Over the years many organizations have implemented an enterprise system (ES), also called enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, to streamline the flow of information and improve organizational effectiveness to produce business benefits which justify the ES investment. The effectiveness of these systems to achieve benefits is an area being proactively researched by both professionals and academia. However, most of these studies focus on ‘what ESs do’ rather than ‘how ESs do it’. The purpose of this study is to better understand how organizations derive benefits from utilization of an ES and its data. This study utilizes a transformational model of how ES data are transformed into knowledge and results to evaluate the impact of ES information on organizational functions and processes and how this can lead to business benefits. The linkage between expected outcomes, utilization of ES data in decision-making processes, and realized or unrealized benefits provides the reason for this study. Findings reveal that the key benefits commercial firms seek from an ES include improving information flow and visibility, integration and automation of functions, cost reductions by reducing inventory, and achieving process efficiencies for both internal and external operations. The various tools and methods businesses use for transforming ES data into knowledge include the use of data warehouses and business intelligence modules that assist in extraction and manipulation of data, and reporting on particular data objects. Web portals are actively utilized to collaborate between stakeholders and access real-time information. Business tools such as KPI reporting, balanced scorecards and dashboards are used to track progress towards realizing benefits and establishing analytical decision making. Findings emphasize that benefit realization from an ES implementation is a holistic process that not only includes the essential data and technology factors, but also includes other factors such as business strategy deployment, people and process management, and skills and competency development. Findings reveal that business organizations generally lack in producing value assessments that often lead to weak business cases and insufficient benefit models which cannot be used for benefit tracking. However, these organizations are now realizing that it is not enough to put in an ES and expect an automatic improvement. Organizations are now establishing analytical and knowledge-leveraging processes to optimize and realize business value from their ES investment.

The success of any organisation depends on its ability to adapt to an ever-changing environment. In order to be able to adapt, an organisation needs visionary leadership, a management team that is passionate, professional and entrepreneurial, and employees that are engaged. With the right strategies, organisational practices and management the hidden value of an organisation can be unlocked. The traditional hierarchies in the organisation can be broken down in order to empower management teams to be more entrepreneurial. The right organisational climate should also be created to unleash potential. As part of the business planning process and the drive to reconnect with citizens, to respond to the need to do things differently, to build new relations and to improve service, the municipality should continuously evaluate the human resource management practices in place, to determine whether they are sufficient and effective to enable it to achieve its objectives. Knowledge of organisational climate variables also enables management towards the accomplishment of organisational goals. Local government is key to the realisation of a promise of a better life for all. It is therefore critical for its employees to always perform at their optimal, and adhere to all the principles of the Batho Pele when delivering service to the public. All the principles of this policy are intertwined and collectively guide all three spheres of government efforts in transforming and accelerating service delivery. Managers at all levels must support staff in service responsibility so that staff members feel valued, motivated, informed and challenged to put forth their best efforts on behalf of the people they serve. The objectives of this study were to determine the reliability and validity of the OCQ, the HRPQ, and the SSPPQ instruments, as well as to assess the relationship between human resource practices and organisational climate in the municipality. In Article 1 and Article 3 employees from the municipality were targeted, and in Article 2 citizens from the municipality were targeted separately. The study popUlation from the municipality included employees from managerial and non-managerial categories, and the study population from the citizens included the public which the municipality serve. A cross-sectional survey design was used to obtain the research objectives. Three standardised questionnaires were used in the empirical study, namely the Organisational Climate Questionnaire, the Standardof Service as Perceived by the Public Questionnaire and the Human Resource . Practices Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, factor analyses, Cronbach alpha coefficients, correlations, MANOV AS and regression analyses were used to analyse the data. In Article 1 the results indicated a four-factor structure for the OCQ. Statistically and practically significant differences were found between organisational climate dimensions and some of the biographical characteristics, namely age, service years and job leveL Employees with more years of service experience higher levels of