Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Technology: Commercial Administration, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2012. / Stress management is becoming more and more important as workloads increase. The World Health Organization (WHO, 2005:1-22) estimates that there will be a gradual rise in the number of people experiencing mental health difficulties in the workplace by the year 2020. Current trends indicate an emphasis on the employer's responsibility to provide services that meet their employees' mental health (WHO, 2005:1-22). International organizations such as the European Union and the World Health Organizations have thus been making recommendations about the measures that employers need to take to tackle workplace stress and promote employee wellbeing. Research indicates that employee wellbeing is determined both by an individual's personality and the context of the work situation. Employers can have a huge impact on employee wellbeing, by creating appropriate work demands, support and levels of control, effective communication and engagement, supportive leadership and management and by promoting activities that improve health and wellbeing. This research attempted to better understand the happy/productive worker thesis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of job satisfaction on the wellbeing of administrative staff at the Durban University of Technology (OUT). A mixed methods approach was used to collect data in the form of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews from administrative staff on the six campuses of DUT. Analysis of results indicated that: job satisfaction significantly impacts on the wellbeing of employees; staff were unhappy with their work conditions and this subsequently led to physiological symptoms of stress and which in turn negatively impacted on the their health; and were experiencing many symptoms of burnout. Further investigation is needed to fully understand the predictors of burnout, i.e. the organizational and individual factors that impact burnout so that appropriate interventions may be put into place to increase employee wellbeing. / M

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Commerce. Johannesburg, South Africa, May 2016 / Since McKinsey and Company (1998) coined the term “the war for talent” (Axelrod, Handfield-Jones, & Welsh, 2001; Michaels, Handfield-Jones & Axelrod, 2001) in response to a lack of highly skilled and talented employees in the labour market and the need for organisations to compete for this limited talent pool, the topic of talent management has received a remarkable degree of practitioner and academic interest (Bhatnagar, 2007; Collings & Mellahi, 2009; Vaiman, Scullion & Collings, 2012). The scarcity of highly skilled and talented employees has resulted in a paradigm shift, with the “old reality” (people need companies) replaced by new business realities (companies need talented and highly skilled people). This has forced organisations to institute aggressive talent management policies, practices and strategies to attract, develop, and optimise the available talent in both the broader market place and specific industries. The effective management of highly skilled and talented employees has also emerged as a major source of competitive advantage for organisations, resulting in desirable consequences such as organisational commitment, employee engagement, job satisfaction, and lower turnover intentions. Based on this premise, this study sought to investigate the direct and indirect (mediated) relationship between employees’ perception of the organisation’s current talent management practices, organisational commitment, employee engagement, job satisfaction and their intention to quit the organisation. The mediating characteristics of organisational commitment, employee engagement, and job satisfaction on the relationship between the perceived talent management practices and employees’ intention to quit are also investigated. A cross-sectional, survey-based descriptive research design utilising quantitative research methods was adopted to acquire information and primary data needed for analysis. The study was carried out on highly skilled and talented employees (supervisors, line managers, senior managers and directors) of a multinational fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) food manufacturing company in South Africa. The target population of the research comprised of (N = 267) 267 employees of the surveyed organisation with a sample size of (N = 151) 151 respondents. A standardised questionnaire adapted from five instruments ̶ talent management practices (Human Capital Institute, 2008), organisational commitment (Allen & Meyer, 1990), employee engagement (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2003), job satisfaction (Weiss, Dawis, England, & Lofquist, 1967), and intention to quit (Arnold & Feldman, 1982) measured on a Likert type of scale was utilised to collect primary data. A non-probability sampling technique (convenience sampling) was used to collect primary data. The scales used in the study reported Cronbach Coefficient Alphas above the minimum recommended 0.70 margin (Field, 2009) suggesting that the measuring instrument is reliable. The study utilised multiple linear regression analysis to test the proposed hypotheses. The results showed direct significant relationships between the variables under study, suggesting that investing in effective talent management practices relating to talent acquisition, workforce planning, talent development, performance management, talent retention, and other practices may result in desirable outcomes for the organisation. These include enhanced organisational commitment, high levels of employee engagement, increased employee job satisfaction, and reduced turnover intentions. It is recommended that organisations in South Africa and the organisation under study, in particular, develop talent management practices and strategies that can be implemented and applied in the organisation in order to attract and retain highly skilled and talented employees. It is further recommended that organisations develop effective, practical and holistic talent management practices and strategies that will not only attract talent, but also address organisational commitment, employee engagement, job satisfaction, and the retention of highly skilled and talented employees, thus boosting organisational performance and productivity. / MT2017

