<p><b><font face="Times New Roman"> <p align="left">As organisations struggle to meet the demands placed on them by contextual challenges, they place more emphasis on relationships for effective organisational functioning. Trust is a critical component of workplace relationships and has been linked to numerous beneficial organisational outcomes. However, as trust is difficult for organisations to influence directly, Perceived Organisational Support may encompass a set of actions organisations can take that directly create workplace trust. The aim of this study was to elucidate the relationship between workplace trust and Perceived Organisational Support. Workplace trust was examined as a three-dimensional model, with the trust referent (Organisation, Immediate Manager, Co-Workers) forming each dimension. Perceived Organisational Support was examined as a two-dimensional model, based on performance-reward expectancies (&ldquo / Contribution&rdquo / ) or socio-emotional need fulfilment (&ldquo / Well-being&rdquo / ). A multi-method survey methodology yielded n = 212 participants in a South African organisation. The consolidated questionnaire sought biographical information from the sample as well as their responses to the Workplace Trust Survey and the Survey of Perceived Organisational Support. The reliability coefficients of the Workplace Trust Survey, Survey of Perceived Organisational Support and each of the dimensions were established as sufficient. Next, Confirmatory Factor Analysis confirmed that a three-dimensional factor structure for workplace trust and a two-dimensional factor structure for Perceived Organisational Support can&nbsp / and should be used in a South African sample. Correlation analysis indicated a significant, positive relationship between each dimension of workplace trust and both of the dimensions of Perceived Organisational Support. Regression analysis confirmed that Perceived Organisational Support contributes to a significant proportion of the variance in workplace trust. However, there was one exception: The Contribution dimension of Perceived Organisational Support did not contribute significantly to Trust in Co-workers. This research, based on a South African sample, confirms much of the previous international research into the relationship between Perceived Organisational Support and workplace trust. In addition, it makes two new contributions to the field. First, it found that Perceived Organisational Support can and should be considered a two-dimensional construct in a South African sample. This is in contrast with international studies that indicate a uni-dimensional construct for Perceived Organisational Support. Second, by using the two-dimensional Perceived Organisational Support construct, it found that only the Well-being, and not the Contribution, dimension of Perceived Organisational Support had a significant, positive impact on workplace trust.</p> </font></b></p>

Magister Commercii (Industrial Psychology) - MCom(IPS) / As organisations struggle to meet the demands placed on them by contextual challenges, they place more emphasis on relationships for effective organisational functioning. Trust is a critical component of workplace relationships and has been linked to numerous beneficial organisational outcomes. However, as trust is difficult for organisations to influence directly, Perceived Organisational Support may encompass a set of actions organisations can take that directly create workplace trust. The aim of this study was to elucidate the relationship between workplace trust and Perceived Organisational Support. Workplace trust was examined as a three-dimensional model, with the trust referent (Organisation, Immediate Manager, Co-Workers) forming each dimension. Perceived Organisational Support was examined as a two-dimensional model, based on performance-reward expectancies (“Contribution”) or socio-emotional need fulfilment (“Well-being”). A multi-method survey methodology yielded n = 212 participants in a South African organisation. The consolidated questionnaire sought biographical information from the sample as well as their responses to the Workplace Trust Survey and the Survey of Perceived Organisational Support. The reliability coefficients of the Workplace Trust Survey, Survey of Perceived Organisational Support and each of the dimensions were established as sufficient. Next, Confirmatory Factor Analysis confirmed that a three-dimensional factor structure for workplace trust and a two-dimensional factor structure for Perceived Organisational Support can and should be used in a South African sample. Correlation analysis indicated a significant, positive relationship between each dimension of workplace trust and both of the dimensions of Perceived Organisational Support. Regression analysis confirmed that Perceived Organisational Support contributes to a significant proportion of the variance in workplace trust. However, there was one exception: The Contribution dimension of Perceived Organisational Support did not contribute significantly to Trust in Co-workers. This research, based on a South African sample, confirms much of the previous international research into the relationship between Perceived Organisational Support and workplace trust. In addition, it makes two new contributions to the field. First, it found that Perceived Organisational Support can and should be considered a two-dimensional construct in a South African sample. This is in contrast with international studies that indicate a uni-dimensional construct for Perceived Organisational Support. Second, by using the two-dimensional Perceived Organisational Support construct, it found that only the Well-being, and not the Contribution, dimension of Perceived Organisational Support had a significant, positive impact on workplace trust. Recommendations are made for future research, based on limitations of the current study as well as on the research results.

