Thesis (MComm)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between burnout, emotional labour (EL) and emotional intelligence (EI) in the call centre industry and to determine whether EI played a moderating role in the relationship between EL and burnout. A nonexperimental research design (i.e. exploratory survey study) was used to explore the relationships between the three constructs. The constructs were defined as follows: burnout, as a syndrome consisting of three negative response patterns which include: emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and diminished personal accomplishment (Maslach, Jackson & Leiter, 1996); EI, as the capacity to effectively perceive, express, understand and manage emotions in a professional and effective manner at work (Palmer & Stough, 2001); and EL, as the process where employees regulate their emotional display in an attempt to meet organisationally-based expectations specific to their roles (Brotheridge & Lee, 2003). A convenience sample of 250 employees was drawn from two inbound customer care call centres of a leading South African telecommunications company that was approached to participate in the research. The Maslach Burnout Inventory – General Survey (Maslach et al., 1996), the Emotional Labour Scale (Brotheridge & Lee, 2003) and the Swinburne University Emotional Intelligence Test (Palmer & Stough, 2001) were administered. Two hundred and ten (210) respondents completed and returned the questionnaires. The results showed that surface acting (a dimension of EL) was positively related to and predicted emotional exhaustion (i.e. increased burnout). Conversely, deep acting (a dimension of EL) was related to an increase in personal accomplishment scores (i.e. decreased burnout). As hypothesised, EI was found to relate negatively to surface acting and positively to deep acting and emerged as a strong predictor of deep acting, explaining 20% of the variance in deep acing scores. These results revealed that those individuals higher in EI were more likely to engage more often in deep acting techniques, which could likely influence their levels of burnout. Furthermore, EI was related to an increase in personal accomplishment (i.e. decreased burnout) and emotional management (a dimension of EI) emerged as the strongest predictor of increased personal accomplishment. Whilst EI did not emerge as a moderator in the relationship between EL and burnout, support was found for the value of developing EI interventions that foster deep acting techniques in the call centre environment. Tenure (length of service) was found to be positively related to emotional exhaustion and negatively related to deep acting, indicating that the implementation of EI interventions in call centres should not be restricted to the induction phase of an employee’s career but continue throughout their working lives. The limitations of the study and recommendations for future research were discussed. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie was om die verwantskap tussen uitbranding, emosionele arbeid (EA) en emosionele intelligensie (EI) in die inbelsentrum bedryf te ondersoek en om te bepaal of EI ‘n modererende effek op die EA en uitbranding verwantskap het. Daar is gebruik gemaak van ‘n nie-eksperimentele navorsingsontwerp (nl. ‘n verkennende opnamestudie) ten einde die verband tussen die drie konstrukte en hul sub-dimensies te ondersoek. Die konstrukte is soos volg gedefinieer: uitbranding, as ‘n sindroom bestaande uit drie negatiewe respons komponente: emosionele uitputting, depersonalisasie en verminderde gevoel van persoonlike bekwaamheid (Maslach, Jackson & Leiter, 1996); EI, as die individu se kapasiteit om emosies binne die werksomgewing effektief waar te neem, uit te druk, te verstaan en op ‘n professionele en effektiewe wyse te bestuur (Palmer & Stough, 2001); en EA, as die proses waardeur werknemers hulle eksterne, sigbare emosies reguleer in ‘n poging om aan die verwagte vertoon reëls van hul organisasie (spesifiek tot hulle werksrol) te voldoen (Brotheridge & Lee, 2003). ‘n Gerieflikheidsteekproef van 250 werknemers verbonde aan twee inbelkliëntedienssentrums van ‘n toonaangewende Suid Afrikaanse telekommunikasie maatskappy was genader om aan die navorsing deel te neem. Die respondente het drie vraelyste voltooi: die Maslach Uitbrandingsvraelys – Algemene Opname (Maslach Burnout Inventory – General Survey) (Maslach et al., 1996); die Emosionele Arbeid Skaal (Emotional Labour Scale) (Brotheridge & Lee, 2003); en die Swinburne Universiteit Emosionele Intelligensie Toets (Swinburne University Emotional Intelligence Test) (Palmer & Stough, 2001). Twee honderd en tien (210) respondente het die vraelyste voltooi en terugbesorg aan die navorser. Die bevindinge toon dat oppervlakkige toneelspel (“surface acting”) (‘n dimensie van EA) ‘n positiewe verwantskap het met emosionele uitputting, asook om dit te voorspel (nl. vermeerderde uitbranding). Omgekeerd, was diep toneelspel (“deep acting”) (‘n dimensie van EA) verwant aan ‘n vermeerdering in persoonlike bekwaamheid (nl. verminderde uitbranding). EI het ‘n negatiewe verwantskap met oppervlakkige toneelspel maar ‘n positiewe verwantskap met diep toneelspel getoon, en het 20% van die variansie in diep toneelspel voorspel. Die resultate wys daarop dat mense met hoër EI meer waarskynlik diep toneelspel tegnieke sal gebruik, wat uitbranding vlakke sal beinvloed. Verder was EI verwant aan ‘n vermeerdering in persoonlike bekwaamheid (nl. verminderde uitbranding). Emosionele bestuur (‘n dimensie van EI) het die grootste variansie in persoonlike bekwaamheid voorspel. Die resultate toon dat EI nie ‘n moderator in die verwantskap tusseen EA en uitbranding is nie. Ondanks hierdie bevinding, was daar genoeg bewyse gevind vir die waarde van die ontwikkeling van EI intervensies (wat diep toneelspel tegnieke bevorder) in die inbelsentrum bedryf. Dienstyd was positief verwant aan emosionele uitputting en negatief verwant aan diep toneelspel. Die resultate bewys dat EI intervensies in inbelsentrums nie net in die begin van ‘n werknemer se loopbaan geïmplementeer moet word nie, maar deur die hele loopbaan moet voortduur. Die beperkinge van die studie en voorstelle vir toekomstige navorsing is bespreek.

Thesis (MComm (Industrial Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study was rooted in the emerging positive psychology paradigm of a positive approach to organisational behaviour. The assumption of this study was that certain variables influence work engagement, and it was therefore important to gain an understanding of these antecedents of work engagement. The aim of the study was to investigate the respective relationships that exist between the positive organisational psychological constructs, namely authentic leadership, optimism, self-efficacy and the influence of these variables on work engagement. A study to obtain more clarity about these aspects was therefore planned and executed. Based on the literature, a model depicting a sequential process of interrelationships amongst the constructs was proposed in the study. Both survey and statistical modeling methodologies were employed to guide the investigation. In order to conduct this survey research, an electronic web-based questionnaire was used as the method of data gathering. The questionnaire was programmed and posted for a period of three weeks on the portal of the company where the survey was conducted. A total of 781 e-questionnaires were sent out to the employees working in the particular organisation (a large liquor producing company). A total of 407 (n=407) respondents who work in this company and participated in the study completed four questionnaires – comprising of one composite questionnaire they had to respond to electronically. The four questionnaires constituting the composite questionnaire to obtain the responses from the 407 employees, were the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ), Life Orientation Test Revised (LOT-R), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to evaluate the proposed theoretical structure of each of the constructs. Exploratory factor analysis was only conducted to investigate the reasons where a poor fit was obtained from the confirmatory factor analysis. The results of a Pearson correlation analysis, stepwise multiple regression analysis, and the soft approach to structural equation modeling (SEM), indicated significant relationships between authentic leadership and work engagement, authentic leadership and optimism, optimism and self-efficacy, and self-efficacy and work engagement. Relationships between the constructs authentic leadership and self-efficacy, and optimism and work engagement, were found to be not significant. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die huidige studie is gebaseer op die nuwe positiewe sielkunde paradigma, meer spesifiek positiewe organisasiegedrag. Die aanname van die studie was dat sekere veranderlikes werkstoewyding be nvloed. Dit was dus belangrik om insig te verwerf rakende die invloed van sekere voorspellers van werkstoewyding. Die huidige studie het ten doel gehad om die verwantskappe tussen veranderlikes binne positiewe organisasiegedrag, naamlik outentieke leierskap, optimisme, selfbekwaamheid, en die invloed van hierdie veranderlikes op werkstoewyding te ondersoek. ‘n Studie om meer duidelikheid oor hierdie aspekte te verkry is dus beplan en uitgevoer. Op grond van die literatuur is ‘n model voorgestel wat ‘n logiese en opeenvolgende volgorde daarstel van hoe die verskillende konstrukte aan mekaar verwant is. Sowel opname- asook statistiese modelleringsmetodiek is in hierdie studie gebruik. Data vir hierdie opnamenavorsing is versamel deur middel van ‘n elektroniese webgebaseerde-vraelys. Die vraelys is geprogrammeer en vir ‘n tydperk van drie