South Africa is experiencing a process of formidable and fundamental change. Public administrators as well as politicians are under tremendous pressure as heavy demands are being placed on them. These demands include coping with interventions such as Affirmative Action, Employment Equity, and the importance of managing diversity in the workplace. Despite improvements in race relations in the past twenty years, dysfunctional and ineffective behaviour still occur. This may be a reflection of the discomfort and anxiety experienced by employees in the work setting. In order to comply with legislation, organisations created opportunities for Black, Asian and Coloured males and females, White females and disabled people. This, in return, leads to perceptions of preferential hiring. The view that Affirmative Action involves preferential hiring and treatment based on group membership creates resistance to its implementation and original purpose. The reason for this resistance might be linked to the fact that people still perceive discrimination and injustice in the workplace. These perceptions seem true in public organisations even though public organisations have taken a positive stance with regard to implementing Equal Employment and Affirmative Action plans. A qualitative design with an availability sample (N = 20) of employees working in a public organisation was used. The qualitative research makes it possible to determine the subjective experience of employees in a public organisation. Semi-structured interviews based on the phenomenological method were conducted with employees working in different sections and different positions in a public organisation. Non-directive questions were asked during the interview. The tape-recording of the interview was transcribed verbatim in order to analyse the information. Content analysis was used to analyse and interpret the research data in a systematic, objective and quantitative way. A literature-control has been done to investigate relevant research in order to determine the comparativeness and uniqueness of the current research. Results indicated that Affirmative Action has been used as a tool in achieving its goal by focusing on preferential hiring. From the responses it was clear that the majority of the participants are of opinion that preferential hiring led to the appointment of incompetent candidates. It appears from the interviews that appointments are made without basing it on merit. This is against the basic principle of the public organisation of hiring and promoting employees by set standards. Due to the fact that previous disadvantaged groups are being placed in positions of which they have no experience or are not trained in, job related knowledge seems to present a problem. From the interviews it appeared that employees felt that poor customer service increased across the organisation due to the appointment of incompetent candidates. This also seems to have an effect on the workload being handled. It seems that predominantly white employees tend to be ambivalent towards Affirmative Action. Part of the reason for this ambivalence is the fear of change, especially when that change involves a radical re-thinking of past strategies. White employees, employed by the old apartheid system, feel alienated and/or marginalised in the new Affirmative Action process. White employees are also leaving organisations because they seem not to be part of the Affirmative Action process. This leads to loss of expertise occurring in organisations. Though organisations show a considerable amount of improvement on relationships between black and white, discrimination still seems to present itself through the implementation of Affirmative Action. Managing diversity is crucial for the effective management and development of people. It is important not to focus only on cultural differences but also concentrate on individual needs and perceptions. Unfortunately, it appears that South Africa is in the process of making the same mistakes as other countries in focusing on a power game and corruption. Black employees in particular, seem to be actively recruited, placed in senior positions and given the related finishing. In other words top management are using their 'power' to enforce Affirmative Action. There are also those who want to abuse the system or maybe understand the system incorrectly. Corruption coming from top management tends to make employees negative. In order to address these issues, a succession and career planning process needs to exist which is closely tied to the organisations' strategic plan. Employment Equity, as a strategic objective, is managed by the organisation, but needs the Human Resources function in a support and consultancy role. As such, it requires translation into practical objectives for departments, managers and employees. Recommendations were made for future research. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

South Africa is no longer trapped in an apartheid era and is now perceived as a multinational state, implying that not only the composition of labour forces have changed, but all other institutions have developed into being more representative of all races. Thus whilst the workplace demographics are rapidly changing, more individuals are preparing themselves to enter the workplace. As a result more diverse cultures also prevail within hostels of higher educational institutions. The objectives of this study were to investigate individual preferences in terms of acculturation strategies as utilised by students in hostels of a higher education institution. Another important objective was to understand the effect of acculturation strategies has on the general well-being and health of individuals. In order to achieve these objectives, Berry's bi-directional Acculturation Model, as well as the Interactive Acculturation Model was used. A cross-sectional survey design with an availability sample (N = 245) was used, taken from hostel students of 3 higher education institution in South Africa. The questionnaire consisted of various items on the acculturation scale, as well as a biographical questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, factor analyses, Cronbach alpha coefficients, MANOVAs, Multiple Regression Analysis, and Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were used to analyse the data. The results pointed out that females preferred Separation or Assimilation, while males preferred Integration as acculturation strategy. Female hostels preferred Separation as acculturation strategy and male hostels preferred Integration as acculturation strategy. Acculturation strategies in terms of race showed that White groups preferred integration and African groups preferred Separation. Regarding the effect that acculturation strategies have on health, males experienced high levels of physical health problems. Recommendations were made for further research. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