Magister Commercii (Industrial Psychology) - MCom(IPS) / The South African employment industry is facing exhaustion as the demand for talented workers is higher than supply (Bakos, 2005) and it has become imperative that the employer no longer simply focus on the commitment of employees, but more so on the extra efforts that are exerted by these employees in order to ensure their sustainability (Netswera, Rankhumise & Mavundla, 2005). Extensive research has been conducted on organisational commitment because of its importance in predicting individuals' behaviour outcomes such as absenteeism and turnover (Popoola, 2005). Findings of studies conducted by Bolon (1997) and Maharaj (2006) indicate that there is a positive relationship between organisational commitment (OC) and organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB). Bolino and Turnley (2003) posit that it is important for organisations and managers to have a better understanding of the factors that make employees willing to go the extra mile in order to enhance organisational performance and sustain a competitive edge. The alms of the study are to investigate the relationship between organisational commitment, organisational citizenship behaviour and turnover intentions. Furthermore, it also investigated the relationship between biographical variables (namely, gender, age, tenure and race) and organisational commitment as well as that of organisational citizenship of human resource professionals A sample of 138 human resource professionals employed at a retail organisation completed a self-developed biographical questionnaire, the Organisational Commitment Questionnaire, the Citizenship Behaviour Questionnaire and the Turnover Intention Questionnaire. Results of the study indicate the existence of a significant relationship between organisational commitment and organisational citizenship and turnover intentions for human resource professionals. The statistical analysis suggests that organisational commitment has a significant relationship with organisational citizenship, whilst turnover intentions did not have a significant impact on organisational commitment. The biographical variables (namely, gender, age, tenure and race) appear to have a significant impact on organisational commitment, with gender having the strongest relationship with organisational commitment. The biographical variables (namely, gender, age, tenure and race) appear to have a significant impact on organisational citizenship behaviour, whilst race appeared to be unrelated to citizenship behaviour. Previous studies were reviewed to support the findings of the current study. Limitations of the study and recommendations for future research were put forth in addition to recommendations for the organisation.

PhD. (Business Administration, Department of Human Resource Management, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / Given the inevitable changes and dynamics in the nature of the global market, the recruitment, attraction, employment, motivation and retention of valuable workers has become critical for the continued success of both employees and organisations. Organisations are continuously faced with the dilemma of uncovering and understanding employment packages that are essential in attracting fitting individuals to join their establishment and remain in such organisations for a longer period of time. Similarly, people spend a substantial amount of effort and time searching for organisations and jobs that matches their qualifications and skills; fulfil their specific needs, while meeting their goals and values. This study investigated the influence employee fit dimensions (person-job fit, person-environment fit and person-organisation fit) on job satisfaction, organisational citizenship behaviour and intention to stay. These different conceptualisations of fit have typically been studied independently, but this study responded to calls that proposed for a study that incorporated multiple types of employee fit dimensions in a single study. When deliberating on the different fit concepts, some empirical evidence confirmed the existing conceptual distinctions between the three types of fit such as person-job fit, person-environment fit, and person-organisation fit and how each fit dimension positively or negatively influences job satisfaction and the extent to which job satisfaction influences organisational citizenship behaviour. Furthermore, the study examined the influence of organisational citizenship dimension on intention to stay. This study is embedded in a post-positivist quantitative research paradigm. The positivism paradigm was adopted as its underlying philosophy is grounded on cause-effect relationships amongst constructs within a given theoretical model. Since the study was descriptive in nature, the reliability and validity of data was analysed and correlation analysis and regression analysis were also computed. The exploratory factor analysis was performed using the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test and the Bartlett’s test of sphericity in order to examine the appropriateness of data for factor analysis and to establish the interrelationship amongst constructs. Preceding the main study’s data collection process, a pilot survey was undertaken to examine the correctness and accuracy of the questionnaire. The data collected were examined with the use of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 25.0. The KMO values of all the constructs were above 0.80 which is well within the acceptable value of 0.50. Normality tests were performed using the skewness and kurtosis values and the standard deviation values ranged from 0.65311 to 1.05471 indicating that data was normally distributed. To confirm the consistency of the measuring instrument and its items, reliability tests were carried out and the results indicated that all the constructs were within range (0.786 to 0.891), having surpassed the threshold for reliability