weke op die portaal van die organisasie geplaas waar die opname gedoen is. ‘n Totaal van 781 evraelyste is uitgestuur na die werknemers wat in hierdie spesifieke organisasie werk (‘n groot drankvervaardigingsmaatskappy). ‘n Totaal van 407 (n=407) respondente wat in die betrokke organisasie werk en aan hierdie studie deelgeneem het, moes vier vraelyste – wat deel uitgemaak het van een saamgestelde vraelys – elektronies voltooi. Die vier vraelyste wat deel uitgemaak het van die saamgestelde vraelys en gedien het om die 407 werknemers se menings mee te verkry, het bestaan uit die Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ), Life Orientation Test Revised (LOT-R), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), en die Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). Bevestigende faktorontleding was gebruik om die onderliggende teoretiese struktuur van al die konstrukte te evalueer. Waar ‘n swak passing verkry was gedurende bevestigende faktorontleding, is verkennende faktorontleding gebruik om die oorsaak te identifiseer. Die resultate van die Pearson-korrelasie analise, stapsgewyse meervoudige regressie analise, en die sagte benadering tot struktuurvergelykings-modellering (SVM), het aangedui dat daar beduidende verwantskappe tussen outentieke leierskap en werkstoewyding, outentieke leierkap en optimisme, optimisme en selfbekwaamheid, en selfbekwaamheid en werkstoewyding bestaan.

Thesis (MA (Industrial Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / When examining the diversity of South Africa’s workforce, the question arises, how can organisations and their leaders facilitate a better integration of this diverse workforce into effective teams? This thesis approaches this question in three different ways. Firstly, the African value system Ubuntu is examined, with a special focus on its core social values, which are: survival, solidarity spirit, compassion and respect/dignity as outlined in Mbigi’s collective finger’s theory. Secondly, the characteristics of team effectiveness such as knowledge, skills and abilities (K.S.A’s), cohesion, shared vision and mutual trust are focused on in order to provide an understanding of the functioning of teams. Thirdly, the positive impacts of the social values of Ubuntu on specific characteristics of team effectiveness are explained and the concept of values-based leadership as one possible approach to implement these values is presented. This thesis is based on research, which is qualitative in nature and uses the grounded theory method. In this study, 14 participants were asked to respond to open-ended questions on their opinion about what constitutes a good team and how they experienced Ubuntu in their work teams as well as communities. The interviews were analysed using the methods prescribed by the grounded theory. The canons of the grounded theory method enabled the researcher to generate a theory and to develop a model which explains how the social values of Ubuntu can have a positive impact on the characteristics of team effectiveness.

Thesis (MComm (Industrial Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2008. / The introduction of a multidimensional approach towards peace missions in complex emergencies emphasises the importance of coordination between the military and the humanitarian components at all levels of interaction. Cooperation and coordination between the military and humanitarian components are critical in achieving a common goal to alleviate suffering and save lives. The challenge is how to develop, enhance and sustain an effective working relationship to overcome the conflicting views on coordination from the military and humanitarian perspectives. Humanitarians fear the loss of independence and neutrality when associated with the military. The military tend to undermine humanitarians role and functions in becoming directly involved in humanitarian action. During selection, the military needs to identify members who firstly conform to the generic psychological peacekeeping profile and who secondly, portray the skills, knowledge and abilities to perform the coordination function between the military and the humanitarian component. The challenge remains to select competent military members in the absence of a psychological profile for the coordination function. Through this research, the psychological profile for a Civil Military Coordination Officer is defined. In the theoretical discussion, the importance of coordination is emphasised through analyses of the challenges, roles, functions and behaviours associated with Civil Military Coordination Officers in multidimensional peace missions. The theoretical foundation and primary data from field research are integrated in a competency model for Civil Military Coordination Officers. The results of this research are presented as a model of provisional selection criteria for Civil Military Coordination Officers.