In this thesis we have studied equality and equity from an HR perspective in South Africa. The study is partly made from an inductive approach and an analytical interpretation in line with hermeneutic has been used. The data is mainly contracted from interviews with HR professionals within various South African organizations. A mix of snowball and convenience sample has been used and among our respondents there are a variety and mix of the following variables: gender, position (manager/practitioner), race (blacks/white) and organization sector(public/parastatal/private). Our main findings are that equality and equity are highly debated topics and that the laws regulating them have a major effect on the HR professionals’ dailywork. The study gives us various perspectives of employment equity but a majority of our respondents do believe that the regulation of employment equity is needed. We find that there are obstacles for achieving equality in South African workplaces and our respondents have given us examples of different ways of how to tackle them. Many of our respondents are also of the opinion that there is a lack of implementation of the regulations and that it is time to rewrite several Acts.

The main focus of this study is to determine how managers assess the implementation of the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 (hereafter referred to as Employment Equity Act) in the Department of Water Affairs. / Public Administration / M. Admin (Public Administration)

M.A. / The study is about the concept of Affirmative Action in the Employment Equity Act of South Africa, however it traces the history of Affirmative Action from the United States of America and Malaysia. These two countries are found to be leading the world in Affirmative Action. The term ‘Affirmative Action’ originated from the United States of America to prohibit unfair discrimination against certain groups of people because of non-job-related characteristics in terms of Civil Rights Act of 1960. Malaysia introduced Affirmative Action to develop education and employment opportunities of the Bumiputra. Bumiputra is one of the ethnic groups in Malaysia that have suffered unfair discrimination. Affirmative Action is a concept that became topical with attempts in South Africa to increase the participation of previously disadvantaged groups in the workplace. This concept, which is accepted constitutionally, is still controversial in its meaning and practice. It is for this reason that the study attempts to dispel misunderstandings about the concept. The study distinguishes Affirmative Action from related concepts such as equal employment opportunity and reverse discrimination. In order to develop the idea of Affirmative Action, the study also makes a distinction between descriptive definitions and normative definitions. This study opted for normative definitions in order to develop an ideal of what Affirmative Action is supposed to be. The study looks at how Affirmative Action is conceptualised in the Employment Equity Act of South Africa. Through the evaluation of the concept of Affirmative Action in the Employment Equity Act in terms of my normative definition of Affirmative Action, it was found that Affirmative Action in the Employment Equity Act complies with the normative definition of Affirmative Action. The following are my conclusion: - Affirmative Action is not similar to reverse discrimination or equal employment opportunities. - Affirmative Action in the Employment Equity Act is another form of discrimination though not unfair - It redresses injustices experienced by groups who have been disadvantaged in the past. - It eliminates unfair discrimination and develops the skills of those who did not have opportunities - It promotes equal opportunities in employment and thus it is a temporary intervention in the workplace. The findings of the study concluded that Affirmative Action is essential to the economic and skills development of the disadvantaged groups in particular and the South African society in general. / Prof. G.J. Rossouw Professor H.P.P. Lőtter

