Managing Human Resources effectively for a smooth organisational change in the context of StateTrading Organization public limited / Abdulla Rasheed

ABSTRACT
The aim of this research was to identify the impact on organisational change by managing human
resources effectively. To achieve this aim, the set objectives include: a) to identify human resource policies
and practices that supported the organisational changes initiated in STO since 2013; b) to identify the
challenges or barriers to change; and c) to determine the importance of effectively managing human
resources for a smooth organisational change in STO.
This research was based in the context of State Trading Organisation Public Limited (STO), which was
founded in 1964 by the government of the Republic of Maldives. The growth of the company overtime
led to the expansion of the business and its reach to the customer base around the country, needing for
organisational changes for the sustainable future of the company.
The research design adopted for this study was interpretive case design, which search for in-depth data
collection and analysis to draw conclusions towards the research question. Interpretive design is an
inductive approach that tries to derive a theory about the phenomenon of interest from the data
observation collected for the study. The data collection methods used in this research was qualitative and
quantitative.
The research findings revealed that human resource policies and practices of the organisation were
strategically aligned with the corporate objectives of the company. As a result, the organisational changes
brought by STO were supported by the human resource practices of the company. The findings also
supported existing knowledge by providing the role of leaders in uncertain environments. Leaders play
the critical role of communicating the desired change in order to overcome the fear and concerns. They
make people aware of the new change initiatives and initiate effective communication to facilitate the
changes.
In today's complex and uncertain environments, STO is faced with numerous challenges to cope with. This
research helps to identify ways in which human resources can facilitate effective implementation of the
organisational changes in the context of STO. It will also help to identify the resistances to change and
ways to manage those resistances for the future success of the company.