The strategic partnership role of senior Human Resource managers in South African organisations

In a rapidly changing organisational context, there is a need for up-to-date and relevant theory to guide management practitioners' thinking and practice. In this study it is argued that grounded theory has the potential to generate new theories that are based on the current and substantive realities experienced by many management practitioners. The origin, purpose and primary characteristics of grounded theory are briefly discussed, followed by an identification of the use of grounded theory in various studies related to management. Thereafter, the use of the Straussian version of grounded theory is examined, including an explanation of what makes for quality research when conducting grounded theory research, followed by an illustration of the use of grounded theory in a study of change management by strategic leaders of churches.