia, Kariba and Harare in
Zimbabwe. The Chief Executive and three directors form the management team, with functional
managers and other professionals supporting them. According to Best and Khan (1993), a
population is any group of individuals that have one or more characteristics in common that are
of interest to the researcher.

3.4 Sampling and Sample Size

Sampling is defined by Mugo, (n.d) as the act, process, or technique of selecting a suitable
sample, or a representative part of a population for the purpose of determining parameters or
characteristics of the whole population. The overriding consideration is representativeness of that
sample, or how much it resembles that population in terms of specific characteristics (Strauss
and Corbin 1990). Webster, (1985) cited in Mugo, (n.d.) defines a sample as a finite part of a
statistical population whose properties are studied to gain information about the whole. Best and
Kahn (1993) tend to agree with the above authority when they define sample as a small
proportion of a population selected for observation and analysis. Sampling is therefore, an act,
process, or technique of selecting an appropriate sample. The geographical set up of Zambezi
River Authority makes it difficult to have access to the whole population and it was therefore
more appropriate to work with a sample that represented it. Although Mcmillan and Schumacher
(1993) rightly argue that, in some studies the sample and population are the same, in this
particular study the sample was not be the same as the population, hence some selection of the
sample was be conducted.

Stratification probability sampling procedure was used to draw up the sample. This entailed
extracting a sample from sub groups. Since Zambezi River Authority’s employees come from
two countries, Zambia and Zimbabwe, the population was firstly stratified according to

21
nationality with equal numbers of respondents being select. Secondly its workers are categories
into senior and junior staff in terms of positions they hold on the hierarchical structure. Again the
sample was comprised of equal numbers from each category. A simple random sampling
procedure was then used to draw up the sample from each stratum. The final sample was
comprised of twenty three Zambians and twenty three Zimbabweans and of these half of them
were from the senior staff category whilst the other half were from the juniors.

3.5 Research Instruments

There are various research instruments, such as tests, questionnaires, observation and interviews
that can be used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. No one particular method is
superior to the other since each method is appropriate for certain sources of data. A questionnaire
was used in this study because of its advantages over the other instruments. Questionnaires allow
the respondents to give a fairly accurate opinion of their beliefs at their own time. Questionnaires
are very cost effective especially in this case where it involves a large geographical area with the
population being spread from Lusaka and Siavonga, Zambia and others being in Kariba and
Harare Zimbabwe. The assumption is that most of the respondents cannot find time for interview
sessions because of pressure and the demand of their work. They then can respond to a
questionnaire at their free time such as during tea or lunch breaks. Questionnaires reduce bias in
that there is uniform question presentation. Standardization ensures that similar data can be
collected from groups and then interpreted comparatively. That is the researcher’s opinion did
not influence the respondents to answer questions in a certain manner. The researcher in this
study, interviewed a few respondents from each stratum, so as to get clarification on issues that
might have appeared to be ambiguous from the questionnaire. This effort was meant to remove
bias that might come from the researcher, and to remove enforcement of the researcher’s
opinion on to the respondents.

22
3.6 Data Collection Procedure

According to Haralambos and Holborn (1995), in designing questionnaires, the assumption is

that the researcher knows what is important. No pilot studies were carried out since it is not
usually appropriate for case studies. However, there was a need for seeking corrections of
ambiguous questions and general errors from the supervisor before administering the
questionnaire. Campbell (1984) said data collection procedures explain ways that could be used
to collect data, where the data will be collected, when, how, by whom and in what form.
Questionnaires were distributed online through the Zambezi River Authority network to those
respondents who had access to it and have been selected as participants. Most of the
questionnaires were distributed as hard copies to those respondents that had no access to the
computers and were in Kariba.

3.7 Reliability

Any experiment that uses human judgment is always going to come under question. The fact that
this study was more qualitative and descriptive in nature, although with some quantitative
aspects, means that repetition of the research to generate the same result is very marginal if
conditions are not the same. Human judgment can vary widely between observers and the same
individual may rate things differently depending upon time of day and current mood.

