Tell us about your DBA Research – D C N Dinuka Pattikiriarachchi
Chief Human Resource Officer – HNB Assurance and HNB General Insurance (2019 – 2024)
Director – Group HR at LAUGFS Holdings Ltd (2024 onwards)
D C N Dinuka Pattikiriarachchi successfully completed his DBA degree programme at the Faculty of Management and Finance, University of Colombo, in the year 2024.
The title of his DBA thesis is “Making Sense of Lean-Infused Change: A Case Study”
How did you develop an interest on this topic?
As a practitioner in Human Resources Management, I have been exposed to three different Lean implementations under three different organisations during my career thus far. These three implementations were different to each other in terms of (a) what was expected from the Lean Programme i.e. what Lean success meant, (b) the way the program was implemented i.e. the change, and (c) my role within the program and how I felt being a part of the program. Further, spending a period close to one year in Japan on a scholarship, and experiencing Lean at its place of origin, made me ponder what Lean and Lean success means and whether such means the same for everyone in an organisation. Further, during the said three implementations, it was noticed that different actions had been taken under the justification of “change management”, despite not having full comprehension as to how these actions impacted the Lean Programme.
Upon this confusion, resorting to reading literature both on Lean Management and Change, it was clear to me that there is a gap which is worthy of DBA research.
What are your main findings?
Individuals within the same organization differed in their view point as to what Lean and Lean success is. Some see Lean as a holistic approach to organizational improvement, while others perceive it as a specific tool for cost reduction or a burdensome process. The understanding of Lean success also varies, with some focusing on achieving specific milestones and others prioritizing broader organizational transformation. For some, what Lean success mean have moved over time and with change of roles. These variations arise from individual sensemaking processes, influenced by properties such as past experiences (retrospection), identity, the immediate environment (social) , the prioritization of plausibility over accuracy, and cognitive frames.
Intended and unintended actions towards the Lean program as well as inaction at times can trigger sensemaking process depending on what cues individuals decide to bracket leading to varied senses being made. In the absence of an effort to give sense, individuals look to the environment surrounding the phenomena to make sense including fragmented information generated through hearsay. Lean initiatives, like any organizational change, occur within a complex environment of multiple, simultaneous changes. Individuals attempting to make sense of such change are exposed to complexed context, from which they pick the cues to bracket or not to.
What are the implications of your research?
Management interventions are often guilty of being top-down ignoring the existence of multiple perspectives for any phenomena in an organisational context. By deploying Karl Weick’s Sensemaking framework (1995) in a single case qualitative research, this study demonstrates the importance of understanding and reconciling individual viewpoints. The study also contributes by furthering Weick’s (1995) Framework, highlighting the “Concurrent Change” environment to which the employees are exposed, compared to “Ecological Change” as depicted by previous studies.
This study illuminates the importance of (a) organisations not seeing the change as a single phenomenon but as a total system; (b) consistent and continues Sensgiving plan;(c)looking at benefits from the perspective of the employees as much as from the organisation’s point of view; (d) moving away from the classical approach to change agent selection; and (e) resource planning and reviewing.
What was it like to do a DBA at the University of Colombo?
My DBA Journey at the University of Colombo has been a challenging yet very rewarding endeavour. A highly qualified and helpful faculty is the biggest blessing I experienced during my tenure. My two supervisors, Professor Kumudinei Dissanayake, and Professor Tharusha N. Gooneratne’s energies to get the best out of my efforts are a testimony to the University of Colombo’s capacity and commitment to its scholars.
Finally – what will you do next?
I intend to share the knowledge gained and created through my research with the Industry and engage in coaching others in change management.
Contribute back to the University system by continuing my work as a visiting lecturer.
Provided external conditions work in my favour, I wish to further engage in research in the stream of Sensemaking on the lines of “further research” areas identified through my study.
