Student Number : 0317880W - MA dissertation - School of Psychology - Faculty of Humanities / A large portion of literature on organisational development is devoted to how organisations have changed and the subsequent effect that these changes have had on the human beings within them. Organisations are constantly trying to change and develop themselves so that they are better equipped to face challenges that exist within the greater macro environment. These changes affect all facets of the organisation and often have a life altering impact on the employees involved. One such impact that this fluctuating corporate environment has had on employees is that they are required to develop themselves to safeguard against unexpected changes that may jeopardise their job security. Employees are constantly trying to improve themselves and their marketability so that they may progress in their careers. The major shift from previous decades is that employees are currently more committed to their careers than to their organisation (Cavanaugh & Noe, 1999). Moving up the organisational hierarchy is one way to achieve career development (Garavan, Collahan, 1996) and may be regarded as reward for the self-development that one has worked so hard for. If employees do not see an opportunity to further themselves and their careers, a possible response would be to leave the organisation and look for other avenues to achieve this development. The present study aimed to explore this by determining how a personality construct effects ones perceptions of intraorganisational mobility and the reactions that these perceptions generate. A large South African banking institution was used to sample employees for the study and being a service firm, all indications are that it is an extremely underresearched organisational form (Malos, Campion, 2000). The key strategic focus of the group is said to include among others, to focus on customer service, to improve transparency and to meet transformation goals in line with the financial sector charter. This is in response to numerous restructuring and change efforts that have taken place within the last two years. The organisation serves as an illustration of corporate life within South Africa. The company is continually trying to change and develop to meet the challenges of the greater macro environment. In doing so, the employees are required to respond proactively to the changes that take place and develop themselves accordingly. In light of this, the organisation provided a useful backdrop from which to analyse the relationship between locus of control, perceptions of intra-organisational mobility, satisfaction with promotion opportunities and future career planning.

In the face of competition and competing demands on organizations, employees are taxed to exert more effort with fewer resources. The type of environment can create the recipe for increased levels of occupational stress and an environment of increased workplace incivility.Therefore, it is not surprising that research has begun to look at the interaction between occupational stress and workplace incivility. The current work environment requires employees to exert more effort or face negative consequences from supervisors and peers. All too often, the salary increases, bonus structure, career progression, job security and mobility that might be reasonably expected from producing such extra effort do not align with organizational reality. The vexing situation creates workplace settings in which employees would be more likely to release their frustrations generated by unmet expectations through engaging in uncivil behaviors. Andersson and Pearson (1999) define workplace incivility as a “low-intensity deviant behavior with ambiguous intent to harm the target, in violation of workplace norms for mutual respect” (p. 457). The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the relationship between occupational stress and instigator workplace incivility, as moderated by personality, to select organizational outcomes (i.e., perceived physical health and intent to turnover). Data were collected from 206 fulltime working adults in the healthcare industry utilizing Amazon MTurk. Moderated hierarchical regressions were conducted to test the possible moderating role of personality on the stress-incivility relationship; the results demonstrated partial support for H1-H4. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted also to explore the degree stress and incivility predicted the outcome variables of perceived physical health and intentions to turnover; the data indicated support for the notion that greater stress and incivility positively predicted turnover intent. The findings suggest that personality did play a role in the stress-incivility relationship. Conscientiousness and agreeableness dampened the relationship, while neuroticism and extraversion strengthened the relationship. Further, this study found that intent to turnover increased as workplace incivility also increased, even after controlling for stress. Future research was proposed to test the models examined in this study in different settings, with additional moderators, and longitudinally. The practical findings suggest the possible utility of stress reduction training to reduce the likelihood of uncivil behavior.

L’objectif général de ce travail doctoral était d’identifier des leviers d’action permettant de préserver la santé psychologique des travailleurs, de réduire certaines de leurs attitudes et comportements néfastes pour les organisations de santé, et de comprendre les mécanismes explicatifs de ces relations. La première étude a démontré que le climat de sécurité psychosociale (i.e., PSC) était négativement associé au conflit travail-famille (i.e., WFC) et aux intentions de turnover des soignants via la frustration des besoins psychologiques. La seconde étude a mis en évidence que le PSC, via son influence sur la frustration des besoins, était associé à une réduction du burnout des soignants trois mois plus tard qui expliquait à son tour une augmentation du WFC et des intentions de turnover. La troisième étude a démontré que la dissonance émotionnelle et les ressources organisationnelles influençaient le manque de détachement psychologique et l’engagement au travail des professionnels d’encadrement au terme d’une période de trois mois, via leurs effets sur la frustration et la satisfaction des besoins. Ces trois études enrichissent la littérature scientifique sur la théorie de l’autodétermination en contexte de travail et alimentent la réflexion sur les pratiques organisationnelles susceptibles de modifier durablement l’expérience professionnelle des salariés du secteur / The general purpose of this doctoral dissertation was to contribute to identify triggers to preserve workers’ psychological health and reduce some of their negative attitudes and behaviors which appear to be harmful to healthcare organizations. Moreover, we aimed to understand the mechanisms underlying such effects. Study 1 used a cross-sectional design to demonstrate that psychosocial safety climate (i.e., PSC) was negatively related to nursing staff’s work-family conflict (i.e., WFC) and turnover intentions, through the mediation of psychological need thwarting. Study 2 developed these results by showing how PSC, through its influence on psychological need thwarting, related to a decrease in burnout three months later. Burnout itself explained an increase in WFC and turnover intentions. Study 3 focused on managers’ psychological health and found that emotional dissonance and organizational resources influenced managers lack of psychological detachment and work engagement three months later, through psychological need thwarting and satisfaction. Altogether, these studies contribute to self-determination theory in the work setting and offer some perspectives on organizational practices that could lastingly alter healthcare employees’ professional experience