Thesis (MComm (Industrial Psychology))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / The present study evaluates the influence on the four factors of an innovative work group climate, namely participative safety, vision, support for innovation and task orientation, of a team development intervention based on improvisational theatre exercises. In the literature study, these four factors are compared with the principles of improvisational theatre, namely trust and support, agreement, listening and awareness, and narrative skills. A quasiexperimental study was conducted. Differences in pre-test and post-test scores of an experimental group (ne=15), who took part in a half-day improvisation theatre team development intervention, are compared with the differences in pre- and post-test scores of a control group (nc=13). The sample consisted of two teams from a health care management unit, which formed part of the health care department of a large insurance company in South Africa. The results show that, for innovative work group climate as a whole, the experimental group’s scores improved significantly (p<.01) in comparison to the control group’s scores. The experimental group’s scores for the three factors, vision, participative safety and task orientation, also improved significantly in comparison to the control group’s scores (p<.05 for all three factors). However, the experimental group’s score for support for innovation did not improve significantly. It is therefore concluded that the intervention had a positive influence on climate for work group innovation, based on its impact on the three factors, vision, participative safety and task orientation. In conclusion, this study builds on previous research that endorses the application of improvisational theatre techniques in organisational development settings.

This essay is about the significance of group climate for students in physical education. Groupwork and group processes are dealt with in the essay and its importance to students' experiences of the subject and goal attainment. During the autumn of 2015 two different classes in high school were studied in the subject physical education and health. These classes were observed at two different occasions and eight students, four in each class, were selected to participate in the study based on “the role of assumptions” described in the previous research section. Questions regarding group climate and groupwork were asked in order to investigate how the groups were composed, and how the students explained the significance of group climate. Students' responses were connected to Bion’s group theory and the FIRO model which was used as the theoretical foundation and previous research explains groupwork and group processes. The results of the study indicate that students experienced group climate in the class as problematic. Students in the selected classes were divided into many small groups and they explained that they were not talking to the other small groups. The group climate influenced some of the students to the extent that they did not attend classes which may obstruct their goal attainment. According to students, classes had not had any practice in trusting eachother which contradicts the fact that many researchers indicate that it is the teacher's responsibility to create a better climate in classes. Therefore, it may be important for teachers to work actively with exercises that promote group climate. Authors point out that it is becoming more important in today's society to cooperate in most professions. This was also something the students felt they had the opportunity to practice during group work. Students felt that it could sometimes be effective to let the teacher decide the groups in advance because they had the opportunity to get to know more people in the class. Even though a student wants to be in the same group as his best friend it does not mean that it is mutual.

A pre- and postexperimental design with a control group was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a management development program. Subjects were 48 first line staff supervisors employed by a major manufacturing company. The training group subjects (n = 24) attended the company's 1-week training program. Subjects in the control group (n= 24) were similar with respect to plant location, job assignment, etc. A 42-item employee-opinion questionnaire was constructed to measure supervisory style and work.-group climate. The subjects' subordinates (n = 313) completed the questionnaire before and after training. Eleven items identified by content analysis as most relevant to the training content comprised the measure of training effectiveness. An analysis of covariance was performed using the pretest as the covariate. Results indicated no significant training effects.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the adequacy of the Stages of Change model in a group therapy treatment program for male batterers. The sample consisted of three groups with a total sample size of 22 participants. Data for this study were obtained by administering the Safe at Home Instrument and the Group Climate Questionnaire – Short Form. Results indicated the Safe at Home Instrument had limited clinical utility with involuntary male batterers. Independent of scoring method used, the majority of participants reached the action stage early in group treatment. Because the action stage is the highest stage attainable in this study, further growth was not measurable. The lack of variability in participants’ scores on the Safe at Home Instrument limits its clinical usefulness. Results from the Group Climate Questionnaire – Short Form indicate the groups did not progress according to a popular group development theory (MacKenzie & Livesley, 1983). The groups appear to enter the differentiation stage but do not successfully master the developmental issues needed to progress through the subsequent stages. The results from both instruments indicate that treatment groups with involuntary, male batterers did not progress as expected. Recommendations for future research and clinical practice are discussed.

This dissertation work focuses on societal climate of an elementary school class. The work is dividend into a theoretical part and a practical part. The theoretical part concentrates mainly on the knowledge related to the climate, explanation of the terms such as social group, class and school climate, environment and atmosphere. I characterize the younger school age of examined pupils in detail. Then there are other factors that have an influence on class climate. The practical part concentrates on the research of the actual and ideal school climate both in cities and in the country. I also focus on the difference of perception of the climate between boys and girls. This research was conducted at schools in Jihlava region, specifically in the fifth grades. ?My Class Inventory? questionnaire was used for the research and the results are arranged in charts and graphs with a commentary.