of 0.70. The results of the consistency of measures demonstrated that the measuring instrument was reliable. The correlation analysis revealed that there is a strong relationship between person-job fit, person-environment fit, person-organisation fit and job satisfaction. The results further disclosed a moderate association between job satisfaction with altruism, courtesy and civic virtue. A negative relationship is reported between job satisfactions and sportsmanship. A weak but positive relationship is shown between job satisfaction and conscientiousness. The results further indicate a moderate relationship between altruism, conscientiousness and intention to stay. The relationship between courtesy, sportsmanship and intention to stay is reportedly weak. The results indicate that a positive relationship exists between civic virtue and intention to stay. Regression analysis was also performed in order to establish the predictive relationships between variables. The regression analysis results indicate that person-job fit, person-environment fit and person-organisation fit are positive predictors of job satisfaction. Further, altruism, courtesy, civic virtue and conscientiousness contributed positively towards predicting job satisfaction. The results further reveal that sportsmanship showed no relationship with job satisfaction and weak predictor of job satisfaction. The results of the regression analysis further revealed that altruism, courtesy, civic virtue and conscientiousness showed no predictive relationship with intention to stay. However, sportsmanship showed strong predictive relationship towards intention to stay. The study proposes both the theoretical and practical contributions to the organisational behaviour and human resource management literature in the form of recommendations. Limitations and implications for further research is alluded to. The outcome of this study advanced a framework of the influence of employee fit dimensions on job satisfaction, organisational citizenship behaviour and intention to stay which may possibly benefit future researchers.

M. Tech. (Department of Labour Relations Management, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / In South Africa, rail transport is an important element to support economic development and this service is provided by the railway company as the focus of this study. Similar to other companies, the selected railway company depends on its employees as a crucial resource to execute duties aimed at the realisation of its objectives. For the company to remain successful, its employees must have positive behaviours and attitudes and have the ability to work in a fair and just environment. Organisational justice, as an indicator of a fair and just work environment, and organisational citizenship behaviour, influence work-related behaviours and attitudes and are critical for the smooth operation of any organisation. Currently, the railway company seems to have a high number of reported incidents relating to organisational citizenship behaviour including misconduct, disciplinary, criminal and/or civil action. This might be an outcome of employee perceptions of organisational justice. This study examines the relationship between organisational justice and organisational citizenship behaviour for the first time in the rail industry in South Africa. Drawing on the Social Exchange Theory, the primary aim of this study is to investigate employees’ perceptions of organisational justice and their effects on organisational citizenship behaviour in a railway company in Johannesburg, Gauteng. The study adopted a deductive research approach and a quantitative method was used to collect data. Utilising a structured questionnaire, respondents were solicited to provide their demographic variables and their responses to four different measurement scales, namely procedural justice, distributive justice, interactional justice and organisational citizenship behaviour using a seven-point Likert scale ranging from 1=strongly disagree to 7=strongly agree. Using convenience sampling, questionnaires were distributed to 400 identified employees of the railway company in Johannesburg, Gauteng. A total of 378 questionnaires were returned and this constituted the sample size of the study. The Spearman’s rho correlation coefficient was used to find the strength of relationships with the use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0. To assess the employees' perceptions of organisational justice, their levels of organisational citizenship behaviour and the relationship between the constructs, descriptive statistical analysis, correlation and regression analysis were used. Based on the findings, the results of the correlation analysis revealed no significant relationships between all three dimensions of organisational justice (procedural justice, distributive justice, interactional justice) and organisational citizenship behaviour. Regression analysis also resulted in no predictive relationships between organisational justice and organisational citizenship behaviour. Evidence indicates that the fairness of distribution, procedures and interactions are not the key contributors in affecting the level of organisational citizenship behaviour of employees at the railway company. The study makes various recommendations including that management should treat employees fairly and equally and apply fair decision-making processes with fair outcomes. Additionally, to improve, increase and keep the standard of OCB, an organisational policy on organisational justice should be in place, which must constantly be updated. Research on OJ and OCB is still limited, particularly in the field of rail transport, as this study is the first and only study that has been conducted in South Africa. This represents an opportunity for academics and labour relations practitioners to further engage in research on antecedents and outcomes of organisational behaviour in the railway industry.

