Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The concepts of performance management and coaching are of key importance to businesses globally. Various studies have been conducted on the link between the concept of performance management and coaching within business organisations, specifically where coaching seeks to align the activities and objectives of individuals to business objectives and goals. The purpose of this study was to further explore this relationship between these two processes and in so doing, explore the application of coaching skills as introduced for the first-line team supervisor leadership process. The study involved the direct participation of first-line team supervisors. A qualitative research design was used to answer the research question in order to explore the processes, patterns of behaviour and themes that emerged out of the coaching skills application process. The research findings gave an indication that the coaching process could play a critical role in the development of first-line team members as well as the first-line team supervisors’ leadership skills. The results indicated a rewarding process in both instances. It was evident that the modern first-line supervisor would want to be equipped with skills for understanding and managing the behavioural patterns of the people they lead, i.e. over and above the technical expertise required to perform in their jobs. The study further gave rise to a new dimension of approaching the team performance conversations where the first-line supervisors used the GROW model in conducting individual performance discussions. The GROW model improved understanding and acceptance of the process amongst the people reporting into their roles. The broader finding is that coaching can enable more collaborative teamwork and this may lead to improved conversations on performance and goal clarification for first-line production teams; specifically in clarifying goals, providing feedback, listening actively and following up on tasks to be carried out. Results and conclusions may be limited by the fact that the study was conducted in a single industry. Additional studies from a variety of industries with large numbers of participants would be helpful to fully understand the ways in which performance coaching skills and first-line team leadership development programmes can best be developed and deployed in organisational settings.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Creative people and the products they create play a fundamental role in the music industry. They form the core around which the rest of the industry revolves. Without musical and lyrical compositions and talented people able to perform them, there would be no music industry. Pressure mounts on creative people to keep on creating and producing music that will satisfy both industry and consumer demand. This leads to various personal and professional issues the creative person is faced with when pursuing a career in the music industry. This study explored how coaching supports creative people with their personal and professional issues, within the South African music industry. The research design was an exploratory, qualitative study. A purposive sampling technique (Babbie & Mouton, 2009) was used to select the six research participants. The research participants selected were at various stages of entering the music industry professionally. Multiple data collection methods were utilised for this qualitative study, namely solicited essays, researcher reflections and semi-structured interviews. The findings presented in this study showed how coaching can be effective in helping creative people deal with their personal and career issues.

This study is a reflective analysis of the perceptions of senior executives in family businesses that relate to their personal experiences of having been mentored. The study presents an overview of the topic of mentoring, defines key terms, and identifies questions addressed in the research. The rationale for this study rested on two facts. First, mentoring in non-family businesses constitutes the majority of the literature. That literature supports the importance of mentoring. Secondly, mentoring in family businesses has not been researched.

Thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management specialising in Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Graduate School of Business Administration,University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2018 / Enterprise development (ED) is concerned with helping entrepreneurs to grow their businesses. The business development process is dynamic with rapid technological and environmental change that occurs through the enterprise development life cycle. Business incubation programs play an integral part in the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). They offer support services, both financial and non-financial, of which mentorship is regarded as one of the key aspects of incubation programs. This study looked at SMEs across South Africa, operating in different industries to evaluate the impact of entrepreneurial orientation on SME growth and determine the moderating effect of mentorship on this relationship. The South African government, through its B-BBEE policies, has mandated corporates to implement ED programs as a way of aiding the growth of SMEs. The challenge faced by SMEs within the context of ED is discussed broadly in this study with recommendations put forth in an attempt to assist the successful implementation of ED. Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) is an established construct in entrepreneurship literature and its impact on growth is well researched. The three dimensions of innovativeness, proactiveness and risk-taking, as a unidimensional composite is used to assess the level of EO exhibited by the sample. This study however, expanded on the EO-Growth relationship to assess the role of mentorship within the context of ED in South Africa. Mentorship forms part of the developmental process of entrepreneurs and is well incorporated into the ED sphere. This study considered the role of the mentors as it relates to opportunity recognition. The study applied a quantitative method to analyse the relationship between the independent variable (EO) and the dependent variable business growth (BG), with mentorship being the moderating variable. The survey questionnaire was electronically distributed, producing a final number of 215 respondents as the empirical research sample. Growth, the dependent variable, was considered as a measure of success for SMEs. The measurement of SME growth focused on sales, assets, profit, annual turn-over and employment growth. The high failure rate of SMEs in SA is a cause of great concern to the government. This study provided empirical research, which further investigated the reasons attributed to government’s concerns. It further argued for certain interventions that can be of value to SMEs, government, ED practitioners, mentors and corporates. A regression analysis and bivariate correlation analysis was adopted to test the hypotheses, confirmatory factor analysis assessed the factorial validity of the constructs. Pearson’s test tested the significance of the correlations, visual tests (histograms) and descriptive statistics (skewness and kurtosis) assessed the normality of variables, before hypothesis testing was carried out, factor analysis determined the empirical analysis to confirm the theory, and to reduce dimensions of variables within constructs. In addition, the overall level of Cronbach reliability (0.68≤α≤0.89), and the corresponding EVA of close to 0.3, showed excellent reliability. The empirical findings of the study revealed that EO had a positive impact on SME growth and that the relationship between EO and growth was moderated by mentorship. As such, this study contributes to the theoretical discourse through its contribution to the existing body of literature. It further adds to literature concerned with the role of mentors in ED, and how this influences the growth of SMEs participating in ED programs. From a practical perspective, it provides recommendations to all stakeholders of ED in South Africa. Finally, this study provides ED practitioners, incubation managers, government policy makers, corporates, mentors, SMEs and entrepreneurs with relevant information to support their strategic planning and the implementation of enterprise development in South Africa. / MT 2018

Thesis (Master of Construction Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019. / This study evaluates both the Contractor Development Programme (CDP) mentorship programme and the emerging contractors’ personal limitations in achieving a successful programme implementation. The objectives of the study were as follows: (i) to ascertain whether the perception of limitations of the mentorship programme differs in accordance with contractor’s profile; (ii) to ascertain whether there is any statistically significant difference between the profiles of contractors with regard to the perception on mentorship programme limitations; (iii) to ascertain whether the perception of limitations of the contractors’ personal limitations differs in accordance with contractor’s profile; (iv) to ascertain whether there is any statistically significant difference between the profiles of emerging contractors with regard to the perception on personal limitations. The study adopted a quantitative research method which was preceded by an exploratory study. The study targeted emerging contractors in the Western Cape. The exploratory study was undertaken at the initial stage of the study to gain more insight in terms of the impact of limited contracting opportunities for emerging contractors on the Western Cape CDP mentorship programme. The data was collected by means of conducting semi-structured interviews to purposely selected emerging contractors, and was subsequently transcribed and analysed using content analysis. With regard to the main study, the questionnaire survey with closed-ended questions was distributed to the population of 16 emerging contractors with CIDB grade 3 and 5. The descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the main study. The study has uncovered a number of gaps in terms of the implementation processes of CDP mentorship programme. In regard to the mentorship programme limitations: The findings have revealed the use of ineffective recruitment and selection methods, the lack of training projects for contractors to tender, the lack of MOUs between the banks and the Western Cape CDP to ease access to credit, the lack of continuity in terms of mentoring services, the failure to evaluate contractors when they enter the mentorship programme, failure to monitor contractors’ development during mentorship, the failure to evaluate contractors when they exit the mentorship programme. In regard to the emerging contractors’ personal limitations: The findings have discovered the lack of tendering skills among contractors, lack of skills in interpreting construction drawings, the lack of planning for construction projects, the lack of estimation, and the lack of negotiation skills with material and plant suppliers. The research concludes by recommending that the Department of Transport and Public Works should review the entire mentorship programme. This will be achieved by appointing a business development practitioner to re-design and re-structure the entire mentorship programme so that it can be able to attract and select suitable contractors while meeting the governments’ objective of developing and promoting of emerging contractors in the construction industry.