organisational climate, than emlpoyees with fewer years of service. A significant difference in communication was found between job levelland job level 3. Employees in higher positions do not communicate well with employees at lower levels. In terms of Article 2 the study extracted a two-factor structure, namely Consultation and Efficiency. The scales showed acceptable internal consistencies. Most of the Batho Pele principles received negative responses from the public. The results showed that customers who feel they are not sufficiently consulted on services also feel that the services they received were not effective. Knowledge of the service environment was perceived as poor, and consultation on services was perceived as a challenge. The public also perceived responsiveness as poor.In Article 3 the scales showed acceptable internal consistencies and also confIrnled a relationship between human resource management practices and organisational climate Responsiveness! cooperation and human resource development contributed most to people care. Supervision, human resource development, responsiveness/cooperation, employee support andrecognition contributed to structure. Openness, feedback and responsiveness/cooperation contributed most to efficiency. Recognition, responsiveness/cooperation, superviSIOn and openness contributed most to communication. Based on the results, recommendations were made for urgent actions to be implemented by the municipality, as well as for future research / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

The success of any organisation depends on its ability to adapt to an ever-changing environment. In order to be able to adapt, an organisation needs visionary leadership, a management team that is passionate, professional and entrepreneurial, and employees that are engaged. With the right strategies, organisational practices and management the hidden value of an organisation can be unlocked. The traditional hierarchies in the organisation can be broken down in order to empower management teams to be more entrepreneurial. The right organisational climate should also be created to unleash potential. As part of the business planning process and the drive to reconnect with citizens, to respond to the need to do things differently, to build new relations and to improve service, the municipality should continuously evaluate the human resource management practices in place, to determine whether they are sufficient and effective to enable it to achieve its objectives. Knowledge of organisational climate variables also enables management towards the accomplishment of organisational goals. Local government is key to the realisation of a promise of a better life for all. It is therefore critical for its employees to always perform at their optimal, and adhere to all the principles of the Batho Pele when delivering service to the public. All the principles of this policy are intertwined and collectively guide all three spheres of government efforts in transforming and accelerating service delivery. Managers at all levels must support staff in service responsibility so that staff members feel valued, motivated, informed and challenged to put forth their best efforts on behalf of the people they serve. The objectives of this study were to determine the reliability and validity of the OCQ, the HRPQ, and the SSPPQ instruments, as well as to assess the relationship between human resource practices and organisational climate in the municipality. In Article 1 and Article 3 employees from the municipality were targeted, and in Article 2 citizens from the municipality were targeted separately. The study popUlation from the municipality included employees from managerial and non-managerial categories, and the study population from the citizens included the public which the municipality serve. A cross-sectional survey design was used to obtain the research objectives. Three standardised questionnaires were used in the empirical study, namely the Organisational Climate Questionnaire, the Standardof Service as Perceived by the Public Questionnaire and the Human Resource . Practices Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, factor analyses, Cronbach alpha coefficients, correlations, MANOV AS and regression analyses were used to analyse the data. In Article 1 the results indicated a four-factor structure for the OCQ. Statistically and practically significant differences were found between organisational climate dimensions and some of the biographical characteristics, namely age, service years and job leveL Employees with more years of service experience higher levels of organisational climate, than emlpoyees with fewer years of service. A significant difference in communication was found between job levelland job level 3. Employees in higher positions do not communicate well with employees at lower levels. In terms of Article 2 the study extracted a two-factor structure, namely Consultation and Efficiency. The scales showed acceptable internal consistencies. Most of the Batho Pele principles received negative responses from the public. The results showed that customers who feel they are not sufficiently consulted on services also feel that the services they received were not effective. Knowledge of the service environment was perceived as poor, and consultation on services was perceived as a challenge. The public also perceived responsiveness as poor.In Article 3 the scales showed acceptable internal consistencies and also confIrnled a relationship between human resource management practices and organisational climate Responsiveness! cooperation and human resource development contributed