Šiuolaikinėje organizacijoje vis svarbesnę vertę turi darbuotojas ir asmeninės jo savybės, kadangi daugėja įrodymų, kad nuo darbuotojo asmeninių savybių priklauso pasitenkinimas darbu bei darbo kokybė. Teigiami charakterio bruožai žmogui padeda dirbti, didinti darbo našumą, gerinti jo kokybę. Pagrindinė mokslinių tyrimų, susijusių su teigiamais charakterio bruožais, idėja yra ta, kad harmoningai nugyventas gyvenimas pabrėžiant pagrindines charakterio stiprybes gali būti pilnavertis ir produktyvus tiek darbe, tiek visuomenėje. Svarbus veiksnys numatant darbuotojų pasitenkinimą darbu yra ir darbo charakteristikos, kurių pasireiškimas užtikrina darbuotojo veiklos efektyvumą. Šio darbo tikslas yra nustatyti ir pagrįsti šių prielaidų patikimumą, išsiaiškinant ryšius tarp teigiamų charakterio bruožų, darbo charakteristikų ir pasitenkinimo darbu. Tyrime dalyvavo 136 tiriamieji (iš kurių 51 vyras ir 85 moterys), dirbantys įvairiose paslaugas teikiančiose įmonėse Vilniuje. Pasitenkinimas darbu buvo matuotas P. E. Spector Pasitenkinimo darbu klausimynu, sudarytu 1994 m. Teigiami charakterio bruožai matuoti Stiprybių ir Dorybių klasifikacijos trumpąja forma, sukurta Peterson ir Seligman 2003 m. bei Subjektyvia laimės skale, sudaryta Lyubomirsky 1999 m. Darbo charakteristikos matuotos Darbo diagnostikos klausimynu, sudarytu Taber, Beehr ir Walsh 1985 m. Tyrimo rezultatai parodė, kad bendras pasitenkinimas darbu statistiškai patikimai skyriasi lyties atžvilgiu. Skirtumų tarp moterų ir... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Employee and his individual characteristics become more and more important in the modern organizations. Growing evidence show that job performance and job satisfaction depend on personal resources. According to the scientific literature positive character traits help person to work and improve productivity in organizations. Positive psychology focuses on resources in human character strengths wich enable a good life if highly developed. Important factors as well as character traits in predicting employee’s job satisfaction are job characteristics. The aim of this study is to discover and to determine the validity of these proposings by finding out the correlations between positive character traits, job characteristics and job satisfaction. Survey with 136 (51 men and 85 women) customer service employees across various organizations in Vilnius were conducted. Job satisfactions was assessed by Job Satisfaction Survey developed by P. E. Spector in 1994. Positive character traits were assessed by the VIA Classification of Strengths and Virtues, developed by Peterson and Seligman in 2003 and Subjective Happiness Scale developed by Lyubomirsky in 1999. Job Characteristics were assessed by Job Diagnostic Survey developed by Taber, Beehr and Walsh in 1985. The results showed statistical difference between job satisfaction and gender. There were no relation between job satisfaction with age, job lenght and marital status between men and women. Results also showed statistically... [to full text]

Universities worldwide are developing a disturbing imbalance with their environments. In recent years, academic working conditions in South African universities have changed dramatically as a result of the country's post-apartheid policies and the accelerating globalisation of knowledge. Academic staff are continually confronted with an overload of job demands without corresponding increases in job resources. These prolonged job stressors that academic staff are subjected to over lengthy periods of time coupled with inadequate job resources can lead to the development of a pathogenically defined construct, namely burnout. The objective of this research was to investigate the relationships between burnout, strain, job characteristics and dispositional optimism in universities in the North-West Province. A cross-sectional design was used. The study population (N = 279) consisted of academic staff of universities in the North-West Province. The Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (MBI-GS), The Life Orientation Test - Revised (LOT-R), Job Characteristics Scale (JCS) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQI9) were used as measuring instruments. Descriptive statistics (e.g. means, standard deviations and kurtosis) were used to analyse the data. Exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were used to confirm the structure of the measuring instruments and to test theoretical models. The results showed that the stressors of overload was associated with high levels of exhaustion and low professional efficacy. Job resources (i.e. social support, task characteristics) were related to low levels of exhaustion and cynicism and higher levels of professional efficacy. Exhaustion and low professional efficacy were significantly related to physical and psychological health problems. Exhaustion and cynicism were negatively related to optimism, whereas professional efficacy were positively related to the latter. Optimism moderated the effects of a lack of resources on exhaustion and the effects of job resources on professional efficacy. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

