A influência dos líderes no processo de mudança organizacional: um estudo de caso

Esta dissertação tem por objectivo avaliar a eficácia do processo de mudança organizacional, através das acções dos líderes, da empresa que lidera o mercado de telecomunicações em Cabo Verde, que foi objecto de um processo de reestruturação, que consistiu essencialmente na implementação de um Sistema de Gestão da Qualidade (SGQ). A implementação do referido sistema é entendida, nesta dissertação, como um modelo de mudança organizacional. Para atingir os objectivos preconizados, foi realizado um estudo de caso que contempla uma análise qualitativa dos documentos da empresa e de dados recolhidos através de entrevistas realizadas no período compreendido entre Fevereiro e Agosto de 2010. O estudo procurou compreender o contributo das práticas de liderança para a eficácia da gestão da qualidade. Nesta perspectiva, importa salientar que o tipo de liderança identificado neste estudo de caso é a liderança transformacional, que tecnicamente é o adequado quando se pretende implementar mudanças profundas e que implicam uma redefinição da missão, visão e valores da organização. Importa referir ainda que vários estudos empíricos têm demonstrado de forma consistente, uma relação positiva entre a liderança transformacional e os indicadores de eficiência no trabalho. Procurou-se entender ainda se os líderes na condução do processo de mudança organizacional da empresa estudada, seguiram o modelo proposto por John P. Kotter para a implementação eficaz de mudanças nas organizações, comparando os oito passos propostos pelo autor com os ocorridos na empresa. A avaliação deste estudo de caso permitiu concluir que a essência do modelo foi aplicado. This paper intended to assess the effectiveness of the process of organizational change, through the actions of the leaders of the company that leads the telecommunications market in Cape Verde, which was involved in a restructuration process, covering mainly the implementation of a Quality Management System (QMS). The implementation of this system is understood in this case, as a model of organizational change. To achieve the proposed goals, we performed a case study based on a qualitative analysis of corporate documents and data collected through interviews conducted between February 2010 and August 2010. This study tried to understand the role of leadership practices for the effectiveness of the quality management. In this perspective, it should be noted that the type of leadership identified in this case study is the transformational one, which, technically, is the appropriate when trying to implement significant change, which imply a redefinition of the mission, vision and values of the organization. It should be noted also that several empirical studies have consistently demonstrated a positive relationship between transformational leadership and the performance indicators in the workplace. We also tried to understand if the leaders, in driving the process of organizational change in the company studied, followed the model proposed by John P. Kotter for implementing effective change in organizations, by comparing the eight steps proposed by the author with those verified in the company. The assessment of this case study allowed us to conclude that the essence of the model is applicable to this case.

A Importância da Motivação para o Sucesso da Organização – O caso da Sociedade Cabo-Verdiana de Tabacos, SA

Este trabalho trata de algumas variáveis inerentes à motivação dos indivíduos no ambiente de trabalho e do incentivo dos colaboradores no processo produtivo, que conduz à resultados positivos. Mediante pesquisa realizada na empresa Sociedade Cabo-Verdiana de Tabacos, SA na região do Mindelo, pretende-se mostrar a importância da criação de um ambiente propício à motivação que gere, consequentemente, inovação nas organizações. Em relação à apresentação dos resultados da pesquisa, optou-se por dar maior ênfase à importância da motivação dos trabalhadores dentro das empresas como fonte de inovação. No entanto, os factos aqui relatados mostram efectivamente a inexistência de um processo motivacional que não incentiva os colaboradores da organização. This article discusses some of the variables inherent in the motivation of individuals in the workplace and encouraging employees in the production process, leading to positive results. Through a research organization in the oil industry in the area of Mindelo is intended to show the importance of creating an environment conducive to motivation that manages hence innovation in organizations. Regarding the presentation of search results, we chose to give greater emphasis to the importance of employee motivation within companies as a source of innovation. However the facts reported here show the lack of an effective motivational process that does not encourage the employees of the organization.