most to people care. Supervision, human resource development, responsiveness/cooperation, employee support andrecognition contributed to structure. Openness, feedback and responsiveness/cooperation contributed most to efficiency. Recognition, responsiveness/cooperation, superviSIOn and openness contributed most to communication. Based on the results, recommendations were made for urgent actions to be implemented by the municipality, as well as for future research / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Over the years many organizations have implemented an enterprise system (ES), also called enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, to streamline the flow of information and improve organizational effectiveness to produce business benefits which justify the ES investment. The effectiveness of these systems to achieve benefits is an area being proactively researched by both professionals and academia. However, most of these studies focus on ‘what ESs do’ rather than ‘how ESs do it’. The purpose of this study is to better understand how organizations derive benefits from utilization of an ES and its data. This study utilizes a transformational model of how ES data are transformed into knowledge and results to evaluate the impact of ES information on organizational functions and processes and how this can lead to business benefits. The linkage between expected outcomes, utilization of ES data in decision-making processes, and realized or unrealized benefits provides the reason for this study. Findings reveal that the key benefits commercial firms seek from an ES include improving information flow and visibility, integration and automation of functions, cost reductions by reducing inventory, and achieving process efficiencies for both internal and external operations. The various tools and methods businesses use for transforming ES data into knowledge include the use of data warehouses and business intelligence modules that assist in extraction and manipulation of data, and reporting on particular data objects. Web portals are actively utilized to collaborate between stakeholders and access real-time information. Business tools such as KPI reporting, balanced scorecards and dashboards are used to track progress towards realizing benefits and establishing analytical decision making. Findings emphasize that benefit realization from an ES implementation is a holistic process that not only includes the essential data and technology factors, but also includes other factors such as business strategy deployment, people and process management, and skills and competency development. Findings reveal that business organizations generally lack in producing value assessments that often lead to weak business cases and insufficient benefit models which cannot be used for benefit tracking. However, these organizations are now realizing that it is not enough to put in an ES and expect an automatic improvement. Organizations are now establishing analytical and knowledge-leveraging processes to optimize and realize business value from their ES investment.

Over the years many organizations have implemented an enterprise system (ES), also called enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, to streamline the flow of information and improve organizational effectiveness to produce business benefits which justify the ES investment. The effectiveness of these systems to achieve benefits is an area being proactively researched by both professionals and academia. However, most of these studies focus on ‘what ESs do’ rather than ‘how ESs do it’. The purpose of this study is to better understand how organizations derive benefits from utilization of an ES and its data. This study utilizes a transformational model of how ES data are transformed into knowledge and results to evaluate the impact of ES information on organizational functions and processes and how this can lead to business benefits. The linkage between expected outcomes, utilization of ES data in decision-making processes, and realized or unrealized benefits provides the reason for this study. Findings reveal that the key benefits commercial firms seek from an ES include improving information flow and visibility, integration and automation of functions, cost reductions by reducing inventory, and achieving process efficiencies for both internal and external operations. The various tools and methods businesses use for transforming ES data into knowledge include the use of data warehouses and business intelligence modules that assist in extraction and manipulation of data, and reporting on particular data objects. Web portals are actively utilized to collaborate between stakeholders and access real-time information. Business tools such as KPI reporting, balanced scorecards and dashboards are used to track progress towards realizing benefits and establishing analytical decision making. Findings emphasize that benefit realization from an ES implementation is a holistic process that not only includes the essential data and technology factors, but also includes other factors such as business strategy deployment, people and process management, and skills and competency development. Findings reveal that business organizations generally lack in producing value assessments that often lead to weak business cases and insufficient benefit models which cannot be used for benefit tracking. However, these organizations are now realizing that it is not enough to put in an ES and expect an automatic improvement. Organizations are now establishing analytical and knowledge-leveraging processes to optimize and realize business value from their ES investment.

