The focus of this study was the unconscious dynamics in the consultant-client relationship as industrial and organisational psychologists seek to achieve change in client organisational systems. Twelve psychodynamic themes were used to interpret a journal maintained by the consultant throughout one consulting assignment, in an effort to understand the unconscious processes influencing the effectiveness of the consulting relationship. Analysis found that the client system imported the consultant to carry nurturing and healing on behalf of the system, but projected onto and into him the confusion, pain, hostility and incompetence in the system, stripped him of authority and manipulated him out of his role as change agent. The consultant unconsciously accepted the projections, failed to contain the system’s anxiety, gravitated towards the paranoid-schizoid position and was unable to effect meaningful change. Recommendations where made for the use of this form of psychodynamic analysis as a self-evaluative tool in the consulting context. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A.

Text in Afrikaans / This research dealt with the contribution of psychodynamic group interventions to organisational development (OD). The research consists of a qualitative investigation and was based on a case-study design with the use of multiple cases. Three different cases were presented, namely where a psychodynamic group intervention was used together with another intervention, where obstacles in a group were to be solved and as an in-house working conference. Random sampling was also done within the cases. Three interventions were done, data was gathered and analysed by means of content analysis, and the results were reported. It was found in all three cases that a unique contribution was made. Regarding the first case, the intervention was the beginning of a process of change whereby the participants were enabled to develop their identity as a group, from a family business to a company. Participants became aware of underlying conflict, started to own their roles in it, and to take responsibility for addressing the dynamics themselves. In the context in which the intervention was used, the contribution was, however, restricted because its value was only experienced after the intervention. Regarding the second case, the obstacles influencing the functioning of the team were addressed efficiently after the intervention. Participants were authorised to manage their boundaries more efficiently and to address role differentiation, leading to more open communication and a better work climate. Regarding the third case, it was found suitable especially for learning diagnostic competencies from a psychodynamic paradigm. Learning occurred on a personal level resulted in the ability of participants to identify dynamics in their organisation and to present similar interventions in their work place. Recommendations were made for the use of psychodynamic group interventions from a qualitative paradigm, as well as regarding the necessary competencies and a training programme for presenting psychodynamic group interventions. / Hierdie navorsing hande! oor die bydrae van psigodinamiese groepintervensies tot organisasie-ontwikkeiing (00). Die behoefte om onbewuste dinamika in organisasies aan te spreek, hettot hierdie navorsing aanleiding gegee. Die navorsing is in die vorm van 'n kwalitatiewe ondersoek en is gebaseer op 'n gevallestudie-navorsingsontwerp waarin daar van meervoudige gevalle gebruik gemaak is. Drieverskillendegevalleisaangebied, naamlikwaar'n psigodinamiese groepintervensie saam met 'n ander intervensie gebruik is, waar blokkasies in 'n groep opgelos moes word en as 'n in-huise werkskonferensie. Daar is ook van ewekansige steekproefneming binne elke geval gebruik gemaak. Drie intervensies is uitgevoer, data is ingesamel en deur middel van inhoudsontleding ontleed. Daar is bevind dat al drie gevaiie 'n unieke bydrae gelewer het. Ten opsigte van die eerste geval was die intervensie die begin van 'n veranderingsproses waardeur die deelnemers in staat gestel is om vanuit 'n familiebesigheid hu! identiteit as 'n maatskappy te ontwikkel. Deelnemers het bewus geword van onderliggende konflik, begin om hulle rolle daarin te eien, en verantwoordelikheid te aanvaar om die dinamika self aan te spreek. In die konteks waarin die intervensie gebruik was, was die bydrae egter beperk omdat die waarde daarvan eers na afloop van die intervensie ervaar is. Ten opsigte van die tweede geval is die blokkasie wat die funksionering van die span bei'nvloed het na afloop van die intervensie doeltreffend aangespreek. Deelnemers is bemagtig om hul grense meer doeltreffend te bestuur en roldifferensiasie aan te spreek, wat tot meer openlike kommunikasie en 'n beter werksklimaat aanleiding gegee het. Ten opsigte van die derde geval is bevind dat dit veral geskik was vir die aanleer van diagnostiesebevoegdhedevanuit'n psigodinamiese paradigma.Leerwatoppersoonlike vlak plaasgevind het, het tot gevolg gehad dat deelnemers in staatwas om die dinamika in hul organisasie te identifiseeren om self soortgelyke intervensies in hul werkplek aan te bied. Aanbevelings virdiegebruikvanpsigodinamiesegroepintervensiesvanuit'nkwaiitatiewe benadering tot 0 0 is gemaak, sowel as aanbevelings oordie noodsaaklike bevoegdhede en 'n opleidingsprogram vir die aanbied van psigodinamiese groepintervensies deur bedryfsielkundiges. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / D.Admin. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Mergers and incorporations are relatively new phenomena in the South African higher education landscape. The unbundling of Vista University, and the subsequent incorporation ofVUDEC into the merger between Unisa and TSA, posed a major challenge to all affected employees. This thesis focuses on how these employees experienced the various stages of the incorporation process. A social construction of inner and outer voices heard, shared, and read during the different phases of the incorporation process attempts to describe how to conserve the self in a merger. The aim of the thesis is to build towards a framework for dealing with the human aspect during institutional mergers and incorporations. The thesis consists of a prologue, a series of four manuscripts that report on the experiences of employees during the different phases of the merger process, and an epilogue. Each manuscript focuses on a specific phase or aspect of the incorporation process, with its own research focus, aims, and methodology. The first two manuscripts reflect on the pre-merger phase. The first manuscript reports on employees' preparation for the incorporation. Following a social constructionist grounded theory approach, four participating employees gained the opportunity to reflect on their own experiences of well-being during the pre-merger phase. The manuscript also reports on a wellness development workshop, attended by 35 representatives from various departments and units of Vista University during the pre-merger phase. The second manuscript reports on how employees embraced the VUDEC institutional culture. A case study approach was selected for semi-structured interviews with 17 participants from governance, academic and administrative departments, and post-graduate programmes. By means of content analysis, the institutional culture ofVUDEC was captured on the eve of the incorporation into Unisa. The third manuscript focuses on employees' experiences of the four-year transition and implementation phases of the incorporation. This manuscript follows a social identity approach, and through thematic analysis, reports on how 24 participants experienced the four-year implementation of the incorporation process. The fourth manuscript provides an overview of the human side of mergers as depicted in both national and international literature. The aim is to position the current longitudinal investigation and its findings in the broader higher education landscape, and a survival kit for conserving the self in a merger is proposed. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

The main aim of the research project was to develop a change agent identification framework, to be used by organisational change management specialists to identify change agents more effectively in large organisations moving forward. To date, little research has been conducted regarding the role and identification of change agents in large organisations. In the context of the research project, the sample of change agents used, referred to employees affected by the change, spread across the organisation, assisting in communicating key messages and ensuring that their peers become change ready. A thorough 12-step empirical research process was followed, which included both a qualitative and quantitative approach. The qualitative process consisted of the development of a change agent identification framework, comprising of four dimensions, each with supportive information and/or items. The aim of the quantitative process was to empirically test the personality trait dimension of the framework with a sample group of 27 change agents and 135 employees influenced by a transformation process. This was to determine which change agent personality traits has a positive impact/effect on employee change readiness levels during transformation. Through a rigorous analysis process, only the phlegmatic, persuasive and optimistic personality traits resulted in having some positive effect on employees during a transformation process. In support of these findings, the literature study findings as well as the qualitative empirical research findings indicated that the persuasive and optimistic personality traits need to form part of a change agents’ personality profile. The phlegmatic personality trait was not evident throughout all literature findings. The literature and empirical results contributed towards a comprehensive understanding of the way in which individuals should be identified as change agents in large organisations. The developed framework should assist industrial and organisational psychologists in the future to identify individuals as change agents, more efficiently. Recommendations were made on the future expansion of a knowledge base for organisational change agents. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / D. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Organisations are always confronted with the need to transform in order to adapt to environmental changes and have a competitive advantage. The concern is that when an organisation embarks on a transformation process, its individual employees are affected either positively or negatively. Employees can respond to transformation change by either being satisfied or dissatisfied in the organisation. The main aim of this research was to develop a diagnostic model for measuring employee satisfaction during organisational transformation. The first construct of organisational transformation was conceptualised using the open system paradigm, theoretical definitions and models of organisational change. In this study, organisational transformation is second order and drastic in the sense that it alters the way in which the organisation functions and relates to the external environment focusing on the vision, processes, systems, structure and culture. It is the fundamental and constant change at all levels of the organisation caused by external factors posing as risks for organisational survival. vi The second construct of employee satisfaction was conceptualised focusing on the humanistic paradigm, theoretical definitions and models. Employee satisfaction in this study is the individual’s positive emotional state of contentment stemming from the organisation’s ability to meet his or her needs and expectations based on his or her experience and evaluation of various organisational processes and practices. It influences employees’ performance and commitment to the organisation. A theoretical model was developed as a framework to enable organisations to diagnose or assess their employees’ satisfaction during organisational transformation. The model highlighted dimensions essential to diagnose employee satisfaction such as organisational strategy, policies and processes and outcomes, in order to determine employees’ contentment and fulfilment in the organisation. The main aim of the empirical research was to conduct a three year longitudinal study of employee satisfaction during organisational transformation; to operationalise the conceptually developed diagnostic model of employee satisfaction during transformation; and develop a structural equation model (SEM) in order to test the theoretical model. The Employee Satisfaction Survey (ESS) was used in 2003, 2007 and 2008 to measure employee satisfaction. The initial year of the study (2003) comprised 1 140 participants who voluntarily completed the measuring instrument. The second year of the study (2007) involved 920 participants, while the final year of the study (2008) included 759 participants. In terms of the reliability and validity of the ESS, it was determined that in the three years of the study, most of the dimensions had acceptable internal consistency reliability based on the results of the Cronbach alpha test. The SEM investigated the impact of organisational strategy, policies and procedures and outcomes as the three domains of employee satisfaction during organisational transformation. The confirmatory factor analysis of the latent variables was conducted, and the path coefficients of the latent variables of organisational strategy, policies and processes and outcomes indicated a satisfactory fit for all these variables. The goodness-of-fit measure of the model indicated both absolute and incremental goodness-of-fit. The SEM confirmed the causal relationships between the latent and manifest variables, indicating that the latent variables, organisational vii strategy, policies and procedures and outcomes are the main indicators of employee satisfaction. This research adds to the field of organisational behaviour by proposing a model of employee satisfaction during organisational transformation. The domains of this model should enable organisations to identify developmental areas based on employees’ dissatisfaction or areas of strengths based on employees’ satisfaction. The diagnostic model will also enable organisations and practitioners to initiative interventions aimed at addressing areas of dissatisfaction as developmental areas and to leverage on its strengths as areas of satisfaction in the organisation. / Industrial & Organisational Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology

Mergers and incorporations are relatively new phenomena in the South African higher education landscape. The unbundling of Vista University, and the subsequent incorporation ofVUDEC into the merger between Unisa and TSA, posed a major challenge to all affected employees. This thesis focuses on how these employees experienced the various stages of the incorporation process. A social construction of inner and outer voices heard, shared, and read during the different phases of the incorporation process attempts to describe how to conserve the self in a merger. The aim of the thesis is to build towards a framework for dealing with the human aspect during institutional mergers and incorporations. The thesis consists of a prologue, a series of four manuscripts that report on the experiences of employees during the different phases of the merger process, and an epilogue. Each manuscript focuses on a specific phase or aspect of the incorporation process, with its own research focus, aims, and methodology. The first two manuscripts reflect on the pre-merger phase. The first manuscript reports on employees' preparation for the incorporation. Following a social constructionist grounded theory approach, four participating employees gained the opportunity to reflect on their own experiences of well-being during the pre-merger phase. The manuscript also reports on a wellness development workshop, attended by 35 representatives from various departments and units of Vista University during the pre-merger phase. The second manuscript reports on how employees embraced the VUDEC institutional culture. A case study approach was selected for semi-structured interviews with 17 participants from governance, academic and administrative departments, and post-graduate programmes. By means of content analysis, the institutional culture ofVUDEC was captured on the eve of the incorporation into Unisa. The third manuscript focuses on employees' experiences of the four-year transition and implementation phases of the incorporation. This manuscript follows a social identity approach, and through thematic analysis, reports on how 24 participants experienced the four-year implementation of the incorporation process. The fourth manuscript provides an overview of the human side of mergers as depicted in both national and international literature. The aim is to position the current longitudinal investigation and its findings in the broader higher education landscape, and a survival kit for conserving the self in a merger is proposed. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