Within the health care sector in South Africa, the nursing profession is known as one of the four most stressful work environments, which is characterised by high workload, staff shortages and overcrowding situations. This stressful and emotionally draining environment can be the cause for large numbers of nurses experiencing symptoms of burnout and negative work-home interference. However, there seems to be a lack of research investigating specific job demands and job resources associated with burnout and negative work-home interaction in a nursing environment. The first objective of this study was to determine the construct validity and reliability of the adapted Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (MBI-GS). The second objective was to determine which job characteristics within the nursing environment predict burnout and negative work-home interference (WHI). The last objective was to determine whether negative WHI mediated between the most prominent job characteristics and burnout within the nursing environment and whether it was a partial or full mediating effect. A cross-sectional survey design was used. Random samples (n = 300) were taken from nurses working in the Johannesburg, Klerksdorp, Krugersdorp, Pretoria and Potchefstroom areas. A job characteristics questionnaire, the 'Survey Work-Home Interaction - Nijmegen' (SWING) and an adapted version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey were administered. Cronbach alpha coefficients, exploratory factor analysis, Pearson product moment correlations, multiple regression analysis and structural equation modelling were used to analyse the data. Regarding the first objective, it was found that burnout consists of exhaustion and mental distance, whereas cynicism and depersonalisation collapse into one dimension (e.g. mental distance). Regarding the second objective, the results indicated that the most prominent job demands and job resources associated with exhaustion are pressure, autonomy, role clarity, colleague support and financial support. It seemed that mental distance is primarily predicted by role clarity, colleague support and financial support, while negative work-home interference is predicted by pressure, time demands, role clarity and colleague support. Results obtained for the last objective provided evidence for a partial mediating role of negative WHI in the relationship between the most prominent job characteristics (pressure, role clarity and colleague support) and burnout (consisting of exhaustion and mental distance). Recommendations were made for the organisation and for future research. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

The mining industry is one of the largest employers in South Africa in an attempt to thrive in a continuously changing environment and in line with the modem organisation's focus on the various dimensions of employee well-being, mining organisations need the services of engaged workers. The objective of this research was to establish the relationship between work engagement and demographic characteristics, job characteristics and work-home interaction of employees working in the mining industry. A random sample of 320 employees was taken from various mining companies in the Gauteng and North West Provinces. The job characteristics, UWES and SWING questionnaires were used as measuring instruments. Cronbach alpha coefficients, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients, exploratory factor analysis, structural equation modelling and logistic regression analysis were used to analyse the data Exploratory factor analysis with target rotations confirmed the construct validity of the measuring instruments. Chi-square and t-tests indicated positive relationships between work engagement and race, autonomy, social support, instrumental support, task characteristics, positive work-home interference and positive home-work interference. Logistic regression analyses revealed that race, autonomy, task characteristics and positive home-work interference were significant predictors of work engagement. Recommendations were made for further research. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

Nurses make up the largest group of health workers in South Africa and are likely to play an important role in the transformation of the health sector. Health caregivers, especially those dealing with people suffering h m serious illnesses and those exposed to multiple deaths, are at risk of developing work-related psychological disorders. Furthermore, long working hours, pressure, role clarity and lack of support from colleagues are the four most common work stressors reported. People are constantly faced with the challenge of simultaneously managing multiple roles in their work as well as their home-sphere. It therefore becomes increasingly important to maintain a balance in these two life spheres. Unfortunately, a gap exists between the positive and negative side of work-home interaction as most research focuses on the negative side. It also seems that, despite the importance of work-home interaction of nurses, relatively few studies investigate the role of specific job characteristics and coping strategies that could play a role in negative and positive work-home interaction. The objective of this study was to determine which job characteristics and coping strategies predict negative and positive work-home interaction in the nursing environment. A cross-sectional survey design was used. Stratified