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The purpose of this study was to survey the subject certified staff of Florida public elementary schools to determine how elements of Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory were perceived as being met in their current school employment. The descriptive study utilized an instrument that listed each of the 16 job factors in Herzberg’s theory. The instrument was designed to allow subjects to mark each job factor as contributing to their job satisfaction, neutral, or contributing to their job dissatisfaction. The instrument also had areas to record various biographical data regarding the subjects. The survey was conducted on a randomly selected subject group that was stratified over the five regions of Florida public schools. A total of 586 usable surveys were returned, a return rate of 71%. An estimation approach to inferential statistics was used to analyze the data. Interval estimation of the data was done through the construction of confidence intervals at the .95 level. Each job factor was analyzed with regard to the group as a whole and with regard to selected biographical information, including sex, years of teaching experience, job position, and degree held by subject. The job factors of Advancement, Salary, and Personal Life were perceived by over half of the subjects as not contributing to their job satisfaction. The job factors of Achievement and Interpersonal Relationships with Students were perceived by over 90% of the subjects as contributing to their job satisfaction. There was no significant difference between male and female subjects on all job factors with the exception of Responsibility. There was no significant difference between subjects with M.A. degrees and subjects with B.A. degrees with regard to any job factor. Subjects with the most years of teaching experience tended to have more members that perceived job factors as contributing to their job satisfaction than subjects with lesser years of teaching experience. It is recommended that further research be undertaken to determine the perceptions of certified personnel in Florida’s public secondary schools.

El afrontamiento al estrés es importante cuando se quiere entender el comportamiento organizacional de los colaboradores, ya que, a partir de esto, será de mayor facilidad para las empresas poder establecer planes guiados a mejorar estos recursos de afronte. A su vez, tener en cuenta que la satisfacción laboral está relacionada de manera directa con la forma en que los colaboradores perciben ciertas situaciones de tipo estresantes. Por ello se planteó esta investigación no experimental de tipo descriptivo correlacional, donde el objetivo general fue determinar la relación entre los estilos de afrontamiento de estrés y la satisfacción laboral, y de manera específica, identificar el estilo de afrontamiento de estrés predominante, el nivel de satisfacción laboral, la relación entre los estilos de afrontamiento de estrés y las dimensiones de satisfacción laboral, y el nivel de los estilos de afrontamiento de estrés y los de satisfacción laboral según edad, sexo, puesto y sede en 503 colaboradores de una Organización sin fines de lucro; a través del Cuestionario de afrontamiento al estrés (COPE), con una confiabilidad de 0.79, y la Escala de Satisfacción Laboral SL-SPC con una confiabilidad de 0.76. Donde se encontró que, los estilos de afrontamiento de estrés adicionales, son los predominantes, y el nivel predominante de satisfacción laboral es el promedio, los cuales se presentaron de la misma manera según las variables sociodemográficas. Concluyendo en que no existe correlación estadísticamente significativa entre ambas variables. / Coping with stress is important when you want to understand the organizational behavior of employees, since from this it will be easier for companies to establish guided plans to improve these coping resources. In turn, keep in mind that job satisfaction is directly related to the way employees perceive certain stressful situations. For this reason, this non-experimental investigation of a descriptive correlational type was planned, where the general objective was to determine the relationship between stress coping styles and job satisfaction, and specifically, to identify the predominant stress coping style, the level of job satisfaction, the relationship between stress coping styles and job satisfaction dimensions, and the level of stress coping styles and job satisfaction according to age, sex, position and location in 503 employees of a non-profit organization profit; through the Coping with Stress Questionnaire (COPE), with a reliability of 0.79, and the Job Satisfaction Scale SL-SPC with a reliability of 0.76. Where it was found that additional stress coping styles are predominant, and the predominant level of job satisfaction is average, wich were in the same way in the sociodemographic variables. Concluding that there is no statistically significant correlation between both variables.

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors contributing to the longevity of four early-career (5 to 10 years of experience) K–5 elementary general music teachers in Title I schools situated in four regions of the United States. The central research question was: How did early-career elementary general music teachers in Title I schools describe the opportunities and challenges that contributed to their decisions to continue teaching? Using Deci and Ryan's theory of self-determination as a theoretical framework, I analyzed how the four teachers reflected on the degree to which they each possessed autonomy, competence, and relatedness through recounting their perspectives, stories, and experiences. Although the participants shared many commonalities, they also experienced challenges and opportunities unique to their teaching environments. Results were mixed regarding their levels of autonomy and relatedness, but all four teachers possessed a high level of competence, which was likely a contributing factor to their longevity and potential to continue teaching. Nurture and care for children also emerged as a prominent theme from the results, which required the application of a separate theoretical framework. Noddings's theory of the ethic of care served as a lens for examining the myriad ways each participant demonstrated love, care, and concern for her students. All four teachers strongly expressed the important role their love of working with children and seeing them grow, progress, and learn played in their desire to continue teaching. Of all the contributing factors, the participants' ethic of care seemed to be the most significant influence on their decisions to continue teaching. They also spoke extensively about the role of their love for music as a subject. Conclusions address implications for the field and recommendations for future research.

Anställdas upplevda kontroll över sin arbetssituation varierar från person till person och kan till viss del bero på deras ålder och hur de upplever sin omgivning på arbetsplatsen. Studiens syfte var att undersöka eventuella samband mellan Work Locus of Control och upplevt organisationsstöd, arbetstillfredsställelse och ålder. Datainsamlingen genomfördes genom att dela ut en enkät till anställda tjänstemän med administrativa arbetsuppgifter inom offentlig och privat sektor i södra Sverige. Urvalet består av 74 deltagare (17 män och 57 kvinnor). För att mäta variablerna användes Work Locus of Control-skalan, items ur Survey of Perceived Organizational Support samt Overall Job Satisfaction. Enkäten inkluderade även bakgrundsfrågor. En korrelationsanalys med variablerna gav resultatet att Work Locus of Control har signifikanta samband med de undersökta variablerna. Resultaten går i linje med tidigare forskning och indikerar att personer som i större grad upplever sig kunna kontrollera sin arbetssituation även upplever högre organisationsstöd och högre arbetstillfredsställelse, samt att den upplevda kontrollen är högre hos äldre individer. En multipel regressionsanalys visar att hög arbetstillfredsställelse bäst predicerar en intern Work locus of Control. Resultaten visar inte någon signifikant skillnad i Work Locus of Control mellan anställda inom offentlig och privat sektor. / Employees' perceived control over their work situation varies from person to person and can to some extent depend on their age and how they perceive their environment in the workplace. The purpose of this study was to investigate possible connections between Work Locus of Control and Perceived Organizational Support, Job Satisfaction and age. Data collection was performed by handing out a survey to officials with administrative duties within the public and private sectors in southern Sweden. The sample consists of 74 participants (17 men and 57 women). To measure the variables, the Work Locus of Control Scale, items from the Survey of Perceived Organizational Support and Overall Job Satisfaction, were used. The survey also included background questions. A correlation analysis of the variables yielded that the work locus of control scale has significant correlations with the studied variables. The results are in line with previous research, indicating that individuals which to a greater extent perceive themselves able to control their work situation also experience higher organizational support and higher job satisfaction, and that perceived control is higher for older individuals. A multiple regression analysis shows that a high Job Satisfaction is the best predictor of an internal Work Locus of Control. The results show no significant difference in Work Locus of Control between employees in the public and private sectors.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Psychological Sciences / Clive Fullagar / Within the literature on engagement at work there has traditionally been a focus on overall work engagement. However, in recent years there has been increasing research on applying a specific form of task engagement, called flow, to the world of work. The current project details two studies that serve to differentiate and understand the relationship between overall work engagement and flow. The first study collected data on engagement and flow from several hundred working adults and used confirmatory factor analysis to explore the factor structure of the two concepts. Results indicated that flow and engagement are separate constructs, albeit related. The second study again collected data from working adults, however, the goal was to show the differential relationships both flow and engagement have with the work outcomes of job satisfaction, commitment, citizenship behaviors, and burnout. Results indicated that both flow and engagement were significant predictors of these outcomes with engagement being the stronger predictor of the two. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are also discussed in full.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1979 S52 / Master of Science

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1985 M36 / Master of Science

Bakgrund: En bra arbetsmiljö ger förutsättningar för att individer upplever välbefinnande på sin arbetsplats. Onboarding (arbetsplatsintroduktion) innebär den process en medarbetare genomgår från att inte kunna arbetet till att bli en fullärd medarbetare med rätt förmågor och beteenden som överensstämmer med det som arbetsplatsen behöver. Syfte: Att exemplifiera arbetsgivares upplägg och insatser beträffande arbetsplatsintroduktion. Ytterligare syften är att undersöka chefers erfarenheter och upplevelser om innehåll och utförande av erhållen introduktion, samt undersöka om introduktion anses ha betydelse för personals arbetsrelaterade välbefinnande. Metod: Studiens design är en deskriptiv intervjustudie. Tolv intervjuer genomfördes och materialet analyserades enligt kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: Intervjuerna resulterade i två innehållsanalyser, en där HR-personal var informanter och en där chefer var informanter. Analysen med HR-informanter resulterade i en kategori; ”Upplägg av företagens introduktionsprogram” med fyra underkategorier och analysen med chefsinformanterna resulterade i tre kategorier, ”Erfarenheter att lära sig chefsrollen”, ”Chefer har olika utgångslägen och behov”, där nio underkategorier identifierades. Slutsats: Liksom tidigare forskning förstärker uppsatsens resultat att sociala relationer är den främsta faktorn för att lära sig en verksamhet och tillägna sig en yrkesroll (chefsrollen) och även den mest betydande faktorn för att uppleva välbefinnande på en arbetsplats. Informanternas erfarenheter och upplevelser urskiljer vissa komponenter som är viktiga att beakta när organisationer ska utforma introduktionsstrategier vilka är; om chefer är externt/internt rekryterade, deras chefsnivå och tidigare chefserfarenhet samt möjligheten att få framföra egna önskemål och behov av introduktion. / Background: A good working environment creates opportunities for individuals to experience well-being at the workplace. Onboarding is the processes through which a new employee goes from being an organizational outsider to become an organizational insider with the right skills and behaviours that are consistent with what the organization needs. Aim: To give examples of set up and efforts of introduction programmes for new employees and to investigate managers´ experiences of onboarding and if onboarding programme is considered to have an effect on well-being at the workplace. Method: A descriptive study was conducted based on twelve interviews and the interview material was analysed according to qualitative content analysis. Result: Two qualitative content analyses were completed, the first one with Human Resources (HR) staff and the second one based on manager interviews. The analysis with HR staff resulted in one category; ”The setup of the companies onboarding programmes”, with four subcategories and the second analysis resulted in three categories; ”Experiences to learn the managerial role”, ”Managers have different needs and starting-points” and ”Factors for successful onboarding”. A total of nine subcategories were identified. Conclusion: Previous researchs show that social relations are the primary factor for new employees to learn their work and managerial role. It is also the foremost factor to experience well-being at the workplace. The knowledge and experiences of the interviewed show similarities for certain components to consider when to establish onboarding processes in an organization. They are; if managers were in-house recruited or externally recruited, their manager level, their previous experience of being a manager and opportunities to express individual wishes and needs in an onboarding programme.

