M.Ed. (Educational Leadership and Management) / In our dynamic South African society effective leadership is a huge challenge and an important responsibility. It has to be realised that one of the realities that is increasingly imposing itself on socio-politico-economic management all over the world, as globalisation becomes dominant, is the need to manage diversity (Kauzya, 2002:2). School leaders are faced with the challenge of transforming schools to comply with rapidly changing policies to meet the needs of a changing society, and are in a key position to develop a strategy for promoting and managing diversity (Naidu, Joubert, Mestry, Mosoge & Ngcobo, 2008:2). Managing diversity in the workplace is a worldwide phenomenon (Harris, Moran & Moran, 2004:208). Unlike other culturally diverse countries such as the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia which have paid attention to multicultural issues since the 1970s, South Africa is now only beginning to face the challenges brought about by a multicultural approach (Grobler, Wärnich, Carrell, Elbert & Hatfield, 2006:79; Loock, Grobler & Mestry, 2006:16). Managing diversity in South Africa is no easy responsibility due to historical racial segregation and institutionalised separate development, which resulted in a lack of understanding between people from different backgrounds and cultures (Meier, 2007:655; Ngobese, 2004:19-20). If managed well, diversity provides benefits that enhance organisational performance. When ignored or mismanaged, diversity brings challenges and obstacles that can hinder the organisation‟s ability to achieve organisational goals (Cox, 2001:4; Moodian, 2009:36).

There is a lack of theoretically based, and empirically proven, team training methods for optimising and maintaining effective team performance. The aims of the thesis were to: (i) develop a method to carry out team training needs analyses, and use this to identify theoretically valid intervention techniques; (ii) develop and test a particular type of team training designed to improve team performance in high-reliability industries; and (iii) develop and utilise team training evaluation techniques. A team training needs analysis was carried out to identify the team training requirements of nuclear power plant operations personnel. This resulted in the design of a nuclear team skills taxonomy, in which the specific team competencies required by the team members were identified. Using this taxonomy it was possible to identify four training and three organisational interventions to improve the performance of the teams. The remainder of the thesis concentrated on the application of the most widely applied team training technique, Crew Resource Management (CRM) training. CRM has been used in the aviation industry for over 20 years, and is beginning to be applied in other high-reliability industries. However, a survey of UK aviation operators (n=l13) showed that the majority do not utilise formal evaluation techniques to assess the effects of their CRM training. The main reasons for this are a shortage of resources and a lack of guidance on suitable techniques for evaluating training. Several CRM evaluation techniques were developed and tested. A questionnaire was designed to assess the effects of CRM training on the attitudes of nuclear operations personnel. It was found there was generally an initial increase in the positivity of attitudes immediately after training, and then a decay in attitudes when they were measured again after a delay of six months. A prototype CRM training course was designed, and delivered to 77 offshore oild and gas production personnel Their reactions to the training were generally favourable and, as measured using a questionnaire, a significant increase in positivity of attitudes was found for decision making and personnel limitations, but not situation awareness or iii communications. The ability of the course participants to identify the causes of accidents in written scenarios was also not found to improve as a result of the CRM training. Finally, a European behavioural marker system designed to allow an assessment to be made of the non-technical (CRM) skills of flight deck crews (called NOTECHS) was tested. Data were provided from an experiment involving 105 training captains from 14 European airlines. Following an analysis of the validity and reliability, it was concluded that the NOTECHS system appears to be a satisfactory system for carrying out an evaluation of pilots' CRM behaviours in the aviation industry. The main findings of the thesis were: (i) A multi-faceted methodology was found to be useful in carrying out a training needs analysis, and to identify intervention techniques to improve team performance. However, these interventions must be applied and evaluated to assess their effectiveness. (ii) Researchers must take care when using a team training method, such as CRM, which has been successful utilised in one particular organisation, and applying the same model in another without first testing it in the new domain. (iii) There is a need to develop more reliable questionnaire items to assess attitudes to CRM skills such as decision making and situation awareness, and techniques to assess the CRM-related knowledge of participants. It is argued that properly designed and tested behavioural marker systems provide a method for evaluating the CRM skills of operations personnel, as long as the system is valid and reliable, and raters have received training to use it accurately. As industry becomes increasingly complex, there is a continuous challenge to design, deliver, and evaluate team training. Overall, this thesis has added to the research to address these challenges and indicated the areas in which further psychological research is required. It is only through this type of analysis that team training theory can develop and practitioners can be provided with the tools necessary to design effective team training.

No description available.

I en allt mer konkurrerande marknad är kommunikationen av stor betydelse för organisationers överlevnad. I och med nya innovativa tekniker utvecklas kommunikationslösningar som kan effektivisera verksamhetens kommunikation. En ny sådan teknik är sociala medier som växer och blir ett vardagligt sätt att kommunicera på. Det är därför intressant att undersöka hur och varför organisationer använder sociala medier. Syftet med uppsatsen är följaktligen att fördjupa förståelsen för organisationers användning av sociala medier för specifikt intern kommunikation. Utgångspunkten är ett organisationsperspektiv och därför studeras enbart kommunikationsansvariga på olika organisationer som använder sig av sociala medier, med en avgränsning att endast beröra sociala media kanalerna Facebook eller Workplace by Facebook. Uppsatsen grundar sig på totalt sex stycken kvalitativa intervjuer som alla har varit semistrukturerade. Resultatet visar att sociala medier hjälper till att skapa ett forum för medarbetare och kollegor att komma i kontakt med varandra och kommunicera. Det är genom att göra grupper, skicka direktmeddelanden eller på annat sätt dela åsikter, tips och idéer mellan varandra. Således skapas en gemenskap och samhörighet bland medarbetarna inom organisationen. Det tillåter med andra ord ett snabbt och smidigt, men ändå ett personligt sätt, att förmedla information internt och samtidigt effektivisera arbetsprocesser. Sociala medier upplevs även som ett bekant system då många redan är användare privat. Sociala medier kan engagera medarbetare och det kan vara lättare att få kontakt med kollegor, men all kommunikation platsar sig inte på sociala medier. Det är viktigt att ha förståelse för budskapet som ska förmedlas och hur det påverkar valet av kanal. Det finns positiva och negativa aspekter att beakta vid användning av sociala medier för intern kommunikation. / Communication is a competitive advantage for an organization's survival in an increasingly competitive market. Due to new developed technology to communicate, organizations can evolve their communication and consequently streamline communication processes. A relatively new communication channel that is expanding, and is a common way to communicate on a daily basis, is social media. Therefore this study aims to look into how and why organizations use social media for internal communication. The essay has a delimitation to only include the social media channels Facebook and Workplace by Facebook. An organization perspective has been applied and in total six semistructured qualitative interviews with communication managers at different organizations have been conducted in order to answer the research question above. The result shows that social media can be used for internal communication to make groups, chats and send messages directly etcetera, in order to establish a forum where co-workers can communicate and contact each other. As a result social media can achieve a greater commitment among co-workers. Due to social media layouts and that it is a common way to communicate on a daily basis, the users are already used to the system. Hence, social media is an easy and fast, but yet a personal, way for organizations to post and share information. Which can make the internal communication more effective. Social media can help to involve co-workers and to help them get in touch with each other, on the other hand, all forms of communication is not appropriate on social media. Therefore it is important to have an understanding of the message’s nature and how it should affect the choice of channel. For that reason, there are both positive and negative affects of the use of social media for internal communication.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / This study has been conducted before when the company in question underwent a restructuring (name change) but did not threaten the loss of jobs. This study is being conducted again because another restructuring has taken place over the period of 2011/2012 and involved the retrenchment of employees nationally. The company represented in the study is one of the largest cleaning companies in South Africa and has a very broad and influential client base. They are in high demand in the cleaning industry and have positively impacted many companies and organisations over their many years of existence. Because of the magnitude of the workplace restructuring this time around, more people have been affected (both those who were retrenched as well as those who were left behind). According to Vermeulen, 2002, “Downsizing” is a term that emerged in managerial circles and was used in the business press, but no precise theoretical formulation underpins any clear definition of the term. When hearing the term downsizing, one often will use this together with the term “laying-off” interchangeably. However, some authors will focus on different elements of downsizing for example in reporting on a comprehensive study of downsizing in American industry, Cameron, Freeman and Mishra (1993) limited the term's use to a programme which is an intentional process. This process involves an overall reduction in personnel with a view to improving the efficiency of the organisation. The process wittingly or unwittingly affects work processes at the organisation concerned. According to Hellgren, et al (2005), the attitudinal constructs investigated in this study were job satisfaction, job involvement, organisational commitment, and turnover intention. Job satisfaction represents a general affective response to the overall job situation. Following Locke (1976, p. 1300), we define job satisfaction as “a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job or job experience”. ...employees who survived downsizing were likely to experience high levels of stress and decreased levels of organizational commitment and motivation. These individuals are often known as the "victims" of downsizing due to research that documents the devastation of job loss, focusing on negative consequences in terms of psychological and physical well-being (Bennett, Martin, Bies, & Brockner, 1995; Cappeili, 1992; Fallick, 1996; Leana & Feldman, 1992). This study inevitably aimed to prove that workplace restructuring very well has an effect or impact on an employee’s job satisfaction, whether these effects were positive or negative. The findings of the study highlighted significant positive correlations between the two variables and highlights strong relationships between employees’ career advancement opportunities and job satisfaction; trust and job satisfaction, communication and job satisfaction, as well as employee commitment and loyalty and job satisfaction whereas trust (2) or employee morale seem to have no significant relationship with job satisfaction.