A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Psychology by Coursework and Research Report in the field of Organisational Psychology in the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 15 March 2017. / Organisations are increasingly moving towards the integration of “social, environmental and economic considerations into their business practices and structures” (Asemah Okpanachi, & Edegoh, 2013, p.45). This is due to the fact that organisations have been put under immense pressure by various stakeholders to assume ethical identities and improve the quality of life of both employees and the broader community through incorporating some form of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities within their organisations (Peterson, 2004). Equally important is the retention of high quality and experienced employees in organisations, as this not only saves production time and costs but also saves the organisation costs associated with the hiring and training of replacement staff ((Bothma & Roodt, 2013). It is well established in the literature that employees infer judgments about certain activities that their organisations partake in and these judgments consequently influence employee behavior (Rupp, Ganapathi, Aguilera, & Williams, 2006). Considering the importance of both CSR and the prevention of voluntary turnover intentions, it seemed essential to explore how these constructs relate in the organisational context. As such, this study aimed to explore the nature of the relationships between the three dimensions of CSR (philanthropic, environmental, and internal) and voluntary turnover intentions in a sample of South African employees. Moreover it has been suggested that other mechanisms might have an influence on this relationship (Dawley, Houghton, & Bucklew, 2010). Subsequently, this study also sought to explore whether perceived organisational support and organisational commitment mediated the relationships between the different forms of corporate social responsibility and voluntary turnover intentions. A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional, correlational research design was used in the present study. The total sample consisted of 106 employees from various South African organisations and positions. Participants who volunteered and consented to be part of the study were asked to complete a self-constructed demographic questionnaire, Pitt and Siemer’s (2012) External and Internal Corporate Social Responsibility Scales, Eisenberger et al.’s (1986) Perceived Organisational Support Scale, Mowday and Steers’ (1979) Organisational Commitment Questionnaire, and Kantor’s (2013) Voluntary Turnover Intention Scale. / XL2018

M. Tech. Human Resources Management / This study was conducted to determine whether there is a relationship between organisational culture and assignment fulfilment in an energy provider. Factors comprising organisational culture and assignment fulfilment will be established and discussed. By making use of a detailed literature review, three factors of organisational culture and assignment fulfilment were identified. These factors were used to structure a questionnaire. The following factors of organisational culture were identified: values, managing employee-employer relationships and leadership. Assignment fulfilment factors that were identified are job involvement, job satisfaction and organisational fulfilment. Correlation analyses were used to determine whether there is a relationship between organisational culture and assignment fulfilment. Correlation analysis proved that there is a negative correlation between organisational culture and assignment fulfilment, because when one variable increases the other decreases. It was proved that employees are not fulfilled in the organisation due to the culture of the organisation. An organisation needs to focus on leadership in order to improve the culture of the organisation.

The study will investigate how the workers of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality in the Department of Roads and Stormwater (Eastern region) feel about their jobs in terms of job satisfaction. Furthermore, the study will investigate how they feel about commitment to the union, commitment to the organisation, and management satisfaction during and after the implementation of job task levels, which was the result of the wage curve agreement that was signed in 2010 and implemented in 2011.The first objective of the study is to describe the collective agreements that were signed in 2010 as a result of a need to categorise municipalities and evaluate jobs, and the consequences of the collective agreements on employees through the study of documents supplemented by interviews and questionnaires. The second objective is to investigate if there has been a change in attitudes of the employees in the Roads and Stormwater Department of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality after the implementation of the wage curve agreement. There are six research questions; two relate to the first objective, and these are (a) what was the nature of the wage curve and job evaluation collective agreement? and(b) what were the consequences of the implementation of the wage curve and job evaluation collective agreement of the employees of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality? The other four questions related to the second objective, which led to the following research questions related to the attitudes of the employees and the change in these attitudes after the implementation of the collective agreement. These four questions were (a) what was the change in employee attitudes post the introduction of the wage curve? in particular, the attitudes of organisational commitment, job satisfaction, management satisfaction and union commitment, (b) what is the relationship between the sub-groups and employee attitudes pre the wage curve agreement implementation?(c) what is the relationship between sub-groups and employee attitudes post the wage curve agreement implementation? (d) what is the relationship between the sub-groups and the change in employee attitudes pre and post the wage curve agreement implementation? Quantitative and qualitative research methods were used in the study to analyse the strike process and to understand and describe the attitudes of all the participants in relation to the four constructs provided by Chaulk and Brown (2008). Self-administered questionnaires will be given to participants, and there will be face-to-face interviews with the union officials and management. The findings relating to the first objective indicate that the employees were unhappy with the implementation of the wage curve collective agreement. The second objective showed that the changes in the attitudes of employees after the implementation of the job evaluation and wage curve collective agreement were negative and that there was a significant decrease in the level of organisational commitment, job satisfaction, union commitment and management satisfaction after the implementation.