However the researcher believes that replication of this research in similar condition will yield
the same result, hence fulfilling all the requirements of testability.

3.8 Validity

There is always the chance that another unknown factor contributed to the results and findings.
The researcher however had no control on the mood of the respondents on the particular day he

23
or she was responding to the questionnaire. However, the researcher randomized the selection of
sample to try and lessen external validity problems.

3.9 Ethical Considerations

According to Robbins and Coulter (1996), ethical standards are not universal across the globe.
Social and cultural differences between countries tend to determine ethical and unethical
behavior. It is important for managers working in foreign cultures or managing areas of common
to recognize the various social, cultural, political and legal influences on what is appropriate and
acceptable behavior. For example, appraisals affect promotions, salary raise and sometimes may
lead to dismissal of an employee. Ethics should be the bedrock of an appraisal since legal does
not always mean ethical (Bittel 1994).

Organizational cultures usually influence what is ethical behavior and what is not. This may
differ from one organization to another since cultures also differs. What is acceptable in one
organization may totally be unacceptable in another.

However in this particular study all participants were informed about the fully voluntary nature
of their participation in the interviews and answering of questionnaires and that they had a right
to withdraw from their participation with no strings attached. The information collected was
made confidential and no names were recorded. Permission to carry out this research was sort
from the relevant authorities within the organization and collection of data was done when they
approved.

3.10 Data Analysis and Presentation

The results of this case study was confined to Zambezi River Authority. Descriptive analysis was
applied. Descriptive analysis limits generalization to the particular group of individuals observed
or studied and one cannot extend conclusions beyond the group. Any similarities outside the

24
group cannot be assumed. The data describe one group only. However, similar trends can be
traced in organizations with the same set up. One can draw up a hypothesis based on this study
and go along to prove it.

The data obtained was analyzed manually and presented descriptively and qualitatively. Surveys
are useful in describing the characteristics of a large population. Tables and figures were used in
the presentation of the data. Each question gave some data which was described and interpreted.

3.11 Research Constraints/Limitations

In a case study, such as this particular one, the researcher decides on issues pertaining to the
target population, sample size, sampling frequency, what to analyze and what to leave out (Bell,
1993). Much discretion is left to the researcher such that the outcome may not be generalised to
other situations.

The extent of data collecting was influenced by the amount of time, since this factor limited the
amount of cross checking the existence of certain phenomena and the veracity of information
gathered as compared to other existing or known facts. The research was completed in three
months and qualitative studies concerning the behaviour of people require more time to study.
Lastly people in general tend to be sensitive to discuss issues concerning their culture. They tend
not to disclose issues they feel can undermine their culture and may be force to portray only the
good parts. Such then becomes a constraint in that the researcher will base his or her conclusions
and recommendations on what the respondents would have given in their responses.

3.12 Chapter Summary

The purpose of chapter three was to introduce the fundamental principles of the research
methodology for the study. These include the following, the research philosophy, research

25
design, and population of study, sample, data collection, analysis and presentation and research
constraints. The survey was chosen as the research design. Questionnaire and interview were
used as data collection instruments. The sample was drawn from the entire work force of
Zambezi River Authority which formed the population for this case study.

26
 CHAPTER FOUR

DATA PRESENTATION, ANAYLSIS AND INTERPRETATION

4.0 Introduction

The investigation revealed significant information that would not ordinarily be available to the
managers and this chapter therefore discusses the study findings with regards to the main issues
that led to the study on poor business performance in a bi-national organisation such as Zambezi
River Authority.

Data was collected through the use of a questionnaire, designed to gather evidence with which to
answer research questions posed in chapter one. This data will in this chapter, be discussed in
relation to the main objectives.

4.1 Data Presentation

Response Rate
A total of forty-six questionnaires were distributed to Zambezi River Authority employees and of
these thirty-three (33) responded, constituting a response rate of seventy-two percent. The
researcher failed to get an explanation as to the failure by some respondents to return the
questionnaire. One could only assume that maybe they were too busy to spare the time to answer
the questionnaire or they were not interested. However, from the observation made by the
researcher, it was those people holding managerial positions who did not bother to return or
respond to the questionnaires.