Thesis (MA (Industrial Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / Several years of research have been dedicated to investigating the question of why intelligent and experienced leaders are not always successful in spite of having high levels of cognitive intelligence (IQ) and the suitable personality traits. Emotional Intelligence (EI) gained considerable popularity from the notion that it may underlie various aspects of workplace performance that could not be accounted for by IQ or personality and that it could be developed in promising individuals. Adjunct to this, the field of Positive Organisational Scholarship underscored the importance of cultivating positive emotions in individual organizational members and others, not just as end-states in themselves, but also as a means to achieving individual and organizational transformation; and hence optimal functioning over time. The Swinburne University Emotional Intelligence Test (SUEIT) is one of numerous models and measures of EI that have consequently been developed. The development of this measure was aimed at providing an assessment of the most definitive dimensions of the construct by incorporating six of the predominant models and measures into the development of EI to provide an assessment of the most definitive dimensions of the construct. The current study was aimed at addressing the need for evidence in support of a self-report EI measures’ utility to predict e.g. effective organizational leadership over and above other established constructs. Specifically the study aimed to provide support for the utility of the SUEIT to predict variance in leadership competence indicated by Assessment Centre (AC) technology results, not accounted for by other psychometric tools, namely the Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ32i), measuring personality. One of the biggest issues currently facing measures of EI is the discriminant validity from measures of personality. Research was necessary to add to the body of knowledge with regards to the relationship between EI and effective leadership, and to provide support for the incremental validity of an EI measure to predict effective leadership over and above other well-established models and measures. The theoretical arguments that underlie the rationale for this study are encapsulated in the conceptual claims made about EI and organizational leadership, the IQ-EI debate as it pertains to leadership and the relationship between EI and effective leadership (i.e. the discriminant, predictive and incremental validity of EI related to organizational leadership). The constructs of EI, personality and AC leadership competencies were operationalised through the SUEIT, OPQ32i and leadership AC technology, respectively. The sample consisted of 49 < N < 112 (variation in the sample size was due to varying amount of missing cases in the different analyses done) middle managers from a company in the life assurance industry in South Africa. OPQ32i and AC data was extracted from archival records and EI data was collected on a separate occasion by means of an online version of the SUEIT. A controlled inquiry of non-experimental kind was followed and correlational and multivariate data analysis procedures were employed, using the SPSS (version 12) statistical package. The data analysis was aimed at determining whether relationships exist between the participants’ scores on the different competencies as rated by means of the leadership AC technology and the dimensions measured by the psychometric instruments. It was also aimed towards finding evidence for the incremental validity of the SUEIT over the OPQ32i in predicting leadership competencies. The results demonstrated the existence of various relationships between EI (as measured by the SUEIT) and specific leadership competencies measured by the AC technology employed by the sponsoring organisation. Adjunct to this, partial evidence has been obtained in support of the predictive validity of EI as operationalised by the SUEIT. In several instances it was found that there are overlap in the measurement of the underlying latent constructs by the different personality and EI dimensions from which such results were inferred. In order to compare these findings (with regards to the overlap between EI and personality traits) with previous research, conceptual links were drawn with other EI and personality measures used (e.g. the Bar-On EQi and NEO-FFI). Expected conceptual and theoretical equivalence in the measurement of personality and EI were confirmed. However, evidence for the incremental validity of the SUEIT (and specifically different dimensions thereof) was still found for most of the leadership competencies. Based on the results it can be assumed that the SUEIT predicted scores on the examined leadership competencies when a measure of personality, namely the OPQ32i (already employed for this purpose) was controlled for. The results added to the understanding of what characteristics leaders in the sponsoring organization should possess to enable them and the organisation to be successful. The results provide preliminary evidence that the SUEIT could be useful to organizational decision makers, who need to select leaders that competently display leadership behaviours. It also provides preliminary evidence that EI and the SUEIT should be viewed as a useful construct and tool. The use of archival data introduced several limitations to the study and will be discussed with suggestions for future research.

