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Equal opportunity (‘EO’) policy, practice and legislation has existed for a long time in the UK. Diversity Management (‘DM’), seeing diverse workforces as a competitive strength, covering everyone in the workforce, being more gender neutral and inclusive of those traditionally excluded from organisations, has also come to the fore. However, discrimination within companies continues. Amongst the groups most affected are women, those from a BME background, and disabled people. This thesis draws on an analytical framework that enables a holistic approach to studying the links between voice and EO and DM policies. This thesis incorporates four main types of voice workplace – minimal voice, dual voice, direct voice and indirect voice. It also disaggregates two of these four main types of voice workplace. Within the minimal voice category, this thesis distinguishes between the ‘bleak house’ approach and the ‘limited approach’ and within the dual voice category, this research differentiates between the ‘co-existence approach’ and the ‘partnership approach’. This enables this thesis to take a fine grained analytical approach of the links between voice and EO and DM policies, as well as the links between EO and DM and workplace outcomes, measured by absenteeism and voluntary labour turnover (quits), on the other, within the various types of voice workplace. Voice is relevant to the debate because it hasn’t been explored before and they could be an important means to covey employees preferences to employers, and can therefore potentially help to explain variation in the uptake of EO and DM in different workplaces. To ensure that the results of this research reveal the attitude of workplaces to EO and DM policies this thesis will analyse EO and DM policies at a disaggregated level, covering not only a more diverse set EO and DM policies, but also examining a range of workplaces, not only large organisations, as previous studies have often done. The study focuses on three groups that are commonly discriminated against: women, BME groups and those with a disability. Such discrimination can take direct and indirect forms, therefore, policies monitoring recruitment and selection, and promotions for direct and indirect discrimination, and relative pay rates will be examined, for each of the three groups. This study draws on data from the 2011 Workplace Employment Relations Survey (WERS 2011), the largest, most comprehensive study of workplace practices in the UK. The survey covers EO and DM policies in detail, enabling a nuanced analysis of both the voice factors and the workplace outcomes that they may be associated with. The thesis relies on the management survey in order to capture as many workplaces as possible. The analysis of the data relies on logistic regressions, as the outcome variables in both sets of regressions are dichotomous. The first key finding from this research is that voice is associated with the greater adoption of EO and DM policies in workplace: the more voice a workplace has the more likely it is to have a range of EO and DM policies. For instance, workplaces with direct voice, indirect voice, and dual voice are more likely to have a range of policies compared to those workplaces with minimal voice. In addition, dual voice workplaces are frequently more likely to adopt EO and DM policies compared to all other types of workplace. The second key finding of this research is that EO and DM policies are, on the whole, not associated with higher or lower levels of absenteeism and quits, indicating that, in most instances, EO and DM neither help nor harm establishments to any great degree. This suggests that existing theories could be amended. The third important finding is that any statistically significant associations between EO and DM policies, on the one hand, and absenteeism and quits, on the other, depend upon the type of workplace within which the policies operate. For instance, the relationship between policies and outcomes is sometimes positive and statistically significant (albeit often only at the 10-per-cent level) amongst minimal voice workplaces. It is occasionally negative and statistically significant (at the one-per-cent level) amongst dual voice workplaces. This justifies the approach taken here; it also highlights key areas for future research. The fourth key finding of this research is that there is a connection between high levels of labour turnover, amongst minimal voice workplaces, and the use of EO and DM policies. Again, this highlights areas that future research could examine.