random samples (n = 300) were taken of registered nurses in the Johannesburg, Klerksdorp, Krugersdorp, Potchefstroom and Pretoria regions. A self-constructed questionnaire was used to measure job characteristics. The Coping Strategy Indicator (CSI) was used to measure coping strategies, and the 'Survey Work-home Interaction- NijmeGen' (SWING) was used to measure work-home interaction. Exploratory factor analyses and Cronbach alpha coefficients were used to determine the validity and reliability of the questionnaires. Product-moment correlation coefficients were used to determine the relationship between job characteristics, coping and work-home interaction. Multiple regression analyses were used to determine the percentage variance in the dependent variables (e.g. negative and positive WHI) that is predicted by the independent variables (e.g. job characteristics and coping strategies). The results showed that time demands, pressure, role clarity and colleague support are the main job characteristics that predict negative work-home interference. Problem-solving coping was associated with less negative work-home interference, while avoidance coping seems to predict higher levels of negative work-home interference. Time demands, autonomy and role clarity were the main predictors of positive work-home interference. Problem-solving coping was the only coping strategy associated with positive work-home interference. Recommendations were made for further research. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

In a new world of work characterised by competitiveness, benchmarking, technological innovation and efficiency, the South African chemical industry needs to function at an optimal level to meet the demands of its stakeholders and employees. The industry needs leadership of the highest standard and an efficient, productive workforce. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between leader empowering behaviour, self-efficacy, job resources and work-related flow for employees in the chemical industry. More specifically, it was examined whether personal and organisational resources facilitated flow at work, and whether employees who experienced flow mobilised more resources over time. The research method consisted of a literature review and an empirical study. A cross-sectional survey design was used to collect the data. An availability sample (N= 213) from employees in the chemical industry was taken. A biographical questionnaire and a self-constructed instrument (JDRS) were used to measure the unique job demands and job resources in the chemical industry. Along with the JDRS, the WOrk-reLated Flow Scale (WOLF), the Leader Empowering Behaviour Questionnaire (LEBQ) and General Perceived Self-efficacy Questionnaire (GPSQ) were used as measuring instruments. The statistical analysis was conducted with the help of the SPSS program. The results of the research indicate that the availability of leader empowering behaviour (i.e. delegation of authority, self-directed decision making, information sharing, and coaching for innovative performance), self-efficacy and job resources (i.e. supervision, availability of resources and autonomy) can result in higher levels of work-related flow in the workplace. Recommendations were made for future research. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

In a new world of work characterised by competitiveness, benchmarking, technological innovation and efficiency, the South African chemical industry needs to function at an optimal level to meet the demands of its stakeholders and employees. The industry needs leadership of the highest standard and an efficient, productive workforce. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between leader empowering behaviour, self-efficacy, job resources and work-related flow for employees in the chemical industry. More specifically, it was examined whether personal and organisational resources facilitated flow at work, and whether employees who experienced flow mobilised more resources over time. The research method consisted of a literature review and an empirical study. A cross-sectional survey design was used to collect the data. An availability sample (N= 213) from employees in the chemical industry was taken. A biographical questionnaire and a self-constructed instrument (JDRS) were used to measure the unique job demands and job resources in the chemical industry. Along with the JDRS, the WOrk-reLated Flow Scale (WOLF), the Leader Empowering Behaviour Questionnaire (LEBQ) and General Perceived Self-efficacy Questionnaire (GPSQ) were used as measuring instruments. The statistical analysis was conducted with the help of the SPSS program. The results of the research indicate that the availability of leader empowering behaviour (i.e. delegation of authority, self-directed decision making, information sharing, and coaching for innovative performance), self-efficacy and job resources (i.e. supervision, availability of resources and autonomy) can result in higher levels of work-related flow in the workplace. Recommendations were made for future research. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Denna studie syftar till att undersöka huruvida arbetsmotivationen skiljer sig mellan generation Y och tidigare generationer i den svenska IT-branschen. Studien vilar på en teoretisk grund bestående av tre välkända teorier inom arbetsmotivation; Herzbergs tvåfaktorteori, Self-Determination Theory samt Job Characteristics Model.   