Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Education (Management), Technikon Natal, 2002. / The writer's observation of staff at selected secondary schools in the Phoenix Central Region has indicated that serious problems exist at these schools. The problems identified relate to teachers' lack of commitment, motivation, trust and the presence of interpersonal conflict among them. These observations have been found to be similar to the findings of other researchers and numerous articles that have appeared in the media also confirm the existence of similar problems in other schools in South Africa. The problems mentioned above have had a negative impact on the effectiveness of these schools in achieving their goals. The writer believes that these problems can be connected to a lack of effective leadership on the part of principals in these schools. In this study the writer reviewed the relevant literature in order to identify strategies that principals could use to overcome the problems outlined above. To isolate and address the root causes of the problems, the writer found it necessary to clarify and distinguish between the key concepts of 'leadership' and 'management'. Thereafter, the writer discussed some important skills and qualities he believes are necessary for effective leadership. / M

M.. Tech. (Human Resource Management, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology / In today’s globally competitive and modern environments, organisational plans often fail due to the lack of succession planning. However, numerous organisations often fail to prepare for the inevitable departure of employees, especially in strategically high-level positions. Succession planning is a means of identifying critical management positions starting at lower level management and extending up to the highest position in an organisation. Unlike workforce planning, succession planning focuses more on advancing the employees’ skills in order to achieve the organisational objectives. There is no organisation that can exist forever in its present composition as there must be some form of succession or else the organisation will become obsolete. Succession planning plays an imperative role in today‘s competitive world. There are many factors that influence the stability of an organisational workforce, among which are illness and attrition. Another essential factor, which has taken the world by storm, is the retirement of the baby boomer generation in both in the private and the public sector. This is presenting a challenge within organisations, as they are going to lose talented and experienced employees and makes succession planning more needed more than ever before. Succession planning is an ongoing process that assists the organisation to align its goals with its workforce, as well as preserving the best talent for the future. It makes the organisation ready to face the challenges presented by the vacant key and critical positions. Succession planning is one of those human resource planning strategies utilised to forecast the talent demand that the organisation will require for achieving its future goals. The main purpose of this study was to examine the succession planning current practices and internal succession barriers, and determine their relationship with intentions to leave within the public service of a developing country. The research methodology used to conduct the study is a combination of a literature review and an empirical study. The probability sampling technique, which involves using simple random sampling, was utilised to select the sample for the study. The primary data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The measuringinstrument contained 25 items. The instrument was pilot-tested with 87 respondents one month prior to the main survey. The questionnaire was hand delivered to all the participants. For the main survey, data from 250 respondents were collected and analysed. Participants in the study involve officers, managers and directors in the public service of a developing country. Data were analysed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of the various sections of the measuring instrument were computed to establish construct validity. Content validity of the scale was ascertained by pre-testing the questionnaire with employees in the public service. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted for variables in Section B of the research instrument. Convergent validity was assessed through correlation analysis using Pearson’s correlation coefficient in order to establish relationships between succession planning current practices and intentions to leave, as well as between internal succession barriers and intentions to leave the public service. Analysis was done using descriptive statistics on the demographics information of respondents. The results were also interpreted through the exploratory factor analysis, correlation and regression analysis. The results showed that two major factors of succession planning, namely replacement planning and grooming, correlate negatively with intentions to leave. The internal succession barriers also have a negative correlation with intentions to leave. Subsequent to these findings, it is recommended that the public service implement succession planning appropriately and eliminate the barriers thereof in order to retain its workforce. Based on the findings emanating from the empirical survey it was revealed that if succession planning is implemented appropriately and factors such as replacement planning and grooming are taken into consideration, employees holding key positions may be likely to be retained. Therefore, it was recommended that prior to undertaking succession planning a mission, vision and values that accommodate the contributions of employees should be developed. It was recommended also that when implementing succession planning, clear, transparent and objective criteria should be followed to achieve the optimal results. It is further recommended that the following succession planning best practices should be adopted by the public service to ensure that succession planning is implemented and practised successfully: Facilitation of an outside private consultant − for succession planning to be effective and rewarding in the public service it should be facilitated by an outside private consultant. Understanding of factors that influence succession planning − the public service should understand the necessity to know and address factors that influence willingness to share knowledge by employees. The study concludes by recommending that barriers that hinder succession planning should be avoided by adhering to the following suggestions: Longer terms of appointment should be provided for top public service employees Succession planning should be listed as one of the priorities in the public service strategic plan in order to be included in the budget Young vibrant and competent employees be motivated, groomed and prepared to apply for leadership or key positions in the public sector

