Dissertation (Ph.D.)--The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2008. / Directed by DiAnne Borders; submitted to the School of Education. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Aug. 12, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 140-149).

The effective practise of managers as coaches can have a positive impact on the performance and development of employees, and provide an organisation with a significant competitive edge. The implementation of manager-coaches in South African organisations is slowly gaining traction, and this study examines this approach in a large financial institution. The primary objective of this research was to identify the roles and skills needed by line managers to become successful performance coaches, as well as the key benefits to the organisation as a whole. Descriptive, qualitative methodology was selected to conduct this study. The population sample was drawn from a large financial services organisation, with approximately 45 000 employees across Africa. The research participants are all line managers working in different business areas, with varying years of experience. A research questionnaire was used to conduct face-to-face, semi structured interviews with respondents. Data collected was then transcribed and analysed by means of content and thematic analysis. The interviews confirmed that the line managers understood performance coaching as a process to address and close the performance gaps of their employees. Some managers equated performance coaching to performance management or mentoring. The manager-coaches identified their primary roles as: to enable performance, motivate and inspire, and provide support. The key skills required were highlighted as communication; listening; interpersonal skills; emotional intelligence; empathy; questioning skills, and goal setting. It emerged that good performers are coached less frequently than poor performers. Some managers have a set frequency such as monthly or weekly, whilst others use it as required, in line with their normal leadership style. This finding is considered to be very important to answer the research question: if managers were conducting performance coaching informally and in an ad hoc fashion, did they believe in the benefits and did they see this as a priority in developing their staff?

Thesis (MA (School of Public Management and Planning))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South Africa is a developing country and is experiencing all the problems, challenges and opportunities associated with that situation, one of which is a very definite shortage of relevant and appropriate human resource, technical and managerial skills. This is having a negative effect in many areas, including in the public sector. Public sector organisations are faced with another dilemma arising from the shortage of skilled employees. The issues relating to service delivery which have led to violent protests in communities around the country at the time of writing (August 2009) have been in part been exacerbated by the ever-increasing lack of managers and other personnel. There is also the problem of experienced personnel who have accepted more senior positions in their organisations or have accepted positions in other organisations, being replaced with qualified, but inexperienced staff. A third problem which occurs is when new, but inexperienced personnel are appointed in an organisation. It is necessary, in all instances, to develop the skills within the organisation through a mixture of formal and informal approaches to ensure that the people-related short-, medium- and long-term goals of the organisation are addressed. One of the interventions which can be utilised to deal with the lack of administrative, technical and managerial skills in the public sector in South Africa is coaching. A literature review is presented which covers a historical and conceptual overview of coaching and an in-depth review of a variety of coaching models and their application. There is also a literature review of the public sector in South Africa, the history and the key legislation and policy documents setting out the human resource approaches and strategies to to Copyright © 2009 Stellenbosch University All rights reserved 3 establish a link between the problems, challenges and opportunities in the public sector and coaching as an intervention to improve individual performance. A model for coaching which can be utilised in the public sector has been constructed utilising the latest concepts and theories. This model has been reviewed and evaluated by subject matter experts to assess its relevance and appropriateness as a suitable intervention to deal with people-related issues in the public sector in South Africa. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Suid Afrika is ʼn ontwikkelende land en ondervind al die probleme, uitdagings en geleenthede wat met daardie situasie verband hou, een waarvan die baie definitiewe tekort aan relevante en geskikte menslike hulpbron-, tegniese- en bestuursvaardighede. Dit het ʼn negatiewe effek in baie areas, insluitend in die openbare sektor. Openbare sektor organisasies staar ʼn ander dilemma in die gesig wat uit die tekort aan bekwame werknemers voortspruit. Die geskilpunte rondom dienslewering wat tot die geweldadige protesaksies in baie gemeenskappe (Augustus 2009) is gedeeltelik vererger deur die toenemende tekort aan bestuurders en ander personeel. Daar is ook die probleem van ervare personeel wat meer senior posisies in hul organisasies aanvaar het of posisies in ander organisasies aanvaar het en wat deur gekwalifiseerde, maar onervare personeel vervang word. ʼn Derde probleem wat voorkom is wanneer nuwe, maar onervare personeel in ʼn organisasie aangestel word. Dit is nodig, in alle gevalle, om die vaardighede binne ʼn organisasie te ontwikkel, deur ʼn mengsel van formele en informele benaderings, om te verseker dat die mensverwante kort-, medium- en langtermyn doelwitte van die organisasie geadreseer word. Een van die intervensies wat gebruik kan word om aandag aan die tekort aan administratiewe, tegniese en bestuursvaardighede in