Forty-seven percent (47%, n=15) of the respondents were Zambian nationals whilst the rest were
Zimbabweans. This depicts the imbalance in numbers of Zambian workers against the
Zimbabwean workers within the Authority.

27
Zambezi River Authority employees are categories as senior and junior workers. Senior workers
comprises of middle management, supervisors and other professional workers while the rest of
the supporting staff is in the junior category. Sixty-six percent of the respondents were junior
employees of the Authority and the rest were senior employees. From a simple calculation this
entails that for each senior employee there is one and half junior employees. The ratio of senior
against junior workers shows a top heavy structure. The table 4.1 below shows the response rate
to the questionnaires which were distributed.

Questionnaires Sent Questionnaires Received Response Rate

46 33 72%
Table 4.1 Response Rate to Questionnaire

According to Best and Khan (1993), the ideal sample is large enough to serve as an adequate
representation of the population about which the researcher wishes to generalize and small
enough to be selected economically. Although the sample chosen was thirty percent of the work
force of Zambezi River Authority, twenty-one percent responded to the questionnaire. Results of
this study can therefore be considered as credible since the sample size is twenty-one percent and
constitute a fair representation of the population. However, of the total questionnaires
distributed, twenty-nine percent (n=12) of them were never returned to the researcher even after
frantic follow up. The reason for failure to return the questionnaires can best be known by the
respondents themselves for no explanation was given to the researcher.

Age Band

Of the respondents (n=33), no employee was below the age of twenty-five (25) years. Thirty
percent of the respondents were above the age of fifty (50) years, with five to ten years left
before retirement. Seventy-nine percent (79%) of the employees were in the age group of thirty-
six and above. This reflects an organization comprising of mature employees. It is therefore,
evident that the majority of the Authority’s employees will be interested in policies that address
their retirement. Such policies, if favourable will act as motivators and will provide the zeal to

28
continue working for the organisation. The figure below shows the distribution by age of the
respondents.

Figure 4.1 Age Distribution of the Respondents

However mature or veteran employees, would in most cases show resistances to change of any
form, and would rather stick to the old ways of doing things. This works to the detriment of the
organisation especial now, when globalisation is coming into play and organisation has to
strategically change to suit the ever changing environment.

Gender Distribution

Figure 4.2 Gender Distribution of the Respondents

29
Operation and maintenance of a dam wall for water provision, such as Kariba is naturally labour
intensive. It is therefore not surprising that the gender distribution is dominated by males,
emanating from the systems of gender division of labour and socialisation processes. By virtue
of their biological make up, men and women possess distinct psychological traits and
characteristics which is then used in the division of labour (Williams 1994). Stereotypes
influence society’s attitudes towards men and women in positive and negative ways, hence the
selection of income generating labour intensive work favoured males, as shown in the figure 4.2
above.

Seventy-six percent of the respondents were male showing their dominance over there female
counterparts and how this industry favours the male. However, there is a shift from this
phenomenon, as the number of female has started to increase in this particular industry, maybe
due to the advocacy of equal treatment of human beings through the world labour organisations.
Sixty-seven percent of the employees who have worked for the Authority for less than five years
are females, and this shows the Authority’s thrust in employing females.

Length of Service
The investigation revealed that there is a high commitment to staying in the organisation as
shown in figure 4.3 below.

Figure 4.3 Length of Service of the Respondents

30
A rather high propotion of the employees, forty-two percent (42%, n=14) have worked for the
Authority for more than fifteen years. This figure protrays a very stable workforce and also
confirms the age distribution discussed above, where seventy-nine percent (79%) of the
workforce is in the 36 to above 55 age bands. Employees who joined the Authority, say 15 years
ago, must have been at least 21 years old or at most 40 years. It follows, therefore, that there is a
very low rate of staff turnover. The organisation has succeded in ensuring the retention of its
most valued assets, people.

