Thesis (M.A. (Psychology)) --Universtity of Limpopo, 2013 / South African nursing environments are defined by extensive workloads, heightened stress levels, long working hours, reduced productivity and lack of support from supervisors. Nurses working with HIV/AIDS patients are further challenged with being exposed to death and dying patients, the stigma attached to the disease and fear of infection. These workplace characteristics lead to experiences of imbalanced work and family responsibilities which lead to W-F and F-W conflicts. The aim of this study was to explore W-F and F-W conflicts and their psychological impact on nurses working with HIV/AIDS patients at government hospitals within Capricorn and Mopani districts, Limpopo province. A convenience sample of nurses (N = 91) working with HIV/AIDS patients was used, within a cross-sectional design, to investigate the hypotheses of the study. Findings of the study did not generally support the hypotheses. However, F-W conflict predicted work satisfaction while W-F conflict predicted intention to leave job. Moreover, significant other support had a direct effect on family satisfaction while supervisor support moderated reports of W-F conflict and experiences of job satisfaction. Keywords: work-family conflict, family-work conflict, social support from supervisor, significant other support, family satisfaction, job satisfaction, family-work conflict family-work conflict

The Five-Factor (FFM) and job characteristics models provide parsimonious frameworks to explain personal and situational influences on work behavior. However, the two are seldom studied in concert, despite theory and empirical evidence indicating that personality traits are more valid under some job conditions than others. The purpose of my dissertation is to address the lack of systematic knowledge regarding the joint influences of personality and job characteristics by testing and extending the major propositions of the theory of purposeful work behavior (TPWB; Barrick, Mount &Li, 2013). Because the TPWB focuses only on task and social characteristics of jobs, I propose a theoretical extension to the theory whereby I examine the way traits interact with contextual characteristics (e.g., physical demands, working conditions) of jobs to influence work outcomes. Further, I extend the TPWB by examining the occupational values from the theory of work adjustment (Dawis &Lofquist, 1975), which are broader and situated at a higher taxonomic level than jobs, moderate the FFM-criterion correlations. Using a meta-analytic design, I tested the extent to which job characteristics and occupational values moderate the relationships between the FFM and job performance, contextual performance, and job satisfaction. The overall results were mixed, with some findings indicating that personality trait validities are substantially higher under conditions of congruent job characteristics, and others indicating no such moderating effects, or moderating effects in contrast to what I proposed in my hypotheses. The mixed results may be due to gravitational processes that take place when individuals select jobs. I also examined the relative importance of the job characteristics and occupational values frameworks, and found that job characteristics were more important moderators of the FFM traits than occupational values across almost all trait-criterion combinations. I discuss significant implications and limitations, along with directions for future research along the lines of furthering the study of the joint influences of person and situation on work outcomes.

Students with specific learning disabilities (SLDs) account for approximately 40% of all students receiving special education services. Debate among professionals regarding the causes of SLDs and the most appropriate methods used to identify SLDs persists. This debate may be related to the increase in prevalence of SLDs since the implementation of special education law in 1975. There are three prominent theories regarding the cause of SLDs: (a) environmental theory, (b) biological theory, and (c) interactional theory. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) allows school districts to implement the following SLD identification procedures: (a) the IQAchievement discrepancy method, (b) response-to-intervention (RtI), and/or (c) alternative research-based methods, such as personal strengths and weaknesses (PSW). This study employed survey methodology to evaluate the intersection between school psychologists’ beliefs about the cause of SLDs, their preferred practices, their actual practices, and their job satisfaction associated with assessment. School psychologists are one member of a multidisciplinary team aimed toward identifying children with SLDs and are estimated to spend nearly half their time in special education decision making. This study also evaluated the influence alignment between school psychologists preferred and actual practices have on their job satisfaction associated with assessment. Findings showed that, similar to other professionals, school psychologists’ had varying beliefs about the causes of SLDs. Environmental beliefs were significantly correlated with a preference for RtI for SLD identification, while biological beliefs were significantly correlated with preferences for the IQ-Achievement discrepancy method and alternative research based procedures for SLD identification. Preferred methods of identification impacted all three identification methods, and beliefs about the cause of SLDs impacted actual PSW practices, above and beyond individual and school characteristics. Finally, greater alignment between preferred SLD identification practices and actual SLD identification practices was associated with higher levels of job satisfaction related to assessment. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