<p>The role that mentor and prot&eacute / g&eacute / play in transforming South African society in general and the business environment in particular, is important and lends new meaning to leveling of the playing fields. Fundamental to success of any mentorship programme is the relationship between the mentor and the prot&eacute / g&eacute / . Since mentors play a key role in shaping the prot&eacute / g&eacute / they have to employ strategies that offer practical and emotional support to the prot&eacute / g&eacute / while understanding the implication of mentoring in a particular social and political context. The mentor is also an intermediary between the prot&eacute / g&eacute / and the organization. This research report developed an exploratory analytical framework to understand mentoring relationships, with particular reference to the South African regulatory context and the internal organization factors that impact mentoring relationships, and the effect on affirmative action in South African organizations.</p>

<p>The role that mentor and prot&eacute / g&eacute / play in transforming South African society in general and the business environment in particular, is important and lends new meaning to leveling of the playing fields. Fundamental to success of any mentorship programme is the relationship between the mentor and the prot&eacute / g&eacute / . Since mentors play a key role in shaping the prot&eacute / g&eacute / they have to employ strategies that offer practical and emotional support to the prot&eacute / g&eacute / while understanding the implication of mentoring in a particular social and political context. The mentor is also an intermediary between the prot&eacute / g&eacute / and the organization. This research report developed an exploratory analytical framework to understand mentoring relationships, with particular reference to the South African regulatory context and the internal organization factors that impact mentoring relationships, and the effect on affirmative action in South African organizations.</p>

Thesis (MPhil (Information Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / Mentoring programmes have been implemented in organisations to manage succession planning and talent management; to make sure that there are enough resources (people) to take over some tasks when employees in those positions retire or leave the organisation for greener pastures. Mentoring programmes have also been implemented to minimize the call back of retired employees to the organisation at an exorbitant salary to transfer the knowledge that should have been transferred while they where still employees of the organisation. The number one problem facing organisations these days is talent management and global brain drain. Organisations are continuously faced with challenges of how they are going to make sure that their intellectual capital and knowledge remain in their organisational structures and not lost to competitors outside. Organisations have tried many tools to enhance knowledge sharing and transfer, however very little research has been done to look at mentoring as another form to share and transfer knowledge within the structures of organisations. This study aims to look at mentoring and the role it plays in knowledge management as a tool to share and transfer knowledge. It will also pursue to understand the term mentoring, how it differs or is similar to coaching and other related terms. It will also look at how organisations can go about implementing and running mentoring programmes. The research will follow a methodology of literature review from various primary and secondary sources, to ascertain what has been written on mentoring in general, as well as more specifically literature on the relationship between mentoring and knowledge management and its use in organisations. It will also look at local and international firms which have implemented mentoring programmes and how they have succeeded in managing and transferring knowledge between experienced and less experienced employees. It will also look at types of mentoring that the organisation may consider implementing in respective structures. Roles and responsibilities of various parties in the mentoring programme will also be discussed briefly. It has been proven in this research that little has been written and researched on mentoring and knowledge management. Even companies mentioned in this research, their mentoring programmes didn’t have a knowledge management flavour in it; they looked more at succession planning and the human resource factor of mentoring. South Africa as a country as well is still lagging behind with regard to mentoring; it is only in 2006 that an association of mentoring and coaching was introduced, which hopes to look at implementing country-wide standards and ethics. United States of America and United Kingdom are well developed and far ahead with mentoring in general as well as within organisations. Seeing that little has been written on the concept of mentoring and knowledge management, this research concludes that more research need to be conducted to understand and look at the relationship and value of mentoring in knowledge management. It also recommends further research on e-mentoring. The research also recommends that mentoring should be included in performance agreements of experienced employees.