The main objective of this research was to establish a model for emotional intelligence as a determinant of organisational climate. This model should help companies and organisational psychologists to better understand the interrelatedness of the two constructs in order to optimally enhance organisational performance. This research was conducted in a large organisation, utilising a large sample (n = 1 612) of employees in the financial services industry. During the first phase of this research, emotional intelligence was conceptualised from literature research within the trait paradigm and organisational climate as a molar construct. A theoretical model of emotional intelligence as a determinant of organisational climate was developed and suggested a link to organisational output. During the second phase of this research (empirical research), assessment instruments for emotional intelligence (the Gerber Emotional Intelligence Scale) and organisational climate (the High Performance Climate Questionnaire) were developed and validated. Thereafter an assessment instrument for work output was designed to test the link with performance. The structural equation model (SEM) produced a new best-fitting model of emotional intelligence, organisational climate and work output. The model indicates that emotional intelligence does not correlate with work output as expected, but organisational climate does correlates moderately with work output and explains almost 40% of the variance in work output. The strongest influence seems to flow from teamwork and management. The regression weights between emotional intelligence and organisational climate were trivial, although the model fit indices were all within an acceptable range. The researcher attributed the lack of support for the model to the characteristics of the employees of this type of organisation and concluded that emotional intelligence should not be seen as a determinant of organisational climate in this specific financial services sector. The results further indicate that significant differences exist between the organisational climate experiences of four biographical categories (race, position level, age and geographical region) and also for the categories of position level and age for work output. These differences need to be considered when developing future interventions. This research contributes towards a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between emotional intelligence, organisational climate and work output. The three newly developed questionnaires and the SEM could help researchers and practitioners to apply the research model in other industries and subsequently improve organisational outputs. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / D. Comm. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

The main objective of this research was to establish a model for emotional intelligence as a determinant of organisational climate. This model should help companies and organisational psychologists to better understand the interrelatedness of the two constructs in order to optimally enhance organisational performance. This research was conducted in a large organisation, utilising a large sample (n = 1 612) of employees in the financial services industry. During the first phase of this research, emotional intelligence was conceptualised from literature research within the trait paradigm and organisational climate as a molar construct. A theoretical model of emotional intelligence as a determinant of organisational climate was developed and suggested a link to organisational output. During the second phase of this research (empirical research), assessment instruments for emotional intelligence (the Gerber Emotional Intelligence Scale) and organisational climate (the High Performance Climate Questionnaire) were developed and validated. Thereafter an assessment instrument for work output was designed to test the link with performance. The structural equation model (SEM) produced a new best-fitting model of emotional intelligence, organisational climate and work output. The model indicates that emotional intelligence does not correlate with work output as expected, but organisational climate does correlates moderately with work output and explains almost 40% of the variance in work output. The strongest influence seems to flow from teamwork and management. The regression weights between emotional intelligence and organisational climate were trivial, although the model fit indices were all within an acceptable range. The researcher attributed the lack of support for the model to the characteristics of the employees of this type of organisation and concluded that emotional intelligence should not be seen as a determinant of organisational climate in this specific financial services sector. The results further indicate that significant differences exist between the organisational climate experiences of four biographical categories (race, position level, age and geographical region) and also for the categories of position level and age for work output. These differences need to be considered when developing future interventions. This research contributes towards a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between emotional intelligence, organisational climate and work output. The three newly developed questionnaires and the SEM could help researchers and practitioners to apply the research model in other industries and subsequently improve organisational outputs. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / D. Comm. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

This study examined the relationship of group cohesion among heterogeneous and homogeneous groups on individual treatment outcome of child-parent relationship therapy (CPRT). CPRT is a filial therapy model that targets the parent-child relationship as a means for preventing or improving child and/or family problems. This study included 30 parents or caregivers from 9 groups which met for 10 sessions. Participants qualified for this study if their groups ended with at least 3 group members and 2 leaders, all pretest and posttest data on their child between the ages of 2-11 was completed, and if they attended at least 6 of the 10 sessions. Correlation coefficients, t-tests, and effect sizes were calculated. Results demonstrated no statistically significant differences between pretests and posttests on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) for all 30 participants; however, differences in measured effect (η2) between children identified with borderline and clinical behavior problems and children with normal behavior problems suggest that CPRT is more effective among children who demonstrate significant behavior problems. Perceived and observed group cohesion measurements demonstrated no significant difference at the individual outcome level. This finding suggests that group cohesion may not be related to individual outcome. Although there was no significant relationship between group cohesion and individual outcome for this study, results of the group measurements regarding engagement and group cohesiveness, coupled with previous studies on CPRT effectiveness, suggest that CPRT should be utilized in homogeneous groups.

