-The International Journal of Organizational Analysis zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJ 1996, Vol. 4, No. 2 (April), pp. 175-186 zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGF STRIKING GOLD THROUGH A DEEP-LEVEL ORGANIZATIONAL INTERVENTION IN GHANA'S MINING INDUSTRY Winfred Arthur, Jr. Texas A&M University Dennis Doverspike James E. Kuthy University of Akron This paper is a case study of the effects of an organizational interven- tion on the recovery of the Ashanti Goldfields Corporations Limited mining operations in Ghana, a country in West Africa. We examine the events leading up to the company's decline, the deep-level intervention strategy that was applied, and the effects of that intervention. The design of the change initiative could best be classified as a system- renewal intervention, in that comprehensive changes in the organization were sought through an eclectic combination of strategies that recog- nized the unique cultural milieu in which the company was operating. Major emphasis was placed upon the development and establishment among management of a new shared vision of performance, the intro- duction of managerial goal setting, the development of managerial teams, and an improvement in the basic standard of living for line employees. After almost a century of successful operation, the mining operations at the Ashanti Goldfields Corporations Limited (AGC) gold mines in Ghana in the early 1980's were quickly becoming a classic case of a permanently failing organization (Meyer & Zucker, 1989). Despite the fact that the company was operating at a loss, the major sub-groups within the organization continued to benefit from the tradi- tional mode of operating the company. The off-site management personnel in Lon- don had greater authority than the local management but were financially insulated from responsibility for their actions. The Ghana government continued to benefit from the mine's presence, as it remained one of the largest generators of foreign exchange. The jobs of expatriate supervisory personnel at the mines were protected Note: We would like to thank Dr. Robert Golembiewski and several anonymous reviewers for their critiques and suggestions.