Mini-dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Education, Technikon Natal, 2002. / South Africa has been undergoing political change and this has impacted on education. There have been major shifts in education policy, structures and curriculum. Stakeholders in education and teachers, in particular, have had to cope with this new reality. As a result of the changes in education, teachers have been confronted with a variety of problems such as fewer resources, an increase in working hours and having to perform numerous administrative and fund-raising tasks. New school management structures have been established, class sizes have been altered and Outcomes-based Education has been introduced. Poor working conditions, increased workload, role conflict and ambiguity, the threat of redundancy and re-deployment, time pressures and pupil problems are additional stressors that teachers find themselves exposed to at school. These are but some of the stressors that have contributed towards teachers experiencing stress at school and which have impacted negatively on their work performance. However, at both the Education Department level as well as at school level, very little appears to be done to address the problem of teacher stress despite the negative impact that teacher stress has on the work performance of teachers. In order for schools to function efficiently and effectively, school management authorities will have to devise appropriate strategies to manage teacher stress. This study is confined to those aspects of teacher stress that impact negatively on teacher performance and that are within the scope of the principal's responsibilities at school. It Page vii investigates whether teacher stress is a management issue by examining its impact on the work performance of teachers at school, identifies school-based and school-related stressors and presents a set of recommendations that can be used by school principals to manage teacher stress in secondary schools. The findings of this study are also compared with the / M

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirement for Doctor of Philosophy in Management Sciences, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2016. / The aim of this study was the development of an Exploratory Framework of Human Capital linked to Intellectual Capital and Knowledge Management for the Durban University of Technology as a case study. The main problem revolved around the lack of an integrated road map for the identification, management and operationalisation of an integrated framework for the Durban University of Technology (DUT) in the UoT Sector, focusing on Human Capital capabilities, Intellectual Capital and Knowledge Management, which emphasised the need for this study. The three main objectives of the study were to investigate the importance and contribution of Human Capital at the DUT operating in a highly dynamic Knowledge-based Economy, to formulate strategies for the Institution to meet its Human Capital demands in the competitive Knowledge-based Economy and to develop an Exploratory Framework of Human Capital linked to Intellectual Capital and Knowledge Management for the Durban University of Technology. The research design adopted was the quantitative paradigm with a pre-coded structured close ended questionnaire comprising the 5 Point Likert Scale that was used to administer the instrument to the selected sample respondents. The questionnaire comprised of 5 Sections, each under a specific main theme related to the research topic. The target population comprised of 1874 employees at the Durban University of Technology. A computerised tool called the Excel Functionality Program was used to generate the random numbers for the sample selection for each group. The sample of 320 employees was selected using simple random sampling without replacement for both the Administrative and Academic staff members at the DUT. A total of 280 questionnaires were returned by the sample respondents. However, 8 questionnaires were discarded as they were incomplete and the final questionnaire returns equated to n = 272, namely, (118 questionnaires from the Academic Staff grouping and 154 questionnaires from the Administrative Staff). This represented a high response rate of 85% which was largely attributed to the researcher using the personal method of data collection. After the study was completed, the researcher solicited the services of a Senior Librarian to run the TURNITIN Program to test the entire thesis for plagiarism which proved useful. In the main, the analysis of the data involved the use of robust non-parametric tests for the empirical analyses using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 for Windows. A variety of non-parametric tests were also used to test some 71 hypotheses formulated for the various sections and components of the study as well the tenability of the Exploratory Framework (Figure 4.1) developed. Some significant findings emerged from the comprehensive statistical analyses which were also corroborated by national and international studies conducted by various researchers who also showed their concordance or discordance with the current findings and were referenced accordingly. It should be noted that the recommendations cannot be generalised to other UoTs in the HE Sector, as this was an in-house investigation involving the DUT as a case study. The main empirical findings of the study, inter alia, included the following: The value of integrating Intellectual Capital and Knowledge Management into strategic planning at the DUT, the importance of developing an operationalised Human Capital Scorecard to address the different functions of the Academic and Administrative groups respectively at the DUT and a strong emphasis and role of Strategic Human Resource Management at the DUT. Thus, the Exploratory Framework developed as a model for the DUT within the UoT Sector concomitant with the outcomes and recommendations of the study may prove beneficial for future goal oriented strategies by top management of DUT. The study concludes with suggestions for further research in this emerging field of endeavour. / D

