Nursing as a profession presents an interesting context for studying meaning of work, as it centres on the care of patients; the motivation behind choosing such a profession. Furthermore, taking into consideration the current economic situation and the shortage of nurses in the country, it is important to investigate the kind of impact that the meaning they receive from their work may have on their commitment to the hospital and their level of engagement in their work. What nurses do and how well they do it relates directly to the quality of care the patient receives. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between meaning of work, organisational commitment and work engagement among nurses of various hospitals in the Vaal Triangle. Also investigated were biographical factors such as gender, race, age, citizenship, qualification, years of service, job level and employment status. A survey design was used on a sample of nurses (N = 199) in hospitals. A biographical questionnaire, the Organisational Commitment Questionnaire, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and Work-Life Questionnaire were administered. The statistical analyses were carried out by means of SPSS (2009). Factor analyses were conducted to determine construct validity and Cronbach’s alphas and inter-item correlation coefficients assessed the internal consistency of the instruments. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging from 0,94 to 0,62 were obtained for the above-mentioned questionnaires. Results showed that the majority of nurses viewed their work as either a job or a calling. More African nurses viewed their work as a calling than did any other race group. Younger workers, specifically those with a Grade 12 qualification, viewed their work as a career, while the more experienced nurses and those on management level viewed their work as either a career or a calling. Furthermore, nurses viewing their work as a calling are more committed to the organisation and more engaged in their work, whereas nurses viewing their work as a job are less committed and engaged. Lastly, a positive relationship exists between organisational commitment and work engagement. Therefore, the more strongly nurses view their work as a calling, the more committed they will be to the hospital and the more engaged they will be in their work. Based on the above findings, recommendations were made for the hospitals and future research. / MCom, Industrial Psychology, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2011

The study was done to investigate the state of situational variables and how these variables affect work attitudes and subsequently intentions to quit in a manufacturing company in Gauteng Province. The study was carried out under normal business operating conditions without reinforcing any of the research variables within the period of the study. A stratified random sampling approach was used to carry out the study using a structured questionnaire developed from predictors used by other researchers. The questionnaire, based on a five-point Likert scale with situational variables such as learning and development, recognition, respect, appreciation, benefits and perks, salary, promotion, organisational support, perceived opportunity for rewards, fair leadership, organisational culture, working conditions, communication, trust and relationships and job security and work related attitudes such as organisational commitment, organisational citizenship, job satisfaction, job involvement, employee engagement and intentions to quit the organisation, was designed to capture the state of affairs within the organisation based on the employees’ percep tions of their experiences of these variables. Data was analysed using statistical analysis tools namely correlation and regression analysis. 200 questionnaires were issued and 111 were returned of which 103 were useable. The research data showed a moderate state of unhappiness with eight of the ten situational variables scoring below the midpoint signalling a need for the organisation to reinforce these variables. Work related attitudes were moderate and almost all scoring around the midpoint but intention to quit yielded a lower score. Correlations analysis showed statistically significant and strong positive relationships between situational work variables. Correlations also showed statistically significant medium to strong positive relationships between situational variables with work related attitudes. There was a statistically significant medium to strong negative relationship between intentions to quit and work related attitudes showing that as work attitudes improve intentions to quit decrease. The regression analyses showed that key situational work-related variables did predict work related attitudes and outcomes with perceived organisational support proving to be the most important predictor for all work related attitudes and outcomes; fair leadership were only a significant predictor for organisational citizenship behaviour and work engagement, while job security were only a significant predictor of job satisfaction, work engagement and intentions to quit. Organisational climate was also a significant predictor of organisational commitment, organisational citizenship and work engagement. Recommendations are provided for the organisation and for future research. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

The mining industry has been under enormous pressure in the past few years. particularly with issues around production and costs. As far as human capital is concerned. the gold industry has seen a high degree of shrinkage in personnel. In order to be able to cope with the continuous challenges faced by the mining industry, mining organisations need leaders of the highest standards. Due to the challenge of increasing productivity levels, empowerment is required within the gold mining industry. The correct application of empowerment may increase efficiency and effectiveness inside an organisation. Having employees with the appropriate levels of organisational commitment facilitates the change management process and ensures its successful implementation. Organisations value commitment among their employees because it is typically assumed to reduce withdrawal behaviours, such as lateness, absenteeism and turnover. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between leader empowering behaviour, organisational commitment and turnover intention within the mining industry. The research method consists of a literature review and an empirical study. A cross-sectional survey design was used to collect the data. An availability sample (N = 388) was taken from mining employees. The Leader Empowering Behaviour Questionnaire (LEBQ), Affective Organisational Commitment Scale (AOC), Turnover Intention Scale (Tl) and a biographical questionnaire were administered. The statistical analysis was carried out with the help of the SPSS program as well as the AMOS program. / Contents: Leader empowering behaviour -- Organisational commitment -- Turnover intention -- Work performance -- Productivity / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