The point of departure of this study is that there is a need to successfully integrate and identify the relationship between employees’ perceptions of employment equity and black economic empowerment, the influence thereof on the various factors associated with employee commitment as well as the role of the mentor and union commitment. Thus, the development of a predictive model becomes an important tool to be used by organisations in future. Literature research The primary objective of the study is to provide research evidence for a predictive model of employee commitment. The secondary objectives focus on outlining the concept of commitment; describing comprehensively the antecedents of employee commitment; describing the relationship between employee commitment and union commitment; describing the perceptions of the Employment Equity Act; describing the perceptions of the Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment Act; and describing the concept of mentorship. Lastly, the role of a mentor as a moderator of organisation commitment, the perceptions of employment equity and the perceptions of black economic empowerment are described. A review of the relevant literature reveals that the construct of organisation commitment as characterised by the relevant literature includes a large number of explanatory and descriptive concepts without an attempt to integrate these concepts and therefore there is a lack of parsimony (Roodt, 1991, 1992). Organisation commitment has not developed in an evolutionary way with regard to meaning and relationships with other commitment concepts (Morrow, 1983). Knoop (1986); Morrow and McElroy (1986); O’Reilly and Chatman (1986); Rabinowitz and Hall (1977) and Roodt (2004) also support this idea. The relevant literature also confirms the lack of the integration of all the variables correlated with commitment and differences in opinion about dual commitment (organisation and union commitment). Employment equity and mentorship research are also fragmented and little research has been conducted on black economic empowerment. This emphasises the need for an integrated predictive model of employee commitment. Empirical research objective The primary objective of the study was to investigate key relationships between variables in the model in order to propose a predictive model of employee commitment. Other objectives were defined as follows: • Determine the interactive relationship between organisation-related commitment (dependent variable) and race, gender, age, tenure, marital status, level of education, home language and job levels (independent variables). • Determine the interactive relationship between union commitment (dependent variable) and race, gender, age, tenure, marital status, level of education, home language and job levels (independent variables). • Determine the interactive relationship between the perceptions of employment equity (dependent variable) and race, gender, age, tenure, marital status, level of education, home language and job levels (independent variables). • Determine the interactive relationship between the perceptions of black economic empowerment (dependent variable) and race, gender, age, tenure, marital status, level of education, home language and job levels (independent variables). • Determine the relationship between organisation-related commitment and union commitment. • Determine how the relationship between background variables and organisation-related commitment is mediated by the perceptions of employment equity. • Determine how the relationship between background variables and organisation-related commitment is mediated by the perceptions of black economic empowerment. • Determine whether the perceptions of the mentor’s role mediate the relationship between the perceptions of employment equity and organisation-related commitment. • Determine whether the perceptions of the mentor’s role mediate the relationship between the perceptions of black economic empowerment and organisation-related commitment. • Determine whether employees with positive perceptions of the mentor’s role are more committed to the organisation. • Determine how the relationship between background variables and union commitment is mediated by the perceptions of employment equity. • Determine how the relationship between background variables and union commitment is mediated by the perceptions of black economic empowerment. • Determine whether the perceptions of the mentor’s role mediate the relationship between the perceptions of employment equity and union commitment. • Determine whether the perceptions of the mentor’s role mediate the relationship between the perceptions of black economic empowerment and union commitment. • Determine whether employees with positive perceptions of the mentor’s role are more committed to the union. Participants A primary data set was used. The primary data was obtained from a sample drawn from a large transport organisation. A convenience sample was drawn from a sampling frame of 1 200 employees and yielded 637 completed questionnaires. A response rate of 53% was obtained. Only completed records were used for the data analyses. The respondents were predominantly Afrikaans-speaking, white males, 36 years and older, with 10 years of service or longer, who are married with a standard 10 or higher qualification. The participants were predominantly drawn from the junior officer group and belonged to a union. The majority did not have a mentor. The measuring