Twenty-seven percent (27%) of the employees have worked for the Authority for less than five
years and all of them are Zambian nationals. This shows the effort being made by the Authority
to address the imbalance in numbers between Zambian and Zimbabwean employees. However,
the composition of employees shows an aging Zimbabweans against young and vibrant Zambian
nationals. Generation Y, mainly composed of Zambian nationals tend to like the new way of
doing things, whilst generation X tend to resist such changes as they seem to threaten their jobs.
They are comfortable with the old way of doing things. This is a source of conflict and can be
one reason for low business performance as each group fight for dominance. Also such a rift may
lead to loss of institutional memory, should generation X retire without having adequately
transferred their tacit knowledge.

The length of service is a proxy indicator for job relevant knowledge, which in itself is a
motivator (Ramall 2004). One may therefore surmise that employees are generally comfortable
working for the Authority. Jauch and Sekaran quoted by Wiley (1997) state that high
involvement in a job creates commitment and hence low turnover. The question then still
remains that, why is there low business performance if workers show such commitment to the
organisation.

Marital Status
Seventy-six percent of the respondents were married, while those divorce or separated, widowed,
single and polygamus subgroups represented only twenty-four percent. Such a high percentage
of married employees represent stability of the family and could place higher significance in

31
keeping their jobs as depicted by the length of service some members have stayed in the
Authority. The figure below shows marital status distribution of the respondents.

Figure 4.4 Marital Status of the Respondents

4.2 Corporate Strategy

Ninety-one percent (91%) of the respondents agreed to strongly agree to the notion that they
understand the purpose and duties of the Authority. It stands therefore that the corporate strategy,
mission and values are clear to all the employees. However, the employees felt that as an
organization they do not share the same understanding of what they are supposed to do in terms
of implementation of the strategy. In an organization products or services pass through all
activities of the chain and at each activity the product gains some value. According to Porter
(1985), a value chain is a chain of activities for a firm operating in a specific industry. Fifty-eight
percent (58%) of the respondents were neutral to strongly disagree that employees share the
same understanding of what they are supposed to do. Such misunderstanding can be a source of
low business performance, as it may cause one activity not to value the other and by so the
overall business performance suffers.

The organization structure affects organizational actions, by providing standard operating

procedures, routines and it helps in determining which individual participates in which particular

32
decision making. It is clear, therefore that everybody in management should have a clearly
defined set of responsibilities and should know what is expected of them. In Zambezi River
Authority the roles and responsibilities of employees are not clearly spelt out to them or
employees do not understand their roles as seen from the responses. Forty percent (40%) of the
respondents expressed that their roles and responsibilities were not clearly labeled. Such a
scenario will see employees overlapping into other employees’ duties and causing conflict.
According to Stewart-Lussier (2010) of NRL Group Incorporated, unclear roles and
responsibilities may lead to differing and or unclear expectations by the employees. Interpersonal
conflicts between team members and their leader may develop through overlaps into one’s area.
Overlaps creates tension between employees and may lead to low business performance and
accomplishment of the strategically plans is hindered. Also important tasks maybe missed and
there maybe duplication of effort around the task.

4.3 In-Service Training and Staff Development

Training and promotional prospects are not open to all in the Authority as revealed by the
responses to the questions. Sixty percent (60%, n=20) of the respondents disagree to strongly
disagree that training and promotional prospects are open to all. Twenty-four percent (24%)
chose to be neutral to this question whilst only fifteen percent responded positively. All of the
fifteen percent (12%, n=4) of the respondents who agreed that training was open to all, had
attended training of one form or another outside the organization.

It was therefore, evident that the response to this question was subjective. One would respond
positively if they have been afforded training pertaining to his or her particular field and
negatively if they had not. However, records within the organization revealed that the Authority
has in the past few years offered motivational seminars and workshop to its entire workforce in a
bid to change their attitude towards their work.