With the introduction of positive psychology the aim with organisational psychology shifted to finding the 'happy/productive' worker and focusing more on work wellness. Historically, working in a higher education institution has generally been considered relatively stress-free and highly satisfying. However, recently the world of work has started to change drastically, which also holds true for higher education institutions. Since 1994, the democratic post apartheid government of South Africa has attempted to redress the injustices of the apartheid era. One of the focus areas of redress is the educational system. This has resulted in a restructuring of the broad higher education system, which implies consequences for the governance of all tertiary institutions. This research focused on the total spectrum of wellness - from unwell-being (e.g. burnout and stress) to well-being (e.g. work engagement). The moderating effects of organisational commitment and affectivity were investigated in order to establish a work wellness profile that will serve as basis for a wellness programme within the work environment. The objectives of this research were to standardise the MBI-GS, UWES and ASSET for employees of higher education institutions as well as to develop and test a causal model of work wellness for this specific group. The research findings are set out as four separate articles, each consisting of a brief literature overview and an empirical study. A cross-sectional design, whereby a sample is drawn from a population at a particular point in time, was used. The data for this study were collected from 372 academic and administrative employees at a higher education institution in South Africa. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-GS), Cognitive Weariness Scale (CWS), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), An Organisational Stress Screening Tool (ASSET), Job Characteristics Scale (JCS), Affectometer 2 (AFM) and a biographical questionnaire were administered. Descriptive statistics, correlations, analysis of variance, canonical analysis, multiple regression analysis and structural equation modelling were used. Structural equation modelling confirmed a four-factor model of burnout consisting of exhaustion, cynicism, professional efficacy, and cognitive weariness. The scales showed acceptable internal consistencies. Analysis of variance revealed differences in burnout for groups with different languages and different years of experience at the institution. A three-factor model of the three UWES dimensions of vigour, dedication and absorption was confirmed. Practically significant differences were found in engagement levels of employees in different language groups, those with different years of experience at the institution and between academic and administrative employees. Acceptable construct validity and internal consistency were found for the ASSET. Compared to normative data, the participants reported significantly high levels of physical ill health, psychological outcomes of stress, and perceived lack of commitment from the organisation. Analysis of variance revealed differences in occupational stress levels for all the biographical variables tested. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the factors that predict burnout and work engagement. The results showed that engagement can be considered a positive indicator of employee wellness and that job resources and positive affectivity contribute to engagement. Work engagement was related to low burnout scores, while professional efficacy was associated with work engagement. Burnout and physical and emotional strain are negative indicators of employee wellness, while overload, negative affectivity and low levels of primitive affectivity contribute to burnout. Recommendations for the organisations and future research were made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004

Stress among correctional officers is widespread, according to research studies and anecdotal evidence. The threat of inmate violence against correctional officers, actual violence committed by inmates, inmate demands and manipulation and problems with co-workers are conditions that officers have reported in recent years that can cause stress. These factors, combined with understaffing, extensive overtime, rotating shift work, low pay, poor public image, and other sources of stress, can impair officers' health, cause them to bum out or retire prematurely, and impair their family life. Despite these weaknesses and malfunctioning in correctional settings, many officers are still committed in their work, until they reach their set pension dates. Such officers show intense focus and high levels of enthusiasm. With the upcoming positive paradigm in Occupational Health Psychology, "positive" trends such as work engagement, organisational commitment and individual commitment are also common among correctional officers. The first step in the enhancement of total spectrum of work-related well-being, from unwell-being (burnout) to well-being (work engagement) is the successful diagnosis of stress, burnout and work engagement. However, it is important to use reliable and valid instruments to measure these constructs. The objective of this study in the Department of Correctional Services was to standardise an Organisational Stress Screening Tool (ASSET), an adapted version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (MBI - GS) and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) for correctional officers in South Africa, in order to determine their levels of occupational stress, burnout, work engagement, organisational commitment and ill health (based on their biographical characteristics), and to test a structural model of work wellness. A cross-sectional survey design was used, with stratified random