Research problem: The Port Elizabeth hospital complex is faced with many staff-related challenges including the difficulty of retaining staff. Factors such as salaries, work environment, work injury, work related stress, personal growth and development opportunities, advancement and promotion opportunities, relationships with supervisor(s), are among the issues that contribute and have been found to be some of the factors affecting employees’ perceptions and attitudes towards their work and ultimately to their intentions to stay or leave. Research objectives: To address the research problem, research objectives and questions were established. The main objective of the research was to investigate the perceptions and attitudes influencing the employees’ intention to quit their jobs within the hospital complex. The key perceptions and attitudes that were measured were; job satisfaction, perceived organisational support and organisational commitment. The secondary objective of the study was to determine, from a list of predetermined factors, which were related to job satisfaction, perceived organisational support and organisational commitment and the intention to quit. Research questions: Four research questions were established and these were: What are the employee perceptions and attitudes towards the organisation and their work in the organisation? In particular how satisfied are the employees with their jobs (job satisfaction), how committed are they to the organisation (organisational commitment), how do they perceive the support within the organisation (perceived organisational support) and do they intend to remain with the organisation (intention to quit measured as the intention to stay). What are the most important factors contributing to job satisfaction, perceived organisational support, organisational commitment and intention to quit? (Measured as the intention to stay). What is the relationship between the sub-groups, identified as gender, race, nationality, occupational level, age, hospital, and length of tenure and job satisfaction, perceived organisational support and organisational commitment? What is the relationship between the sub-groups, identified as gender, race, nationality, occupational level, age, hospital, and length of tenure and intention to quit (measured as the intention to stay)? Research design: The nature of this research was a descriptive study collecting quantitative data. A self-administered survey questionnaire was used to collect information regarding employee perceptions and attitudes towards various aspects of their working conditions, their perceptions and attitudes towards the organisation and their intention to remain with the organisation. Major findings: The result of the survey showed that organisational commitment and positive organizational support are practically significantly positively correlated with the intention to stay. However, it was discovered that job satisfaction was statistically significantly positively correlated to intention to stay. The nine factors that were measured were found to be antecedents for all the three constructs of job satisfaction, organizational commitment and perceived organizational support. However, the factors that were also correlated with the intention to stay were promotion opportunities, nature of the work, communication and leader-member exchange.

With the increasing demand for financial planners, financial planning organisations need to understand the factors influencing organisational commitment in order to achieve a committed and loyal workforce. The purpose of this study was therefore two-fold. Firstly, the study intended to contribute to the more effective functioning of financial planning organisations through the successful retention of valuable human resources, and secondly, to expand the current body of knowledge on financial planning organisations in South Africa and abroad. Considering the purpose of this study, its primary objective was to investigate the influence of selected organisational-related factors on the Affective, Normative and Continuance commitment of financial planners currently employed in the financial planning industry in South Africa. Based on an extensive review of business management, industrial psychology, as well as human resource management literature and research (focusing on the vast amount of secondary sources available on organisational commitment), a hypothesised model illustrating the relationships between selected organisational-related factors and the three dimensions of organisational commitment was proposed. Twelve independent variables were hypothesised to influence the three dependent variables, namely the Affective, Normative and Continuance commitment of financial planners. The twelve independent variables included: Compensation, Distributive justice, Job autonomy, Job security, Organisational communication, Organisational support, Physical working conditions, Promotional opportunities, Psychological contract fulfilment, Training and development, Transformational leadership and Trust. In addition, nine demographic variables (Gender, Race, Age, Organisational tenure, Qualification, CFP status, Tied agent status, Salary structure and Organisational type) were identified. All of the dependent and independent variables in this study were clearly defined and operationalised using items from previously validated measuring instruments, in addition to several self-generated items based on secondary sources. Questionnaires were made available to potential respondents through the use of convenience snowball sampling. A total of 231 useable questionnaires were returned which were then analysed statistically. As a result of an exploratory factor analysis (EFA), the original operationalisations, hypothesised model, as well as the hypotheses were revised. Additionally, a new, combined factor emerged, namely Job security and promotional opportunities. The proposed model of factors was subsequently empirically tested by means of structural equation modelling (SEM). In order to carry out the statistical analysis, three submodels were created. The hypothesised model was revised and the redefined hypothesised relationships were given in path diagrams for each of the three submodels. The influence of the various demographic variables on Affective, Normative and Continuance commitment were assessed by means of an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and t-tests. A number of organisational-related factors were identified as influencing the dependent variables of this study, namely: Compensation, Organisational support, Distributive justice, Job security and promotional opportunities, as well as Training and development. In particular, Compensation and Organisational support were found to influence Affective commitment, while Distributive justice, Job security and promotional opportunities as well as Training and development were found to influence Normative commitment. Additionally, Organisational support and Job security and promotional opportunities were found to influence Continuance commitment. By investigating selected organisational-related factors influencing the three dimensions of organisational commitment, the study was able to provide practical recommendations to organisations in order to increase the Affective, Normative and Continuance commitment of their financial planners.

Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The construction industry is a large, diverse and complex industry. In recent times, this industry has experienced a long-lasting period of inactivity. One sector that forms part of the construction industry is the civil engineering sector. This sector is the largest contributor to the income of the industry as a whole. Recent reports indicate that the construction companies within this industry are experiencing many challenges in both the internal and external environments. A preliminary discussion with a number of engineers indicated that these individuals felt as if they were required to do more than what was expected of them in terms of their job requirements. These expectations not only include being expected to voluntarily work overtime and to be tolerant of non-ideal site conditions, but also to informally develop the interpersonal skills necessary to minimise conflict and to motivate and support each other. The majority of the participating companies admitted to having a lack of such voluntary behaviour, namely organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB), amongst their engineers on site. It is for this reason that the core objective of the study was to develop and empirically study a structural model that explains the antecedents that contribute the most to the variance in OCB amongst civil engineers on various sites within South African engineering companies. During the preliminary discussion and subsequent literature review, the main antecedent found was personality. A quantitative research method with an ex post facto correlation design was utilised, where primary data was collected from a sample of 119 site employees of a number of South African construction companies. The self-administered questionnaire consisted of four sections, three of which were an amalgamation of the three valid and reliable measuring instruments that reflect the central focus of the structural model, i.e. personality, job satisfaction and organisational citizenship behaviour. The collected data was then analysed by means of Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling. The results of the study indicate that certain personality characteristics do contribute to the occurrence of organisational citizenship behaviour amongst site employees. Within the areas of personality and job satisfaction theories, this research adds to the existing literature on OCB. In order to assist South African industrial psychologists within this industry, managerial implications and suggested interventions pertaining to the research findings are provided. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die konstruksiebedryf is 'n groot, diverse en komplekse bedryf. Gedurende die afgelope tydperk, het hierdie bedryf 'n voortdurende tydperk van onaktiwiteit ervaar. Een sektor wat deel vorm van die konstruksiebedryf is die siviele ingenieurswese sektor. Hierdie sektor is die grootste bydraer tot die inkomste van die bedryf as 'n geheel. Onlangse verslae dui daarop dat konstruksie maatskappye in die bedryf baie uitdagings in beide die interne en eksterne omgewings ervaar. 'n Voorlopige bespreking met 'n aantal ingenieurs het daarop gedui dat hierdie individue voel asof dit van hulle verwag word om vrywillig oortyd te werk asook verdraagsaam te wees van die nie-ideale werksterreine en omstandighede. Hulle voel dat die informele ontwikkeling van die interpersonlike vaardighede wat nodig is om konflik te verminder, asook mekaar te motiveer en ondersteun, ook vrywillig verwag word. Die meerderheid van die deelnemende maatskappye het bevestig dat daar ‘n gebrek is aan vrywillige gedrag, naamlik organiesatoriese burgerskap, onder die ingeniers op die werksterrein. Dit is vir hierdie spesifieke rede dat die kern doel van hierdie studie was om ‘n struktrele model te ontwikkel en empiries te bestudeier wat die geskiedenis uiteensit wat die tot die wisseling in OCB onder siviele ingenieurs op verskillende werksterreine in die Suid-Afrikaanse ingenieurs maatskappye. Tydens die voorlopige besprekings en die daaropvolgende literatuuroorsig was persoonlikheid die kern voorafgaande kenmerk. 'n Kwantitatiewe navorsingsmetode met 'n ex post facto korrelasie-ontwerp is gebruik, waar primêre data vanuit 'n steekproof van 119 werknemers van 'n aantal Suid-Afrikaanse konstruksie maatskappye versamel is. Die selftoegepaste vraelys het bestaan uit vier afdelings, waarvan drie 'n samesmelting was van die drie geldige en betroubare meetinstrumente wat die sentrale fokus van die strukturele model, naamlik persoonlikheid, werksbevrediging en organisatoriese burgerskaps-gedrag weerspieël. Die ingesamelde data is deur middel van Parsiële Kleinste Kwadrate Struktuurvergelykingmodellering ontleed. Die resultate van die studie het getoon dat sekere persoonlikheidseienskappe bydra tot die voorkoms van organisatoriese burgerskaps gedrag onder terreinwerknemers. Binne die gebiede van die persoonlikheid- en werkstevredenheid-teorieë, dra hierdie navorsing by tot die bestaande literatuur oor OCB. Ten einde Suid-Afrikaanse bedryfsielkundiges binne hierdie bedryf te help, is bestuurs-implikasies en voorgestelde ingrypings met betrekking tot die navorsing voorskaf.

