Thesis (MA) -- University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South African organisations, just as in other countries, are fighting to gain a competitive advantage over their competitors. In this struggle, human resources have become the focus point of debate and intervention in organisations. The task-related competencies of employees have suddenly become central with regard to the performance of organisations. This new-found importance with which human resources have been labeled, also has a spill-over effect on the importance of the human resources function in organisations, especially the manager and leader thereof. The aim of this study is to shed light on the strategic partnership role that senior human resource managers currently play in South African organisations. Furthermore, a theoretical framework through which the concept of strategic partnership can be understood and explored, is introduced. The data was collected by utilising a survey and consisted of adapted versions of the Human Resources Role-assessment Survey (strategic partner), the Human Resources Competencies Scale as well as scales that measured the dimensions of strategic role motivation and strategic role opportunity. The results of this study showed that on average, the senior human resource (HR) managers in South Africa rated themselves significantly higher on the strategic partnership dimension than senior line managers rated them. Additionally, it seems that senior HR managers reported higher levels of professional competencies than of business-related competencies. A significant positive relationship exists between professional competencies and business-related competencies. There seems to be a significant positive relationship between strategic partnership and strategic role motivation as well as strategic partnership and strategic role opportunities within South African organisations. Conclusions are drawn from the results and recommendations are made for future research. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: DIE ONTLUIKENDE ROL VAN DIE MENSLIKE HULPBRONBESTUURDER AS IN STRATEGIESE VENNOOT IN SUID-AFRIKAANSE ORGANISASIES Net soos in ander lande, veg Suid-Afrikaanse organisasies vir die verkryging van 'n kompeterende voordeeloor hul mededingers. In hierdie stryd het die menslike hulpbron die fokuspunt van debat en intervensies in organisasies geword. Die taak-verwante bevoegdhede van werknemers het skielik sentraal geword in die ontleding van die prestasie van organisasies. Hierdie nuutgevonde belangrikheid waarmee die menslike hulpbron geëtiketteer word, het gelei tot die toenemende belangrikheid van die menslike hulpbronfunksie in organisasies, en spesifiek die bestuurder en leier van hierdie funksie (menslike hulpbronbestuurder). Die doel met hierdie studie is om die strategiese vennootskapsrol van menslike hulpbronbestuurders in Suid-Afrikaanse organisasies op te klaar. Verder word 'n teoretiese modelook ontwikkel waarmee die konsep van strategiese vennootskap beter verstaan en verder verken kan word. Die data is ingesamel deur gebruik te maak van 'n opname wat die vorm van 'n vraelys aangeneem het. Hierdie vraelys het bestaan uit aangepaste weergawes van die Menslike Hulpbron Rol-assesseringsopname (strategiese vennootskap), die Menslike Hulpbron Bevoegdheidskaal, sowel as vrae oor die dimensies van strategiese rolmotivering en strategiese rolgeleenthede. Die resultate van hierdie studie toon dat senior menslike hulpbronbestuurders in Suid-Afrikaanse organisasies hulself gemiddeld beduidend hoër tellings toeken op die dimensie van strategiese vennootskap as senior lynbestuurders. Dit blyk dat senior menslike hulpbronbestuurders ook oor hoër vlakke van professionele bevoegdhede as besigheidsverwante bevoegdhede beskik. Daar bestaan In beduidende positiewe verband tussen professionele bevoegdhede en besigheidsverwante bevoegdhede. Daar blyk ook In beduidend positiewe verband tussen strategiese vennootskap en strategiese rolmotivering, sowel as strategiese vennootskap en strategiese rolgeleenthede in organisasies te wees. Op grond van hierdie resultate is daar bepaalde gevolgtrekkings gemaak asook aanbevelings vir verdere navorsing.