Thesis (MA (Industrial Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / The impact of employee theft in organisations is far reaching and includes financial as well as non-financial costs. Nowhere is the reduction of theft more important than in financial institutions. Research has shown that the second best predictor of counterproductive behaviour such as employee theft was integrity. Integrity is a concept that has a long and contentious history. Being a difficult construct to define, it has been subject to much debate. From a business standpoint, there is now considerable interest in linking integrity to organisations as well as individual persons. Research has further shown that various personality dimensions are predictive of counterproductive behaviours such as theft. As such personality measures have been used increasingly as integrity tests to detect such behaviour. The purpose of this study is to examine the ability of the Occupational Personality Questionnaire 32 version i (OPQ 32i) to predict employee theft in a financial institution. Research has shown that individuals with lower levels of integrity are more likely to indulge in counterproductive behaviour which may be manifested in employee theft. Specific dimensions of the OPQ under study are conscientiousness, emotional control, achievement orientation, rule following and conventionality. In line with current research it was expected that these five personality dimensions would differentiate those individuals who commit theft in a financial institution from those who do not. A review of current literature is undertaken, focusing on the concept of integrity, the history and background of integrity testing, the classification of integrity tests, as well as the use of personality dimensions in assessing integrity. The review further includes a discussion of criticisms and controversies that surround the application of Integrity tests, recommendations for the application of integrity testing, employee theft as a criterion, and the impact of employee theft on organisations. This is followed by a discussion of theft as being a result of individual personality traits versus being a result of situational factors. Recommendations are also made to organisations on how to limit employee theft. Finally, the OPQ32i (Occupational Personality Questionnaire 32 Version i), as the choice of measurement tool is discussed, as are the psychometric properties and previous research conducted on the tool. The current study was an empirical one with a quantitative, concurrent validity approach. A sample of 116 individuals from a financial institution was divided into two mutually exclusive groups based on detected theft. 22 Employees had been dismissed due to theft (Group 2) and 94 were still employed (Group 1). General statistics were completed followed by a two-tailed independent-samples t-test and a measurement of effect sizes with a view to conduct a Canonical Discriminant Analysis. The results of the study suggest that the conscientiousness, emotional control, achievement orientation, rule following and conventionality dimensions of the OPQ32i were not able to differentiate those individuals who committed theft in the financial institution under study from those who did not commit theft. Thus, in the financial institution under study, the research conducted does not provide conclusive evidence for the OPQ32i as a good predictor of employee theft. This conclusion needs to be interpreted with care given the limitations of the research. The results are discussed with specific reference to response style of applicants, integrity as a construct, the impact of situational factors on employee theft and difficulty of theft as a criterion. Finally limitations and recommendations for future study are discussed.

Thesis (MA (Industrial Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between burnout, occupational stress and emotional intelligence (EI) in the nursing industry and to determine whether emotional intelligence is a moderator in the occupational stress and burnout relationship. The existence of these relationships was explored through a non-experimental controlled inquiry. The constructs were defined as follows: burnout, as a syndrome consisting of three components: Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalisation and a Reduced sense of Personal Accomplishment (Maslach & Jackson, 1986); EI, as the capacity to effectively perceive, express, understand and manage emotions in a professional and effective manner at work (Palmer & Stough, 2001); and Occupational Stress, as an interaction of variables, which involve the relationship between a person and the environment, which is appraised by the individual as taxing or exceeding coping resources and threatening well-being (Schlebusch, 1998). A sample of 220 individuals was randomly selected from a specialist employment agency (in the medical industry) and consisted of two groups, overtime and contract staff, which included those that are contracted to a private hospital group through the employment agency or alternatively, individuals who are permanently employed by the hospital group, but work additional overtime through the agency (contract workers and overtime workers). Three levels were included (1) Registered Nurses, (2) Enrolled Nurses and (3) Auxiliary Nurses. The Maslach Burnout Inventory – Human Services Survey, the Sources of Work Stress Inventory and Swinburne University Emotional Intelligence Test were administered. A hundred and twenty two (122) respondents completed and returned the questionnaires...