The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between the transformational leadership (TL) style of officers and their followers’ organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) in a South African military environment. TL was measured by means of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) (Form 5X) and OCB by means of the Organisational Citizenship Behaviour Scale (OCBS). A sample of 300 followers was identified at a military unit in the South African Army and the participants were requested to complete the two questionnaires. The MLQ produced a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.91 and the OCBS a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.79, which were both statistically significant and acceptable. The main hypothesis of the empirical study was accepted, which predicted a significant relationship between TL and OCB (r = 0.412, significant at the 0.001 level). The hypotheses predicting a significant relationship between TL the five sub-dimensions of OCB produced mixed results. These results are as follows; there was no significant relationship between TL and Civic Virtue (r = 0.180), between TL and Sportsmanship (r = 0.132) and between TL and Courtesy (r = 0.207). Additionally, the hypotheses predicting a significant relationship between TL and Altruism (r = 0.499) and between TL and Conscientiousness (r = 0.315) were accepted. / Industrial & Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Organisations worldwide are experiencing an explosion of knowledge in the current technological information age as well as a serious skills shortage. The fast-paced aggressive and highly cyclical nature of the profession which often does not provide employees with the necessary resources and support causes employees in the information technology (IT) industry to show high turnover intent which is extremely costly and detrimental to organisational success. IT specialists are becoming a scarce commodity in a highly competitive environment where financial gain is very important and employee well-being is not necessarily a prerogative. Employers are faced with additional obligations than just paying equitable salaries, such as creating an environment that is conducive towards well-being. Efforts to promote flourishing and optimal functioning of employees will affect individual and organisational outcomes. Flourishing and languishing are opposite end points on a continuum of mental health indicating the emotional, psychological and social well-being of individuals. An individual who feels well (emotional well-being) is more likely to function well (psychological and social well-being) which means meeting the criteria for positive mental health as flourishing. Investments in the well-being of employees lay the basis for positive employment relations. The aim of this study was to investigate the flourishing of employees in the information technology industry and to determine the antecedents and outcomes thereof. A cross-sectional survey design was used to gather data regarding the flourishing of IT professionals and its outcomes. A convenience sample (N = 205) was taken of employees in information technology organisations in South Africa. The measuring instruments used were the Mental Health Continuum Short Form, Job Satisfaction Scale, Work Engagement Scale, Work-related Basic Need Satisfaction Scale, Work Role Fit Scale, Psychological Contract Inventory, Violations of PC Questionnaire, Organisational Commitment Scale, Turnover Intention Scale and Counterproductive Work Behaviour measures. The results of study 1 showed that 58.5% of the IT professionals were neither languishing nor flourishing, while 3.9% were languishing. Flourishing strongly impacted job satisfaction and had minor to moderate direct and indirect effects on organisational citizenship behaviour and organisational commitment. Job satisfaction impacted directly and positively on organisational commitment and negatively on turnover intention; and moderately negatively on counterproductive behaviour. Flourishing had both a direct and positive effect, and an indirect and negative effect (via organisational commitment) on turnover intention. Study 2 showed that psychological contract breach and violation strongly and negatively impacted flourishing at work and in life. The results provided support for a model in which psychological contract breach and violation had both direct and indirect effects via satisfaction of psychological needs on job satisfaction, work engagement, turnover intention and flourishing of IT professionals. Study 3 showed that work role fit and the availability of resources were strong predictors of flourishing at work and in life. Work role fit, the availability of resources, and supervisor relations impacted job satisfaction and social well-being indirectly through autonomy satisfaction. The availability of resources impacted work engagement and psychological well-being indirectly via competence satisfaction. Furthermore, work role fit, the availability of resources, and supervisor relations impacted psychological well-being indirectly through relatedness. Recommendations for future research were made. / PhD, Labour relations management, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012