Thesis (M.B.A.)-Business Studies Unit, Durban Institute of Technology, 2005 xix, 147 leaves / There is a lack of commitment and participation in productivity initiatives at shop floor level in South Africa and companies are faced with competitive challenges of promoting innovativeness relating to productivity improvement amongst employees. South Africa’s labour productivity in the manufacturing sector is low when compared to Korea, United States of America, Taiwan, Japan, France and the United Kingdom. It has increasingly been recognised in industry that by introducing a carefully crafted incentive scheme, it may be possible to induce South African workers to work both harder and smarter and use existing technologies in new and better ways that enhance their productivity. The study proposes to evaluate to what extent gainsharing can be a solution. / M

Thesis (M. Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2001 / Refer to ducument

Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2002 / Refer to document

Thesis (MPA. (Industrial Psychology)) --University of Limpopo, 2010 / In recent years, the South African government has put a lot of energy into the transformation of public sector departments. Effective leadership is a prerequisite in any effort to transform an organization. However, research findings indicate that there is a critical need to develop and train managers in the public sector to deal with numerous challenges in a fast changing world. They do not only need technical competencies but also soft skills to manage interpersonal relationships. This means that the public sector in South Africa needs to develop its leaders effectiveness in dealing with the human side of enterprises. Research in the first world countries on effective leadership behaviour has indicated the following: Firstly, leaders with high levels of emotional competence are more effective in interpersonal situations than those with low levels of emotional competence. Secondly, transformational leadership behaviour has a significant positive relationship with a leader s emotional competence. Lastly, a leader s conflict handling style is associated with his/her effectiveness as a leader. The purpose of the present study was to explore the relationship between managers transformational leadership style effectiveness, their level of emotional competence (emotional expression and constructive discontent) and their conflict management skills within the public sector in South Africa. A survey design was employed to collect data. Questionnaires were completed by 126 managers in a public sector department in the Limpopo Province. The questionnaires included items to assess transformational leadership, emotional competence and conflict management skills, and also to siphon demographic information of the managers. Frequencies for demographic information were computed, as well as correlations for transformational leadership, emotional competencies and conflict management styles in order to test out hypotheses about the relationship between the variables of interest.Findings indicated that the majority of the respondents were Black males under the age group of 41-50, on job levels 11-12, with managerial experience of 1-5 years. The main findings of the study showed the following: (a) There is a very weak,significant positive relationship between transformational leadership and emotional expression, and a negative relationship between transformational leadership style and constructive discontent; (b) There is a relatively weak but significant positive relationship between the transformational leadership style and the constrictive conflict management skills (collaborating and compromising interpersonal conflict management styles); (c) There is a weak but significant negative relationship between the compromising interpersonal conflict management style and emotional expression, and a very weak, non-significant negative relationship between collaboration interpersonal conflict management style and emotional expression; and (d) There is a weak but significant negative relationship between the compromising interpersonal conflict management style and constructive discontent, but a very weak non-significant negative relationship between collaboration interpersonal conflict management style and constructive discontent. These findings led the researcher to believe that the respondents are neither transformational leaders nor emotionally competent, and thus could not either compromise or collaborate with others when they are in an interpersonal conflict situation. It is recommended that managers should be trained to develop their leadership, as well as emotional and conflict management competencies. Even though small sample size was used in this study, there results will be generalized to the whole South African population of public service managers. Further research study with different research methodology is recommended within other public sector departments and provinces within the country.