In his paper on formal mentoring, Orpen (1997) cautioned that transfer of knowledge was more
effective where close relationship existed between the mentor and the mentee. When such

33
relationship is prevented from developing for whatever reason, mentoring would not be effective,
as contact would be minimal. Grouping of workers, by nationality, religion, and any other reason
prevents mentoring in organizations. The veteran workers in the Authority, in this case being the
Zimbabwean tend to distance themselves from their Zambian counterparts and this closing the
chance to mentor upcoming workers.

Seventy-six percent of the respondents felt that new employees are not properly inducted into
their new positions. As alluded earlier by Armstrong (2005), the purpose of induction is to help
new employees settle down quickly into the job by becoming familiar with the people, the
surroundings, the job and the business. By giving a new employee a good impression early, he or
she becomes motivated and looks forward to working for the organisation. Failure by the
Authority to induct new employees may be because of poor communication channels within the
organization or not having clear policies of how to induct new employees upon joining the
Authority by the human resources department. It will take more time for the new employee to
settle down, if not properly trained and thus leading to low productivity by that employee.

Twenty-one percent of the respondents agreed that promotion decisions were handled fairly. Of
these almost all had been promoted in one way or another. It therefore made answering to this
question also subjective. However, in its quest to solve the imbalance between Zambians and
Zimbabweans the Authority has resolved to employ new employees each time a vacancy arises
without considering promoting from the existing manpower. To some extent this strategy has
lowered the moral of the workers, as they have nothing to look forwarded to, even when they
perform to their best.

4.4 Communication

Communication within the Authority seemed to be a major problem which requires redress. This
was revealed from the questionnaire, when more than ninety percent (90%) of the respondents
rated the communication level to be very poor. Communication entails, transmission, by
speaking, writing or gestures, of information which evokes understanding. This task is done

34
through the office of the Personnel Officer who is tasked to carry out duties pertaining to staff
welfare. Although this might sound simple and straight forward, its practice is not that easy and
poses danger of creating conflict. According to Flippo (1984) communication is an act of
imparting ideas and making oneself understood by others. Ideas can be construed wrongly if one
fails to understand the message being sent.

The same percentage (90%), is not aware of all the projects being undertaken by the Authority at
any one particular time. Most of the employees are only aware of projects they take part in there
undertaking. Some respondents noted that at times they get to know some events through public
media.

According to Flippo (1984), communication is an act of imparting ideas and making oneself
understood by others. It therefore means that if communication is poor within an organization,
then information, instructions and ideas may not be interpreted correctly. There is bound to be
confusion among the workers if they are not communicated to. As highlighted earlier by De Beer
etal (1998) poor communication is a potential cause of conflict. Conflict among workers is
detriment to production. It affects the chain of activities, since one part may not add value to the
process not necessarily in a bid to outdo the other but because they might not be aware of the
need to do so.

4.5 Culture

Individuals perceive the culture of an organization based on what they see or hear from the
organization (Dessler 2004). More than seventy percent of the respondents felt that the
organizational culture has change since the appointment of the new Chief Executive. The junior
staff felt they could now express themselves on matters concerning the operations of the
organization. However, the rest expressed that the culture has not changed in the past years, if
not, has deteriorated. They noted poor communication and lack of respect of the organizational
structure in that instructions from the top management sometimes filter to the shop floor workers
without passing through the normal ranks.

35
A good organizational culture entails a system with a shared meaning of values. Sixty-one
percent of the respondents felt that they are valued, as individuals, by the Authority. The culture
tends to promote individualism. Organizational cultures emphasizing individualistic values place
priority on pursuing and maximizing individuals’ goals and members are rewarded for
performance based on the achievements (Chatman and Barsade 1995). The respondents noted the
introduction of a performance management system sought to promote individualism, in that
rewards will be awarded based on the individual’s performance during the period under review.
On the other hand collectivistic organizational cultures place priority on collective goals and
cooperation action, and members are rewarded for joint contributions to organizational
accomplishment. As alluded by Haimann and Hilgert (1982) earlier, work groups such as task
group do work for the benefit of the organization.