The happiness of managers is an important research theme for several reasons. Managers spend most of their working day with people, are constantly interacting with various social systems and are role models for happiness in organisations. Furthermore, happiness (in terms of feeling and functioning well) is associated with mental health and positive organisational outcomes. The prevalence of positive mental health is relatively low, with less than a third of the population experiencing high mental health. Research about happiness is necessary given that gains in mental health predict declines in mental illness. Two conceptualisations of happiness, namely authentic happiness (Seligman, 2002), and flourishing (Keyes, 2005) include dimensions of feeling and functioning well. No studies have been conducted regarding the happiness of managers in South Africa. Therefore, research is necessary to investigate the factors associated with happiness, as well as the pathways to managers’ happiness. Psychological need satisfaction is an important pathway through which social-contextual variables impact happiness of people. The aim of this research was to investigate the state of, antecedents and outcomes of happiness of managers in the agricultural sector in South Africa. A cross-sectional design with managers in the South African agricultural sector (N = 507) was used. The Orientations to Happiness Questionnaire, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Job Satisfaction Scale, Organisational Citizenship Behaviour Scale, Organisational Commitment Scale, Antecedents Scale, Work-related Basic Need Satisfaction Scale, Work Engagement Scale, Mental Health Continuum Short Form, Questionnaire for Eudaimonic Well-being, Work-role Fit Scale, Work-Life Questionnaire and Turnover Intention Scale were utilised. Cronbach alpha coefficients, exploratory factor analysis, Pearson correlations, multiple regression analysis, descriptive statistics and mediational analysis (Omnibus procedure) were applied. Structural equation modelling was used to test a structural model of orientations to happiness and its relation to various organisational outcomes. The results of study 1 showed that orientations to happiness (i.e. pleasure, meaning and engagement) had strong direct effects on subjective well-being, job satisfaction and organisational citizenship behaviour. Orientations to happiness impacted job satisfaction indirectly through subjective well-being. Subjective well-being had a strong direct and positive effect on job satisfaction. Orientations to happiness and subjective well-being affected organisational commitment indirectly through their effects on job satisfaction. Concerning happiness as flourishing at work, the results of study 2 showed that 3% of the managers were languishing, 48.5% were moderately flourishing, while 48.5% were flourishing. Task characteristics, supervisor relations, availability of resources impacted job satisfaction, emotional and psychological well-being of managers. Remuneration was associated with job satisfaction, emotional and social well-being. Task characteristics, supervisor relations, personal resources and remuneration satisfied the psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness, which impacted job satisfaction, work engagement and flourishing of managers positively. The results of study 3 showed that factors contributing to meaningful work (work role fit, good co-worker relations, meaningful tasks and work beliefs) had direct effects on psychological need satisfaction, purpose and meaning in life, organisational citizenship behaviour and turnover intention. Work role fit, co-worker relations, task characteristics and career orientation (as a work belief) impacted meaning and purpose in life indirectly through competence satisfaction. Purpose in life impacted turnover intention negatively via psychological need satisfaction, while meaning in life impacted organisational citizenship behaviour and turnover intention via competence and relatedness satisfaction. Recommendations for future research were made. / PhD, Industrial Psychology, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012

