Industrial Psychology (IP) has a major impact on millions of workers and thousands of organisations and is given increasing reign in deciding and influencing human affairs within the organisation, thereby playing an important role in society. The field of IP however has been used to uphold the status quo, showing a preference for management over workers. There is also a lack of self-reflexivity, and a failure to address ideology and power relations and the methodological assumptions underlying research and practice. This research project aims to address these problems through the analysis of research articles on a contemporary topic, namely, quality of work life. The aim is to find out whether published research on quality of work life reflects a managerialist ideology in both its’ latent and manifest content. A review of previous research and a theoretical and conceptual background is presented. Critical discourse analysis was used to analyse research articles. It was found that research articles draw on an HRM discourse and uphold power relations and dominant ideologies. There exists within published research and in all likelihood, social practice, the dominance of a managerial perspective and the presence of a managerial ideology. Critical perspectives tend to be marginalised. It is necessary that the critical perspective be brought more into the mainstream, and for industrial/organisational psychologists to challenge the status quo. Points for discussion and recommendations are presented. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010

M.A. / Literature studies have shown that the organization, as well as the individual in the organization is directly affected by violence. The reasons and characteristics of violence have an emotional impact on the employee, and requires of him to work through the impact of incidents in his own time. The result of this process is delayed psychological growth, less creativity which eventually has an impact on productivity. Workmotivation is the force behind reaching goals individually as well as for the organization. External factors which includes violence, have an influence on the employee's ability to feel satisfied in his work situation. The goal of this research study is to determine if Eskom employees that were exposed to incidents of violence have a workmotivation profile that can be identified. A sample was selected with available statistics in Eskom, as well as the snowball method. The sample included 220 respondents. The respondents completed a unstuctured questionnaire, where they had to identify incidents in their work situation that made them feel good / happy, and incidents that made them feel bad / unhappy. The questionnaire was developed by Frederick Herzberg (1968) as part of his motivation hygiene theory where factors of worksatisfaction and rkdissatisfaction were identified. The results were computerized, and quantified by means of descriptive statistics. A workmotivation profile was constructed from the data. The study confirmed that a workmotivation profile of employees that have been subjected to incidents of violence can be identified. Determinants of worksatisfaction and work dissatisfaction were identified as responsibility, supervision, content of work, recognition, promotion, circumstances at work, personal circumstances and violence. On this profile violence received the highest percentage as a determinant of workdissatisfaction.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The present study sought to examine the impact of technology in permeating the boundaries between individuals’ work and family domains, testing and extending the current theoretical model of boundary management. The first goal, to explore predictors of the boundary management styles (BMS) people use with respect to communication technology (CT), was accomplished by demonstrating that three factors predicted BMS for CT use: preferences for integration, identity centrality, and work/family norms. The second goal, to examine outcomes that could result from varying CT use boundary management styles, was also supported in that BMS for CT use was a predictor of work-family conflict and enrichment. However, one key component of the model was not supported in that perceived control over BMS did not moderate the relationship between BMS and outcomes. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed, as well as suggestions for future research on boundary theory and CT use. By exploring tangible boundary management behaviors, the present study offers interesting implications that could ultimately assist organizations in developing policies regarding CT use both at home and at work.