This study tested a model that uses job stressors, equity sensitivity, perceived organizational justice, and job satisfaction to explain turnover intention and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). An online survey was distributed to emergency communication specialists from 14 emergency communication centers in Florida. The supervisors in these emergency communication centers were asked to rate their employees on OCB. Responses to the survey and the OCB ratings were analyzed using structural equation modeling to evaluate the fit of a theoretical model to those data. Results showed that the model fit the data reasonably well and nearly all the hypotheses were supported. Specifically, job satisfaction completely mediated the relationships between job stressors, equity sensitivity, perceived organizational justice, and turnover intention. Job satisfaction partially mediated the relationships between job stressors, equity sensitivity, perceived organizational justice, and OCB, and equity sensitivity also had a unique, direct impact on OCB. Turnover intention alone did not reduce OCB. The implications of these finding are discussed.

The 1999-2000 restricted-use School and Staffing Survey (SASS) dataset was used to construct hierarchical linear models to determine to what degree administrative support, resources, collegiality, parental support, school atmosphere, credentialing requirements, professional development, classroom and school autonomy, and compensation can predict teacher satisfaction in public, private, and charter schools after controlling for teacher background and school characteristics. Variables were selected in part because it is possible for them to be manipulated by policy. The study also reports on efforts to refine and validate subscales of items chosen based on theory and literature from the SASS to represent teacher satisfaction and predictors of satisfaction. SASS collected a nationally representative complex random sample of public, private, and charter schools with teachers randomly selected from schools. The conceptual framework of this study identifies level of opportunity and amount of power to access and use resources as the most significant aspects of a position as related workplace conditions. Though teaching is often characterized by isolation from adults, results of this study show that relationships with others are important. Key relationships focus on principals of schools for administrative support and leadership, teachers and school staff for cooperative environment and collegiality, parents for parental support, and students in terms of respect and behavior. Teachers also report higher levels of satisfaction when they have adequate resources like time and materials, when they have autonomy in their own classrooms, and when they are satisfied with their class sizes and salary. Principals of schools appear to be in the best position to directly influence teacher job satisfaction, but they need support from their community and school districts.

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The present study examined how certain characteristics of flexible work, the home environment, and the individual impact the outcomes of work-family conflict, job satisfaction, organisational commitment, and psychological strain. A questionnaire measuring perceptions of control, flexibility, job involvement, family involvement, work to family and family to work conflict, organisational commitment, job satisfaction, family support, physical boundaries, workplace isolation, psychological strain, personality, and demographic information was created and posted online. An email was circulated to 390 virtual sales employees from one large organisation in the United States inviting them to participate in the study, and 278 people responded. Results identified characteristics of the type of work, work enivronment, and the individual that are predictive of individual and organisational outcomes. Findings supported hypotheses that control, flexibility, and family support positively impact the outcomes of conflict, satisfaction, and strain for virtual workers. Job involvement was found as predicted to positively impact work to family conflict, and family involvement was positively related to family to work conflict. Contrary to predictions, a negative relationship was found between job involvement and strain, suggesting that those who identify more highly with their job also experience less strain. Consistent with earlier studies, workplace isolation was associated with reduced job satisfaction and organisational commitment (Marshall, Michaels, and Mulki, 2007). In line with boundary theory (Voydanoff, 2005), it was hypothesised that the presence of physical boundaries between work and non work domains would significantly impact measures of conflict and strain for virtual workers. However, results indicated no significant effects. A comparison of perceptions of work-family conflict between individuals with children at home and those without illustrated no significant differences between employees with children at home and those without. Speculated explanations for inconsistent findings are addressed in the discussion chapter. Work to family conflict was predicted to mediate the relationship between flexibility and job satisfaction for virtual workers, and analysis supported the presence of partial mediation. Family to work conflict was also predicted to mediate the flexibility and job satisfaction relationship, however, results were not significant in this case. Uses of workspace (i.e. for work, leisure, family activities, etc.) were tested as mediator for the relationship between family to work conflict and job satisfaction, and results did not support a mediation effect. In sum, findings of this study identify sources of both positive and negative outcomes for people working from home. Although individuals' experiences working virtually differ greatly, this study identifies common challenges and issues they face. By pinpointing the sources of conflict, satisfaction, commitment, and strain in the home office, organisations and individuals can take steps to protect workers against negative outcomes, and maximise positive outcomes. Implications and limitations of this study are discussed in the final chapter.

The retention of highly motivated, skilled and committed employees is a major concern by organisations to achieve a competitive advantage. The turnover intentions of human capital are of interest to managers, employees, and organisations today. This study explores a theoretical model of turnover intentions that included three proximal variables, job satisfaction, affective and continuance commitment, the distal variables of subordinate communication, horizontal communication, personal feedback, media quality, communication climate, supervisor communication, job-related communication, and management communication, with turnover intentions. A questionnaire was completed by 101 participants of a rental firm in New Zealand. Job satisfaction, affective commitment, continuance commitment, subordinate communication, horizontal communication, personal feedback, media quality, communication climate, supervisor communication, job-related communication, and management communication correlated with turnover intentions. The results of the mediated regression analysis indicated that job satisfaction, affective commitment, and continuance commitment are significant mediators between the eight distal (organisational communication) variables, with turnover intentions. This study highlights the necessity for managers to develop good quality relationships with their employees to improve the quality of their communication, to foster job satisfaction, affective commitment, and continuance commitment to reduce turnover intentions. The conclusion of this study discusses the practical implications for managers, and organisations and the direction for future research.

Balancing a successful career with a family life can be challenging and impact on a person's satisfaction in their work and family roles, affecting not only the person but their partner and children as well. This study examined the influence of social support from family and work associates on the role satisfaction of female and male managers, and their children's adjustment. Participants were 96 male and 100 female managers and their families. The first aim of this study was to examine the relative importance of work and family support for satisfaction in the roles of paid worker, spouse and parent. Findings showed that social support had a domain-specific effect, with work support associated with job satisfaction, and family support associated with marital and parenting satisfaction. The second aim of the study was to evaluate gender differences in perceived social support, and the association of support with role satisfaction. Although there were considerable differences in the managers' work and family arrangements, female managers and male managers reported receiving similar levels of work and family support, and the strength of the relationship between social support and role satisfaction was similar for both genders. The final aim of the study was to examine the role of social support in the larger family system, as research has mainly focussed on the influence of social support on the support recipient. This study extended research on the relationship between social support and role satisfaction, by showing that family support was not only associated to managers' role satisfaction, but also to managers' interactions with their children, and their children's adjustment. Work support on the other hand, was related to job satisfaction, but not to parent-child interactions and child adjustment. The findings from this study could inform clinicians' treatment of families with children experiencing problems by addressing the relationship of family support with child adjustment. Findings could also inform governments' work and family agendas, which generally focus on providing assistance to employers with the development of workplace policies to improve work-family balance. Governments should also promote the role of family support, and provide information for families on how to arrange household and childcare tasks and provide support to each other to facilitate work-family balance. Furthermore, the current study showed that work support is positively related to employee's job satisfaction, which is important for employees as well as employers. Employers can promote supportive relationships among employees through establishing networking opportunities for their employees, such as breakfast meetings, workshops and seminars, and business planning days. This study showed that some people can have it all - a satisfying and successful career, a happy marriage, and fulfilling parenthood - and social support appears to play a significant role in achieving this.

This thesis investigates managers’ use of power and its relationship to employees’ organisational commitment and job satisfaction and any other potential factors influencing the relationship in Nationalised Commercial Banks (NCBs) in Bangladesh. Earlier research focused only on employees’ perceptions of managers’ use of power in NCBs, and findings indicated a positive relationship between managers’ use of power and employees’ perceptions. The present research differs from the previous studies by linking managers' use of power with employees' organisational outcomes. The objective was to gain insights into ways in which the management of NCBs might use their power to enhance the levels of employees’ commitment and job satisfaction. Data were collected from several sources. Likert-type questionnaires were distributed to 600 employees in three NCBs and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 36 branch managers and four experts on banking. Complete questionnaires (in total 321) were included for data analysis using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and stepwise regression analysis. Both the bank managers and experts on banking interview transcripts were coded according to the interview schedule questions. The findings indicated a relationship between managers’ use of power and procedural justice, and employees’ organisational commitment and job satisfaction in NCBs. In the quantitative findings no significant relationships were found between gender, age, and education level, and power, procedural justice, commitment, and job satisfaction. The qualitative findings, however, suggested that employees’ age and education level were related to criterion variables; but the findings indicated there was no relationship between gender and criterion variables. The results of this study provide insight into how the management of NCBs can enhance the level of their employees’ commitment and job satisfaction. To improve managers’ use of power and its relationships with employees’ commitment and job satisfaction in NCBs in Bangladesh, there have to be changes at the individual and organisational levels. At the individual level improving managers’ power bases would involve basic education and specific job-related training. Managers should also be encouraged to enhance their skills through continuous self-learning. At organisational level top management should provide appropriate reinforcements for managers in learning about and improving their power bases.