The Human Resources department, through the policies and practices that it develops, stands as a steering function for the rest of the organisation. Human Resource policies and practices, dealing with issues that most often directly affect every employee, set out the guidelines which govern the behaviour, thinking and action of all members of the organisation. The extensive influence of these policies, therefore, make it an interesting subject of research to explore the process that is conducted to develop these policies, the individuals involved and the personal impact of practitioners from the Human Resource department who are often the leaders of this policy development process. Through face to face interviews, coupled with short, factual questionnaires, subjects from information-rich organisations were questioned regarding the nature of their policy development process and the role that individual Human Resource practitioners play in this process. It has been determined through the results of the study that Human Resource practitioners primarily influence the development of policies, with some input from management and very little, if any, participation by employees. Essentially, these practitioners draw up the policies themselves and suggestions are then given and the policies ratified by top management before being implemented in the organisation. In most cases, no involvement of employees is permitted although in some instances, partial participation through representatives is allowed. The theoretical basis of the study rests primarily on systems theory which identifies how changes in one part of the organisation system, such as Human Resource policies and practices, has an effect on every other part of the system, in other words, every employee. This is important when considering that only a small group of individuals, and primarily one Human Resource practitioner, develop policies that affect an entire organisation. The competing values approach also impacts on the study here where it must be identified that the values of one, or a group, of individuals should not dominate an entire organisation where individuals are guided by different values and goals. The research addresses this issue by examining the impact that the personal values, beliefs and opinions of the Human Resource practitioner, who predominantly has the main influence on the process, has on the policies developed. The study reveals that when developing policies, practitioners are in fact guided by a balance between their personal values and the values and beliefs of the organisation. This means that they try to remain neutral in the process, not allowing either their personal values or those of the organisation to dominate the policies. This means that practitioners do not allow their own personal values and opinions to guide the way they influence the process and develop policies which affect the entire organisation. This study, therefore, is an exploration aimed at the discovery of the current practices that dominate South African organisations, with the focus on the Durban region, concerning Human Resource policy development. The study then extends beyond the South African borders to consider the first world situation in the United Kingdom, allowing a comparison between the first world and South African third world policy development process. This allows an opportunity to identify where the first world and third world differ regarding this process and whether there may be anything that can be learnt from the United Kingdom which could be adapted to the South African situation. The results of the study reveal, however, that although differences could be identified, these were neither suitable nor viable to be transferred to the South African situation. Therefore, through the use of current literature, past research and the exploratory interviews, this study has gathered a picture of how the process of Human Resource policy development functions in South African organisations today. Although the focus has been on the Durban region, the results can be generalised, both between industries and nationally. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.

Thesis (M.B.A.)-Business Studies Unit, Durban Institute of Technology, 2005 xix, 147 leaves / There is a lack of commitment and participation in productivity initiatives at shop floor level in South Africa and companies are faced with competitive challenges of promoting innovativeness relating to productivity improvement amongst employees. South Africa’s labour productivity in the manufacturing sector is low when compared to Korea, United States of America, Taiwan, Japan, France and the United Kingdom. It has increasingly been recognised in industry that by introducing a carefully crafted incentive scheme, it may be possible to induce South African workers to work both harder and smarter and use existing technologies in new and better ways that enhance their productivity. The study proposes to evaluate to what extent gainsharing can be a solution.