Thesis (Ph.D.)--Kent State University, 2005. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Sept. 12, 2006). Advisor: Rebecca R. Rubin. Keywords: temporary groups; swift trust; trust; organizational task groups. Includes survey instruments. Includes bibliographical references (p. 113-121).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2006. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 111-119). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Title from title page of source document. Dissertation no. 3316. Includes bibliographical references (p. 159-183).

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This study explores the role of trade unions in intervening in incidents of workplace bullying, adopting an employment relations perspective. The data was obtained from the members and officials of three major UK unions and analysed using both qualitative and quantitative techniques. Between a quarter and a third of respondents in each union considered they were bullied within a two-year period. A key finding was that most bullied individuals voiced their concerns through non-organisational support mechanisms, including trade unions, in preference to the systems created by employers to address bullying. Colleagues rarely offered overt support and union officials typically responded by providing indirect support to individual bullied members. Outcomes tended to place the onus on perceived targets of bullying to resolve the situation irrespective of the source of support utilised. Employers’ attitudes towards bullying appeared to exert greater influence over resolutions. Whilst unions may have limited power to alter managerially-derived solutions, there was some evidence that, where they engendered a collective response to allegations of bullying, perpetrators were more likely to be held accountable. This study makes a significant contribution to the collective knowledge on workplace bullying by proposing a typology of union responses and an industrial relations model of intervention, which highlights the potential for the responses of unions, co-workers, and employers to affect the balance of power in the employment relationship and influence outcomes of workplace problems like bullying.

M.Comm. / The aim of this study was, to highlight the qualitative nature of the concept of diversity, with specific emphasis, on the work environment. This is a literature study. There is no empirical research accompanying it. This study defines the concept of diversity, and attempt to correct the misleading perception on diversity management and the related concept, namely affirmative action. A diversity management process goes beyond mere numbers and seeks, to maximise the potential of every individual. It means recognising the unique qualities of people in the workplace. The study also identifies possible barriers to a diversity management process, and possible ways, in which they can be overcome. Furthermore, the study discusses and analyse a diversity management process, highlights the need for fundamental change in attitude and behaviour of all stakeholders if the process is to succeed. Data collected indicates a clear need for a well designed organisation programme designed to value and manage a diversity process. Most of the challenges facing organisations, are dynamic, interrelated and systematic in nature, that is, they are intertwined in the entire organisation. More than any other challenge, perhaps, the diveresity process affects the organisation at all levels. The scope and direction of adding value and managing diversity programs, ideally, must be developed within the context, of broad or challanges facing the organisation, as a whole. Diversity responses, in other words, need to be wellintegrated into the organisations overall strategic responses. Systematic thinking is critical to diversity issues.

The Financial Asset Services Division, or FAS, is an integral part of Standard Corporate Investment Bank’s operations. FAS offers high net-worth companies services and products that can generate extra revenues. Diversity is a new dimension that needs to be managed within South African organisations. The contemporary manager might not be equipped to deal with the new and unique set of challenges that accompany diversity related issues. This work aims to provide managers a basis to explore the concept of diversity management by investigating different management theories. This is also the basis of questionnaires put to managers and employees to determine what factors and dimensions influence leadership roles. Having identified these dimensions and factors it is also investigated what implications there are for leadership. Identified problem areas are brought to the reader’s attention as well as recommendations based on sound diversity management principles. This will provide management with a basis from which to effectively manage diversity in the workplace at FAS. / T.F.J. Oosthuizen

