Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study report addresses the emerging role of meaning in the workplace, and how spirituality meets this need. The conclusion is drawn that each person's interpretation of meaning is informed by their unique experience of reality, and that the path of self-actualisation gives a sense of purpose to the lives of individuals. More particularly, Frankl's concept of logotherapy proposes that people find meaning when they are future-orientated. The absence of meaning leads to an existential vacuum, a phenomena experienced individually, and collectively by whole societies. The latter causes a state of boredom or meaninglessness, a malaise that so profoundly inflicts the modern age. Numerous management surveys report that the majority want to find meaning in their work. However at times this seems at odds with the organisation's aims. This is partly the result of contending worldviews: scientific rationality versus non-physical models of the universe. The former suggests that the universe is made of separate physical matter, while the latter encourages interconnectedness. The paradigm of separateness pits employers against employees and does not entertain or prioritise individual aspirations to meaning within the workplace environment. Consequently employees become dispirited as evidenced in low productivity, rising absenteeism and low morale. The argument is made for a fundamental societal transition that embraces a spiritual perspective of reality. Consensus is reached that spirituality refers to a feeling of interconnectedness between all things underpinned by a basic harmony in the design of the universe. Some ascribe transcendence or divinity to this process. Individuals use spirituality to integrate their inner self to the known world and beyond. Spirituality itself is purposeful and therefore is an end in itself. As such it is the antidote to meaninglessness. Studies have shown that a new generation of first world people, particularly Americans, ascribe to new values of work, success, consumption and spirituality, rejecting the hedonism and materialism of the X generation. From this informal movement come new terms like Spiritual Intelligence (SQ). Altruism and self-actualisation are eagerly embraced in a new sense of the sacred that incorporates personal growth psychology, the spiritual realm and service to others. Sweeping social and economical changes, including downsizing, mergers, globalisation, the threat of terrorism since the 9/11 attacks, and Enron-type debacles are all contributing to business's spiritual awakening. In order to cope with increased stress and alienation, both managers and employees seek meaning and purpose in the workplace. Bringing spirituality into the workplace benefits all stakeholders as productivity improves and multiple bottom lines improve. This process is occurring rapidly in many different guises in orqanisations across the first world. Both individual and organisation-centred approaches towards transformation predominate. The end result is organisations that align personal and workplace spirituality, providing meaning and fulfilment to many. This study report provides numerous examples and brief case studies from across the world, including practical guidance for implementing and measuring workplace spirituality. The conclusion speculates on whether the movement is a passing fad or a real attempt at genuine transformation based on universal spiritual principles. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studieprojek spreek die tevoorskynkoming van sinrykheid in die werksplek aan en hoe dit die behoefte spiritueël tegemoetkom word. Die gevolgtrekking word gemaak dat elke persoon se interpretasie van sinrykheid gevorm word deur hulle unieke ervaring van realiteit en dat die pad van selfaktualisering 'n gevoel van sin toevoeg tot die lewens van individue. In die besonder stel Frankl se konsep van logoterapie voor dat mense doel vind sodra hulle toekomsgerig is. Die afwesigheid van doel lei tot 'n eksistensiële vakuum, 'n verskynsel wat individueel ervaar word, en gesamentlik deur gemeenskappe. Die laasgenoemde veroorsaak 'n staat van verveligheid of doelloosheid, 'n onbehaaglikheid wat die moderne gang diepsinnig kwel. Talle bestuursopnames doen verslag dat die meerderheid sin wil vind in hulle werk. Nietemin staan dit somtyds in stryd met die organisasie se oogmerke. Dit is deels die gevolg van strydende wêreld opvattinge: wetenskaplikke rasionaliteit teenoor die nie-fisiese wêreldmodelle. Die eersgenoemde stel voor dat die wêreld bestaan uit afsondelike fisiese materie, terwyl die laasgenoemde interverbinding voorstaan. Die paradigma van afsonderlikheid kuil werkgewer en werknemer teen mekaar op en trakteer of prioritiseer nie individuele aspirasies tot sin in die werkplek omgewing nie. Gevolglik raak werknemers ontmoedig soos bewys deur lae produktiwiteit, toenemende afwesigheid en lae moraal. Die argument ontstaan ten gunste van 'n fundementele gemeenskaplike oorganklikheid wat 'n spirituele perspektief van realiteit omvat. Daar bestaan konsensus dat spiritualiteit verwys na 'n gevoel van interverbintenis tussen alle dinge onderstut deur 'n basiese harmonie in die wêreldbestel. Sommige skryf voortreflikheid of geestelikheid toe tot hierdie proses. Individue gebruik spiritualiteit om die innerlike self te integreer tot die bekende en verby. Spiritualiteit is doelgerig en is in sigself 'n doel. Dit is dus 'n teenmiddel tot doelloosheid. Studies het bewys dat 'n nuwe generasie van eerste-wêreld mense, bepalend die Amerikaners, toeskryf tot nuwe waardes van werk, sukses, verbruik en spiritualiteit, wat die hedonistiese en materialisme van die X-generasie verwerp. Deur hierdie informele beweging kom nuwe terme soos Spirituele Intelligensie tot stand. Altruisme en selfaktualisering word gretig ontvang in 'n nuwe gewaarwording van die heilige wat persoonlike sielkundige groei, die spirituele realm en diens tot andere inkorporeer. Verrykende sosiale en ekonomiese verandering, insluitende personeelvermindering, samesmeltings, globalisering, bedryging van terrorisme sedert die 9/11 aanval en die Enron-tipe fiasco dra alles by tot spirituele ontwaking van besighede. Ten einde by te hou met die vergrotende stres en vervreemding, word beide werkgewer en werknemer genoop tot die soeke na sinrykheid en doel in die werkplek. Die totstandbrenging van spiritualiteit in die wekplek bevoordeel alle insethouers en produktiwiteit verhoog en die multi onderlyne vergroot. Hierdie proses kom vinnig onder verskeie maskers in organisasies oor die eerste wêreld voor. Beide individuele en organisatories-sentreerde benaderings tot die transformasie heers. Die eindresultaat is organisasies wat persoonlike en werkplek spiritualiteit spoor en sinrykheid en bevrediging aan die menigte voorsien. Hierdie studieprojek voorsien menige voorbeelde en kort gevallestudies vanoor die wêreld, insluitende praktiese voorligting vir implementering en maatstawwe vir werkplek spiritualiteit. Die slotsom spekuleer of die beweging 'n verbygaande gier is of 'n ware poging tot opregte transformasie is gebaseer op universele spirituele beginsels.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

Mobbing has found space in the modern work relationships. The change of rhythm, the high competitiveness and the fear of unemployment are factors which contextualize these work environments. The psicoterror, Marie-France Hirigoyen s denomination, arises from actions like gestures, verbal or physical aggressions, as well as omissions, isolating the victim and leaving her without the essential information to development his/hers activities. The mobbing s characterization and punishment are surrounded by a high degree of subjectivity because of its forms of aggression that usually leaves no traces. Therefore, it s necessary to study and understand the forms of repression the psicoterror, considering the concept of a supranational right, the moral integrity of workers. Means that recognition occurs at the international level, above the states orders. Besides affecting the rules of reception of international treaties on human rights, the supranational nature of the workers rights ratified the discourse of relativized sovereignty and imposes to the internal organization the creation of actions for its protection. The actions can be preventatives, through public politics, community action, standards of work s organization, lectures, or repressives, based on the subsystem of the offender s responsibility. The case studies revealed that, in Brazil and other countries, violence against workers has proved to be one of the most serious human rights violations. / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / O assédio moral encontrou espaço nas relações de trabalho modernas. A mudança do ritmo de trabalho, a alta competitividade e o medo do desemprego são fatores que contextualizam esses ambientes de trabalho. O psicoterror, como denomina Marie-France Hirigoyen, surge de ações como gestos, agressões verbais ou físicas, bem como de omissões, isolando a vítima e deixando de transmitir a ela informações essenciais para o desenvolvimento de sua atividade. A caracterização do assédio moral e sua punição estão envolvidas por um alto grau de subjetividade, pois são formas de agressão que geralmente não deixam vestígios concretos. Por isso, é preciso estudar e compreender as formas de repressão ao psicoterror partindo do conceito de supraestatalidade do direito à integridade moral dos trabalhadores. Significa que seu reconhecimento ocorre no plano internacional, acima das ordens estatais. Além de afetar as regras de recepção dos tratados internacionais sobre direitos humanos, a supraestatalidade dos direitos de personalidade dos trabalhadores ratifica o discurso da soberania relativizada e impõe ao ordenamento interno a organização de ações para sua proteção. As medidas podem ser preventivas, por meio de políticas públicas, ações comunitárias, normas de organização de trabalho, palestras, ou repressivas, com base no subsistema de responsabilização do agressor. O estudo dos casos revelou que, no Brasil e em outros países, a violência contra os trabalhadores tem se mostrado uma das principais violações aos direitos humanos.