Thesis (MComm (Industrial Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / Females in academia remain concentrated in lower level positions, with limited and often no decision-making power. However, this is not only a South African phenomenon but it is also evident in the position of female academics in the United Kingdom, the United States and New Zealand. Within the South African context, higher education institutions are in a process of transformation and change in order to integrate with social transformation and change. Therefore, the Department of Education mandated certain higher education institutions to transform and merge, with implications for their human resource management. Universities are regarded as complex organisations and this complicates the management and leadership of such institutions. Moreover, South Africa has passed legislation (e.g. the Higher Education Act) that impacts its human resource management and the manner in which higher education institutions are transformed and managed. Higher education institutions employ the principles of corporate management and therefore the distinction between management and leadership is highlighted. Communication is discussed as a tool thereof and the differences of males and females in this regard are emphasised. The status of female academics in South Africa is discussed and the perceptions of female academics with regard to the dimensions used in the empirical inquiry are highlighted. The empirical inquiry gauged how females occupying academic positions at a South African distance education university perceived the management process of institutional transformation. The perceptions of female academics with regard to five dimensions: management and leadership; communication; diversity and employment equity; and transformation and change were gauged and compared to the perceptions of male academics and that of female professional/administrative personnel. It was found that female and male academics were relatively positive with only one significant difference: their perceptions of communication at the institution. There were also significant differences in the perceptions of white and of black female academics. Furthermore, when female academics were compared to female professional/administrative personnel, there were significant differences: female academics held generally more positive perceptions than those of female professional/administrative personnel. In addition, there was evidence of an ageing workforce.

Thesis (MA (Industrial Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / In most organisations worldwide, the magnitude of change is ever increasing. In the midst of these uncertainties, there is an increasing need for leaders who can provide structure, meaning and security within their teams. Dynamic and transformational leaders become a sought after jewel in organisations. Emotional intelligence has gained immense popularity in the last few years. Extravagant claims have been made regarding the impact of emotional intelligence on transformational leadership, as some researchers claim that emotional intelligence accounts for up to 90% of leadership success. The primary goal of this study was therefore to research the influence of emotional intelligence on leadership, and to develop a structural model to determine the relationships between the dimensions of emotional intelligence and transformational leadership. If the dimensions of the emotional intelligence construct that have a positive influence on leadership could be established, this would provide a valuable tool to organisations. Recruitment, selection, training and development procedures could be structured in a way that focuses on identifying and developing these dimensions of emotional intelligence in leaders. A literature study of the theories and models of transformational leadership and emotional intelligence was conducted. A short overview has also been given of “Primal Leadership” – discussing the emotional role of a leader as the first and foremost function of any leader. Hypotheses, based on the theoretical background, have subsequently been developed in order to establish the relationship between the dimensions of emotional intelligence and leadership.The sample in this study is compiled of 118 managers within a financial institution in the Western Cape. A questionnaire consisting of three sections was compiled to collect information in order to provide an answer to the research problem. Section A of the questionnaire was designed to give an overview of the demographic variables of the participants. Section B measured emotional intelligence by making use of the Rahim/Minors emotional intelligence questionnaire. Section C employed the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire by Bass & Avolio to measure transformational leadership. A detailed statistical analysis was conducted. Correlations between the constructs of emotional intelligence and transformational leadership were determined by means of Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients. Positive and significant correlations have been found for all hypotheses. Structural equation modelling (SEM) and the partial least squares (PLS) method were applied to test the hypothesised structural model. Although the model did not provide a good fit, most of the predicted hypotheses have been confirmed by the model. To investigate the unique contribution that each variable of interest makes to the dependent variable to which it is linked, standard multiple regression analyses have been performed on the data. A positive and significant relationship has been found between emotional intelligence and transformational leadership. Support has also been found for most of the hypotheses that have been developed in order to explain the relationship between the dimensions of emotional intelligence and the dimensions of transformational leadership. The study also succeeded in determining the emotional intelligence dimensions that are the best predictors of leadership success, and these criteria can be utilised for the selection, training and development of leaders. Conclusions are drawn from the results obtained, the implementation value of the study is discussed, and recommendations for future research are made.