M. Phil. (Human Resource Development) / Fourteen years since Employment Equity Act (No. 55 of 1998) was promulgated, the corporate sector remains racially polarised. Although Act, No 55 of 1998 mandated organisations to appoint transformation managers with executive authority and resources to drive reform, the meagre progress and increasing income disparities in favour of the previously advantaged groups suggest that these managers are somehow ineffective. The study explores experiences and views of transformation managers regarding the policy - practice related challenges they encounter in driving employment equity in the corporate sector. Examining challenges encountered by transformation managers, as accountable executives, would assist in identifying disruptive and undesirable factors that stymie corporate labour market reform and lead to the development of contextualised short and long term mitigation strategies. A phenomenological approach was applied to answer the main research question. My ontology was based on transformation managers’ subjective construct of their own realities, and studying their experiences encountered in the course of executing their mandate would best give insight into these hindrance factors. My epistemological position was that the perspectives of people involved with managing transformation in corporate organisations were relevant; therefore I conducted interviews with five transformation managers from different corporate organisations. The study confirmed that with focus on achieving employment equity numbers little attention has been given to promoting and valuing diversity, and that corporate culture is characterised by racial mistrust, fear and resentment. Lastly, the study confirmed fault lines in the effectiveness of transformation managers.

Masters of Art / In this study, I explored the experiences of gender and power relations among a group of black women holding leadership positions in six government departments in the Western Cape. South Africa is in a process of transition and, to create a departure from the past, key objectives focus around the transformation of gender disparities and the eradication of racism and other forms of inequality and discrimination in all spheres of this society. There are many methods utilized to increase the number of women in leadership positions in the private and public sectors. However, there is a lack of research regarding the social environment for women once they have entered into these structures (Angevine, 2006). This study made use of a feminist qualitative methodology which guided the research. Six semi-structured, open-ended interviews were conducted in order to carry out an in-depth exploration of participants’ experiences. After the participants had given consent, the interviews were audio-recorded, then transcribed verbatim. Data was analyzed in accordance with qualitative thematic analysis. All standard ethical considerations to protect the participants and the researcher were taken into account and practised throughout the research. The findings show evidence that black African women leaders in government departments have internalized learnt subservient characteristics; and that this serves to undermine their authority as leaders. Specifically, larger social power relations and traditional forms of authority undermine their capacity to express authority in work environments. They also experience both subtle and blatant racist and sexist prejudice in the form of stereotypes and hostility in the workplace. A minority of women managers actively oppose the gendered notions that undermine their leadership. Ultimately, black African women managers are not accepted or supported as legitimate leaders in the workplace. Women leaders are perceived to be incapable of performing effectively as leaders because of gender and racial stereotypes that serve as hindrances to their expression of leadership. The study found that some participants conform to the socially constructed notion of maintaining a work-life balance and this poses a challenge for such leaders. Those who are married attempt to balance career and life by maximizing on their management of their time. A number of women had made the personal decision to remain single in order to focus explicitly on their careers. / South Africa