Magister Public Health - MPH / The unprecedented increase in HIV and AIDS cases has trickled down to the already impoverished health sector, thus impacting health workers in various ways. In a shrinking health workforce, HIV/AIDS has created an extra demand and workload, emotional burden and stress among health workers. The study aimed to explore and describe nurses’ workplace stressors and coping strategies with regards to HIV/AIDS environment. The exploratory- descriptive study was qualitative in nature. Geita District Hospital was selected as it is the only health facility in the district that provides in-patient care services related to HIV/AIDS. The study population consisted of all nurses who work with HIV and AIDS patients and the managers providing support to nurses. The researcher interviewed twelve nurses and two key informants. Face to face interviews were conducted and a semi-structured interview guide was utilised to collect data. Thematic content analysis was utilised and themes were derived from the concepts that emerged during the process. Validity and trustworthiness of the study was established through triangulation and member checking. The findings of the study revealed that nurses in HIV/AIDS experience stress from the workplace. Nurses struggled with issues of death and dying, feared occupational exposure and found it difficult to cope with nursing shortage, increased workload and inadequate training. The nurses were generally disturbed by lack of organisational support and the unavailability of resources such as; basic medical supplies and protective equipment. Nurses seemed to be resorting more to positive reappraisal, planful problem solving and seeking social support strategies.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the implementation and management of workforce diversity among teachers at secondary schools in the Mthatha Education District with reference to national and international teachers. The literature reflects issues and theories concerning the implementation and management of workforce diversity in secondary schools. The study also shows the benefits of managing teacher diversity and the challenges in the implementation and management of workforce diversity among teachers in secondary schools. The population of the study comprised of all teachers in the fifty- six public secondary schools in the Mthatha Education District and the sample comprised of five principals, five deputy principals, five heads of departments and five international teachers on whom the case study was base to examine their views about the awareness, implementation and management of teacher diversity in the education system. This sample was drawn from five public senior secondary schools. The selection of the sample was done through the use of a purposive sampling technique. The sampling technique was used because it is not all public secondary schools in the Mthatha Education District where international teachers are found. This, therefore, allowed the researcher to select only those secondary schools at which international teachers were found. The researcher developed an open- ended interview schedule for the face-to-face in-depth interviews on the implementation and management of workforce diversity among teachers at secondary schools in the Mthatha Education District. Themes were drawn from the responses of the participants and analysed. The findings revealed that Principals, deputy principals, school management teams and teachers at all levels lacked the skills and knowledge in designing, implementing and managing teacher diversity policies in secondary schools. The findings revealed that local teachers were resistant and took a xenophobic stance towards the employment and promotions of International teachers in secondary schools. Lastly, Affirmative Action and Employment Equity Acts favour the local teachers and discriminate against the international teachers. Recommendations are made concerning the lack of awareness, skills and knowledge in designing and implementation of teacher diversity policies in secondary schools. Recommendations are also made concerning the Affirmative Action and Employment Equity Acts that influence the non recruitment and selection of international teachers.

This study deals with the indirect effects of industrial technology upon the behavior of first-line supervisors. Homans' paradigm of the constituents of social behavior, and Woodward's observations regarding organizational correlates of technology provide the rationale for the enunciation of specific hypotheses pertaining to the nature of supervisory activities, interactions and sentiments associated with each of three categories of industrial technology. The validity of the specific hypotheses is tested thru a secondary analysis of data reported in a number of observational studies of organizational behavior. The perennial "man in the middle” concept of the first-line supervisor is rejected. It is not a valid ideal-type concept that is representative of supervisory behavior in all forms of contemporary production organizations. It appears that the dominant mode of technology within a production organization or work unit affects organization structure and processes. The latter phenomena seem to be important factors shaping supervisory role demands, characteristics of work environment, and, hence, supervisory behavior. Thus, the study suggests the utility of three ideal-type constructs of supervisory behavior; one for each of the three categories of technology. Unit-and small-batch-production technology Role demands include an important technical element. Administrative activities include personally attending to personnel matters, production reports and specifications, and coordinating and monitoring work flow through the unit. Interactions with fellow supervisors along the work flow are minimally required. Interactions with both subordinates and staff specialists are typically task-oriented, face-to-face and devoid of conflict. Interactions with superiors may be mediated by the reports of staff specialists if the latter are found in the organization. Sentiments toward subordinates, superiors and staff specialists tend to be neutral to friendly in tone and fairly constant over time. Mass-production-assembly-line technology The supervisor typically neither possesses, nor is required to possess, a significant body of technical knowledge or set of technical skills. Administrative activities are directed toward coordinating and monitoring work flow through the unit, and, in general, achieving the collaboration of others. These activities are effected by verbal interactions, mainly with non-workers such as staff specialists. The requirement for interactions with fellow supervisors along the work flow ranges from being minimally required to inherent in the productive process. Interactions with staff specialists are face-to-face, task-oriented, and typically hostile. Interactions with superiors tend to be task-oriented, hostile and heavily mediated by the reports of staff specialists. Supervisory interactions with subordinates tend to be face-to-face, frequently hostile, and primarily task-oriented. The sentiments of supervisors toward subordinates, and particularly superiors, are characteristically those of defense and hostility; they are unstable over time. Sentiments toward staff specialists tend to be neutral to hostile and generally stable over time. Continuous-process technology Role demands of the supervisor include an important technical element; technical advice is both sought from and given to subordinates and staff specialists. As the degree of automaticity of production control increases, the need for coordination of work flow within and between units decreases; similarly for the requirement for exclusively task-oriented interactions with other organization actors. Administrative activities include inspection and control functions designed to assure the safety of both personnel and the process and equipment. Interactions with subordinates and staff specialists tend to allow for the mutual evaluation of technical issues. As the degree of automaticity of production control increases, such interactions tend to be characterized by the exchange of advice and information. Sentiments are generally neutral to friendly and slightly unstable over time. V.V. Murray, Supervisor / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate