Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigates the manner in which the concept of communication is discursively constructed in a South African insurance company. The company recently underwent a merger which, according to the literature, should increase its awareness of communicative practices. The thesis builds on recent theoretical developments in organisational studies, more specifically, the linguistic turn. The focus falls on the way in which organisational communication is constructed by implementing the analytical tools of thematic analysis and discourse analysis. All of the participants in this study were involved with the merger that the company underwent. The sample of twenty-three participants included eighteen employees who took part in an electronic survey questionnaire and five employees who were individually interviewed. Additionally, documents concerning the merger were analysed to reveal the way in which the company’s organisational communication is constructed by managers. During the data collection, participants were questioned about their perspectives of organisational communication and organisational culture with regard to the merger. The data strongly shows that communication is generally not considered an important aspect in an organisation during the merging process. Interestingly, when participants’ attention is, however, drawn to specifically the concept of communication, a mechanistic view of communication is presented with only selected communicative practices considered as ‘communication’. The analysis further indicates changing communicative practices in the newly merged company. In conclusion, this study argues that organisations, especially in a merging context, can benefit from a greater awareness regarding the importance of organisational communication. Further linguistic research in the form of organisational studies in this regard is suggested. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek die wyse waarop die konsep van kommunikasie deur diskoers gekonstrueer word in ʼn Suid-Afrikaanse versekeringsmaatskappy. Hierdie organisasie het onlangs ʼn amalgameringsproses ondergaan wat volgens die literatuur behoort te lei tot ʼn toename in bewustheid van kommunikatiewe praktyke en veroorsaak dat die konteks ʼn kardinale element in die navorsing is. Hierdie tesis bou op onlangse teoretiese ontwikkelings in organisatoriese studies, met ‘n spesifieke fokus op diskoers en taal (die ‘linguistic turn’). Die fokus val op die manier waarop organisatoriese kommunikasie gekonstrueer word deur die analitiese metodes van tematiese analise en diskoersanalise te implementeer. Al die deelnemers in hierdie studie was betrokke by die amalgamering van die maatskappy. Die steekproef van drie-en-twintig deelnemers sluit agtien werknemers in wat aan die elektroniese opname deelgeneem het en vyf werknemers waarmee individuele onderhoude gevoer is. Dokumente aangaande die amalgamering is addisioneel geanaliseer om sodoende die wyse waarop die maatskappy se organisatoriese kommunikasie gekonstrueer word deur bestuurders, aan die lig te bring. Gedurende die data-insameling is deelnemers ondervra aangaande hulle perspektiewe op organisatoriese kommunikasie en organisatoriese kultuur ten opsigte van die amalgamering. Die data dui daarop dat kommunikasie oor die algemeen nie beskou word as ʼn belangrike aspek van ʼn organisasie tydens die amalgameringsproses nie. Tog, wanneer die deelnemers se aandag daarop gevestig word en hul gevra word om spesifiek te fokus op die konsep van kommunikasie, word ʼn meganiese uitkyk van kommunikasie voorgestel met slegs geselekteerde kommunikatiewe praktyke wat as ‘kommunikasie’ beskou word. Die analise lig verder die idee van veranderlike kommunikatiewe praktyke in die nuwe geamalgameerde maatskappy uit. Ter opsomming voer hierdie studie aan dat organisasies, veral in ʼn amalgameringskonteks, baat kan vind by ʼn groter bewustheid omtrent die belangrikheid van organisatoriese kommunikasie. Verdere linguistiese navorsing in organisatoriese studies in hierdie verband word voorgestel.

Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2015 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT : Organisations are rapidly discovering the invaluable influence of creativity and innovation at work. An individual’s capacity to engage creatively with his or her work is becoming increasingly recognised as integral for organisational success and competitive advantage. The quest for an increase in creative output is driven by the following question: what causes variance in creative work involvement? The purpose of this study was to address the question of variance in creative work involvement across a variety of industries. In order to do so empirically, a structural model was developed after an interrogation of the literature to present the hypothesised relationships suggested through previous research. In essence, this study explored the significance of four relationships: (1) the effect of psychological safety on creative work involvement, (2) the effect of inclusive leadership on psychological safety, (3) the effect of openness to experience on creative work involvement, and (4) the moderating effect of vitality on the relationship between psychological safety and creative work involvement. The research approach was a quantitative study in which an ex post facto correlation research design was used. A total of 39 organisations participated in the study; they are located in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Gauteng provinces in South Africa. An electronic self-administered survey that consisted of six sections and 39 items was distributed to employees in varying roles and across different industries. Participation was voluntary; 519 employees engaged in the survey. Multiple regression analysis was used in order to evaluate the data collected. Creative work involvement, psychological safety and vitality were measured by utilising the measurement items presented by Kark and Carmeli (2009). Inclusive leadership was measured using nine items from Carmeli, Reiter-Palmon and Ziv (2010). Lastly, openness to experience was measured using the HEXACO-60 survey (Lee & Ashton, 2004), of which only the 10 items pertaining to this construct were included in the survey presented to the participants. The findings reveal that psychological safety had a significant effect on creative work involvement, and inclusive leadership was shown to have a significant effect on psychological safety. In addition, there was a significant positive relationship between openness to experience and creative work involvement. Moreover, vitality was shown not to have a significant moderating effect on the relationship between psychological safety and creative work involvement. It also was found that the relationship between vitality and creative work involvement was significant. The discussions and implications of this research suggest a number of implementations with which managers can engage in order to stimulate creative behaviour and further encourage creative work involvement through strategic decision making at a variety of organisational levels. Greater levels of creative work engagement can be achieved for the overall success of the organisation, which could have an impact on the global community at large. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Organisasies besef toenemend die onskatbare waarde van kreatiwiteit en innovasie in die werkplek. ’n Individu se vermoë om kreatief met sy of haar werk om te gaan, word toenemend erken as noodsaaklik vir ’n organisasie se sukses en mededingende voordeel (Florida & Goodnight, 2005, soos Bissola & Imperatori, 2011). Die soeke na ’n toename in kreatiewe uitset/produksie/opbrengs/vermoë word gedryf deur die volgende vraag: wat veroorsaak variansie in kreatiewe werksbetrokkenheid? Die doel van hierdie studie was om die vraag oor variansie in kreatiewe werksbetrokkenheid in ’n verskeidenheid industrieë aan te spreek. Om dit empiries te doen, is ’n strukturele model, na bestudering van die literatuur, ontwikkel wat die hipotetiese verhoudinge uitbeeld wat deur vorige navorsing gesuggereer is. In wese verken hierdie studie die beduidendheid van vier verhoudinge: (1) die effek van sielkundige veiligheid op kreatiewe werksbetrokkenheid, (2) die effek van inklusiewe leierskap op sielkundige veiligheid, (3) die effek van ontvanklikheid vir ervaring op kreatiewe werksbetrokkenheid, en (4) die modererende effek van lewenskragtigheid op die verhouding tussen sielkundige veiligheid en kreatiewe werksbetrokkenheid. Die navorsingswerkswyse is ‘n kwantitatiewe studie waarin ʼn ex post facto-korrelasionele navorsingsontwerp gebruik is. ’n Totaal van 39 organisasies, geleë in die Wes-Kaap, Oos-Kaap en Gauteng, het aan die studie deelgeneem. ’n Elektroniese selfgeadministreerde vraelys, bestaande uit ses afdelings en 39 items, is onder werknemers in verskeie rolle en in verskeie industrieë versprei. Deelname was vrywillig en 519 werknemers het die vraelys voltooi. Meervoudige regressie-analise is gebruik om die ingesamelde data te evalueer. Kreatiewe werksbetrokkenheid, sielkundige veiligheid en lewenskragtigheid is gemeet met behulp van die metings-items wat deur Kark and Carmeli (2009) voorgestel is. Inklusiewe leierskap is gemeet met nege items van Carmeli, Reiter-Palmon en Ziv (2010). Laastens is die ontvanklikheid vir ervaring gemeet met gebruik van die HEXACO-60 opname (Lee & Ashton, 2004), waarvan slegs die 10 items wat betrekking het op hierdie konstruk ingesluit is in die vraelys wat aan die deelnemers voorgelê is. Die bevindinge het getoon dat sielkundige veiligheid ’n beduidende effek op kreatiewe werksbetrokkenheid het en dat inklusiewe leierskap ‘n beduidende effek op sielkundige veiligheid het. Bykomend hiertoe is ’n beduidende positiewe verwantskap tussen ontvanklikheid vir ervaring en kreatiewe werksbetrokkenheid gevind. Verder is aangedui dat lewenskragtigheid nie ’n beduidende modererende effek op die verwantskap tussen sielkundige veiligheid en kreatiewe werksbetrokkenheid het nie. Daar is ook bevind dat die verwantskap tussen lewenskragtigheid en kreatiewe werksbetrokkenheid beduidend is. In die bespreking en implikasies van hierdie navorsing word ’n aantal voorstelle gemaak wat bestuurders kan implementeer om kreatiewe gedrag te stimuleer en kreatiewe werksbetrokkenheid verder aan te moedig deur strategiese besluitneming op ’n verskeidenheid van organisatoriese vlakke. Groter vlakke van kreatiewe werksbetrokkenheid kan bereik word wat die oorkoepelende sukses van ’n organisasie bevorder, wat dan weer ’n impak op die globale gemeenskap kan hê.