4.6 Work Groups

The respondents were divided into half in their response to the notion that they operate
effectively as a unit. Most of those who responded positive were from the senior category whilst
the majority of those who responded otherwise where junior staff category. Interestingly, the
same number, fifty percent disagreed to strongly disagreed that differences were addressed
promptly. Sixty-one percent also disagree to strongly disagree that management treats all
employees fairly. From observation, by the researcher, workers tend to form small groupings
during tea breaks or lunch time and the composition of such groups will at most times be divided
by nationality. Such groups tend to disintegrate as other members of employees from a different
nation join them.

It was therefore clear that people are comfortable to associate with those who share some form of
similarities in terms of their background, language, level in the organization’s hierarchy and to
some extent educational level. As Haimann et al (1982) put it, work groups are divided into four
namely, command group, task group, friendship group and special interest group. Such
groupings can easily be identified in the Authority. However, it is not always that these groups
work to the detriment of the organization. Some tend to work more effectively and usually bring

36
about some form of competition as the groups attempt to outsmart each other. Selection of work
groups can be imposed by the supervisors onto the employees (task groups), especial for the
junior workers. Such then brings about tension among the groups and can be a source of conflict
if membership is not evenly distributed.

4.7 Chapter Summary

In conclusion to this chapter, it must be said that the qualitative and quantitative data presented,
analyzed and interpreted, enabled the researcher to come up with the findings. These findings
were related to the research objectives posed in chapter one. The main aim was to find out the
causes of low business performance in bi-national organizations such as Zambezi River
Authority. The major findings were that, of poor communication among the workers, cultural
differences, development of work groups and other challenges faced in the management of a
diverse workforce on the day to day running of the organization. Human resource policies in the
Authority are not very clear and not aligned to the corporate strategy of the Authority.

Data from section B of the questionnaire was cross validated by data from the free responses in
section C. Finally having analyzed the data collected, the researcher processed the data to get
their meaning. In the next chapter the researcher presents conclusions before attempting to make
recommendations and suggestions for further study.

37
 CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Introduction

This chapter gives the conclusions and recommendations of the study. The conclusions are based
from the findings which were gathered from the respondents. The recommendations made are
meant to correct the causes of low business performance in Zambezi River Authority.

5.2 Conclusions

On the basis of the research findings, the following conclusions were made:
 In a knowledge based organisation such as Zambezi River Authority, the length of
service is highly desirable. Zambezi River Authority is comprised of mature employees
with more than sixty percent being over forty years of age. It is from such evidence that
little or no attention is given to age on recruitment since there is no one in the workforce
below the age of twenty-five.
 Salaries and benefits in the Authority are pegged against an independent currency which
is United States dollar. However, employees are then paid the equivalent in the local
currency of the contracting state they are working in. The problem of equity and equality
of the wage system arises because the exchange rates of the currency can be manipulated
by one of the contracting state at any one particular time.
 Communication is poor within the Authority. Most of the employees are not aware of the
projects the organisation is currently undertaking, unless they are directly involved in its
implementation. This reduces coordination between departments and moral among
employees.
 Emphasis is placed on nationality, rather than on merit when recruiting and promoting
employees in the Authority as it tries to equalize the imbalance in numbers of Zambians

38
 and Zimbabweans employees. This can lead to creating a workforce with no proper skills
to undertake its duties.
 The human resources personnel are failing to appraise employees of their roles and
responsibilities in the operation of the Authority. This can only be done through proper
job descriptions detailing each individual’s duties in the Authority