Traffic officers are employed to protect and serve the community, but various sources including annual reports and newspaper articles cast doubt on whether these goals are attained in the Eastern Cape. These sources further allege that the failure to serve can be attributed to dissatisfaction and poor employee commitment. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to explore the relationship between the Employee Value Proposition, organisational commitment and intention-to-serve among provincial traffic officers. A literature study was conducted on the three above-mentioned variables to achieve this objective. The empirical study consisted of a survey with a self-administered questionnaire. Five components of the Employee Value Proposition, as established by the Corporate Leadership Council (CLC) (2006), were measured. These included career opportunities, organisation itself, relationships, remuneration/reward and work itself. The Three Component Model (TCM) developed by Meyer and Allen (1991) was used to measure affective, continuance and normative commitment. The Intention-to-Serve Scale was adapted from the Employee Work Passion Appraisal (EWPA) Model (Zigarmi, Nimon, Houson, Witt and Diehl, 2011) and was used to measure intent-to-perform and intent-to-use discretion. The questionnaire was completed by 357 provincial traffic officers across the six districts of the Eastern Cape, which represented a 95 percent response rate. The results from the empirical study indicated that the majority of respondents had less positive perceptions of the Employee Value Proposition offered to them. Affective commitment, regarded as the desired type of organisational commitment, was scored the lowest. However, positive scores were obtained for intention-to-serve. A statistical and practical significant relationship was found between the Employee Value Proposition and organisational commitment, and between the Employee Value Proposition and intention-to-serve as well as between organizational commitment and intention-to-serve. The results suggest that a more appealing Employee Value Proposition could result in improved organisational commitment as well as improved intention-to-serve. It is therefore recommended that the Eastern Cape Department of Transport reconsider the Employee Value Proposition offered to traffic officers and use it as a tool to improve commitment and service delivery.

Grounded in the positive psychology paradigm the recently recognised core construct of psychological capital was focussed in a South African study. A non-experimental, correlational study (n=204) examined the relationship between authentic leadership, psychological capital, psychological climate, team commitment and intention to quit. The present study was exploratory in nature and the pattern of relationships being investigated had not been previously tested in a South African context. A self-administered composite questionnaire consisting of five psychological scales were distributed to employees in the junior to senior management level at a global tyre manufacturing organisation based in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The five scales were the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire by Walumbwa, Psychological Capital Questionnaire by Luthans, Psychological Climate by Koys and DeCotiis, Team Commitment by Bennett and the Intention to Quit Scale by Cohen. All the measures applied on the South African sample were developed outside South Africa and model equivalence had to be established. The content and structure of the measures were investigated through confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory factor analysis. With the exception of the Cohen scale of intention to quit, all other measures changed their factorial structures to suit the present data. The propositions in the study were tested through descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, post hoc tests, Cohen’s d, Pearson product-moment correlation and multiple regressions. Structural equation models were built to test the relationships between the scales and sub scales of authentic leadership, psychological capital, psychological climate, team commitment and intention to quit. Results of the analyses carried out, show significantly strong relationships between the variables. Of note is the marked relationship between authentic leadership and psychological climate. Most of the propositions were accepted in light of the relationships that emerged. The proposition indicating structural equation models was rejected because none of the models built in the study successfully produced an adequate fit on the data. Contributions of the study were in terms of the portability of the measurement instruments applied in the study as well as the relationships that emerged. Re-validation of the measures is required to enable clarity on how the variables in the study are interpreted across cultural contexts. Directions for future research include extending the study to other samples and other cultures. Measuring social desirability of the instruments could possibly provide clarity on how the different samples respond to the measures. Studies that compare the reading ability as well as the ability to comprehend the items in the measures would provide valuable information.