Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISCH ABSTRACT: Purpose – The purpose of this research was to explore the role of coaching in enhancing reflective practices in managers. The experiences and perceptions of coachees were explored to answer the research question. Design/methodology/approach – This research was a qualitative study. Using an inductive approach, it sought to explore and interpret data collected from the coachees on their experiences and perceptions of coaching and the extent to which it influenced reflective practices. A purposive sampling approach was used. A total of five coachees from a FMCG company that the researcher is employed at, in the Durban area, participated in the research. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and researcher field notes and observations during the coaching process. Findings –The key findings revealed that coaching played an important role in enhancing the reflective practices and reflection in managers. Coachees found that the coaching process supported and enabled the achievement of their coaching goals. Further it was found that coachee use of reflective practices were enhanced through coaching, leading to greater levels of self-awareness, improved self-regulation and improved decision-making. Reflective practices emerged as a valuable competence for leadership. Reflective tools and practice were enablers to leadership development. Enhanced use of reflective practices led to greater reflection and self-awareness and insights leading to better self-mastery and personal growth. Greater self-awareness and enhanced reflective practices also saw coachees transferring the tools they had used and learnt to others. It was found that as coachees developed self and others their leadership capability improved. Organisational buy in, support and practices that value reflection were found to be critical for effective learning and leadership capability development. Coachees identified in the coaching process, the coach- coachee relationship, trust and coachee goal accountability as important enablers and from an organisational context, identified leadership support for time for reflective practices as a critical enabler. Research limitations/implications – A small sample size was used in the study. These findings, whilst true for the coachees who participated, may not be generalised to the general population of leaders and or managers. The results however, could be useful to other coaches developing reflective capability in coachees, to organisations and leadership development practitioners focussed on establishing competencies for leaders and development programmes for leaders. Practical implications – The implications of this research include: Business and executive coaches To give consideration to the deliberate development of reflective practices in leader coachees thus enhancing their reflection, shifting awareness and leading to effective coaching outcomes. For leader coachees To be committed to the coaching process, development of reflective practices and committed to their self development. Further they are encouraged to focus on developing behaviours important for their leadership effectiveness. Organisational human resource development practitioners To include and address within leadership competency frameworks and development programmes the development of reflective practices and the value of reflection. In an organisational setting, reflective practice must be valued as a competency in order for benefits to be derived and the culture and leadership behaviours adopted be in alignment. Coaching academies or training providers and professional coaching bodies To position development of reflective practices as an important and primary outcome of a coach-coachee relationship linked to goal realisation and make reflection and reflective practices, an explicit competency in the coaching capability development framework linked to assessments. Originality/value – The study adds to the body of knowledge on understanding the impact of coaching in enhancing reflective practices in managers and contributes to the positioning of reflective practices in leadership competency frameworks and leadership development programmes. Future research around reflective practices is needed and recommendations have been made.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Coach and Mentors of South Africa (COMENSA) coach/mentor supervision policy of 2010, which was updated in 2013, aims to convey COMENSA’s official position on coaching supervision as well as inform members about this practice. The policy offers a framework for best practice for coaching supervision and serves as a benchmark against which to compare the goals and competencies of coach supervisors in South Africa. COMENSA’s policy on supervision includes a list of seven goals. The policy further recommends that, throughout the supervisory relationship, the supervisor must be able to demonstrate a range of behaviours and competencies, as well as be able “to pay attention to, work with and balance” the three functions of supervision, namely: developmental, resourcing, and qualitative. Currently it is unknown whether the coach supervisors offering supervision in South Africa actually meet these behaviours, competencies and goals. In addition, it is unknown what qualifications and experience the coach supervisors have and whether their supervision meets the supervisees’ expectations. This study assessed whether coach supervisors in South Africa actually meet the COMENSA supervision policies’ competency requirements and supervision goals and whether these goals and requirements are necessary and sufficient for quality coaching supervision sessions. The study also explored whether coaching supervision met the supervisees’ expectations. The research design was an empirical qualitative study using a multi-method approach involving interviews and documents. The study was interpretive and exploratory in nature. Primary data was sourced through semi-structured interviews with 23 participants comprising five supervisors and 18 supervisees from three regions in South Africa. Secondary data came from the two COMENSA coach/mentor supervision policies (2010 and 2013). The data was analysed using ATLAS.ti. It was found that supervisors focused their goals on learning and support first, then relational dynamics and professional practice issues. In the COMENSA coach/mentor supervision policy the emphasis differs. The policy focuses predominantly on relational dynamics, then learning and professional practice. Supervision as support was mentioned only briefly in two goals. According to the perspective of their supervisees, supervisors were competent in terms of the requirements set out in the COMENSA coach/mentor policies (2010 and 2013) and supervision largely met their expectations. Supervisees identified areas for improvement in supervisor facilitation skills, providing a safe space and stronger contracting. A surprising result emerged with 11 of the 18 supervisees either already using supervision to discuss the business of coaching or wanting this to be an added element of the process. The business of coaching covers topics such as marketing and how to run a practice and is not typically included in coaching supervision. The competency of raising cultural awareness and respecting diversity and difference was not mentioned by any of the participants, a surprising omission given the diverse socio-political environment of South Africa.

