The purpose of this research was to determine the relationship between salutogenic functioning and sick leave. Occupational stress as a metatheoretical concept was investigated. Work is stressful, but some people cope better with this stress than others. A study of salutogenic functioning as a way of coping with occupational stress was done. Salutogenic constructs, as moderator variables of the coping abilities were investigated in relation to sick leave days. This research used a sample of 73 employees in PTM. The relationship between the employees' biographical variables, salutogenic functioning and sick leave was determined, and no relations between them were found, but a significant correlation between gender and potency was found. The results indicated no relation between PTM employees' salutogenic functioning and sick leave. Furthermore, biographical variables didn't predict sick leave. The employees displayed moderate to strong salutogenic functioning in terms of their ability to cope and to stay well. / M.A.(Industrial Psychology)

This research reviewed the history of motivation and performance modelling, with particular regards to the performance of employees in a work environment. The evolution of motivational theories was discussed before the motivational models arising from these theories were examined and critiqued. The wide range of, often conflicting, studies and theories in this area has led to a situation where no single model has been able to capture all the complexities of the internal and external influences on human motivation and performance. Models have broadly fallen into one of two categories: cognitive, focusing on the individual’s thought processes and social-cognitive, focusing on the influences from social and contextual variables. Bong [1996] suggested that a broader model of motivation may be developed by adopting either an integrative approach, whereby a general model is built that incorporates the wide range of potential motivational variables, or by building several models that focus on each dimension separately. Needs based and process based motivational theories, which will provide the foundation of any model of motivation, were reviewed in Chapter Three. Chapter Four then introduced the two existing models of motivation models that are the main focus of this study, Hackman and Oldham’s Job Characteristics model and Porter and Lawler’s Expectancy model. Each model was reviewed and critiqued before being amended and expanded to more fully explain the social and cognitive motivational processes and satisfy the criticisms identified. Although there are no obvious areas of overlap between the largely social-cognitive Job Characteristics model and the largely cognitive Expectancy model, Chapter Five explains that by changing the terms used to describe the variables in each model the similarities between them may be identified. Identifying the areas of overlap allows the two models to be integrated into one. This new model of motivation expands upon the original models in that it combines both the social-cognitive and cognitive approaches and also incorporates more of the motivational theories discussed in Chapter Three than either of the two original models. The new model of motivation was tested via a data survey in four organisations. In each case, the level of correlation between the levels of the recorded variables, such as satisfaction and motivation, and those predicted by the model were generally high. The results of the data survey and the performance of the model were discussed in Chapter Six. One of the main aims of this thesis was to produce a model of motivation that was of practical use to the management of an organisation. Such a model should go beyond the existing theoretical models and allow those responsible for motivating a workforce to experiment with alternative job design strategies and evaluate their likely effects upon motivation and performance. Chapter Seven describes the spreadsheet-based model that was built in this study.

The purpose of this research was to determine the relationship between salutogenic functioning and sick leave. Occupational stress as a metatheoretical concept was investigated. Work is stressful, but some people cope better with this stress than others. A study of salutogenic functioning as a way of coping with occupational stress was done. Salutogenic constructs, as moderator variables of the coping abilities were investigated in relation to sick leave days. This research used a sample of 73 employees in PTM. The relationship between the employees' biographical variables, salutogenic functioning and sick leave was determined, and no relations between them were found, but a significant correlation between gender and potency was found. The results indicated no relation between PTM employees' salutogenic functioning and sick leave. Furthermore, biographical variables didn't predict sick leave. The employees displayed moderate to strong salutogenic functioning in terms of their ability to cope and to stay well. / M.A.(Industrial Psychology)