samples (N = 897) taken of correctional officers in the 48 prisons in South Africa. An Organisational Stress Screening Tool, the Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, the Job - Demands Resources Questionnaire, the Health and Organisational Commitment subscales of the ASSET, and a biographical questionnaire were administered. Cronbach alpha coefficients, exploratory factor analyses, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), T-tests and multiple regression analysis were used to analyse the data. Structural equation modelling was used to test a structural model of work related well-being. Significant differences in stress levels based on biographical characteristics revealed a statistically significant difference regarding how correctional officers of different age groups experience stress as a result of job overload and commitment from the organisation towards its own employees. A practically significant difference between correctional officers aged 20- 30 and 50-60 years of age, concerning the experience of stress as a result of job control, was also found. Another statistically significant difference was found concerning how correctional officers with different years of experience in the current job experienced stress as a result of job overload and work relationships. Work relationships contributed to a statistically significant difference between correctional officers with different years of experience in the current prison. Statistically significant differences also existed with regard to the experience of stress between correctional officers with different ranks as a result of job overload and work/life balance. Lastly, no statistically significant gender differences were found among male and female correctional officers in South Africa. This finding on gender, is in contrast with most of the empirical research on gender differences, which suggests that women appear to experience higher levels of stress in comparison to males. Exploratory factor analyses with target rotations resulted in a three-factor model of burnout consisting of Exhaustion, Cynicism and Professional Efficacy. The scales showed acceptable internal consistencies and construct equivalence for two language groups (Afrikaans/English and African). Regarding the differences in the burnout levels between language groups, a significant effect of language on the combined dependent variable Burnout was revealed. Analysis of each individual dependent variable showed that there were no significant differences between the levels of Exhaustion and Cynicism in the two language groups. The two groups differed in terms of the level of Professional Efficacy, where the English/Afrikaans group showed higher levels of Professional Efficacy. No significant effect of qualification and rank on the combined dependent variable Burnout was found. However, the language groups (English/Afrikaans) and (Africans) differed in terms of the level of Exhaustion where the Africans showed higher levels of Exhaustion. Furthermore, there was a significant effect of job on the combined dependent variable Burnout. Significant differences existed between language groups as a result of the levels of Exhaustion, Cynicism and Professional Efficacy. Finally, compared to the normative sample, 32,4% of correctional officers experience high levels of Exhaustion, while 38,6% experience high Cynicism and 32,1% show low Professional Efficacy. Exploratory factor analyses with target rotations resulted in a one-factor model of work engagement, consisting of Vigour/Dedication. The scales showed acceptable construct and internal equivalence for two language groups (Afrikaans and English). Although no practically significant differences between language groups of correctional officers in South Africa were found, it did reveal statistically significant higher levels of work engagement for Africans as compared to the Afrikaans/English language group. Furthermore, regarding differences in engagement levels based on qualifications and ranks, the findings revealed a statistically significant difference based on qualifications, and not on rank. No significant gender differences were found. With regard to aspects that enervated work-related well-being, the model showed that job demands (overload) and lack of job resources had an impact on burnout. Burnout, furthermore, mediated the relationship between job demands and ill health among correctional officers. The structural model revealed that work-related well-being mediated the relationship between job resources and organisational commitment. Correctional officers were likely to be victims of burnout and consequently ill health when an increase in job demands is not matched with an increase in job resources. The availability of job resources lead to work-related wellbeing, which will turn into organisational commitment. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

Change and transformation in higher education institutions worldwide are advancing at a rate that institutions and individual employees find hard to comprehend. During the past two decades, complex changes challenging institutions' mandates, traditional practices, authority and organisational structures have surfaced. It is widely acknowledged that stable and productive higher education institutions are vitally important to any country in order to ensure sustainable economic, social and political reconstruction and development. In the South African context, higher education institutions have an additional duty to contribute to the consolidation of democracy and social justice as well as the growth and development of the economy and redress the imbalances institutionalised by apartheid. The responsibility to execute the institutional strategies and plans to adapt to changes and to transform rests primarily with the staff of these institutions. However, the above-mentioned changes present major challenges for staff as it results in a multiplicity of roles, expectations to make paradigm shifts, implementation of new policies and practices as well as constant innovation. These challenges may be considered a healthy diversification leading to eustress and engagement, or a toll. which may well be an important cause of distress and burnout. Consequently. staffs' experience of distress/burnout and eustress/engagement, i.e. their work-related well-being, is crucially important to the success of the institution. The general objective of this research was to assess the work wellness of staff at a university of technology, and to understand the relationships between factors contributing to the experience of distress/burnout and eustress/engagement and how these relate to employees' levels of commitment and ill health. Furthermore, the study aimed to develop and test a comprehensive structural model of work related well-being to determine the effect of job demands and (lack of) job resources on distress. eustress. ill health and commitment of employees at a university of technology in South Africa. The findings are presented in three research articles, each consisting of a brief literature review and an empirical study. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The study included 353 participants (132 academic staff members and 221 support staff members). The questionnaire used in the empirical study comprised the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS), the Cognitive Weariness Scale (CWS). the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). An Organizational Stress Screening Tool (ASSET), the Life Orientation Test- Revised (LOT-R), the Job Demands-Resources Scale (JDRS) and a biographical questionnaire. Structural equation modelling confirmed a four-factor structure of burnout, and a two-factor structure of work engagement. Principal component analysis indicated that work-related wellbeing consists of a dual bipolar structure namely Eustress/Engagement (vigour, dedication, professional efficacy) and Distress/Burnout (exhaustion. cynicism, cognitive weariness). It was found that language \vas the only reliable background variable to predict differences in levels of distress/burnout and eustress/engagement between subgroups. Different organisational stressors were found to contribute significantly to psychological and physical ill health and low organisational commitment. The comprehensive structural model that was tested showed that job demands lead to distress, which in turn leads to ill health. Furthermore. job resources contributed to work wellness and organisational commitment whilst dispositional optimism has a limited effect on staffs distress. Recommendations for the institution and future research are made. / Thesis (Ph.D. Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

Various occupational stressors like the physical environment, noise, lighting, temperature. aspects of the job, role conflict, workload, lack of career path, poor relationships with peers. and lack of participation arc likely to lead to various stress outcomes, namely behavioural; proneness to accidents, cognitive, inability to make sound decisions, physiological: increased blood pressure, physical and mental health, and organisational: lower productivity, and high turnover rate. These outcomes could however be influenced by moderator variables like age and gender, physiological experience and affective behaviours (type 'A' behaviour, life change, and social support). Studies have also found instances where some workers, exposed 10 the same unbearable work environments, did suffer from neither stress nor burnout. These findings have therefore led to the study of work engagement, which is considered the opposite of burnout. The study of stress, burnout and work engagement has therefore become vehicles through which employees' effectiveness and efficiency can be facilitated. It has become necessary to jointly study stress with burnout and work engagement in a holistic model so as to how a better understanding of work wellness. Burnout and work engagement therefore represent the two aspects of wellness namely, the energy dimension and the identification with work dimension. Studies have identified two underlying dimensions of work wellness in which they identified activation as ranging from exhaustion to vigour, arid identification as ranging from mental distance to dedication. Thus burnout according to them is characterised by a combination of exhaustion (low activation) and mental distance (low identification), while engagement is represented by vigour (high activation) and dedication (high identification). Extreme exhaustion may render employees emotionally and physically drained which may lead them to distance themselves emotionally and cognitively from their work and clients, while an engaged worker develops high levels of energy, and derives a sense of significance, attachment and dedication to work. However, to measure burnout, work engagement, stress, commitment and ill health requires valid and reliable instruments. In South Africa there aren't many systematic studies that have investigated stress, burnout, work engagement, commitment and ill health among civil servants. It is this dearth of well-designed studies in the area that makes this study very important. The objectives of this study were to assess the reliability and validity of the MBI-GS, the UWES, the ASSET, the Job Demands-Resource Scale, Commitment and Ill Health subscales Tor civil servants, determine the occupational stressors that they experience and whether the biographic variables by any way increase or moderate the effects of the stressors, and to finally test a structural model of work wellness consisting of burnout, work engagement, job demands-job resources, ill health, and commitment. The research method for each of the three articles consists of a brief literature review and an empirical study. A cross-sectional survey design was used. An accidental sample (N = 500) for research articles 1, 2 and 3 were targeted from the civil servants in the Mafikeng area of the North West Province of South Africa. The measuring instruments used in this study are; the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), Job Demands and Job Resources Scale (JDRS), Health subscales. Organizational Commitment subscales, the ASSET questionnaire and a biographical questionnaire. Structural equation modelling was used to test the factor structures of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Sunley (MBI-GS), and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) respectively. namely exhaustion, cynicism, cognitive weariness, and professional efficacy, and vigour, dedication and absorption. In respect of the MBI-GS, a four-factor model of burnout. consisting of exhaustion (physically drained), cynicism (distancing oneself from colleagues and clients), professional efficacy (feeling of accomplishment) and cognitive weariness (lack of focus on one's work), was found to fit the sample data best in comparison to the