die openbare sektor in die Suid Afrikaanse te gee is “coaching” (dit is interessant dat daar nog geen geskikte Afrikaanse woord vir “coaching” na vore gekom het). ʼn Literatuuroorsig word aangebied wat ʼn historiese en konseptuele oorsig van “coaching” dek en ʼn indiepte oorsig van ʼn verskeidenheid van “coaching”-modelle en hul aanwending. Daar is ook ʼn literatuuroorsig van die openbare sektor in Suid Afrika, die geskiedenis en die belangrikste Copyright © 2009 Stellenbosch University All rights reserved 5 wetgewing wat die benaderings oor menslike hulpbronne en die strategieë om skakel tussen die probleme, uitdagings en geleenthede in die openbare sektor en “coaching” as ʼn intervensie om indiwiduele prestasie te verbeter. ʼn Model vir “coaching” wat in die openbare sektor kan gebruik kan word is uit die jongste konsepte en teorieë saamgestel. Hierdie model was deur onderwerpdeskundiges nagegaan en geëvalueer om die relevansie en geskiktheid daarvan as ʼn intervensie om mensverwante-geskilpunte te hanteer in die openbare sektor in Suid Afrika.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is taking on a developmental stance in Third-World Countries. Old Mutual, through its partnership with the South African govemment, set up a trust to assist govemment in skills development at local, provincial and national level and small enterprises. Old Mutual's retired senior employees were taken on as consultants in Project iLima to share their experience and expertise with government employees. Literature on mentoring is reviewed, covering the definitions of mentoring, the different phases of mentoring and the competencies required for each phase for the mentor and mentee. Finally the benefits of mentoring are addressed. The method used to uncover the business system involved primary research and a synthesis process. Interviews were held with two iLima consultants, after which questionnaires were used to gather qualitative feedback from the iLima consultants and their clients. The feedback was synthesized until business objectives and activities were identified. The study project sheds light on iLima's business system. This is done through a method of synthesis, which seeks to get to the underlying meaning of the responses. Eight key business objectives are identified. These can be achieved through managing twenty-one business activities. The business model provides a compass or map from which business solutions can be aligned to business opportunities and problems. The model is a one-page representation of the entire business system that Project iLima ought to put under strong management, in the writer's view. The iLima business model may be summed up as follows: "Through the attractiveness of the iLima purpose and culture, a strong client engagement model and successful project delivery, Project iLima can build a strong ccnsulting brand and adopt a viable business strategy beyond its four year funding limit." The contribution this thesis makes to the business-modeling domain is to use a noncollaborative method to generate a systemic business model. The thesis demonstrates a simple synthesis process to generate the business model provided there is access to a sufficiently broad-based, but not necessarily deep, knowledge repository. Recommendations were made as to how Project iLima's management can introduce the business model as a management tool. It is recommended that a further study be done to test the acceptability and adoption of the model. In addition to the presentation of the iLima business model, CSR trends locally were explored. It appears from the trends covered that targeted skills development is still a fairly new phenomenon in South Africa. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Korporatiewe Sosiale Verantwoordelikheid is aan die ontwikkel in Derdewereld lande. Ou Mutual het 'n trust in vennootskap met die regering gestig om die regering te help met die ontwikkeling van vaardighede op 'n lokale, provinsiale en nasionale vlak. Afgetrede senior werknemers van Ou Mutual is as konsultante aan boord gebring by die iLima Trust om hul ondervinding en kennis met regeringsamptenare te deel. Hierdie studie bespreek die besigheidsmodel van iLima. Die model identifiseer agt sleutel besigheidsdoelstellings wat bereik moet word deur die bestuur van een-en-twintig besigheidsaktiwiteite. Dit verskaf ook 'n kompas of riglyn waardeur besigheidsoplossings in lyn gebring kan word met besigheids-geleenthede of bedreigings. Die model is 'n voorstelling op een bladsy, van die hele besigheidstelsel wat iLima Trust onder effektiewe bestuur moet plaas. Die iLima se besigheidsverhaal kan as volg opgesom word: "Deur die aantreklikheid van die iLima doel en kultuur, 'n sterk kliente-verhoudingsmodel en suksesvolle projeklewering, hoop iLima Trust om 'n sterk konsultasie handelsmerk te bou en om 'n lewensvatbare besigheidstrategie te implementeer wat sal voortbestaan na die einde van die vier jaar van befondsing". Die metode waardeur die besigheidstelsel ondersoek is, het primere navorsing en 'n proses van sintese behels. Onderhoude is gevoer met twee iLima konsultante, waarna vraelyste gebruik is om kwalitatiewe terugvoering van die iLima konsultante en hul kliente te verkry. Die terugvoering is deur 'n proses van sintese geneem om besigheidsdoelstellings en aktiwiteite te identifiseer. Die bydrae van hierdie tesis tot besigheidsmodelering is om op 'n nie-kollaboratiewe wyse 'n sistemiese besigheidsmodel te genereer. Die tesis demonstreer 'n eenvoudige sinteseproses om die besigheidsmodel te genereer, gegewe toegang tot 'n wye, maar nie noodwendig diep, versameling van inligting. Aanbevelings is gemaak waardeur iLima se bestuur die besigheidsmodel kan bekendstel as 'n bestuurstegniek. Daar word ook aanbeveel dat 'n verdere studie onderneem word om die aanvaarbaarheid en aanneming van die model te toets. Bykomend tot die bespreking van die iLima se besigheidsmodel, is 'n ondersoek en bespreking van Korporatiewe Sosiale Verantwoordelikheids-tendense op 'n nasionale en internasionale vlak. Geteikende vaardigheidsontwikkeling is in die verband nog steeds 'n redelik nuwe verskynsel in Suid Afrika.