Knowledge workers, who typically enjoy global labour mobility, are considered critical to economic growth in developing countries. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the organizational commitment of South African knowledge workers, a commitment widely considered both improbable and unobtainable. In this study, a critical review of the organizational commitment literature, to ascertain its psychometric applicability to knowledge workers in South Africa, uncovered an unsystematic and fragmented body of research that has been imperfectly integrated in previous research models. A new definition of organizational commitment is therefore developed to account for current contextual complexities and theoretical advances in commitment research (e.g. multiple foci, variable duration, and changing intensities). A mixed-method research design was used in all stages of the investigation. To establish the construct validity and practical validity of the organizational commitment construct, a multidisciplinary explanatory model was developed based on the extant literature and focus group discussions with knowledge workers. To test the proposed model, a self-administered survey questionnaire was developed. A total of 637 usable questionnaires from knowledge workers employed in the accounting and information technology occupations in both the public and private sector were analysed using a variety of statistical techniques, primarily hierarchical regression analysis and structural equation modelling. Particular care was taken that appropriate and strict statistical criteria guided the analyses. The survey results were then presented to focus groups for discussion. The results clearly evidence the widely accepted three-component structure of organizational commitment but provide new insight into the nature of the relationship between the commitment components. The veracity of a multiple foci approach is demonstrated and interaction effects between commitment bases and commitment foci are examined. The results are mixed concerning the proposed model, which required revision after the psychometric analyses. Overall, however, the results are both surprising and encouraging. Surprising given the evidence of high levels of organizational commitment amongst knowledge workers, and encouraging given the amount of variance explained in salient organizational outcomes such as turnover intentions (37%) and boosting behaviour (24%). Analysis per employment sector showed no overall effect of sector in the regression models but further analyses showed different patterns of significant antecedents amongst knowledge workers employed in the public and private sectors. The empirical findings and theoretical position of this study challenge prevailing assumptions about the organizational commitment of knowledge workers and provide refreshment to both scholars and practitioners faced with the development of new management approaches and insights.

Cette thèse porte sur le présentéisme au travail, phénomène qui désigne le comportement des salariés qui se rendent à leur travail alors qu’ils sont malades. Notre objectif est de tenter de répondre à la question suivante : quel est le processus de décision qui conduit un individu temporairement affecté par une maladie à décider de s’absenter et/ou de se présenter à son travail malgré son état de santé ? Plus précisément, notre objectif est d’étudier les déterminants qui conduisent un salarié malade à choisir entre les trois possibilités suivantes : une absence totale (le salarié s'absente alors pendant toute la durée de l’épisode de maladie), une présence totale (il travaille pendant toute la durée de l’épisode de maladie), une présence partielle (il combine absence et présence au sein d'un même épisode de maladie). A notre connaissance, cette troisième possibilité n’a jamais été envisagée dans la littérature, cette dernière se limitant à distinguer uniquement l’absence et la présence. Afin d'analyser le choix entre ces trois possibilités, nous avons conçu et réalisé une enquête permettant d'identifier, pour chaque salarié enquêté, son dernier épisode de maladie, et pour cet épisode de maladie, la décision prise entre absence totale, présence totale et présence partielle. Comme nous le montrerons, la prise en compte des combinaisons entre absence et présence au sein d’un même épisode de maladie modifie sensiblement la mesure du présentéisme telle qu’elle est appréhendée dans la littérature empirique sur le phénomène. Nos résultats mettent également en évidence le rôle prédominant des caractéristiques de la maladie dans le comportement des salarié, et notamment le rôle de la durée de l’épisode de maladie. Ils montrent enfin l’effet sur la décision, d’une part, des risques que l’individu prend sur sa santé future s’il décide de choisir le présentéisme, total ou partiel et, d’autre part, des risques qu’il prend sur son emploi et/ou l’évolution de sa carrière s’il décide de s’absenter tout ou partie de l’épisode de maladie / This thesis focuses on presenteeism at work, a phenomenon that refers to the behavior of employees who go to work although they are sick. Our goal is to try to answer the following question: what is the decision process that leads an individual who is temporarily affected by sickness to decide to report sick and/or to attend despite the illness? Specifically, our goal is to study the determinants that lead a sick employee to choose between three options: a total absence (the employee is absent for the whole duration of the spell of illness), total attendance (he works for the whole duration), partial attendance, that is to say a combination of absence and attendance in the same spell of illness. To our knowledge, this third possibility has never been considered in the literature, which only distinguishes absence and attendance. To analyze the choice between these three possibilities, we have designed and conducted a survey to identify, for each employee in the survey, his last spell of illness, and for it, the decision between total absence, total attendance and partial attendance. As we will show, taking into account combinations of absence and attendance in the same spell of illness significantly modifies the measure of presenteeism, in comparison to the way it is generally measured in the empirical literature. Our results also highlight the predominant role of illness characteristics in the behavior of the employee, especially the role of the duration of the spell of an illness. Our results also show the effect on the decision of, one the one hand, risks that the employee takes for his future health if he decides to attend, totally or partially and, on the other hand, risks he takes for his job and for his future wage if he decides to report sick leave during the full spell of illness or during just a part of it