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The internship experience with the City of Tucson Personnel Department provided the opportunity to observe and participate in the basic functions and social service activities of public personnel administration. Portions of the internship were spent working on various projects under the direction of the Director of Personnel. Several weeks were spent in a leadership role in compiling and analyzing data for a wage and salary survey. Supervisory and administrative techniques practiced by the Personnel Department were observed at meetings held by the department and in the day-to day functions of the department. The Personnel Director was interviewed concerning his views on various techniques and concepts. Throughout the internship, records, files, and publications of the Civil Service Commission and Personnel Department were examined. Special attention was paid to the financial operation of the department and to the established Civil Service rules which govern the actions of the Personnel Department. At the end of the internship and when the material for the diary was compiled, class work and internship experience were compared to show their interrelated natures. From the entire Internship experience a general conclusion showing the necessity for professionalism in public personnel administration was drawn.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study project has as its objectives the analysis and evaluation of people management practices within a broad spectrum of organisations in South Africa, using the Marglen diagnostic model. It also serves to assess the usage and utility of this model during this process. The Marglen model provides a conceptual framework consisting of twenty key issues which organisations can use to assess its people management practices. The model promotes a holistic, integrated and strategic approach to people management, with people management practitioners being considered as strategic partners within the core business activities of the organisation. In the current and foreseeable global economic order where rapid change and turbulence tend to be the only certainties, successful organisations are those who are creative, innovative, highly adaptable and who invent the future. In other words, organisations who leverage their only appreciating assets, namely their people, their human capital. In order to achieve this organisations need to move from traditional human resource management to progressive people management: from controlling and circumscribing staff to managing performance and leading and realising people's potential effectively and efficiently. Our studies show that the majority of organisations in South Africa, especially the bigger and older ones, tend to be reactive when it comes to people management. They largely still use the traditional human resources approach, changing only when forced to, for example, because of competition or legal pressures such as the Employment Equity Act. A small but growing number of organisations, which includes mainly the smaller and newer organisations operating especially in young or volatile industries (e.g. information technology sector) tend to be more proactive and tend to lean toward a more integrated people management system, with flatter structures and lots of positive energies. This is especially true when the leadership are still young/fresh and are hands- on. Because of their flexibility, responsiveness to markets and sensitivity to globalisation these "new generation" organisations most probably will adopt new (and hopefully more progressive) people management practices much quicker than the older, bigger ones. The Marglen model itself proved its worth with the wealth of empirical information generated and the encouragement of a systems approach to the solution of problems. With the necessary adjustments the model can become an even more potent tool for all managers, whether they are formal HR practitioners or not. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie werkstuk is onderneem om die praktyk van mensebestuur in 'n wyd verspreide spektrum van Suid Afrikaanse organisasies te ondersoek met behulp van the Marglen diagnostiese model. Dit dien ook as 'n evaluasie van die bruikbaarheid van die model self. Die Marglen model veskaf 'n konseptuele raamwerk bestaande uit twintig sleutels wat organisasies kan gebruik om hul mensebestuur praktyke te kan ondersoek. Die model bevorder 'n geintegreerde en strategiese nadering van mensebestuur, waar mensebestuur praktisyne beskou word as strategiese vennote deur alle ander bestuurders. In die huidige globale ekonomiese orde waar blitsige veranderinge en onstuimigheid die enigste sekerheid bied is suksesvolle organisasies die' wat kreatief, vernuwend en soepel is: diegene wat die toekoms skep. Met ander woorde, organisasies wat die beste gebruik maak van hul grootste en enigste groeiende bate, hul mense. Om suskesvol to wees en so te bly moet daar 'n wesenlike verandering van mensebestuur filosofie and praktyk wees, van die tradisionele metode van kontrole en verbiedinge na progressiewe metodes waar die persoon se potensiaal gerealiseer word ten bate van beide die persoon self en die organisasie. Ons ondersoek toon dat die meerderheid van organisasies, veral die groter en ouer garde, reagerend is wat mensebestuur betref. Hulle gebruik grootliks die tradisionele personeelbestuur filosofie en praktyke en verander net as hulle gedwing word deur eksterne faktore soos byvoorbeeld erg mededinging (veral van oorsee) en wetgewing. 'n Groeiende minderheid van organisasies wat insluit meesal die kleiner en jonger garde en wat veral in die nuwer en meer onstuimige sektors soos informasie tegnologie gevind word, neig om meer proaktief te wees. Hulle neig ook om 'n meer geintegreerde mensebestuur stelsel te hê met minder vlakke en met volop energie. Dit is veral opvallend wanneer die leierskap nog jonk is en heelhartiglik deelneem in die organisasie. As gevolg van hul soepelheid en hul reponsiewiteit en vatbaarheid vir die globale ekonomiese orde sal hulle heel moontlik die voortou neem met nuwe en hopelik progressiewe mensebestuur praktyke. Die Marglen model het sy self bewys met die inligting wat ontgun was en met die bevordering van 'n stelselmatige nadering van problem oplossing. Met die nodige aanpassings sal die model 'n selfs meer kragtige middel vir alle bestuurders wees, nie net vir personeel bestuurders nie.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The trend towards globalisation and its role in fomenting hyper-competition practices have brought new forms of workforce development and management strategies to the fore. As such, business coaching as a recent addition to the workforce development interventions has moved into the strategy arena. However, as pointed out in various texts (Cavanagh, 2006; Stout-Rostron, 2009a; Chapman, 2010; Peltier, 2010; Rosinski, 2010; Kahn, 2011; Wildflower and Brennan, 2011), business coaching like most other multi-dimensional interventions is complex. This complexity in part stems from the need to align the organisation’s business coaching needs with the needs of the coachee (Stout-Rostron, 2009a). Added to this is the influence of the coachee’s sense of readiness as well as the impact of the three-way coaching relationship to the outcomes of business coaching. This means that, while a business coaching model can contribute to the basket of workforce development interventions, it is possible that the appropriate application of this model will be contingent on the circumstances of particular organisations. Against this background, the aim of this study was to explore how contextual factors influence the appropriate application of business coaching. Towards this end, the study placed the contextual focus at Engen Petroleum Limited and the findings revealed six factors, which can influence the appropriate application of business coaching along the three dimensions of: i) aligning the organisation’s business coaching needs with the needs of the coachee; ii) readiness for coaching; and iii) the coaching relationship. Two of the six factors, namely clarity on expected outcomes as well as programme structure and support can influence the alignment of the organisation’s business coaching needs with the needs of the coachee. Two other factors, namely knowledge about the coaching programme and the level of self-awareness can influence the coachee’s sense of readiness for coaching. The last two factors relating to choice of coach and contract as well as confidentiality and progress reporting, can influence the coaching relationship dimension of business coaching. These findings have implications for coaching research and organisational practice - in particular, at Engen. Thus, to leverage the benefits of business coaching, the researcher developed and recommends ‘The Business Coaching Cycle’ (see Figure 6.1) as a framework for Engen and other organisations to consider when seeking to appropriately apply business coaching as a people development strategy. The five components of ‘The business coaching cycle’ include alignment of the organisation’s business coaching needs with the needs of the coachee; ensuring coaching readiness; formalising the coaching relationship; adhering to the coachee’s confidentiality needs when reporting on progress and organisational support for referral of the coachee to an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) or a training intervention when necessary. In terms of contribution to the coaching research, the study raised one possibility for further research, namely: ‘Exploring the readiness of the work environment for the coachee’s behavioural change after a business coaching intervention’.

published_or_final_version / Business / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

The Zone of Tolerance is a concept which describes the latitude of control that a community gives to its professional educators. Current research which attempts to delineate this zone indicates that community control of a district will vary, but is predictable when variables are arranged to meet certain criteria. Specifically, William Boyd (1976) concluded in a summary of the research that in large heterogeneous urban districts professional interests will dominate in routine internal issues such as personnel. This study used multiple qualitative methods to examine Boyd's contention by analyzing the hiring of successful principal candidates in a large heterogeneous school district. Interviews were conducted with principals selected by questionnaires and hired in the district during the period of time from 1975 to 1985. Corresponding data about school district events for the period were also collected from newspapers and other public archives. In addition, principals' perceptions of legitimacy affected by changes in influence on the hiring process were gathered. Data were then reduced, categorized and analyzed on the basis of shifting patterns of community and professional dominance. Results indicated that an increase in minority rights issues and the community's changing demographics shifted control of the hiring process from the school professionals to a newly elected school board more representative of community interests. Principals' perceptions of legitimacy affected by the changing patterns of dominance were varied and inconclusive, however the shift in control over personnel decisions regarding the hiring of principals was conclusive and contradicted Boyd's contention.

Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) is a set of constructs, principles, and tools aimed at continually improving organizational processes. While thousands of organizations worldwide have adopted CQI, there are still many gaps in our knowledge of how to get the most out of CQI efforts. This paper addresses several of these gaps, including the limitations of existing CQI theory and the inconsistencies regarding the implementation of CQI at team and departmental levels. After discussing the basic principles of CQI, a framework for understanding and utilizing CQI is offered. Then, the results of 102 interviews, conducted with team leaders and department heads in a large hospital in the Southwestern United States, are presented. These results suggest that CQI team effectiveness is most influenced by goal specificity, team composition, and team leader training in statistical process control (SPC). Other factors, including team leader attitude toward CQI and team CQI skills, were also related to CQI team effectiveness. Departmental results were less clear. Only department head attitude toward CQI was significantly correlated with departmental CQI implementation. Potential meanings and implications of these findings are discussed, suggestions for implementing CQI in teams and departments are offered, and directions for future research are provided.