Nurses' working environment, together with their patient relationships, can elicit emotions which they will need to manage in order to perform successfully in their daily work activities. It is for this reason that it is crucial that sound emotional intelligence measures should be developed which hospitals can utilise to identify emotionally intelligent individuals for emotionally laden jobs or even to identify their developmental needs within the area of emotional intelligence. The objective of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS) developed by Schutte and colleagues in 1998 within a nursing environment. A convenience random sample of 5 11 nurses was taken from hospitals located in the areas of Klerksdorp, Potchefstroom, Krugersdorp, Johannesburg and Pretoria. The EIS was used as a measuring instrument. Cronbach alpha coefficients, Pearson-product correlation coefficients and MANOVAS were used to analyse the data. The results showed a 5-factor solution for the EIS, which explained 50,04% of the total variance. All of the five dimensions had adequate internal consistencies, except for the Negative Emotions dimension. Lastly, group differences were identified between personnel area and emotional intelligence, as well as between race and emotional intelligence levels. Recommendations were made for future research. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

Nurses of today have many more responsibilities and duties they must cope with. With the HIV and AIDS numbers rising in South Africa it is important that the morale of nurses be kept healthy. The strain of their work environment can be hard to cope with, so it is necessary that nurses learn how to manage their emotions when working in order to avoid burnout and disengagement from happening. and to make better use of job resources. The objective of this research is to determine the relationship between emotional intelligence, job characteristics. burnout and engagement within the nursing environment in South Africa. A cross-sectional survey design was used. A non-probability convenience sample was taken from 511 nurses in hospitals and clinics in the Gauteng- and North-West Provinces. The Emotional Intelligence Scale, Maslach Burnout Inventory) - Human Services Survey, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and Work Evaluation Scale were used as measuring instruments. Cronbach alpha coefficients. Pearson-product correlation coefficients and Spearman-product correlation coefficients were used to analyse the data. The results showed that positive state is positively related to vigour/dedication, professional efficacy. own emotions: emotions: other and emotional management. Own emotions and emotional management also correlated positively with professional efficacy and emotions: other. Workload and communication demands are positively related to payment, emotional labour, work environment and emotional exhaustion. The results also identified emotional exhaustion and mental exhaustion to be negatively related to vigour/dedication. while emotional exhaustion is positively related to mental exhaustion, job security, and staff support. Payment correlates positively with staff support, while emotional labour and overtime are positively related to work environment. The proposed structural model show that there are clear paths between job demands and job resources; job demands. emotional intelligence and work wellness; job resources, emotional intelligence and work wellness: job demands and burnout; and job resources and work wellness. Recommendations were made for the nursing profession and for future research purposes. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

As result of economic uncertainty, rapid technological developments and continuous change, effective organisational transformation is required to ensure a competitive advantage. Transformational leadership is characterised by the ability to bring about significant organisational change. Transformational leadership is visionary-orientated and based on deeply fundamental values. This intrinsic value system which is a dimension of spirituality forms a spiritual foundation that guides and directs leaders' behaviour. Recognising leadership as the manifestation of a leader's spiritual core has emerged from recent research, but no research studies could be found to confirm the relationship empirically speaking between transformational leadership and spiritual intelligence. Subsequently the aim of this research is to determine the relationship between transformational leadership and spiritual intelligence and how it is manifested in managers of a utility company. A literature study was undertaken to analyse the concepts of transformational leadership, spiritual intelligence and the key dimensions that described them. It leads to the conclusion that spiritual intelligence implies the "capacity to think with one's soul", bringing with it self development that may pre-dispose leaders to use transformational behaviour. In the empirical study with a group of 56 managers from a utility company, their transformational leadership behaviour and spiritual intelligence levels were assessed by means of self-evaluation via the following measuring instruments: Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) (Kouzes & Posner, 1998) and a Spiritual Intelligence questionnaire developed by Minnaar (2005). Feedback from 97% of the managers of the utility company yields the following results: good reliability indices for measuring instruments, and that a significant meaningful correlation exists between transformational leadership and spiritual intelligence. The results of this study prove a relationship between transformational leadership and spiritual intelligence as manifested amongst managers of a utility company. The contribution of this study is to be found in that research was done on the relationship between two leadership elements, which had not previously been researched. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006