The concept of ‘diversity’ has become a common feature in UK organisations over the last twenty or so years. It offers arguments about what the world is like, who people are, how they relate to one another, and how the world should be. It has been used to bring about a host of different actors, objects and practices. Yet, we know relatively little about one of the central elements of this field – diversity practitioners. They play an important role in defining what diversity means in local contexts, they are the experts of the field. Drawing on Foucault’s theories of power/knowledge and the ‘subject’, along with the notion of bricolage, the research examines the different forms of knowledge that diversity practitioners use to construct themselves as expert subjects, and in turn how they seek to construct a particular subject of others, the ‘diversity trainee’, as the subject who is the outcome of diversity training. The findings show how the subjects of the diversity practitioner and the diversity trainee are shaped by dominant societal discourses of the expert and the neoliberal subject, as well as by the history of equality work and the organisational challenges that diversity practitioners face. But they also show that diversity practitioners are actively involved in forming themselves as subjects by producing subject positions and rationalities, which construct skills, values, and knowledge. Diversity training is shown to mobilise a form of power known as ‘modern government’ in seeking to constitute the diversity trainee as a selfregulating subject, which adds complexity to previous discussions of the ethics of this form of power. Diversity practitioners are central elements of their field, so recognising the relations of power/knowledge in their practices is fundamental to considering any future development of their practices, as well as better understanding the concept of diversity itself.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the nature and degree of occupational gender segregation across the functional fields in South Africa and to determine if existing “supply-side” explanations serve to explain the phenomenon through an attitudinal survey of the females in the sample. The UNISA first year MBL students were requested to complete the survey during their August Centre Visit at the SBL Sasol auditorium in Midrand. The survey consists of two sections. Section A determined the gender of the sample element and subsequently their functional field of occupation, which enabled the calculation of the Karmel and MacLachlan Index per functional field. The Finance, General Management, Information Technology, Operations and Production and Procurement, Buying and Logistics fields showed high levels of integration, while the Marketing, Sales and Customer Service field showed low levels of segregation in favour of women. Human Resources was strongly female dominant, while Research and Development was strongly male dominant. The “Other” field showed the highest level of segregation in favour of women. Section B contains the attitudinal Likert scale questions to measure the extent to which the various supply-side explanations determine the women’s career decisions. There seem to be certain explanation types, such as Exchange Utility and Reward, which serve as strong selection criteria and other factors that play a lesser role, such as Teaching Styles and Self-Image. Based on the averages the Occupational Sex-Typing, Self-Efficacy and Parental Influence explanations showed no agreement from any of the sample elements. / Graduate School of Business Leadership / MBL

The purpose of this study is to investigate the nature and degree of occupational gender segregation across the functional fields in South Africa and to determine if existing “supply-side” explanations serve to explain the phenomenon through an attitudinal survey of the females in the sample. The UNISA first year MBL students were requested to complete the survey during their August Centre Visit at the SBL Sasol auditorium in Midrand. The survey consists of two sections. Section A determined the gender of the sample element and subsequently their functional field of occupation, which enabled the calculation of the Karmel and MacLachlan Index per functional field. The Finance, General Management, Information Technology, Operations and Production and Procurement, Buying and Logistics fields showed high levels of integration, while the Marketing, Sales and Customer Service field showed low levels of segregation in favour of women. Human Resources was strongly female dominant, while Research and Development was strongly male dominant. The “Other” field showed the highest level of segregation in favour of women. Section B contains the attitudinal Likert scale questions to measure the extent to which the various supply-side explanations determine the women’s career decisions. There seem to be certain explanation types, such as Exchange Utility and Reward, which serve as strong selection criteria and other factors that play a lesser role, such as Teaching Styles and Self-Image. Based on the averages the Occupational Sex-Typing, Self-Efficacy and Parental Influence explanations showed no agreement from any of the sample elements. / Graduate School of Business Leadership / MBL

The daunting challenge that faces South African business is to redress the inequalities of past discrimination and to develop to its maximum the potential of every team member while remaining competitive. Some of the key challenges include creating a supportive and attractive work environment that's inclusive of diversity, staff retention and an organisational culture that will leverage diversity. The case study organisation faced similar challenges. In order to understand the dynamics a diversity workshop was designed and consulted from a systems psychodynamic paradigm. The primary task of the Diversity Workshop was to provide opportunities for members to study and learn about intrapersonal, interpersonal and inter group relationships in relation to diversity behaviour in the workplace. 50 participants attended the workshop and 22 participants completed the questionnaire. The content was analysed and themes from a psychodynamic stance identified. The overall objective of the workshop was met as it made unconscious behaviour visible, allowed participants to reflect, facilitated dialogue and enabled transfer of learning to the workplace. This approach allowed groups to move from basic assumptions to task oriented behaviour. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial Psychology)