instrument The Employee Commitment Questionnaire, the data-gathering tool of this study, consists of five questionnaires, namely Organisation-related Commitment, Union Commitment, Perceptions of Employment Equity, Perceptions of Black Economic Empowerment and Perceptions of the Mentor’s Role Questionnaires. The combined total items of the questionnaire consisted of 103 items. The research procedure The primary data set was obtained from a sample drawn from a transport organisation. In order to have an inclusive approach, the researcher used the intranet and sent hard copies of the survey to employees. Participation was voluntary, and confidentiality and anonymity were guaranteed. Statistical analysis The particular statistical procedures used were selected based on their suitability to test the research hypotheses of the study. These procedures include descriptive statistics, factor analyses, analyses of variance and covariance and a General Linear Modelling (GLM). In respect of the factor analyses, a procedure developed by Schepers (1992) was followed. This procedure includes first and second level factor analyses. A General Linear Modelling (GLM) was used to evaluate the predictive model of employee commitment. The Statistical Consultation Service of the Rand Afrikaans University conducted the analyses. All the calculations were done by means of the SPSS Windows program of SPSS International. Conclusions and recommendations An empirical predictive model of organisation-related commitment and union commitment was developed. This model indicates that organisation-related commitment and union commitment are mainly predicted by perceptions of employment equity and perceptions of black economic empowerment. These perceptions have a strong bearing on people’s beliefs, values and needs. This could be a possible reason for the large amount of variance that is explained. The theoretical model proposed initially was amended to reflect the findings. The study has little nomothetic value, as it was limited to a single organisation. Further research needs to be conducted across organisations in similar contexts to establish the external validity of the findings. The findings have some theoretical value as the perceptions of employment equity and the perceptions of black economic empowerment were for the first time included as predictors of employee commitment. Furthermore, a more sophisticated multi-variate General Linear Modelling (GLM) was used for the prediction of employee commitment. Isolating predictors that explain the variance in the criterion provided a parsimonious predictive model. The model also illustrates possible significant interaction effects between the different predictor variables. The model serves as a good point of departure for understanding and explaining employee commitment in a diverse workforce setting where the perceptions of employment equity and the perceptions of black economic empowerment are applied. / Prof. Gert Roodt

Homosociality, the societal norm toward same-gender social bonding, has been hypothesized as an important explanatory variable in the maintenance of occupational segregation by gender and the low status of women in traditionally male-dominated occupations (Lipman-Blumen, 1976; Reagan & Blaxall, 1976). In this investigation of homosociality in the workplace, 257 women and 197 men employed in managerial, supervisory, professional, and technical positions in seven organizations completed a questionnaire regarding their career development and interpersonal relationships in their current organization. Predictions derived from homosociality theory and the literature and research on mentoring, friendship, and organizational networks were tested. Of the 17 hypotheses associated with five research questions, 8 were fully or partially supported, 6 were not supported, and 3 could not be tested because factor analysis did not support the variable of interest (lifetime attachment). Alpha was apportioned using the Bonferroni inequality procedure; probability levels ranged from .025 to .0025 depending on the number of significance tests conducted for each question. Analysis of variance (Gender x Gender Composition of Network) and simple main effects analysis performed on mentoring and relationship provisions (intimacy, similarity, defiance of convention, respect for differences) scores indicated one significant main effect for gender: women's same-gender networks provided more intimacy than men's. Significant main effects for gender composition were: (a) men's same-gender networks provided more mentoring than their cross-gender networks; (b) women's same-gender networks provided more intimacy than their cross-gender networks; and (c) for both genders, same-gender networks provided higher levels of similarity and defiance of convention than cross-gender networks. Correlational analyses indicated: (a) for women, but generally not for men, homosocial attitudes were significantly related to the size and activities of same- and cross-gender networks; (b) for both genders, same- and cross-gender mentoring and primarily same-gender relationship provisions were positively and significantly related to career- and job-related outcomes. Homosociality was evident in attitudes, network activities, and outcomes. Results also indicated signs of organizational gender integration. Implications for theory and counselling, and suggestions for future research, are discussed. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate