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The current research study is based on a model proposed by job design theorists, Fried, Grant, Levi, Hadani and Slowik (2007). This proposal is valuable in the organisational psychology research as it is the first to evaluate and incorporate career dynamics into the conceptualisation of the job design premise. As their argument, Fried et al. (2007) suggest that employees’ attitudinal reactions that result from the stimulation (or lack thereof) obtained from the design of their jobs is influenced by their career dynamics. More specifically, Fried et al. (2007) infer that career dynamics would moderate the relationship, whereby employees would be more likely to respond favourably to a lack of stimulation when they perceive themselves in the early stages of their careers; or when they perceive their jobs as enabling career advancement. The aim of this study is to quantitatively assess the hypotheses suggested by Fried et al. (2007); and therefore conduct an investigation that evaluates job design from a career dynamics perspective. Ninety five employees from sister accounting firms in Johannesburg and Cape Town formed the sample utilised in the study by volunteering to complete the self-report measures that were administered. The measures that are used in this study encompass the job diagnostic survey, an occupational tenure questionnaire, the expected utility of present job scale and the affective well-being scale. A biographic inventory was also administered in order to comprehend the demographic characteristics of the sample. The research hypotheses were evaluated using moderated multiple regression statistics. Insufficient evidence was found to conclude any moderating effects of career dynamics on the relationship between the stimulation derived from the job and the attitudinal reaction of affective well-being. Following the exploration of the research study and the interpretation of the findings, limitations of the study, directions for future research and practical implications are addressed.

This thesis is an examination of the selection, introduction, use and effects on job design and work organisation of a particular form of new technology: Computer Numerically Controlled machine tools (CNC). Part One, Chapters 1 - 6, reviews the new technology literature and the historical development of contemporary approaches to job design and work organisation. From this examination, a conceptual framework is constructed showing the factors which influence and guide the choices that organisations make with regard to new technology. It draws special attention to the role played by the values, beliefs, self-interest and power of individuals and groups within organisations, and the philosophy and precepts of Scientific Management. The section concludes by describing the aims, objectives and methods of the research, and by examining the development of, and literature regarding, CNC. Part Two, Chapters 7 - 10, presents case studies of the introduction and use of CNC into nine engineering companies, differentiated according to company size and product batch size. Part Three, Chapter 11, presents the conclusions from the study. It firstly compares the case studies with each other, and then with the conceptual framework. It shows that the empirical studies supported the framework, but that two additional factors need to be taken into account: (a) that there is a need to recognise that those involved in the process of technological change can be "dazzled" by the technology, and (b) that the change process can be significantly affected by the competence of those involved. Nevertheless, the conceptual framework, and especially the influence of Scientific Management, are confirmed. The Chapter concludes by putting forward guidelines for the introduction of new technology.

This thesis examines the transformation of work in two public sector organisations, the Commonwealth Employment Service and the Department of Social Security. The analysis considers the impact of organisational and technological change on operational staff at Administrative Service Officer 3 level within these agencies. The relationship between these changes, managerial control and the degree of alienation experienced by staff is highlighted. Considerable transformation of the labour process of workers in both organisations is evident. The most significant cause of these transformations has been facilitated by new technology. New technology has facilitated the reorganisation of work and permitted government policies to reorient the focus of these agencies. In both, a more professional relationship is being fostered between clients and staff, not only through government programs but also through a quality service emphasis. A close relationship between clients and public servants was contrary to all traditional notions of bureaucracy, where impersonality and impartiality are highlighted. This change in focus has been facilitated in the CES by circumstances which rendered newer staff unprepared in the face of increasing client numbers, inadequate training and constantly changing government policy. Staff under these circumstances resorted to empathetic behaviours and emotional labour to offset their deficiencies. These behaviours have now been incorporated into organisational practices. The emotional labour has become regulated empathy. In the DSS regulated empathy has been imposed upon staff as an outcome of new technology facilitating job redesign, and government policy requirements. The utilisation of emotional labour in the DSS is in an embryonic stage consistent with it having been imposed upon workers who were previously all but invisible to their clients. Regulated empathy is argued to be a new type of managerial control in the public sector, incorporating aspects of the worker's personality into the wage-effort bargain. Management has invaded spaces which were once private and has incorporated these into the labour process. Furthermore, it is concluded that the incorporation of these aspects into the wage-effort bargain has the potential to create incompatibilities between constructed work identities and non-work identities, resulting in psychological harm to workers.

The purpose of this research was to determine how the role of the principal in the Catholic school could be redesigned so that more quality applicants are prepared to seek principalship and principals already in the role could be retained. The catalyst for this study derived from the shortage of suitable applicants for the position of principal, a problem that exists not only in Australia, but also in many Western countries. An exploratory mixed method design was chosen for the study with the data gathering divided into two phases. The first phase was the qualitative phase during which the data were gathered using focus group interviews and analysed using QSR N6. The second phase was the quantitative phase, where the data were collected using a survey constructed from the data gathered and analysed in the first phase. This research project asked the question, how can the principalship be redesigned to attract more quality applicants to the role and retain incumbents already in the role? The research revealed that, to answer the question a fundamental rethinking of the principalship is necessary and that such momentous change requires nothing less than a paradigm shift. The new paradigm would be based on sharing leadership rather than on an hierarchical approach. It would have structures that are flexible and customised to the local needs of the school and school community. Learning would be central and a work/life balance would be essential, for all principals. The new paradigm would also offer enough flexibility to encourage women to both take up, and remain in, principalship. The findings from this research led to the development of nine propositions, which, it is suggested, should inform and influence the new paradigm of principalship. Together with the recommendations, they provide a scaffold and a guide to action for redesigning the principalship.

THE OPERATIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF SERVICE CUSTOMISATION LEVEL Customisation offers the opportunity for organisations to capitalise on the many potential benefits to both themselves and to clients, afforded by offering a greater choice of goods and services for customers. Many organisations have implemented increased customisation with the expectation of increased demand and profitability. However a critical analysis of the operational aspects involved in customising services reveals that different levels of customisation have distinct operational needs which render the adoption of different levels of customisation more difficult than is indicated in existing literature. Three distinct degrees of customisation are examined in this study. These are standardisation, medium customisation and high customisation. The study puts forward a comprehensive model which provides an insight into the organisational factors which potentially enable or impede an organisation in introducing different levels of customisation. This model builds on previous studies of factors which impact on the ability of an organisation to deliver customised services. Factors which are included in this model are: (a) the level and type of knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) held by employees involved in designing and delivering services (b) the degree of information distribution and exchange between employees and (c) goal clarity for staff involved in delivering the service. Initial case studies conducted in six organisations and a subsequent quantitative study which elicited 101 responses from 21 organisations, revealed that each level of customisation held a distinct configuration of these operational factors. Organisations offering high customisation were characterised by a low degree of information distribution and exchange between employees, a high level of KSA's about the service being provided and low goal clarity for service staff. Organisations offering medium customisation were characterised by a high degree of information distribution and exchange between employees, a moderate level of KSA's about the service being provided and relatively high goal clarity for staff. Organisations offering standardised services were characterised by a low degree of information distribution and exchange between employees, a low level of KSA's required about the service being provided and high goal clarity for staff. By examining the relationship between customisation and the identified operational implications, the study allows us to piece together a multi-faceted viewpoint of the same broad issue, which is answered by the overarching question 'how are organisations enabled to provide different levels of customisation'? This study therefore provides us with a well-rounded insight as to how and why organisations can effectively implement different levels of service customisation.

The circular economy (CE) is increasingly recognized as a pivotal driver for achieving sustainability. Nonetheless, it has been criticized for neglecting the social dimension of sustainability. While job creation is often touted as a significant social benefit of the CE, there is a conspicuous gap in discussions about the quality of the jobs it generates. By drawing on organizational behavior theory, this study investigates the quality of jobs in the CE with a specific focus on meaningfulness. The research questions explore the key factors contributing to job meaningfulness in CE roles, the impact of heightened awareness of the CE on workers' perceived meaningfulness, and the mechanisms through which such awareness affects meaningfulness. To address these questions, a pre-test post-test quasi-experimental study was conducted, involving employees from two CE companies in the United States. The study assessed factors such as autonomy, skill variety, co-worker relations, knowledge of the CE, perceived social impact, perceived social worth, and experienced job meaningfulness. An intervention was then implemented on a treatment group, consisting of a five-minute training video explaining the CE concept, its benefits, and the role of workers in the CE. The findings reveal that the video intervention effectively increased employees' perception of task significance, perceived social impact, experienced meaningfulness, and awareness of the CE's impact on society and environment, as well as their perception of their contribution to the CE, the organization's contribution to the CE, and the societal value of the CE. This study highlights the importance for CE companies to provide employees with general training on the CE. Additionally, it provides initial evidence of the potential of a CE to increase human well-being, especially when considered from the eudemonic perspective of what gives life meaning rather than purely economic measures of well-being. / Master of Science / This study looks at the kind of jobs created by the circular economy (CE) and how they affect sustainability and well-being. The CE is about making the best use of resources and, as a consequence, to reducing waste, but it has been criticized for not paying enough attention to how it affects people's lives and jobs. This research focuses on understanding what makes a job in the CE meaningful and how CE knowledge may affect how workers feel about their jobs. To do this, employees at two CE companies in the U.S. were studied. The research looked at how much control employees have over their work tasks, the variety of skills that are demanded by their work, and how they get along with their co-workers, as well as their familiarity with the concept of the CE. The sampled workers were separated into two groups (treatment and control). The treatment group watched a video that explained what the CE is and how their work contributes to it and to a better world. The study found this video made these workers feel that their work had a bigger impact and that their jobs were more meaningful. It also made them see the CE as something that helps society and the environment. The main research contribution is that companies in the CE should give their employees training and lessons about what the CE is. By doing so, workers may increase their experienced meaningfulness on the job, which could enhance an individual's overall happiness and productivity at work. This research also shows the need for discussions on sustainability and the CE to include what gives meaning to our lives when we are thinking of human well-being.

Due to rapid technological development and its increasing impact on our everyday life, the way we work, and the conditions under which we do so, organizations may lose their competitive edge if they do not participate in the digital transformation. Extant literature highlights individually researched areas on how digital transformation changes work design such as virtual teams or communication technologies but rarely examines the phenomenon in more general terms. However, because work design is vital for a range of outcomes including but not limited to employee cognitions and learning, productivity and innovation, job satisfaction and commitment, as well as employee health and well-being providing a broad view on how digital transformation affects work design in today’s organizations is beneficial. Therefore, this Master Thesis provides an overarching picture of the changes in work design owed to digital transformation in contemporary societies, combining previously researched change dimensions with new insights from empirical data in a comprehensive framework. Two different qualitative methods, an online qualitative expert survey conducted with 39 participants followed by three semi-structured expert interviews revealed that changes in work design owed to digital transformation can - in line with the literature reviewed prior to conducting the study though varingly strong discussed - be categorized into the following six domains: Performance measurements, higher job demands and increasing competency requirements, increasing technologization, increased influence, work-life setup, communication and collaboration. Next to that, results suggest performance measurements as another change dimension evolving from digital transformation. Moreover, this Master Thesis suggests a strong relation between changes in work design and changes in leadership owed to digital transformation, wherefore future research may aim to study the interrelations between changes in both subject areas in more depth.

Contact with beneficiaries has been described as the most important job characteristic for increasing the salience of meaningful work. However, our understanding of beneficiary contact has primarily been limited to positive experiences with beneficiaries, despite the fact that many jobs are defined as much by the negative experiences with beneficiaries as they are by the positive. To increase understanding of negative beneficiary contact, I draw from identity theory to propose that negative experiences with beneficiaries have a dual effect on employees. Whereas negative contact may make employees feel unappreciated (low perceived social worth), it may also lead employees to believe they are engaging in self-sacrifice for worthy cause—a relatively positive interpretation of such experiences. In a study of 257 registered nurses from a large academic medical center, these hypotheses were supported. However, contrary to expectations, the effects of beneficiary contact on employee perceptions of social worth and self-sacrifice were not contingent upon their willingness to relate to beneficiaries (perspective taking and affective commitment to beneficiaries). Only perceived social worth was found to predict job satisfaction, and neither social worth nor self-sacrifice predicted job performance. Longitudinal analyses suggested that beneficiary contact is reciprocally related to employee’s work perceptions over time, but neither factor predicted changes in job satisfaction. Overall, findings suggest that negative beneficiary contact makes employees feel less appreciated, but also serves as a badge that signifies a willing sacrifice for a worthy cause. Moreover, perceived self-sacrifice may have a more complex relationship with employee outcomes than originally thought.

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.