The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between the transformational leadership (TL) style of officers and their followers’ organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) in a South African military environment. TL was measured by means of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) (Form 5X) and OCB by means of the Organisational Citizenship Behaviour Scale (OCBS). A sample of 300 followers was identified at a military unit in the South African Army and the participants were requested to complete the two questionnaires. The MLQ produced a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.91 and the OCBS a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.79, which were both statistically significant and acceptable. The main hypothesis of the empirical study was accepted, which predicted a significant relationship between TL and OCB (r = 0.412, significant at the 0.001 level). The hypotheses predicting a significant relationship between TL the five sub-dimensions of OCB produced mixed results. These results are as follows; there was no significant relationship between TL and Civic Virtue (r = 0.180), between TL and Sportsmanship (r = 0.132) and between TL and Courtesy (r = 0.207). Additionally, the hypotheses predicting a significant relationship between TL and Altruism (r = 0.499) and between TL and Conscientiousness (r = 0.315) were accepted. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Organisations worldwide are experiencing an explosion of knowledge in the current technological information age as well as a serious skills shortage. The fast-paced aggressive and highly cyclical nature of the profession which often does not provide employees with the necessary resources and support causes employees in the information technology (IT) industry to show high turnover intent which is extremely costly and detrimental to organisational success. IT specialists are becoming a scarce commodity in a highly competitive environment where financial gain is very important and employee well-being is not necessarily a prerogative. Employers are faced with additional obligations than just paying equitable salaries, such as creating an environment that is conducive towards well-being. Efforts to promote flourishing and optimal functioning of employees will affect individual and organisational outcomes. Flourishing and languishing are opposite end points on a continuum of mental health indicating the emotional, psychological and social well-being of individuals. An individual who feels well (emotional well-being) is more likely to function well (psychological and social well-being) which means meeting the criteria for positive mental health as flourishing. Investments in the well-being of employees lay the basis for positive employment relations. The aim of this study was to investigate the flourishing of employees in the information technology industry and to determine the antecedents and outcomes thereof. A cross-sectional survey design was used to gather data regarding the flourishing of IT professionals and its outcomes. A convenience sample (N = 205) was taken of employees in information technology organisations in South Africa. The measuring instruments used were the Mental Health Continuum Short Form, Job Satisfaction Scale, Work Engagement Scale, Work-related Basic Need Satisfaction Scale, Work Role Fit Scale, Psychological Contract Inventory, Violations of PC Questionnaire, Organisational Commitment Scale, Turnover Intention Scale and Counterproductive Work Behaviour measures. The results of study 1 showed that 58.5% of the IT professionals were neither languishing nor flourishing, while 3.9% were languishing. Flourishing strongly impacted job satisfaction and had minor to moderate direct and indirect effects on organisational citizenship behaviour and organisational commitment. Job satisfaction impacted directly and positively on organisational commitment and negatively on turnover intention; and moderately negatively on counterproductive behaviour. Flourishing had both a direct and positive effect, and an indirect and negative effect (via organisational commitment) on turnover intention. Study 2 showed that psychological contract breach and violation strongly and negatively impacted flourishing at work and in life. The results provided support for a model in which psychological contract breach and violation had both direct and indirect effects via satisfaction of psychological needs on job satisfaction, work engagement, turnover intention and flourishing of IT professionals. Study 3 showed that work role fit and the availability of resources were strong predictors of flourishing at work and in life. Work role fit, the availability of resources, and supervisor relations impacted job satisfaction and social well-being indirectly through autonomy satisfaction. The availability of resources impacted work engagement and psychological well-being indirectly via competence satisfaction. Furthermore, work role fit, the availability of resources, and supervisor relations impacted psychological well-being indirectly through relatedness. Recommendations for future research were made. / PhD, Labour relations management, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012