This study is within the field of Industrial and Organisational Psychology. It focuses on the relationship between diversity management and organisational climate dimensions. The literature review indicates that most of the research conducted on these two concepts, diversity management and organisational climate investigated the concept diversity, not diversity management (Cox, 1993; Hicks-Clarke & Hies, 2003). This study specifically explores diversity management in a retail organisation. The empirical component of the study includes confirmatory factor analysis, reliability analysis and a correlational study investigating the relationship between diversity management and organisational climate. It was found that there is a positive and strong relationship between diversity management and organisational climate. Diversity management seems to correlate highly with the following climate dimensions: policies and procedures, discrimination, gender issues, equality in conditions of employment and employment equity. The results indicate that younger employees have more positive views regarding diversity management, and middle aged employees have less positive views regarding diversity management. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Admin (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

This study is within the field of Industrial and Organisational Psychology. It focuses on the relationship between diversity management and organisational climate dimensions. The literature review indicates that most of the research conducted on these two concepts, diversity management and organisational climate investigated the concept diversity, not diversity management (Cox, 1993; Hicks-Clarke & Hies, 2003). This study specifically explores diversity management in a retail organisation. The empirical component of the study includes confirmatory factor analysis, reliability analysis and a correlational study investigating the relationship between diversity management and organisational climate. It was found that there is a positive and strong relationship between diversity management and organisational climate. Diversity management seems to correlate highly with the following climate dimensions: policies and procedures, discrimination, gender issues, equality in conditions of employment and employment equity. The results indicate that younger employees have more positive views regarding diversity management, and middle aged employees have less positive views regarding diversity management. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Admin (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

The daunting challenge that faces South African business is to redress the inequalities of past discrimination and to develop to its maximum the potential of every team member while remaining competitive. Some of the key challenges include creating a supportive and attractive work environment that's inclusive of diversity, staff retention and an organisational culture that will leverage diversity. The case study organisation faced similar challenges. In order to understand the dynamics a diversity workshop was designed and consulted from a systems psychodynamic paradigm. The primary task of the Diversity Workshop was to provide opportunities for members to study and learn about intrapersonal, interpersonal and inter group relationships in relation to diversity behaviour in the workplace. 50 participants attended the workshop and 22 participants completed the questionnaire. The content was analysed and themes from a psychodynamic stance identified. The overall objective of the workshop was met as it made unconscious behaviour visible, allowed participants to reflect, facilitated dialogue and enabled transfer of learning to the workplace. This approach allowed groups to move from basic assumptions to task oriented behaviour. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial Psychology)

The main aim of this study was to develop a diversity management content model based on the organisational team sport intervention and to compile a process model to implement organisational team sport in an organisation in nine financial organisations in Gauteng, South Africa. The diversity constraints relevant in this study were age, gender, race, religious beliefs, physical abilities, ethnicity, generation gaps, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, physical abilities, education, income, political beliefs and income. The study was conducted among 63 sport participants and nine sport coordinators employed at nine financial organisations in Gauteng, South Africa. The data were collected by means of focus group interviews with sport participants and individual interviews with sport coordinators. The results indicate that organisational team sport interventions as a diversity management initiative do have benefits for the employees (i.e. the employees learn more about and from one another, communicate openly, become friends, trust and respect one another, are able to work together in a team, have equal opportunities and there is less stereotyping/discrimination) and for the organisation (i.e. productivity, the company is able to achieve its goals, employees are more cohesive and able to work together, there is creativity, new ideas are generated and client service improves). The findings of this study contribute valuable new knowledge to the literature on the diversity management content model based on organisational team sport interventions because no studies have been conducted on an organisational team sport intervention model that can be utilised as a diversity model in organisations. / Industrial & Organisational Psychology / D. Com.