The current investigation is post-hoc in nature and is nested in a larger research project, which aimed to explore and compare the personality characteristics, coping mechanisms and psychological well-being of South African and Swedish police trainees. The purpose of this particular study was to explore the psychometric properties of the Cloninger’s Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) in a sample of South African Police trainees. A literature review highlighted that the TCI has the potential to be applied across various cultures without the risk of any ethnic or gender bias; this characteristic is attributed to the theoretical model underlying the TCI, which assumes that personality consists of seven universal factors, which manifest in an invariant manner across all humans. Despite this, the majority of international research focussing on the TCI version nine has been undertaken with primarily European populations and Eastern populations. Research exploring the construct equivalence, factor structure and the level of instrument bias of the TCI in any African is virtually non-existent. The current study endeavoured to address the aforementioned knowledge gap by exploring the psychometric properties of the TCI in a multi-cultural South African sample. The primary goal of the research endeavour was to explore whether the TCI can in the future be established as a valid and reliable personality assessment measure in a multi-cultural context like South Africa. Literature indicates that in the current South African psychometric context personality measures should adhere to the stipulations of the employment equity act (EEA), which especially in its amended form requires fair and just measurement. Studies such as this one can be used to adjudicate whether the TCI has the potential to be used as a fair and reliable measure, which does not violate the stipulation of the employment equity act. In this way the measure may contribute to provide evidence which can be used to make fair, just and reliable decisions not only in the South African Police Service, but also within the general public. A quantitative investigation was conducted using analysis base on Item Response Theory, specifically the Rasch model, which is considered more accurate than Classical Test Theory in assessing the psychometric functioning of dichotomous personality assessment measures. The analyses rendered information with which the researcher was able to evaluate the validity, reliability, levels of gender and cultural bias, as well as the factors rendered by the TCI. The research sample was a convenient one, comprising 1144 police trainees whom completed a test-battery of four tests, which included the TCI. The results derived from this investigation show that the primary TCI scales each measured a single factor, the presence of these factors among the current sample provide some support for the universality of the TCI; however most of these scales showed a high level of bias when measuring their respective constructs across ethnic and gender groups. The results also pointed out that numerous items and sub-scales possess a considerable level of ethnic and gender bias. There was also no attempt made to investigate the reasons underlying bias, bias may yield important information about cross-cultural differences and can also be seen as a phenomenon that requires explanation (Poortinga and Van der Flier, 1989), which means that the study created a launch pad for future investigations to explore the sources of bias. These findings have stern implications for the larger research project, as it might decrease the validity of findings derived from comparing scores across groups within the current sample, and to a lesser degree if the performance of the current sample is compared to that of the Swedish sample. It can also be argued that another implication of the study’s findings is that the information derived from the TCI cannot legally be used to make clinical or selection decisions based partially on the personality profile of individuals; however the convenient nature of the sample limits the generalizability of the investigation’s findings. This means that additional research is first required before the legitimacy of the use of the TCI in a South African context can be evaluated. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Psychology / MA / Unrestricted

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master Of Administration in the Department of Psychology at the University of Zululand, 2017 / Equality is a constitutional provision which grants some people with disabilities opportunities of employment. The law that effects the constitutional provision is the Employment Equity Act (1998) where affirmative action measures are prescribed and to be implemented by designated employers. Many years have passed since the promulgation of the equity legislation in South Africa it is therefore justifiable to evaluate its implementation practices. In line with the central argument, the aim of this study was to evaluate the implementation of Employment Equity Act at UThungulu District Hospitals for people with disabilities. Findings revealed that the implementation of Employment Equity Act in public hospitals is self-contradictory; that is, hospitals are thriving to obtain and retain health professionals with the skills that will assist in combatting diseases whereas people with disabilities are characterised by the low levels of literacy. The implementation of the Occupation Specific Dispensation (OSD) in the public health system is an indication of the nature of skills that are a priority in public hospitals. In line with the transformation agenda, positions that do not require high levels of literacy such as cleaning, security, catering and laundry were outsourced thus decreasing opportunities of people with disabilities to be employed. On the other side of the continuum, penalties imposed by the National Department of Labour for failing to submit Employment Equity Plan against the set quota in the public service confirms that the equity legislation was not contextualised in the South African setting during its formulation phase. Budgetary constraints were reported to be one of the contributing factors for the lack of implementing the equity legislation. However, presence of misappropriation of funds and corruption were reported to be some of the major causes of lack of policy implementation in the public service. The results revealed that district hospitals are not ready to socially and economically integrate people with disabilities based on lack of official accommodation, outsourcing of jobs where people with disabilities can be gainfully employed, lack funds to transform the physical environment and the conflicting priorities of the health sector that seeks to prioritise the employment of health professionals with scarce skills in order to combat diseases.

Student Number : 0314897V - MA research report - School of Social Science - Faculty of Humanties / This research report asks ‘how effective has academic staff transformation been at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits)?’ This question was examined from four angles: i) the historical engagement of UCT and Wits, as employers, with race, class and gender, ii) the impact of government directive and the legislative context on the transformation of higher education workplaces, iii) the institutional role and response of UCT and Wits to the race, class and gender of their academic staff and iv) academics’ experience of UCT and Wits as workplaces. The findings are based on in-depth interviews with 50 academic and senior executive staff at UCT and Wits. The results illustrate both continuity and change in the way in which academic staff experience institutions. Whilst there are progressive elements identified, there are also disconcerting expressions of prejudice, discrimination and harassment which undermine the transformation process.