Wong Sing-Leung, Philip. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 54-62). / Abstract and questionnare in English and Chinese. / Abstract --- p.4-5 / Introduction --- p.6-15 / The pilot interviews --- p.16-21 / The survey / Chapter ´Ø --- Method --- p.22 -29 / Chapter ´Ø --- Results --- p.50 -35 / Chapter ´Ø --- Discussion --- p.36 -53 / References --- p.54 -61 / Tables and Figures --- p.63 -87 / Appendices --- p.88-117

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2009. / Title from title screen (site viewed July 22, 2010). PDF text: vi, 129 p. : ill. ; 1 Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3366037. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

Thesis (MTech (Entrepreneurship))--Peninsula Technikon, Cape Town, 2002 / By international standards South Africa's unemployment rate and poverty levels are extremely high. Currently the unemployment rate is approximately 30% (Business Day, 28 March 2002) or in the region of 40% if those who are not actively seeking work are included. Owing to the high unemployment rate, the informal sector has experienced a growth spurt. Unfortunately, due to a lack of entrepreneurial competencies, South Africa's start-up businesses also have a lower survival rate compared to their international counterparts. Technology Enterprise Centres (TECs) were created by the Technical and Business Initiative in South Africa (TABEISA), a consortium of six South African and British institutions established in 1994. The TEC has developed a mentoring programme and aims to implement it in the near future. As part of a wide assortment of assistance programmes, mentoring is the latest methodology that is being promoted by the private and public sector as a valuable developmental tool for entrepreneurs. The purpose of this study is to examine mentoring as an important resource in extending the business life-cycle of the entrepreneurs of Peninsula Technikon' s TEC. The research reviews the mentoring literature and covers aspects such as the characteristics that mentors should have, the role of mentors, types of mentoring programmes, setting up a mentoring programme, current mentoring programmes, implementing a mentoring programme, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of mentoring. The survey concentrated on identifying the mentoring requirements of the businesses. The findings highlight the need for a mentoring support programme to help entrepreneurs develop faster, therefore smoothing the transition process from one business stage to another. The study concludes by stressing the need for an efficiently run formal mentoring process, coupled with other developmental programmes.

M. Phil. / The purpose of this study was to explore the role and experiences of the coordinators of structured mentoring schemes across various sectors of society in South Africa. A purposive sample of 25 schemes was identified and both quantitative and qualitative data was obtained through questionnaires and interviews. It was found that mentoring in South Africa, as with overseas countries, is used for a wide variety of purposes. There are varying degrees of success reported from these schemes and the predominant model of mentoring as reported in the research tends to follow the “sponsorship” approach to mentoring, which may not be the most appropriate for transformation in South Africa. Coordinators often find their roles lonely and frustrating, partly because the role is combined with other roles which take priority. Coordinators tend to initiate their own role and derive mainly altruistic role satisfaction. This initiation of the role can lead to organizational isolation and lack of management support for the mentoring scheme. Recommendations for development and support of coordinators are made.

Mentoring is a powerful developmental tool that can be utilised in organisations to enable learnerships to learn various skills – hard and soft – that will enable them to become more equipped for the workplace. The hard skills refer to technical competencies, e.g. computer literacy, and soft skills refer to competencies such as interpersonal skills, communication skills, work etiquette, etc. Mentoring is no quick fix to filling all the gaps within a learnership, but it can add significant value to have a formal mentoring strategy within organisations to transfer much needed skills and competencies. The literature on mentoring provides many examples of possible strategies, and in this research project, the competencies of both mentor and mentee were highlighted, together with the advantages, disadvantages, myths and challenges in formal mentoring strategies. The process of developing a mentoring strategy is not complex, but requires support and involvement from various stakeholders to ensure the sustained success of a mentoring strategy. The different models of mentoring strategies in the literature review provided a framework for the researcher to develop a mentoring strategy that was tested through the completion of questionnaires sent to organisations that employ learnerships. The research study rated the responses of the respondents on the suggested model and various steps to be followed in the process. The research study concluded with a formal mentoring strategy or model that can be used within organisations that employ learnerships.