Apart from the exceptional landscapes, ideal weather, cultural diversity and other characteristics that typify South Africa, crime and HIV/AIDS are two of the most pressing phrases linked to our country. Victims of crime are at high risk of suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Many interventions have been initiated by the government to assist victims in overcoming the effects of crime, HIV/ AIDS and other social health problems on an emotional level, one of which is counselling. The paradigm shift from curing towards caring for HIV/AIDS positive individuals increased the demand for non-professional counsellors. However, without acquiring critical skills and attributes such as emotional intelligence, coping skills and so forth during a professional training programme, non-professional counsellors are at higher risk of suffering from secondary stress disorder. A neglected area as far as non-professional counsellors is concerned, is the well-being of the counsellors. It therefore becomes necessary to conduct research on the health of non-professional counsellors. The objective of this research was to determine the relationship between emotional intelligence, coping and health of non-professional counsellors in the North-West and Gauteng provinces. A cross-sectional survey design with an availability sample (N = 172) was taken from clinics and institutions where counselling was provided to victims of HIV/AIDS and social problems in the North-West and Gauteng Provinces. The Emotional Intelligence Scale, COPE and Health Subscale of the ASSET were used as measuring instruments. The factor analysis confirmed two factors for emotional intelligence, consisting of emotion expression and appraisal and emotion utilisation. Four factors were confirmed for coping, namely approach coping, avoidance, turning to religion and seeking emotional support. Health was found to comprise psychological health and physical health. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were used to specify the relationships between the variables. Results showed a statistically significant positive correlation between emotion expression and appraisal, emotion utilisation, as well as approach to coping and seeking emotional support. Emotion utilisation was statistically significantly positively correlated with seeking emotional support. Approach to coping was statistically significantly positively correlated with seeking emotional support, while avoidance was statistically significantly positively correlated with physical health. Turning to religion was statistically significantly positively correlated with seeking emotional support, and psychological health was statistically significantly positively correlated with physical health. Multiple regression analyses showed that nine per cent of the variance in psychological health was predicted by emotion expression, appraisal and emotion utilisation, whereas 19 per cent of the variance in psychological health was predicted by emotional intelligence and approach to coping strategies. The only significant predictors of psychological health were emotion utilisation and avoidance. Furthermore, the multiple regression analyses also showed that 15 per cent of the variance in physical health was predicted by emotion expression and appraisal, emotion utilisation, approach coping, avoidance, turning to religion and seeking emotional support. The only significant predictor of physical health was avoidance. Recommendations were made for future research. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Even though change is regarded as a natural phenomenon, the rate of change seems to hasten in many activities, especially for organisations to survive and remain competitive. This can be complex and exhausting, and individuals' emotional experiences may influence their behaviours and attitudes, affecting performances and production. Subsequently, emotions in the workplace can no longer be ignored and management might need to consider this when resistance to change is managed. Although awareness of emotional intelligence and its importance in the workplace has only recently been recognized, MBA students from the Potchefstroom Business School are encouraged to develop their emotional intelligence in order to reason intelligently about emotions and thus become more effective managers. Since emotions are evident during change and any resistant behaviour, it is proposed to determine whether MBA students will use emotional intelligence to manage resistance to change. Perceptions on emotional competencies were used in the empirical study, and results from the empirical study indicated that emotional intelligence is perceived to be important when resistance to change is managed, therefore this suggests that emotional intelligence might be utilized during change management. Emotional intelligence is learned abilities, and the results suggested that these abilities may have developed throughout the MBA programme. Knowledge gained during the programme from complementary modules can also assist students in the use of emotional intelligence during the management of resistance to change. It is recommended that managers are encouraged to become aware of emotions during change initiatives and that training programmes may include emotional intelligence. More research is also needed to validate the importance and need for emotional intelligence skills in the management of resistance to change. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

Even though change is regarded as a natural phenomenon, the rate of change seems to hasten in many activities, especially for organisations to survive and remain competitive. This can be complex and exhausting, and individuals' emotional experiences may influence their behaviours and attitudes, affecting performances and production. Subsequently, emotions in the workplace can no longer be ignored and management might need to consider this when resistance to change is managed. Although awareness of emotional intelligence and its importance in the workplace has only recently been recognized, MBA students from the Potchefstroom Business School are encouraged to develop their emotional intelligence in order to reason intelligently about emotions and thus become more effective managers. Since emotions are evident during change and any resistant behaviour, it is proposed to determine whether MBA students will use emotional intelligence to manage resistance to change. Perceptions on emotional competencies were used in the empirical study, and results from the empirical study indicated that emotional intelligence is perceived to be important when resistance to change is managed, therefore this suggests that emotional intelligence might be utilized during change management. Emotional intelligence is learned abilities, and the results suggested that these abilities may have developed throughout the MBA programme. Knowledge gained during the programme from complementary modules can also assist students in the use of emotional intelligence during the management of resistance to change. It is recommended that managers are encouraged to become aware of emotions during change initiatives and that training programmes may include emotional intelligence. More research is also needed to validate the importance and need for emotional intelligence skills in the management of resistance to change. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