Providing basic local administration has become one of a vast variety of priorities for all municipalities within the South African context. Municipalities need to be instrumental in South Africa’s socio- economic upliftment against issues like poverty and underdevelopment because government policy requires municipalities to play a developmental role. Taking cognizance of the transformational changes within the South African government, the local government, within its three categories, inherited growing responsibility for basic service delivery. This was primarily because the democratic South Africa has inherited a public sector marred by fragmented and gross inequalities at all levels of government activity (Mathekga & Buccus, 2006). The effectiveness of good local governance may rely on the capacity of local government structures, participative of municipal leadership and employees, to provide an integrated development approach to social and economic development issues and to supply essential services congruent with the needs and desires of the local communities (The Institute for Democracy in Africa, 2010). Municipalities need to be in a position to identify and prioritise local needs, determine adequate levels of services and allocate necessary resources to the public (COGTA, 2009c). The role of local government in, amongst other things, is to promote a better life for all by creating jobs, alleviating poverty, which is imperative in achieving a prosperous civilization. The transformation of local government, as it stood during the apartheid period, was aimed at removing the racial basis of government and making it a mechanism for the integration of society and the redistribution of municipal services from the rich to the poor. Thus, local government is the key site of delivery and development and is central to the entire transformative project of the new South Africa. In order for any municipality to be accountable for delivering a basic human right towards local communities, as stipulated in the Constitution of 1996, it is imperative that the relationship between the internal stakeholders of the local municipality is sound. The test would be to see how the municipal employees’ perception of trust influences the trust relationship between employees and managers in the local government sphere. Taking cognizance of the manner in which local government mechanisms and its related structures are administered, the research will aim to establish how important the vertical trust relationship between municipal employees and managers is, as a contributing factor for effective service delivery to its communities. Attention will focus on the conceptualization of vertical trust between employees and managers within local government in South Africa as well as to determine whether municipalities’ performance indeed have a link with vertical trust relationship between the relevant employees and managers. This will be explained within a broader perception by focusing on relevant theories of trust, which include the theories related different types- and dimensions of trust, and influence of the trust relationship within the local government sphere. The research focused on the performance of a Category B municipality within the geographic area of the Western Cape, and how the vertical trust relationship between employees towards managers and the subsequent performance of the municipalities would influence effective service delivery. A Category B municipality within the Eden district was identified as an institution that, within the broader government sphere, has been complimented and accolade due to continuous improvements in service delivery over the last few years. Five dimensions were examined by conducting a survey in order to establish the perceptions of municipal employees relating to the dimensions of job satisfaction, employee empowerment, communication, management reporting and performance management. These perceptions were assessed by interpreting the responses of (N = 205) respondents from the Category B municipality. The main finding was that the respondents were very negative towards how they experience the five dimensions within the Category B municipality. Based on the internal consistency of the five dimensions, the results of the research were of concern as a significant part of the respondents portrayed some sort of animosity towards how they perceived and responded to the statements. This is contrary to the Category B municipality’s continuous and improved financial performance and non-existent service delivery protests, as compared to other municipalities within the geographical area of the Western Cape. This research highlighted that, although the attitudes towards most of the statements were negatively experienced by the respondents, the Category B municipality still managed to get accolades for continuous and improved financial performance and non-existent service delivery protests. The revelations from the respondents highlight a sense of effective and efficient performance by the category B municipality with a mainly negative workforce. This poses a concern as to the proposition of this research in terms of how significant the role of such trust between affected parties play within the dynamics of this Category B municipality. The primary reason for this observation relates to the researcher’s view that it has become critical for management to get personally involved in managing the emotional part of its employees, in order to ignite a sense of belonging to the municipality where employees will put renewed emphasis on the trust towards all levels of the organizational hierarchy. It can be concluded that, in order for vertical trust to be of significance within the dynamics of this Category B municipality, the concept of vertical trust relationship can be nurtured by employing a working environment based on mutual respect, dignity, cooperation and honest communication. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014