The aim of the study was two-fold: Firstly, the relationships of job satisfaction with the dimensions of employee motivation (energy and dynamism, synergy, intrinsic and extrinsic motives) and the domains of corporate culture (performance, human resources, decision-making and relationships) was investigated. Secondly, the relationships of employee motivation, job satisfaction and corporate culture with a number of demographic variables (age, gender, tenure, education level and seniority) were explored. The findings indicated a statistically significant three-way relationship between employee motivation, job satisfaction and corporate culture, within which several aspects of these constructs contributed more powerfully towards the relationship than others. The age, gender, tenure, education level and seniority of employees were also shown to influence employee motivation, job satisfaction and corporate culture. / Psychology / M. Sc (Psychology)

The aim of the study was to conceptualise psychological empowerment as perceived in a South African context in terms of the dimensions and contributing factors. The study was conducted by means of quantitative and qualitative methods. The sample included employees from different geographic areas, genders, races, level of education and positions in organisations in different sectors. Relationships between demographic variables and psychological empowerment were determined. To determine to what extent South Africans are psychologically empowered, according to Spreitzer’s (1995) model, means and standard deviations were calculated for the four dimensions (meaning, competence, self-determination and impact) and overall psychological empowerment (PE) and a percentile table was utilised to establish a norm and compare it with a norm established in previous research. Management practices were found to be significantly related to PE. However, when regression analysis was done, only the practices, motivation, delegation and job and role clarity significantly predicted PE. Perceptions of empowerment were investigated and it appeared that economic empowerment is emphasised in the media, while the majority of interview respondents seemed to have a balanced or positive view of empowerment as enabling. The psychological experiences of employees were explored and dimensions of psychological empowerment that are similar to what was found by previous research emerged. Some characteristics were found to be unique given the present context. Dimensions and characteristics that emerged from the study were resilience, sense of competence, sense of achievement, sense of control, sense of meaning, making a difference and empowerment of others. The theoretical frameworks proposed by Menon (2001) and Zimmerman (1995) were investigated, which confirmed the importance of a goal orientation and pro-active behaviour in psychological empowerment. These theories were evaluated and compared to cognitive theories as suitable frameworks for the study of psychological empowerment. Contributing factors that emerged from the qualitative study most prominently were opportunity and recognition. Locus of control emerged as a possible intrapersonal factor and it was explored further as a contributing factor. Together with the significant factors from the quantitative survey, these factors were employed to recommend a strategy for the development of psychological empowerment with the dimensions of empowerment as outcomes. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

