M.A. / Through experience and interviews held with industrial social workers and because of changes in the environment, it was found that the industrial social worker is unsure of what is expected of him/her and of the direction in which the profession is going. The future and priorities are vague and there is uncertainty regarding how to prepare for it. The aim of this study is to define the role and function of the industrial social worker as it currently exists in the industrial environment and to provide a future scenario for industrial social work ...

In many respects a gold mine could be viewed as South African society in microcosm, for it hes many of the same structures and features of its macro-society. In most societies it would be inappropriate to regard an industrial setting as the microcosm of the larger society as, in most societies, people are hardly aware of authority or of the legal system. The principal source of contact with such systems for most people would be of an irritant kind, associated with parking and traffic misdemeanours. This does not apply to the black person in South Africa, where freedom of movement, place of residence,position at work, use of public facilities, etc. are severely circumscribed. In fact, it is not unusual for black persons to be accosted by the police from time to time to determine whether they are permitted to be where they are, or to be removed from premises by white officials. Moreover, most white persons abrogate unto themselves the right to give instructions to any black person, a situation not unfamiliar on a mine. In the South African macro-society and the mine micro-society the top echelon of jobs, the best living conditions, salaries, hours of work, conditions of employment, opportunities for advancement and other privileges are reserved for whites, and blacks have no authority to effect changes to these conditions. It is postulated that change in South Africa for blacks is likely to take a form similar to change on a mine. Consequently, by studying change to the quality of life of black workers on a mine, useful insights may be gained into the reactions of black persons to change in the macro-society. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1983.

Thesis (PhD (Education and Policy Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / At the heart of this thesis is to debate and address the procedures of the past imbalances and inequalities in South Africa focusing on industrialization and Ubuntu worldviews. During industrialization, life changed for the indigenous peoples of South Africa. This forced people to change their way of living. They had to adapt to new ways of living in most aspects of their lives. Industrialization is viewed as one aspect that promoted the principles of individual self-sufficiency. Families were separated as the male breadwinners went away to work in industrial areas, e.g. in mines, leaving their families behind. This led to the fragmentation of homes and families. This study explores the nature of industrial society, and looks especially at the capitalist and colonial forms that South African society took. A great deal of this study is concerned with the assumption that certain characteristics and processes underpin industrial societies, and that as a result a set of universal propositions can be derived regarding these structures and processes. Industrialization was promoted by business leaders, industrialists and property-owners who wished to see a more thoroughgoing liberal reform of the economy. The industrial revolutionaries were primarily concerned with overthrowing a nominally feudal regime, which constituted a hindrance to industrial development. The study of industrialization is a complex field, which affects people's behaviour. An aim of this thesis is therefore the exposition of various discourses with regard to the relationship between classes within industrial sociology with special focus on origins, characteristics, effects, leadership, education, family life and religion. Leadership and management in education, as key concepts in this study, basically deal with human relations where problem solving, communication and decision-making are promoted. It is useful to think of leadership as a generic term that refers to the process characterized by the interrelationships among people as they work together in the formation and achievement of shared goals. South Africa's society in the emerging post-industrial era requires a new form of exceptional – almost heroic – leadership because the traditions, institutions, values and balances of a complex and divergent society need to be developed. The future hangs in a balance. As a traditional society, South Africa depends on the statesmanship, generosity and charity of leadership. This can be gained by understanding, accepting and practising the implications of the dual worldviews that are prevalent in South Africa society that is the Western view and Ubuntu. Ubuntu emphasizes the richness of people's cultural heritage and goes a long way in providing principles for application in practice, especially for whatever we engage in as participants in the world of work. At the same time, the philosophy of Ubuntu also challenges African societies to move away from the existing misunderstandings of different races and cultures. With its concern that people in South Africa should pay more attention to the strategic importance of education at this stage of transformation, this study explores the implications for educational management and leadership of an Afro centric heritage. African people need to discard a slave mentality and begin to develop a royal mind-set that has pride in its heritage of cultural diversity. Ubuntu is neither a narrow racial nor a trivial and sectional concept. It is both a uniquely African and a universal concept. This study does not envisage the supremacy of Ubuntu over Westernized knowledge systems. Rather it points the way to a combination of these two knowledge systems as the best option. The aim was to investigate and discover the differences and similarities of Ubuntu and Western worldviews. The study highlights that African leadership does not strive for challenges and excellence, but rather tends to conserve, stabilize and remain constant with the status quo. It does not strive for change or deliberately stimulate motivation or competition. Meanwhile leadership within a Western worldview actively promotes individualism rather than promoting team orientation. The main contention then, is that what is generally needed in South Africa is the transformational type of leadership that can occur when there is a marriage between these two worldviews.