Submitted in Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Management Sciences: Human Resources Management, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2017. / The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of job satisfaction on organizational effectiveness at Buffalo City College in the Eastern Cape. When job satisfaction levels are low, the organizations efforts to attain organizational effectiveness may be compromised. For any organisation to be effective, it should have satisfied and committed workers. The levels of employee performance may be increased by job satisfaction in an organisation including the further education and training sector. The individual commitment of employees in the workplace may be stimulated by job satisfaction. This means that the satisfaction of employees is necessary for the development of any establishment. A quantitative methodological style was used for the collection of data in this study. The target population consisted of 100 lecturers at Buffalo City College. The personal method of administering the questionnaire was used and a 75% response rate was obtained. The Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0 was used for statistical examination. Significant findings emerged from the empirical analysis and results. Some respondents experienced job satisfaction while others experienced dissatisfaction with growth opportunities, pay, working conditions and recognition. The recommendations highlighted that top management should consider improving the working conditions of employees and opening up opportunities for individual advancement of the workers. Further, it was recommended that top management of Buffalo City College should pay a fair salary to the lecturers and involve them in decision making particularly on those things that have a direct impact on them. The study concludes by providing directions for future research. / M

The aim of this quantitative study was to develop and validate a model to measure the organisational effectiveness of a metropolitan municipality in South Africa. The literature review phase explored the concept of organisational effectiveness and the assessment thereof in both the Public and Private Sectors. The literature review indicated that there is a clear distinction between business performance (operational and financial performance) and the larger concept of organisational effectiveness, and also that the measurement of organisational effectiveness in the Public Sector differed from the measurement thereof in the Private Sector. The literature review also indicated that measures of Public Sector effectiveness could not be directly applied to measure the effectiveness of Private Sector organisations. From the literature review a proposed theoretical model for measuring the organisational effectiveness of a metropolitan municipality in South Africa was proposed. This proposed model included organisational and behavioural variables contained in traditional approaches to organisational effectiveness, variables that were identified in previous organisational effectiveness studies, as well as variables contained in existing assessment models of organisational effectiveness. This model was then validated during the empirical phase by conducting a survey of an existing metropolitan municipality in South Africa (n = 6514) and exposing the results of the survey to Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The confirmatory factor analysis conducted as part of SEM subsequently identified three main and 10 secondary statistically significant organisational and behavioural variables that could be used to measure the effectiveness of a metropolitan municipality in South Africa. The three main variables identified were (1) Healthy Systems, (2) Goal Achievement and (3) Service Delivery, while the 10 secondary variables identified were (1) Diversity, (2) Training & Development, (3) Rewards & Recognition, (4) Management Practices, (5) Internal Functioning, (6) Work Environment, (7) Interpersonal Relations, (8) Workforce Equity, (9) Customer Satisfaction and (10) Vision & Mission. It was thus recommended that metropolitan municipalities in South Africa could use this validated model as an assessment framework to measure their current organisational effectiveness, to identify aspects which need to be rectified to improve effectiveness, and to compare and benchmark their municipality in order to learn from other metropolitan municipalities to improve their effectiveness. / Industrial & Organisational Psychology / D. Admin. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

The advent of democracy in 1994 prompted the South African government to provide public goods to the entire population as opposed to providing services along racial lines, as was the case during the apartheid era. Consequently, government expenditure increased considerably. However, continuous service delivery protests in recent years indicate that government has not been operating optimally. The Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation and National Treasury introduced Organisational Performance Management (OPM) to improve service delivery. Government also adopted internal auditing as a mechanism to improve OPM because of internal auditing’s mandate, role and body of knowledge. This study explored the implementation of OPM as a management tool to assist national departments in effectively delivering goods and services to the public economically and efficiently. The study also explored the adoption of internal auditing by national departments as a mechanism to improve OPM. The study followed a sequential mixed methods approach. The chief audit executives of eighteen national departments participated in the quantitative phase. Interviews were held with employees from four national departments as well as two monitoring departments. Departmental officials included five deputy directors-general, three chief directors, four directors, one deputy director and one senior internal auditor. Seven focus group discussions were held with twenty-two internal auditors from the four departments. Sixty-four documents were analysed. The study found that national departments have implemented systems of OPM and the reporting of quarterly performance information but are at different levels of maturity. However, governance and reporting fatigue and a reluctance to implement effective consequence management for poor performance may be undermining optimal performance. National departments may be also preparing strategic plans, annual performance plans and annual reports simply for compliance rather than for optimal performance. The study also found that internal auditors may not have a thorough understanding of the department’s performance environment and consequently undertake limited assessments of OPM, focusing mainly on quarterly performance information (PI) and documentation rather than on organisational strategy. However, management’s expectations from internal auditing go beyond assessing the quarterly PI and require advice and guidance on strategic imperatives. The appropriate skills, knowledge and training of internal auditors therefore require review. Management expects assurance of sustainable future performance of the department. Internal auditing currently stands positioned to make an evolutionary transformation into becoming the most important strategic partner to management. However, under-theorisation and a restricted internal auditing approach inhibit its natural evolution. / College of Accounting Sciences / D. Phil. (Accounting Sciences)

The aim of this study was to determine the impact of appreciative inquiry (AI) on the development of organisational culture after a merger. The empirical study was con-ducted among the employees of a telecommunications company in South Africa. AI was conducted after a merger of teams within a department of the organisation to assist in the development of a new and combined team culture. Interactive qualitative analysis (IQA) was used to determine the impact of AI on the new culture. The sample size for the study was 35 for the AI session and 20 for the IQA. A qualitative approach was adopted in this study in order to understand and explore the experiences of individuals who had recently been a part of the change process. The research design was based on IQA, a structured approach which constructs a systematic representation of the experience. It was found that AI allowed the teams to gain a new understanding of and insight into what it meant to work together as a unit. A significant difference was noted in the IQA facilitation that was performed six months after the AI session. This re-search therefore confirmed that the AI had a significant positive impact on the culture of the organisation under investigation. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

People effectiveness has become a key differentiator of competitive advantage in the knowledge economy and the need for a valid and reliable measure of people effectiveneness has become paramount for success. The research positions the psychological work immersion scale (PWIS) as a relevant measure of people effectiveness and explores the relationship between the PWIS variables (psychological attachment and people effectiveness enablers) and perceptions of business performance. Furthermore the research explores whether higher levels of psychological work immersion leads to increased business performance over time in an attempt to position the value of organisational development interventions aimed at increasing psychological work immersion levels in the work place. The setting for this research was a not-for-profit organisation in South Africa. The sample for the study was measured at two defined points in time over a 14-month period and consisted of n = 414 (T1) and n = 551 (T2). The study showed that the PWIS factor structure is a valid measure of the psychological work immersion construct across time (T1 and T2). The results provided evidence of convergent, intra-discriminant and external discriminant validity (construct validity) of the PWIS within (T1 and T2) and over time (T1 vs T2). The results showed that the PWIS has acceptable internal consistency reliability within and across time (T1 and T2) as well as demonstrating test-retest reliability across time. The results provided evidence that the people effectiveness enablers and psychological attachment variables significantly predict perception of business performance indicators (profit/loss, costs, and cash flow related to operating activities), and that strong perceptions of people effectiveness enablers relate to strong individual perceptions of business performance through a high sense of psychological attachment. The mediation results confirmed the test-retest reliability and validity of the PWIS in predicting perceptions of business performance within and over time. This finding shows that psychological attachment is an important factor in terms of iv influencing the individual perceptions of business performance which is related to improvements in actual business performance. The study also showed evidence of a positive relationship between psychological work immersion and business performance and demonstrated improvements in psychological work immersion coincided with year on year improvements in business performance. The study contributes towards the current literature on organisational development and specifically on the measurement of people effectiveness within knowledge economy organisations. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / D. Com.