Thesis (MComm (Industrial Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: It is well documented that intelligence (g, or general cognitive ability) is one of the best predictors of job and training performance (Ree, Earles & Teachout, 1994; Schmidt & Hunter, 1998). However, research evidence suggests that its predictive validity can be incremented by measures of personality and motivation. In this study, measures of general cognitive ability, training motivation and personality were administered to South African Army trainee soldiers (N = 108) to investigate the ability of the measures to predict training performance criteria. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to investigate the relationship between the predictor composites and two composites of training performance. Multiple correlations of .529 (p < .01) and .378 (p < .05) were obtained for general soldiering training proficiency and core technical training proficiency respectively. Findings reveal different prediction patterns for the two criteria, as general cognitive ability contributed to significantly predicting the criterion of general soldiering training performance, but not core technical training proficiency. Similarly, training motivation and openness to experience were not found to predict general soldiering training proficiency, but predicted core technical training proficiency. Therefore, the results indicate that the addition of motivation to a model already containing measures of general cognitive ability does add incremental validity; R2 increased from .051 to .109 (p < .05). Adding personality to a model already containing general cognitive ability and motivation also explains additional variance; R2 increased from .109 to .143, although this change was marginal (p = .055). Furthermore, evidence of interaction between intelligence and training motivation was found when predicting training performance, as motivation influenced performance only for individuals with lower intelligence scores. The implications of the results are discussed and areas for further research are highlighted. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Verskeie studies toon aan dat intelligensie (g, of algemene kognitiewe vermoë) een van die beste voorspellers is van prestasie ten opsigte van werk en opleiding (Ree, Earles & Teachout, 1994; Schmidt & Hunter, 1998). Navorsingsbewyse dui egter ook aan dat hierdie voorspellingsgeldigheid verhoog kan word deur die toevoeging van metings van persoonlikheid en motivering. In die huidige studie, is metings van algemene kognitiewe vermoë, opleidingsmotivering en persoonlikheid afgeneem op soldate onder opleiding in the Suid Afrikaanse Leër (N = 108). Die doel hiermee was om te bepaal tot watter mate hierdie metings saam opleidingsprestasie voorspel. Hiërargiese meervoudige regressie-ontleding was gebruik om die verband tussen die voorspellersamestellings en twee opleidingprestasiekriteria te bepaal. Meervoudige korrelasies van .529 (p <. 01) en .378 (p < .05) was onderskeidelik verkry vir Algemene Krygsopleidingsprestasie (GSTP) en Tegniese Korpsopleidingsprestasie (CTTP), onderskeidelik. Die resultate toon verder verskillende voorspellingspatrone vir hierdie twee kriteriummetings. Eerstens, het algemene kognitiewe vermoë beduidend bygedra tot die voorspelling van GSTP, maar nié tot CTTP nie. Verder het opleidingsmotivering en persoonlikheid (oopheid tot ervaring) nie GSTP voorspel nie, maar wél CTTP. Met ander woorde, die resultate dui aan dat die toevoeging van motivering tot ‘n model wat reeds metings van algemene kognitiewe vermoë bevat, wel inkrementele geldigheid tot gevolg het; R2 het toegeneem vanaf .051 tot .109 (p < .05). Die toevoeging van persoonlikheid tot ‘n model wat reeds algemene kognitiewe vermoë en motivering bevat, verklaar ook addisionele variansie; R2 het toegeneem vanaf .109 tot .143, alhoewel hierdie inkrementering slegs marginaal (p = .055) was. Laastens, is bewyse van ‘n interaksie-effek tussen intelligensie en opleidingsmotivering gevind in die voorspelling van opleidingsprestasie. Daar is bevind dat motivering prestasie slegs beïnvloed het vir individue met laer intelligensietellings. Die implikasies van die resultate word bespreek en areas vir verdere navorsing word aangedui.