The diploma thesis deals with company culture and work engagement and it aims to explore the relationship between these two concepts in the field of psychology of work and organization. The theoretical part describes in detail the topic of company culture, its relationship with other aspects of the work environment and the possibility of measuring it with a focus on the Competitive Value Model (CVF). The next part presents work engagement, methods of its measurement, connection to work behaviour and other consequences. The empirical part presents quantitative research, in which answers were collected from 126 respondents who came from 10 different companies. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between company culture and engagement at the individual level. The Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) was used to examine company culture, and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) was used to obtain information on the level of engagement. The hypotheses verified the existence of a relationship between engagement and individual types of company culture and the difference between the degree of engagement concerning the dominant type of company culture. The results were analyzed by a combination of Multiple factor analysis, Chi-square test and correlations. The results...

Magister Commercii - MCom / Research (Sartain et al., 2006) indicates that engagement demands a more thoughtful way to address the everyday realities of organisational life. The current research endeavours to elucidate the relationship between emotional intelligence and work engagement amongst leaders in a financial service organisation undergoing change. / South Africa

Research (Sartain et al., 2006) indicates that engagement demands a more thoughtful way to address the everyday realities of organisational life. The current research endeavours to elucidate the relationship between emotional intelligence and work engagement amongst leaders in a financial service organisation undergoing change.

Research (Sartain et al., 2006) indicates that engagement demands a more thoughtful way to address the everyday realities of organisational life. The current research endeavours to elucidate the relationship between emotional intelligence and work engagement amongst leaders in a financial service organisation undergoing change.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Psychological Sciences / Clive Fullagar / Within the literature on engagement at work there has traditionally been a focus on overall work engagement. However, in recent years there has been increasing research on applying a specific form of task engagement, called flow, to the world of work. The current project details two studies that serve to differentiate and understand the relationship between overall work engagement and flow. The first study collected data on engagement and flow from several hundred working adults and used confirmatory factor analysis to explore the factor structure of the two concepts. Results indicated that flow and engagement are separate constructs, albeit related. The second study again collected data from working adults, however, the goal was to show the differential relationships both flow and engagement have with the work outcomes of job satisfaction, commitment, citizenship behaviors, and burnout. Results indicated that both flow and engagement were significant predictors of these outcomes with engagement being the stronger predictor of the two. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are also discussed in full.

Financial institutions are faced with many changes and challenges, especially after the global financial crisis; and look to their human capital to provide their competitive advantage. It is therefore important to investigate effective means of managing employees in a way that could foster work engagement. Strengths use and leader-member exchange (LMX) quality create an opportunity for organisations to manage and utilise their employees more effectively and finally promote work engagement. The objective of this research study was to investigate the mediating effects of LMX quality in the relationship between strengths use and work engagement. A questionnaire was compiled, utilising the Strengths-based Leadership Questionnaire, the LMX-7 and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. These measuring instruments were administered to a total of 213 (N = 213) individuals employed in the financial services industry. For the purpose of this research study the quality of the LMX relationship was measured from the perspective of the subordinates. Strengths use was positively related to LMX quality and LMX quality was positively related to work engagement. Additionally, LMX quality played a mediating role in the relationship between strengths use and work engagement. Therefore, organisations can, by promoting strengths use and high quality LMX, achieve higher levels of employee work engagement. This research study is the first to include strengths use, LMX quality and work engagement in one mediating model. / MCom (Industrial Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Boredom at work is a concern, as both employees and organisations are affected by the negative effects that this phenomenon holds. Workplace boredom is becoming an increasingly common occurrence within organisations and most employees are susceptible to it. To date, no reliable and valid scale for workplace boredom is available in South Africa. This study aimed to validate the Dutch Boredom Scale (DUBS) within the South African context in an attempt to provide a scale suitable for South African employees. The general objective of the study was to determine the reliability and validity of the workplace boredom scale (DUBS) within the South African context by means of investigating the reliability, factorial validity, convergent validity, predictive validity and discriminant validity. A cross-sectional research approach was utilised by means of a random convenience sample (N = 490) from organisations within the manufacturing and logistics sectors. The reliability of the workplace boredom scale was established by investigating the alpha and omega values. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to determine the factor structure of the DUBS and to ascertain factorial validity. In order to prove convergent and discriminant validity, the relationship between workplace boredom and similar theoretical constructs (work engagement, workload, job satisfaction and organisational commitment) as well as constructs assumed to differ from work place boredom (i.e. gender) was investigated. Finally, regression with regard to one-directional relationships was examined between workplace boredom and appropriate outcomes (work engagement, organisational commitment and job satisfaction) in order to establish predictive validity. The results indicate that the DUBS consists of a one-factor structure, and that this factor has acceptable reliability. Relationships between workplace boredom and work engagement, workload, job satisfaction, organisational commitment and turnover intention were negatively and practically significantly correlated. No significant relationship existed between workplace boredom and gender. Workplace boredom had significant negative regressions to work engagement, job satisfaction and organisational commitment. Recommendations are made for use in practice and additionally for future research. / MCom (Industrial Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