För att kunna besvara studiens forskningsfråga ”Hur kan belöningssystem utformas för att ta hänsyn till fler anställda från generation Y i den svenska IT-branschen?” genomfördes en semistrukturerad intervju med en HR-chef samt en enkätundersökning bland anställda på IT-företaget Evry.   Resultatet av studien visar att det finns vissa skillnader i arbetsmotivationen mellan generation Y och tidigare generationer vilket kan motivera till förändringar i hur man arbetar med belöningar när en allt större del av arbetskraften utgörs av generation Y. En viktig skillnad som framkom är att medarbetare från generation Y uppskattar feedback mer än äldre medarbetare, oavsett varifrån i organisationen feedbacken kommer ifrån. Studien fann även att monetära belöningar kan ha en stark negativ inverkan på arbetsmotivationen, men att de under vissa omständigheter kan vara positiva och ibland även nödvändiga. En slutsats blir att det ofta krävs en blandning av både monetära och icke-monetära för få fram det mest motiverande belöningssystemet.

The last two decades have seen an increasing sophistication in the type of information systems employed by organizations. In particular we have seen the emergence of enterprise systems technology - advanced information technology specifically designed to integrate the vast majority of an organization's processes and data flows. As the characteristics of ES technology have encroached beyond individual user domains and have become integrated throughout organizations, user acceptance issues have also broadened beyond the individual unit of analysis. At the same time numerous examples can be found both in the trade press and academic literature of organizations wishing to use enterprise systems as a primary driver of widespread organizational change and restructuring. A fundamental premise of this study is that while it may be intuitively appealing to consider technology as a primary catalyst for organizational change, it neglects to acknowledge the presence of what is referred to as the &quoteduality of structure&quote (Giddens, 1993). Duality of structure proponents contend that while IT system protocols may to a certain extent determine individual action, human agency can also determine the extent to which the technology is incorporated into everyday operations. The failure of past research to acknowledge the role of individual action and the influence of social context in determining IT usage is considered to be a significant oversight (DeSanctis & Poole, 1994). Underpinned by the theory of structuration and its notion of duality, a theory of user acceptance is put forward capable of clarifying the process by which users evaluate and react to enterprise systems technology. The thesis reports on an empirical investigation into the relationship between three representations of structure within an organization: the characteristics of ES technology; job design; and social networks. The capacity of ES technology to alter the structural elements of both job design and social networks, and hence form user's attitudes and behavior towards the system, is the fundamental theoretical premise of the thesis. As such this represents a clear step forward in understanding the implications of ES technology for both users and organizational structure. Using a longitudinal embedded single case design, this study examines the user acceptance and structural implications of introducing an ES into a large public sector educational institution. A social network and job design perspective was adopted to offer fresh insight into the dynamics of employee reaction to the introduction of ES technology. Five hypotheses support the job design component of the thesis. It was argued that given the inherent design elements of ES technology, along with the specific intent of the system's introduction, that users would both anticipate and perceive a decrease in job characteristics following an ES implementation. Further, that the positive relationship between job change and user acceptance would be moderated by the amount of system usage reported by users. Users with a greater exposure to the system were hypothesized to have a far stronger relationship between job change and acceptance than low users. The ramifications of perceived or actual changes to embedded resource exchange networks and subsequent employee reactions to those changes were also considered. Essentially social networks were argued to play a dual role in the user acceptance process, one being a conduit for the facilitation and transfer of user attitudes towards new systems, the other acting as a catalyst for attitude formation towards new systems. Overall the findings only partially supported four of the eight hypotheses put forward. While users were seen to anticipate an &quoteacross the board&quote decrease in job characteristics at Time 1 following the introduction of an ES, perceived changes in job characteristics at Time 2 were dependant on user hierarchy and the extent of system usage. Those high in formal authority reported an increase in job enrichment following the system's introduction, while those low in formal authority reported a decrease in overall job enrichment. Usage