three-factor, two-factor and one-factor models. Thus the study established burnout as a bur-dimensional construct. In the case of the UWES a two-factor model of work engagement, consisting of vigour and dedication fined the data best as compared to a three-factor or one-factor model. This means that the UWES is a two-dimensional construct and not a three-factor nor a one-factor dimensional construct. The scales of the MBI-GS, UWES, and the ASSET subscales of work relationships, work life balance, overload, job security, control, resources/communication. aspects of the job, and the stress outcomes of organisational commitment, individual commitment physical health and psychological (un)well-being showed acceptable internal consistencies. There existed no statistically significant differences between burnout, work engagement. the stress dimensions, commitment and ill health respectively and any of the biographical variables. The study found that psychological (un)well-being, is a major stress outcome for the civil servants followed by physical (un)health, respectively. It was discovered that the civil servants generally have low levels of stress, and security was the lowest stressor. Employee commitment was also found to be high. Stress, due to lack of resources, predicted physical ill health and explained 21% of the variance of ill health among the sample of civil servants. Stress relating to aspects of the job and security, predicted psychological ill health and explained 31% of the variance in psychological ill health. Issues relating to control on the job and security predicted organisational and individual commitment respectively and further explained 28% and 20% of organisational commitment and individual commitment. Stress due to lack of job resources, security and aspects of [he job seem to be the most important stressors. Another objective of the study was to find out if energy and identification with work could be predicted from job demands and job resources respectively. It was found that job demands and lack of job resources lead to ill health through burnout, and job resources could lead to commitment via engagement. The implications are that employees who experience excessive workload are likely to experience burnout, which in turn leads to health related problems. Continuous availability of job resources would lead to work engagement, which in turn leads to organisational commitment, while lack of it would lead to burnout. Recommendations for further research were accordingly made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2006.

The mandates for government-owned enterprises (parastatals) have drastically changed in light of the changes in the government's post-democratic dispensation. There are more pressures and obligations related to governance, business operations, sustainability and financial viability prescribed for these institutions. Parastatals have moved from fully utilising government subsidies and incurring more debts at the expense of government, to income-generating entities. This change has exposed parastatals to global challenges, experienced by all organisations related to human capital management. Employees are the most critical assets that assist organisations to fulfil their mandates and drive their competitive advantage. While organisations experience challenges and pressures in the market, employees are also positively and adversely affected, depending on their dispositions and general functioning. The extent of employee participation and involvement in their work roles impacts on the success of the institution. Thus, work-related well-being of employees is an integral part of any organisational functioning and this relates to interplay between constructs of job demands, job resources, psychological conditions at work, health, work engagement, self-efficacy and organisational commitment. The general objective of this research was to study work engagement and its relationship with various other antecedents, mediators and outcomes of employees within a parastatal in the South African context. Furthermore, the study aimed to understand the relationships between factors of job demands, job resources, psychological conditions, self-efficacy and work engagement. In addition to the above, this study also aimed to determine relationships between psychological conditions, job demands, job resources, work engagement, self-efficacy, health and organisational commitment. The findings are presented in three articles, each consisting of a brief literature review and an empirical study. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The study included 288 participants in a parastatal in different job categories and levels. The questionnaires used in the empirical study comprised of the Work Engagement Scale, the Antecedents Scale, the Job Demands-Re sources Scale, the Organisational Commitment Questionnaire, the Psychological Conditions Questionnaire, the Self-Efficacy Scale, the General Health Questionnaire and a biographical questionnaire. Exploratory factor analyses were carried out to determine the construct validity of the measuring instruments. Pearson-product moment correlation coefficients were used to assess the relationships between the variables, while multiple regression analyses were used to investigate the predictive value of factors on each other. The results showed that psychological meaning fulness and psychological availability were significant predictors of work engagement, with person-environment fit and growth opportunities in the job as strongest predictors of psychological meaningfulness. Person-environment fit was the strongest predictor of work engagement and psychological availability was best predicted by physical resources. Overload and psychological meaningfulness were the best predictors of work engagement. Growth opportunities in the job and organisational support were the best predictors of psychological meaningfulness, which also strongly predicted work engagement. Psychological availability was found to be positively related to organisational support and self-efficacy. Low psychological availability predicted physical and psychological ill health, while low psychological meaningfulness predicted psychological ill health. Work engagement was the strongest predictor of normative and affective commitment, while psychological meaningfulness strongly predicted normative commitment. Recommendations for future research are made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.