Institutions of higher learning should be doing leadership development of females to enhance the gender balance. The number of females employed in South African higher education is almost equal to the number of males, yet the highest proportions of females continue to hold the lowest academic and support positions. To compound the problem, after attracting suitable female staff, institutions do not have programmes to encourage them to remain within the system. Females need to surmount extra hurdles to be considered as leaders, and have different experiences of organisations from those of their male peers. Research suggests that women have the qualifications, skills and experiences required for leadership. This study aimed to look at mentoring as a strategy to enhance female leadership development. A literature review was conducted to understand the term mentoring and all related aspects. The aspects included the functions and phases of mentoring, as well as the process of a mentoring programme. Recently organisations have begun to realise how important mentoring can be to their success. Research has shown that mentoring facilitates leadership development through the career and psycho-social functions that the relationship provides. The study also investigated gender and leadership, and highlighted the barriers faced by women. The empirical part of this study was to determine employees‘ perceptions of mentoring. It was conducted in a Higher Education Institution. Random sampling was used to select respondents. The sample size consisted of 110 respondents. A structured pre-coded questionnaire was used to collect the data. The data was analysed Abstract Page iii using the relevant statistical package. Independent t-tests and analysis of variance techniques were used to determine statistically significant differences in perceptions between groups according to race, qualifications, period of employment and the type of appointment (academic/administrative). Statistically significant differences were found between race groups and the period of employment. Qualification and type of appointment did not significantly affect employees‘ responses. The major findings indicate a general congruence towards mentoring as a suitable strategy to enhance female leadership development. Institutional barriers were identified and the organisation needs to acknowledge and understand the organisational culture before embarking on this process. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed and recommendations based on these findings are provided.

This study investigated the relationship between supportive behaviours and employee outcomes. The supportive behaviours were identified in the mentoring literature as being associated with the roles and functions performed by mentors. The term 'supportive' was used in order to recognize that people other than mentors (e.g., co-workers) could provide these behaviours. Questionnaires were used to assess employee outcomes and the level of supportive behaviours received by employees from different members in their organizations. The sample consisted of 624 managerial, technical, supervisory, and professional employees who worked for one of five organizations in British Columbia; 442 employees returned questionnaires. Respondents indicated the extent to which people with whom they had worked had provided them with behaviours associated with the eight supportive functions of Sponsoring, Exposure and Visibility, Teaching the Job, Teaching the Informal System, Protection, Role Modeling, Encouragement, and Personal Counselling. Principal component analysis indicated the presence of one general factor that accounted for over 50% of the variance; separate components for career and psychosocial functions (Kram, 1985) were not found. Principal component analysis indicated that all employee outcomes assessed in the study could be grouped into one of three types of outcomes: Job-Related (job satisfaction, role conflict, role ambiguity, organizational commitment, acceptance by co-workers), Skill Development (job, interpersonal, conceptual), and Promotional (rate of salary increase and promotions, satisfaction with progression). It was hypothesized that the level of supportive behaviours received by employees from as many as three sources would be positively related to all three types of outcomes, but that the relationship would be higher for the Skill Development and Promotional Outcomes than for the Job-Related Outcomes. This hypothesis was only partially supported. Although supportive behaviours were positively and significantly related to all types of outcomes, the relationship between behaviours and the Skill Development Outcomes was significantly higher than the relationships between behaviours and the other two types of outcomes. Failure to find a higher relationship between supportive behaviours and the Promotional Outcomes is discussed in relation to organizational reward systems. The level of supportive behaviours received from sources other than the highest source of supportive behaviours did not explain additional variance in employee outcomes over that explained by the level associated with the highest source alone. Failure to find incremental effects due to additional sources was most likely due to the high correlations (.70 to .80 range) among the level of supportive behaviours received from the different sources. These correlations may have been artifactually inflated because of the instructions that were used concerning which sources of supportive functions respondents were to rate on the supportive behaviours (respondents only rated sources on the supportive behaviours if the sources provided three or more functions). Because a number of hazards and disadvantages have been associated with intense mentor-protege relationships, it was hypothesized that the more evenly supportive behaviours are distributed across sources, the higher would be the employee outcomes. Although the way in which given levels of supportive behaviours were distributed across the sources was unrelated to employee outcomes, the hazards associated with given levels of supportive behaviours were negatively and significantly related to employee outcomes (the Job-Related ones, in particular). Methods for reducing the level of hazards are discussed. The scale that was developed to assess supportive behaviours was found to be reliable, content valid, and construct valid. Possible uses of the scale are discussed. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate

This study explores male allyship, a growing trend in the Technology (Tech.) sector from the perspective of women who work or have worked in the industry. This qualitative case study consisted of a sample of ten women and ten self-identified male allies from the industry along with three men and four women who participated exclusively in a focus group discussion. All twenty-seven participants had a standard criteria to qualify as volunteers for the study and were introduced to the same research questions in the interview protocol; 1] how do women identify male allies? 2] how do women learn from male allyship?, and 3] what attributes do male allies possess to be successful in supporting women from the women’s perspective? Findings show that women identified male allies unknowingly and in professional working environments, where male allyship became associated with helping women achieve transformative outcomes in their careers. Bandura’s theory of reciprocal determinism was used as a framework to demonstrate how women are central to driving the learning from male allyship through self-directedness and by operating with agency in their organizational environment. Women described men taking an active stance on behalf of women and being allies in their existing professional responsibilities as the most successful attributes of being an ally. The study concluded with a recommendation to incorporate the study findings into an academic curriculum for men and women interested in practicing allyship in a cohort based academic setting. It also recommended organizations embed allyship in all business activities to help men become better allies to women. This study provides timely guidance for individuals and organizations seeking to engage male allies in gender equity initiatives.