Active civic participation of immigrants in Portugal

Portugal’s historical past strongly influences the composition of the country’s immigrant population. The main third-country foreign nationals in Portugal originate traditionally from Portuguese-speaking African countries (namely Cape Verde, Angola, Guinea Bissau, and S. Tomé e Príncipe) and Brazil. In 2001, a newly created immigrant status entitled “permanence” authorization uncovered a quantitative and a qualitative change in the structure of immigrant population in Portugal. First, there was a quantitative jump from 223.602 foreigners in 2001 to 364.203 regularized foreigners in 2003. Secondly, there was a substantial qualitative shift in the composition of immigrants. The majority of the new immigrants began coming from Eastern European countries, such as Ukraine, Moldavia, Romania, and the Russian Federation. Thus, European countries outside the E.U. zone now rank second (after African countries) in their contribution of individuals to the stocks of immigrant population in Portugal. The differences between the new and traditional immigration flows are visible in the geographical distribution of immigrants and in their insertion into the labour market. While the traditional flows would congregate around the metropolitan area of Lisbon and in the Algarve, the new migratory flows tend to be more geographically dispersed and present in less urbanized areas of Portugal. In terms of insertion in the labour market, although the construction sector is still the most important industry for immigrant labour, Eastern European workers may also be found in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors. The institutional conditions that encourage immigrants’ civic participation are divided at three different levels: the state, the local, and the civil society levels. At the state level, the High Commissioner for Migrations and Ethnic Minorities is the main organizational structure along with a set of interrelated initiatives operating under specific regulatory frameworks, which act as mediators between state officials and the Portuguese civil society, and more specifically, immigrant communities. At the local level, some municipalities created consultative councils and municipal departments aiming at encouraging the participation and representation of interests from immigrant groups and association in local policies. In the civil society sphere, the main actors in Portugal spurring immigrants civic participation are immigrant associations, mainstream associations directed toward immigration topics, and unions. The legal conditions framing immigrants’ access to social housing, education, health, and social security in Portugal are also considered to be positive. Conditions restricting immigrants’ civic participation are mainly normative and include the Portuguese nationality law, the regulations shaping the political participation of immigrants, namely in what concerns their right to vote, and employment regulations restricting immigrants’ access to public administration positions. Part II of the report focuses on the active civic participation of third country immigrants. First, reasons for the lack of research on this issue in Portugal are explained. On the one hand, the recent immigration history and the more urgent needs regarding school and economic integration kept this issue out of the research spotlight. On the other hand, it was just in the beginning of the 1990s that immigrants took the very first steps toward collective mobilisation. Secondly, the literature review of Portuguese bibliography covers research on third country immigrants’ associative movement, research on local authorities’ policies and discussion about ethnic politics and political mobilisation of immigrants in Portugal. As political mobilisation of these groups has been made mainly through ethnic and/or migrant organisations, a brief history of immigrants' associative movement is given. Immigrant associations develop multiple roles, covering the social, the cultural, the economic and the political domains. Political claiming for the regularisation of illegal immigrants has been a permanent and important field of intervention since the mid-1990s. Research results reveal the com5 plex relations between ethnic mobilisation and the set of legal and institutional frameworks developed by local and national governmental authorities targeted to the incorporation of minority groups. Case studies on the Oeiras district and on the Amadora district are then presented. Conclusions underline that the most active immigrant groups are those from Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau, since these groups have constituted a higher number of ethnic associations, give priority to political claiming and present a more politicised discourse. Reflecting on the future of research on civic participation of third country immigrants in Portugal, the authors state that it would be interesting and relevant to compare the Portuguese situation with those of other European countries, with an older immigration history, and analyse how the Portuguese immigrants’ associative movement will be affected by a changing legal framework and the emergence of new opportunities within the set of structures regarding the political participation of minority groups.