Η παρούσα πτυχιακή εργασία εξέτασε την διοίκηση ανθρώπινου δυναμικού στις πολυεθνικές επιχειρήσεις που λειτουργούν στο χώρο των cash and carry και hypermarket. Έμφαση δόθηκε στην ανάπτυξη του ανθρώπινου δυναμικού καθώς και στη διαχείριση των ταλέντων. Από την βιβλιογραφική ανασκόπηση αναφέρθηκε ότι τόσο η ανάπτυξη του ανθρώπινου κεφαλαίου όσο και η διαχείριση των ταλέντων είναι παράγοντες που καθορίζουν την ποιότητα του ανθρώπινου δυναμικού ενός οργανισμού και την ικανότητα του να υποστηρίξει τον οργανισμό στην εκπλήρωση των στόχων του. Η έρευνα που έγινε σε δείγμα στελεχών ανθρώπινου δυναμικού σε επιχειρήσεις του κλάδου έδειξε ότι σε μεγάλο βαθμό οι δράσεις στην ανάπτυξη του ανθρώπινου δυναμικού είναι σε συνάφεια με τις πολιτικές των μητρικών των πολυεθνικών επιχειρήσεων. Σε ότι αφορά την διαχείριση των ταλέντων σε αυτό το τομέα οι πολιτικές είναι περιορισμένες. Εφόσον εντοπιστεί κάποιο στέλεχος που έχει τις προοπτικές να εξελιχθεί σε “ταλέντο” για την επιχείρηση, τότε θα συνεχίσει την πορεία του στο εξωτερικό. / This thesis examined the human resource management in multinational firms operating in the area of cash and carry and hypermarket. Emphasis is given to human resource development and talent management.

The aim of the study was two-fold: Firstly, the relationships of job satisfaction with the dimensions of employee motivation (energy and dynamism, synergy, intrinsic and extrinsic motives) and the domains of corporate culture (performance, human resources, decision-making and relationships) was investigated. Secondly, the relationships of employee motivation, job satisfaction and corporate culture with a number of demographic variables (age, gender, tenure, education level and seniority) were explored. The findings indicated a statistically significant three-way relationship between employee motivation, job satisfaction and corporate culture, within which several aspects of these constructs contributed more powerfully towards the relationship than others. The age, gender, tenure, education level and seniority of employees were also shown to influence employee motivation, job satisfaction and corporate culture. / Psychology / M. Sc (Psychology)

The aim of the study was to conceptualise psychological empowerment as perceived in a South African context in terms of the dimensions and contributing factors. The study was conducted by means of quantitative and qualitative methods. The sample included employees from different geographic areas, genders, races, level of education and positions in organisations in different sectors. Relationships between demographic variables and psychological empowerment were determined. To determine to what extent South Africans are psychologically empowered, according to Spreitzer’s (1995) model, means and standard deviations were calculated for the four dimensions (meaning, competence, self-determination and impact) and overall psychological empowerment (PE) and a percentile table was utilised to establish a norm and compare it with a norm established in previous research. Management practices were found to be significantly related to PE. However, when regression analysis was done, only the practices, motivation, delegation and job and role clarity significantly predicted PE. Perceptions of empowerment were investigated and it appeared that economic empowerment is emphasised in the media, while the majority of interview respondents seemed to have a balanced or positive view of empowerment as enabling. The psychological experiences of employees were explored and dimensions of psychological empowerment that are similar to what was found by previous research emerged. Some characteristics were found to be unique given the present context. Dimensions and characteristics that emerged from the study were resilience, sense of competence, sense of achievement, sense of control, sense of meaning, making a difference and empowerment of others. The theoretical frameworks proposed by Menon (2001) and Zimmerman (1995) were investigated, which confirmed the importance of a goal orientation and pro-active behaviour in psychological empowerment. These theories were evaluated and compared to cognitive theories as suitable frameworks for the study of psychological empowerment. Contributing factors that emerged from the qualitative study most prominently were opportunity and recognition. Locus of control emerged as a possible intrapersonal factor and it was explored further as a contributing factor. Together with the significant factors from the quantitative survey, these factors were employed to recommend a strategy for the development of psychological empowerment with the dimensions of empowerment as outcomes. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)