The main aim of the research project was to develop a change agent identification framework, to be used by organisational change management specialists to identify change agents more effectively in large organisations moving forward. To date, little research has been conducted regarding the role and identification of change agents in large organisations. In the context of the research project, the sample of change agents used, referred to employees affected by the change, spread across the organisation, assisting in communicating key messages and ensuring that their peers become change ready. A thorough 12-step empirical research process was followed, which included both a qualitative and quantitative approach. The qualitative process consisted of the development of a change agent identification framework, comprising of four dimensions, each with supportive information and/or items. The aim of the quantitative process was to empirically test the personality trait dimension of the framework with a sample group of 27 change agents and 135 employees influenced by a transformation process. This was to determine which change agent personality traits has a positive impact/effect on employee change readiness levels during transformation. Through a rigorous analysis process, only the phlegmatic, persuasive and optimistic personality traits resulted in having some positive effect on employees during a transformation process. In support of these findings, the literature study findings as well as the qualitative empirical research findings indicated that the persuasive and optimistic personality traits need to form part of a change agents’ personality profile. The phlegmatic personality trait was not evident throughout all literature findings. The literature and empirical results contributed towards a comprehensive understanding of the way in which individuals should be identified as change agents in large organisations. The developed framework should assist industrial and organisational psychologists in the future to identify individuals as change agents, more efficiently. Recommendations were made on the future expansion of a knowledge base for organisational change agents. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / D. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Organisations are always confronted with the need to transform in order to adapt to environmental changes and have a competitive advantage. The concern is that when an organisation embarks on a transformation process, its individual employees are affected either positively or negatively. Employees can respond to transformation change by either being satisfied or dissatisfied in the organisation. The main aim of this research was to develop a diagnostic model for measuring employee satisfaction during organisational transformation. The first construct of organisational transformation was conceptualised using the open system paradigm, theoretical definitions and models of organisational change. In this study, organisational transformation is second order and drastic in the sense that it alters the way in which the organisation functions and relates to the external environment focusing on the vision, processes, systems, structure and culture. It is the fundamental and constant change at all levels of the organisation caused by external factors posing as risks for organisational survival. vi The second construct of employee satisfaction was conceptualised focusing on the humanistic paradigm, theoretical definitions and models. Employee satisfaction in this study is the individual’s positive emotional state of contentment stemming from the organisation’s ability to meet his or her needs and expectations based on his or her experience and evaluation of various organisational processes and practices. It influences employees’ performance and commitment to the organisation. A theoretical model was developed as a framework to enable organisations to diagnose or assess their employees’ satisfaction during organisational transformation. The model highlighted dimensions essential to diagnose employee satisfaction such as organisational strategy, policies and processes and outcomes, in order to determine employees’ contentment and fulfilment in the organisation. The main aim of the empirical research was to conduct a three year longitudinal study of employee satisfaction during organisational transformation; to operationalise the conceptually developed diagnostic model of employee satisfaction during transformation; and develop a structural equation model (SEM) in order to test the theoretical model. The Employee Satisfaction Survey (ESS) was used in 2003, 2007 and 2008 to measure employee satisfaction. The initial year of the study (2003) comprised 1 140 participants who voluntarily completed the measuring instrument. The second year of the