Closures of theological institutions in Zimbabwe and what Organisational Memory (OM) could contribute to promote institutional sustainability

Abstract

The closures of many theological institutions is of growing concern among theological educators and the Church at large, in Zimbabwe. Despite government efforts, such as establishing the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (ZimCHE) to regulate higher education providers by registering and accrediting them, closures of theological institutions continue to be on the increase. This study focuses on the closures of many theological institutions in Zimbabwe, in order to recommend interventions so as to promote sustainability of the remaining institutions. The dissertation achieved its aim by conducting an extensive study of relevant literature. A case-study was carried out at two theological institutions in Zimbabwe, with a sample size of six respondents. In addition, a focus group discussion was held with six members at the third site and investigated the participants’ views in relation to the research focus. Participants consisted of core employees at various managerial levels and some students, at three theological institutions in Zimbabwe. As a result, 12 respondents represented both the semi-structured interviews and the focus group discussion. The study produced the following four key findings: non-compliance with regulatory requirements was the main cause of the closures of theological institutions in Zimbabwe; closures of theological institutions in were not only a national (Zimbabwean) problem but also an International problem, as the closures were spread throughout the globe; closures of theological institutions had both positive and negative impacts; organisational memory (OM) had the potential to contribute to the achievement of institutional sustainability, by influencing institutional decision-making processes, as well as by helping organisations to avoid repeating past mistakes. The main conclusions drawn from this study were that: current approaches to curb the problem of the closures of theological institutions will be deficient as long as theological institutions fail to take into account the significance of OM in their decision-making processes. The recurring closures of theological institutions in Zimbabwe was partly due to the fact that, institutions were not learning from their past, or the past of their sister institutions, hence continually repeating past mistakes. Therefore, this study recommends that: theological institutions need to comply with policy guidelines; policy enforcers should intensify their efforts and raise public awareness about the need for institutions to comply with national policy guidelines as well as the consequences of non-compliance. Based on the usefulness of OM in supporting institutional decision-making processes as well as in helping organisations to avoid repeating past mistakes; the final recommendation of the study pointed towards the need for theological institutions to consider OM as an important knowledge-based strategy, for their continuity