Text in Afrikaans / Hierdie navorsing het ten doel om die verband tussen organisasieklimaat en werksmotivering te bepaaL Organisasieklimaat is met die Organisasiediagnosevraelys (ODV) gemeet en werksmolivering is met die Verwagtingsmotiveringsvraelys (VMV) gemeet, 'n skaal wat gefundeer is in die teoretiese model van Edward E Lawler, III, en deur die navorser aangepas is vir die steekproef en deur faktorontleding valideer is. Die interalcsie deur biografiese en organisatoriese veranderlikes (ras, geslag, hierargiese posvlak, werkspan, ouderdom en diensjare) is dear ontleding van variansie en korrelasieontleding ondersoek. AI die korrelasies tussen die hoofdimensies van organisasieklimaat en werksmotivering, met die uitsondering van valensie, ondersteun die navorsingshipoteses met totale organisasieklimaat en totale werlcsmotivering (volgens die Lawler-formule) se korrelasie gelyk aan 0,549 teen die 0,01 peil. Deur stapsgewyse regressie-ontleding is twee dimensies van organisasieklimaat, naamlik taakeienskappe asook bestuur en leierskap, gebruik om totale werksmotivering volgens Lawler se formule te voorspel. Ongeveer 30% van die variansie van werksmotivering is hierdeur voorspel. / The objective of this research is to determine the relationship between organisational climate and work motivation. Organisational climate was measured by the Organisational Diagnostic Questionnaire (ODQ), and work motivation was measured by the Expectancy Motivation Questionnaire (EMQ), a scale based on the model of Edward E. Lawler, III, and validated by means of factor analysis for the population. The interaction of the biographical and organisational variables on the main variables was studied by means of ANOVA as well as correlations. The correlation between total organisational climate and total work motivation (calculated according to the Lawler formula) was 0,549 at the 0,01 level, thus supporting the research hypothesis. By following the stepwise regression analytical procedures, the two dimensions of organisational climate (task characteristics and manager/leadership) used to forecast work motivation (as calculated by the Lawler formula), explained 30% of the variance of work motivation. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / MCOM (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Text in Afrikaans / Hierdie navorsing het ten doel om die verband tussen organisasieklimaat en werksmotivering te bepaaL Organisasieklimaat is met die Organisasiediagnosevraelys (ODV) gemeet en werksmolivering is met die Verwagtingsmotiveringsvraelys (VMV) gemeet, 'n skaal wat gefundeer is in die teoretiese model van Edward E Lawler, III, en deur die navorser aangepas is vir die steekproef en deur faktorontleding valideer is. Die interalcsie deur biografiese en organisatoriese veranderlikes (ras, geslag, hierargiese posvlak, werkspan, ouderdom en diensjare) is dear ontleding van variansie en korrelasieontleding ondersoek. AI die korrelasies tussen die hoofdimensies van organisasieklimaat en werksmotivering, met die uitsondering van valensie, ondersteun die navorsingshipoteses met totale organisasieklimaat en totale werlcsmotivering (volgens die Lawler-formule) se korrelasie gelyk aan 0,549 teen die 0,01 peil. Deur stapsgewyse regressie-ontleding is twee dimensies van organisasieklimaat, naamlik taakeienskappe asook bestuur en leierskap, gebruik om totale werksmotivering volgens Lawler se formule te voorspel. Ongeveer 30% van die variansie van werksmotivering is hierdeur voorspel. / The objective of this research is to determine the relationship between organisational climate and work motivation. Organisational climate was measured by the Organisational Diagnostic Questionnaire (ODQ), and work motivation was measured by the Expectancy Motivation Questionnaire (EMQ), a scale based on the model of Edward E. Lawler, III, and validated by means of factor analysis for the population. The interaction of the biographical and organisational variables on the main variables was studied by means of ANOVA as well as correlations. The correlation between total organisational climate and total work motivation (calculated according to the Lawler formula) was 0,549 at the 0,01 level, thus supporting the research hypothesis. By following the stepwise regression analytical procedures, the two dimensions of organisational climate (task characteristics and manager/leadership) used to forecast work motivation (as calculated by the Lawler formula), explained 30% of the variance of work motivation. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / MCOM (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)