Emotional intelligence and self-determined motivation have been independently identified as important personal variables that are liable to foster optimal work functioning. However, the relationship between these two variables has never been assessed. Furthermore, research has also provided evidence that supervisor support, a social variable, is considered to be a significant source of influence on self-determined behaviour regulation. Thus the primary objective of the project was to jointly assess emotional intelligence and supervisor support as antecedents of self-determined work motivation; secondly, to assess the associations of self-determined work motivation on work outcome variables and psychological welfare; and thirdly, to examine the association between emotional intelligence and psychological well-being on 512 police source handlers. Specifically, it was proposed that emotional intelligence would be positively associated to self-determined work motivation and would display a unique association with work motivation, once the variance from supervisor support has been controlled for. It was further proposed that self-determined work motivation would, in turn, be positively associated with positive work outcomes; specifically, job satisfaction, job performance, future work intentions, and psychological well-being. Lastly, it was hypothesized that emotional intelligence would be positively associated to psychological well-being. Data was analyzed using structural equations modeling. Results revealed that emotional intelligence and supervisor support were both uniquely associated with work motivation. Together, these two variables explained a high proportion of the variance of work motivation. Work motivation, in turn, was positively associated with job satisfaction, job performance, future work intention, and psychological well-being. Emotional intelligence and psychological well-being were also positively associated. Overall, the findings of this thesis provide a basis for future research aimed at determining the causal relationship between emotional intelligence and self-determined motivation. It is further suggested that findings gleaned from this study can provide a better understanding of how certain interpersonal behaviours can impact specific work outcomes, which can provide researchers and practitioners with information to improve individual and organizational outcomes of interest.

Apart from the exceptional landscapes, ideal weather, cultural diversity and other characteristics that typify South Africa, crime and HIV/AIDS are two of the most pressing phrases linked to our country. Victims of crime are at high risk of suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Many interventions have been initiated by the government to assist victims in overcoming the effects of crime, HIV/ AIDS and other social health problems on an emotional level, one of which is counselling. The paradigm shift from curing towards caring for HIV/AIDS positive individuals increased the demand for non-professional counsellors. However, without acquiring critical skills and attributes such as emotional intelligence, coping skills and so forth during a professional training programme, non-professional counsellors are at higher risk of suffering from secondary stress disorder. A neglected area as far as non-professional counsellors is concerned, is the well-being of the counsellors. It therefore becomes necessary to conduct research on the health of non-professional counsellors. The objective of this research was to determine the relationship between emotional intelligence, coping and health of non-professional counsellors in the North-West and Gauteng provinces. A cross-sectional survey design with an availability sample (N = 172) was taken from clinics and institutions where counselling was provided to victims of HIV/AIDS and social problems in the North-West and Gauteng Provinces. The Emotional Intelligence Scale, COPE and Health Subscale of the ASSET were used as measuring instruments. The factor analysis confirmed two factors for emotional intelligence, consisting of emotion expression and appraisal and emotion utilisation. Four factors were confirmed for coping, namely approach coping, avoidance, turning to religion and seeking emotional support. Health was found to comprise psychological health and physical health. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were used to specify the relationships between the variables. Results showed a statistically significant positive correlation between emotion expression and appraisal, emotion utilisation, as well as approach to coping and seeking emotional support. Emotion utilisation was statistically significantly positively correlated with seeking emotional support. Approach to coping was statistically significantly positively correlated with seeking emotional support, while avoidance was statistically significantly positively correlated with physical health. Turning to religion was statistically significantly positively correlated with seeking emotional support, and psychological health was statistically significantly positively correlated with physical health. Multiple regression analyses showed that nine per cent of the variance in psychological health was predicted by emotion expression, appraisal and emotion utilisation, whereas 19 per cent of the variance in psychological health was predicted by emotional intelligence and approach to coping strategies. The only significant predictors of psychological health were emotion utilisation and avoidance. Furthermore, the multiple regression analyses also showed that 15 per cent of the variance in physical health was predicted by emotion expression and appraisal, emotion utilisation, approach coping, avoidance, turning to religion and seeking emotional support. The only significant predictor of physical health was avoidance. Recommendations were made for future research. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.