In the context of an ever-changing global environment, organisations must strive even harder than before to inspire employees to deliver outstanding results that will lead to a sustainable future. Engaged employees will deliver long term value, but most will not reach their full potential without a manager who understands and is committed to increase engagement in others. Managers are the key influencers to create meaningful engagements. The aim of this study was to investigate if employees’ experience of their managers as people developer (MPD) will have an effect on work engagement, and if work engagement will have an effect on subjective well-being, performance and turnover intention. The study also considered the possible mediating effect of work engagement. The primary focus therefore has been on the relationship between MPD and work engagement. Secondly, the study examined the relationship between MPD, subjective well-being, performance and turnover. The study followed a descriptive, cross-sectional and quantitative approach. The following measuring instruments were used: the Leader Empower Behaviour Questionnaire (LEBQ), the Empowering Leadership Questionnaire (ELQ), the Work Engagement Scale (WES), the Turnover Intention Scale (TIS), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the Affect Balance Scale (ABS), and the organisations performance rating scale. These instruments were used to test whether the measures of the constructs were consistent with the understanding of the nature of the constructs; also whether the data fitted the hypothesised measurement model. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to examine the structural relationships between the constructs. The results showed that significant relationships existed between MPD and work engagement, subjective well-being, performance and turnover intention. No significant relationship was found x between performance and turnover intention, and performance and subjective well-being. Regression analyses indicated that MPD had significant predictive value towards work engagement and turnover intention, and work engagement had significant predictive value towards turnover intention, subjective well-being and performance. An indirect effect was found from MPD (via work engagement) on subjective well-being and turnover intention, but an indirect effect from MPD on performance (via work engagement) was not found. Work engagement was found to have a direct effect on performance. It was therefore found that work engagement was a strong antecedent to subjective well-being and turnover intention. The implication of the results is that where managers coach and develop employees, it will lead to higher levels of work engagement and lower levels of turnover intention. / MA (Industrial Psychology)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2015.

The management of human capital is becoming of great importance. Research on this topic is largely based on talent shortages. In South Africa, considerable attention has been given to the issue of skills shortages, which are also evident in the education environment. The government has exerted many efforts; however, despite these efforts, skills shortages are still prevalent. A definite need for reform and change is necessary, with emphasis on a more positive and combined approach, focusing on strengths use and deficit improvement, psychological empowerment, work engagement and intention to leave. Therefore, the retention of talented employees has been identified as the most important outcome of a positive organisation. The general objective of this study was to determine if the Strengths Use and Deficit Improvement Questionnaire (SUDIQ) and Measuring Empowerment Questionnaire (MEQ) were reliable and valid to administer to educators in South Africa; and whether (a) psychological empowerment mediated the relationship between perceived organisational support for strengths use (POSSU) and work engagement, and between perceived organisational support for deficit improvement (POSDI) and work engagement; and (b) whether work engagement mediated the relationship between psychological empowerment and turnover intention. The study furthermore contributed to positive psychology research, using a combined focus on strengths use and deficit improvement in relation to psychological empowerment in the education sector. A need existed to test the reliability and validity (construct and convergent) of the SUDIQ and the MEQ among educators in the Southern Cape region. A cross-sectional survey was used to reach the objectives of this study. Convenience samples were drawn from educators in the Southern Cape region (N = 271). The results revealed that the SUDIQ scale comprised four factors, namely perceived organisational support for strengths use (POSSU), perceived organisational support for deficit improvement (POSDI), proactive behaviour towards strengths use (PBSU) and proactive behaviour towards deficit improvement (PBDI). In the same way, meaning, self-determination, competence and impact were revealed as the four distinct factors of the MEQ. In testing the relationships between the constructs, POSSU correlated practically significantly (medium effect) with all the MEQ constructs. PBSU correlated practically significantly (large effect) with meaning and competence, and practically significantly (medium effect) with self-determination and impact. POSDI, as a construct of the SUDIQ, showed to correlate practically significantly (medium effect) with meaning, competence, self-determination and impact. In the case of PBDI, practically significant correlations (medium effect) were aligned between PBDI and all the constructs of the MEQ. Through this study, it was revealed that POSSU significantly predicted psychological empowerment, but not work engagement. Significant and positive paths were found between POSDI and both psychological empowerment and work engagement. POSDI played a significant role in the prediction of psychological empowerment and work engagement. Furthermore, psychological empowerment played a significant predicting role in work engagement, but not with turnover intention. In the last instance, a significant and negative path was found between work engagement and turnover intention. In terms of the mediation analysis, POSSU indirectly impacted work engagement and intention to leave of educators in the Southern Cape region via psychological empowerment; and POSDI indirectly impacted work engagement and intention to leave of educators in the Southern Cape region via psychological empowerment. Lastly, work engagement was not revealed as a mediator in the relationship between psychological empowerment and intention to leave. A combined focus, incorporating both strengths use and deficit improvement, is a relative new concept and research field. Through this study educators could learn about the benefits of strengths use and deficit improvement and how those could be used to their advantage, especially in becoming more empowered in an education context. Also, this would indeed alert the schools and principals to the benefits of moving away from traditional approaches of focusing on only weaknesses or what was wrong with people, compared to a combined strengths and deficit focus. The results obtained would offer a valuable contribution to research and the limited literature available on this topic. In the South African context, it would be the first study in which the SUDIQ scale had been used in the education sector in the Southern Cape region, examining the extent to which strengths were used and deficits were developed by both employees and the organisation, and how it related to the well-being of educators. Recommendations were made for application and for future research. / MCom (Human Resource Management)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2015.

The primary objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between work engagement and hope and to determine the possible impact on productivity within an agri-business. For the purpose of the study, we used two measures, namely: • The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale was used to measure work engagement • The Dispositional Hope Scale was used to measure hope. The questionnaires were completed by 341 respondents of the relevant agribusiness. The respondents represented all the divisions in the business. The research results showed that there was a significant correlation between work engagement and hope. Moreover, the literature review showed that work engagement and hope are playing a definite role in the productivity of any business. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014