was also seen to moderate the relationship between job change and user acceptance. At Time 1 low users reported a positive relationship between anticipated changes in meaningfulness and user acceptance. Conversely at Time 1 high users reported a negative relationship between anticipated skill variety levels at Time 2 and user acceptance. Only one job characteristic reported a relationship between usage and user acceptance. Low users reported a positive relationship between changes in task identity and user acceptance. A post-hoc profile of the usage categories indicated that high users were more likely to be a lower hierarchical position than low users. The positive relationship reported by low users at Time 1 and Time 2 was explained by both the nature of the system, as well as the type and quantity of information received by low users. As senior members of the organization they were considered more likely to receive information that highlighted its attributes in the context of their job roles. The inherent design of ES technology, along with the specific intent it was being introduced, facilitated largely management orientated objectives. Therefore it is unsurprising that low users anticipating an increase in experienced meaningfulness following the introduction of a system that enhanced their job role reported corresponding acceptance levels. In contrast, the negative relationship between anticipated levels of skill variety at Time 2 and perceived ease of use was explained by the affinity that high users were likely to have with the old system. To high users with a high degree of proficiency associated with a redundant skill set, increased skill variety only represented a steeper learning curve and an increased pressure to adapt to the new system. The network component of the study also produced mixed results. Of the two networks that were measured over time, only one supported the hypothesized increase in both advice and resource exchange networks over time. Post-hoc analyses indicated that two of the four groups exhibited network change consistent with the hypothesized relationship. Anecdotal reports suggested that contextual elements such as geographical location and managerial policy at a localized level determined the nature of the change for the remaining two groups. The results failed to support the relationship between network change and user acceptance. However, a weak but significant negative relationship between the measure of network efficiency and user acceptance was found. In simple terms users developing an increasingly redundant set of contacts reported higher levels of user acceptance. In sum, the thesis represents a contribution to enterprise systems, user acceptance and social network literatures. In the first instance the research validates the call by Orlikowski & Iacono (2001) to readily acknowledge the specific nature of the technology under investigation. Despite the growth and saturation of enterprise system types, comparatively little research has been undertaken to examine the user and organizational issues surrounding their implementation. This research has demonstrated the capacity for the inherent design elements of ES technology to have differential effects in terms of job design for different user classifications. This and other findings represent a step forward in understanding the structural and user acceptance implications of this technology, while sign-pointing a number of promising future research avenues. The job design results, and to a lesser extent the network efficiency results, demonstrate the effect of social context on user acceptance. As such they provide further insight regarding the potential determinants of user acceptance beyond the individual unit of analysis. The findings also indicate an increasing need for user acceptance research to stretch beyond the transitory, short term measures of user acceptance such as perceived ease of use, usefulness, training and computer efficacy. Finally the thesis contributes to a small, but growing literature examining the role of social networks in the process of organizational change. In particular this thesis has considered in detail, the attitudinal and behavioral consequences of artificially altering established patterns of interaction. As such the study highlights the need to better understand the role of networks not only in the case of facilitating change, but the effect of network change in terms of change intervention success.

This study is concerned with identifying the factors which produce job satisfaction and which are clearly associated with job characteristics as perceived by the nursing educators who serve in middle management positions. Following are purposes of this study: 1. To identify the actual and ideal job characteristics that are factors associated with job satisfaction, as perceived by nursing educators in middle management positions; 2. To determine the interrelationships among the job satisfaction factors that are identified with the actual and ideal job characteristics, as perceived by nursing educators in middle management positions. Responses to a three-part survey instrument, which contained sixteen independent variables, were received from 152 of a possible 292 middle manager nursing educators working in accredited baccalaureate schools of nursing.