5.3 Recommendations

In the light of the conclusions highlighted above and from the findings of this study, the
researcher was able to submit the following recommendations in order to improve on business
performance in a bi-national company, Zambezi River Authority.
 There is need to improve the way information is disseminated from management to the
workers. The most appropriate mode of disseminating information will be through
regular departmental meetings and minutes of such meetings being circulated to other
departments who in turn should share such information in their meetings.
 There is also a need to align human resource management with the corporate strategy
through appointing a human resource manager who is at a decision making level when
strategic issues are being discussed so as to give his or her input.
 Zambezi River Authority should adopt a deliberate policy for the recruitment of young
professionals into the organisation. Filling up of vacancies should be carefully analysed
to determine the best fit into the organisation’s long term goals or corporate strategy. It
may be advisable to establish a cadetship scheme, which will ensure a continued
introduction of young mentees into the Authority.
 There is a need for succession planning in a knowledge based organisation such as
Zambezi River Authority if long term goals are to be achieved. This can be achieved
through mentor and mentee relationships in the organisation. The mature and veteran
employees must mentor the upcoming young employees. The human resources personnel
should come up with a training program designed to keep and retain knowledge within
the organisation.

39
 To address the issue of roles and responsibilities, the Authority need to restructure, were
each position’s job description is detailed, hence clarifying the responsibilities. Zambezi
River Authority may out source this service from consulting organisations that have the
competency to undertake such work.

40
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 Appendix 1

CHINHOYI UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE

I am undertaking a research study on the causes of low organizational performance in a water resource
provision bi-national company. This research is being undertaken as part of the requirements for the
partial fulfillment of a Master of Science in Strategic Management under the auspices of Chinhoyi
University of Technology’s School of Business Sciences and Management.

I would appreciate you taking your time to complete this questionnaire as fully as you can. Write your
responses in the spaces provided or tick the appropriate responses. Your responses will be treated with
strict confidence and used solely for the purposes of this study. Do not write your name on this
questionnaire.

Section A

1. Gender Male Female

2. Age Band Less than 25 years

More than 25 but less than 35 years
More than 35 but less than 40 years
More than 40 but less than 50 years
More than 50 but less than 55 years
More than 55 years

3. Marital status Single

Married
Divorced
Widowed
Polygamous

4. Nationality Zambian
Zimbabwe
Other (Specify) ……………….

5. Number of years working for the organization

Less than 2 years
From 2 years to less than 5 years
From 5 years to less than 10 years
From 10 years to less than 15 years
15 years or more
6. Which employee category are you in Senior
Junior

46
 7. What is your highest academic qualification Grade 7
“O” level
“A” level
Diploma
Degree

Section B

May you please use a tick to show response under the following headings: Strongly Agree (SA), Agree
(A), Neutral (N), Disagree (D) and Strongly Disagree (SD).

SA A N D SD

8 I understand the purpose and duties of the Authority

9 All employees share the same understanding of what the

organization is supposed to do.
10 The organization structure and reporting relationships are clear
and are followed
11 The Authority have skilled personnel to perform their duties

12 Roles and responsibilities are clearly spelt out and understood

by employees
13 I feel my input is valued by the Authority

14 Employees consult each other when they need support

15 My work group operates effectively as a unit

16 Disagreements and differences are addressed promptly in order

to resolve them
17 Management treats all employees fairly

18 I trust the information I receive from my superiors

19 I believe that interpersonal and relationships contribute to

organizational performance
20 Training and promotional prospects are open to all

21 New employees are properly inducted into their new positions

22 Performance appraisal being undertaken is adequate, fair and

objective
23 Equity and equality of salaries and benefits in the Authority is
ensured by pegging them on an independent currency.
24 Our services meet our customer’s expectations

Section C

47
May you please give free responses to the following questions. Do not be surprised that some questions
may ask the same information as in Section B.

25.How do you rate the level of communication between management and employees within the
Authority?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

26. Are you aware of all the projects currently being undertaken by the Authority?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

27.Do you think the organizational culture has improved since you joined the Authority? Give your
reasons to your answer.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

28. In a few words what can be done to improve the organizational culture.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………….………………………………..

29.Do you think the Authority can operate more efficiently and effectively if it is managed by one
country? Give reasons to your answer.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………..……………..

30. Give a general comment and suggestion about how the operations of the Authority can be
improved.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Thank you.

48