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The central idea developed in this thesis is that meaningful work provides the normative standard of what work should be for all human beings, based on the normative idea that being human entails a realization of one’s potential and the expression of one’s intellect and creativity as a necessary part of living a full and flourishing life. Thus the key ethical foundation upon which my argument was built rests primarily upon classic Aristotelian ethical theory as well as more contemporary adaptations thereof. In reality, however, research reveals that up to eighty percent of people engage in work that is not meaningful in the sense that they are unable to experience both excellence and enjoyment through their work. This problem has been labeled as “employee disengagement” and has been acknowledged by organizations as a disturbingly growing trend particularly because of the financial cost it carries through lost productivity. My objective in this thesis was to outline the scope of the problem, and to make a strong case for the recognition of employee disengagement as a moral problem, and not simply as an economic one. Thus a major focus of this thesis was to unpack the concept of meaningful work and to argue for its moral value. Throughout my thesis, the importance of understanding meaningful work as a balance between both the subjective and objective elements that make work meaningful for the individual was emphasized. Having established employee disengagement as a moral problem, my attention then turned towards analyzing the potential causes of the problem at a systemic, organizational and individual level. My primary conclusion was that the modern paradigm facilitated a certain way of organizing business activity as well as a certain way of construing the relationship between work and life that has ultimately had a deep seated causal effect upon the absence of meaningful work. Thus addressing the problem entails a detachment from this paradigm and challenging some of the basic assumptions about organizational life. Finally, I proposed a business model that serves as a framework for a new way of working which has the capacity to be more fulfilling to the human spirit. This model assumes the tenets of virtue ethics as its core. In this model, individual employees, the organization as a community and leaders in the business all have specific roles and responsibilities to bring the model to life, and thus the quest for meaningful work has to be undertaken as a collaborative effort. The field of business ethics, with a refreshed Aristotelian mindset, has a lot of value to add in offering much needed ethical guidance to help steer this radical, yet exciting workplace transformation process in the right direction. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die kerngedagte van hierdie tesis is dat betekenisvolle arbeid die normatiewe standaard sou skep van wat werk vandonderstel is om vir die mensdom te beteken. Dit berus op die veronderstelling dat menswees meebring dat die individu se volle potensiaal, intelligensie en kreatiwiteit sal lei tot ‘n betekenisvolle bestaan. Die sleutelargument steun primêr die klassieke Aristoteliese etiese teorie asook hendendaagse aanpassings daarvan. Navorsing bewys egter dat tot 80% van die arbeidsmag betrokke is in betekenislose (sinlose) arbeid in die sin dat hulle geen genot of uitnemendheid ervaar nie. Die probleem word geetiketteer as “werknemersonttrekking” en word deur maatskappye beskou as ‘n onstellende tendens ten opsigte van die finansiële impak en die gepaardgaande verlies van produktiwiteit. Die oogmerk van die tesis is om die omvang van die probleem uit te lig en om redes aan te voer dat werknemers onttrekking as ‘n morele vraagstuk aangespreek moet word en nie net gesien sal word as ‘n finansiële dilemma nie. Die beweegrede van die tesis is om die begrip van betekenisvolle arbeid te ondersoek en om die morele aspek daarvan te debatteer. Die belangrikheid van die begrip, betekenisvolle arbeid, as ‘n balans tussen beide die subjektiewe en objektiewe beginsels word deurgaans onderstreep. Aangesien “werknemersonttrekking” as ‘n morele probleem beskou word is die oogmerk om die oorsake van die probleem te analiseer, op ‘n sistematiese, organisatoriese en individuele vlak. Die gevolgtrekking is dan dat die moderne paradigma ‘n sekere invloed het op die organisasie se besigheidsaktiwiteite en is ook ‘n metode om die verhouding tussen werk en bestaan te bepaal, wat uiteindelik ‘n diepgesete redegewende invloed het in die afwesigheid van sinvolle arbeid. ‘n Skeiding van die voorbeeld en die basiese veronderstelling van georganiseerde bestaan word benodig om begenoemde begrip te bevraagteken. Laastens is daar ‘n besigheidsmodel wat dien as ‘n raamwerk vir ‘n nuwe manier van werk, wat sal meebring dat werk meer vervulling aan die menslike gees sal bied. Díe model, veronderstel die beginsel van eerbare etiek as die grondslag. Werknemers van organisasies, die organisasie as ‘n gemeenskap en besigheidsleiers het spesifieke rolle en verantwoordelikhede, om lewe te gee aan die model. Daarvolgens moet die soeke na sinvolle arbied as ‘n kollektiewe poging beskou word. Die gebied van besigheidsetiek , met ‘n vernuwende Aristoteliese denkwyse, het tot voordeel , ‘n waardevolle bydrae tot ‘n onmisbare etiese leiding, om hierdie radikale maar opwindende transformasie in die werkplek mee te bring.

Public Administration / M. Admin. (Public Administration)

Public Administration and Management / M. Admin. (Public Administration)