study (2007) involved 920 participants, while the final year of the study (2008) included 759 participants. In terms of the reliability and validity of the ESS, it was determined that in the three years of the study, most of the dimensions had acceptable internal consistency reliability based on the results of the Cronbach alpha test. The SEM investigated the impact of organisational strategy, policies and procedures and outcomes as the three domains of employee satisfaction during organisational transformation. The confirmatory factor analysis of the latent variables was conducted, and the path coefficients of the latent variables of organisational strategy, policies and processes and outcomes indicated a satisfactory fit for all these variables. The goodness-of-fit measure of the model indicated both absolute and incremental goodness-of-fit. The SEM confirmed the causal relationships between the latent and manifest variables, indicating that the latent variables, organisational vii strategy, policies and procedures and outcomes are the main indicators of employee satisfaction. This research adds to the field of organisational behaviour by proposing a model of employee satisfaction during organisational transformation. The domains of this model should enable organisations to identify developmental areas based on employees’ dissatisfaction or areas of strengths based on employees’ satisfaction. The diagnostic model will also enable organisations and practitioners to initiative interventions aimed at addressing areas of dissatisfaction as developmental areas and to leverage on its strengths as areas of satisfaction in the organisation. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology

In the early 1990s, Oregon Health and Science University leadership examined the political and economic landscape and determined it needed a new operational model to survive and thrive. In 1995 OHSU separated from the state higher education system and became a public corporation, with goals of increased efficiency, customer-focus, ability to attract world-class researchers and physicians, and salaries commensurate with an urban academic health center. This research examines the internal impacts when universities undergo significant change, using OHSU's governance change as a case study. Central is the question: what effect(s) did OHSU's decision to become a unique public corporation have on specific employee groups? This study looks at two groups and their perceptions of the change: faculty, and union-represented staff. The author interviewed the leadership team who led the transition, reviewed historical and organizational documents and archives, and examined quantitative data such as tuition, state funding, research, and salaries. Interviews were then conducted with longtime and former employees to obtain employee perceptions. Finally, the study compares employee perceptions about process, culture, and job satisfaction, to the goals established by the leadership. The results of this study reveal that, while there were internal and external challenges, the transition to a public corporation was successful according to the perceptions of most employees when compared to the goals. After the transition, OHSU did become more efficient and more nimble for a time, able to recruit world-class employees and pay competitive salaries. Staff felt empowered and some faculty felt it made OHSU a better institution. However, some faculty felt that OHSU's transition to the public corporation eventually led to increased bureaucracy, as well as to the loss of shared governance, tenure practices, and other cultural norms inherent to academic institutions. By examining OHSU's transition and the impacts on employee groups, this study provides insight to other universities contemplating this type of change. While each institution is unique, understanding the impacts to these key stakeholders can help universities plan for and implement significant governance change.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Transformational leadership has been one of the most heavily researched theories of leadership of the past 25 years, largely because this style has been associated with a wide range of positive individual- and organizational-level outcomes. Despite the need for transformational leaders, the antecedents of transformational leadership behavior remain ambiguous. Numerous potential antecedents of transformational leadership have been identified in the past, but this research has focused on popularly addressed or commonly measured variables rather than characteristics with a strong theoretical link to transformational leadership. The current study expands on past research by examining a theoretically driven predictor of transformational leadership behavior. Specifically, the current study will examine whether a leader’s implicit person theory (IPT) will be a predictor of leadership behaviors. This theory was chosen as a potential antecedent because it centers on the concept of malleability or change, and as such shares a strong intuitive connection with transformational leadership (which itself places a heavy emphasis on change and growth). Results did not support our hypotheses, however, as regression analysis revealed that IPT failed to account for significant variation in leadership behavior after accounting for some of the most commonly examined predictors in the literature, (the Big Five personality traits). Limitations of the current study and opportunities for future research are discussed.