Magister Educationis (Adult Learning and Global Change) - MEd(AL) / Conceptualised within Habermasian critical theory, the conceptual framework includes concepts such as domination, emancipation and emancipatory education, and frames RPL as emancipation. Recognition of prior learning is promoted by the South African government as an instrument for access and redress. This research paper focuses on an investigation into the benefits of the implementation of RPL policies and practices in the policing sector. Findings reveal that the participants in the study who are employed in the policing sector enjoyed a wide range of emancipatory benefits, including access to formal academic programmes. Furthermore, these programmes enabled historically disadvantaged staff to gain formal qualifications which in turn provided access to higher salaries and promotions. Explaining the latter as redress, I argue that RPL is a form of emancipation that has liberated disadvantaged staff from apartheid discrimination and domination.

Magister Educationis (Adult Learning and Global Change) - MEd(AL) / Scholars focusing on experiential learning argue that experience should be considered as critical for adult learning. This research paper frames experiential learning within a Constructivist framework. This paper focuses on an investigation into the ways that facilitators use the Continuous Learning Cycle, a model for learning based on Kolb's Learning Cycle, to facilitate learning through experience during the triad skills observation role-play in a workshop, which is part of an induction programme, for a retail bank. Indications are that facilitators use the Continuous Learning Cycle in limited ways, and therefore undermine the possibilities for optimal experiential learning; and that the Continuous Learning Cycle has limitations.

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Thesis (PhD (Systematic Theology and Christian Ethics))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Dogmatics and Christian Ethics / unrestricted

Employment of PWD (People with Disabilities) has been taken into serious cognizance by the Government, and various legislations have been passed to ensure that employers mainstream disability in the workplace. It is also known that in South Africa, employed PWD are still underrepresented in the employment sector. The Departments have not yet met the 2% target by the Government (OSDP:2000&Dube 2005). It is a fact that most PWD are able to work if given opportunities and reasonable accommodations by the employers. There is however, lack of sufficient scientifically determined information on the needs and barriers as experienced by employees with physical disability, resulting in the inability of employer to accommodate those needs in order to ensure maximum productivity amongst people with disabilities in the workplace. Hence, the study attempts to answer the research question of what are the barriers and needs as experienced by employees with physical disabilities in the workplace? The objectives of the study is to explore the working experiences of PWD in the workplace, further to identify the barriers and the needs as experienced by them and to make recommendations to the employer on how to eliminate these barriers, thus addressing the needs of PWD in the workplace. A qualitative research approach was followed in this study to give in-depth description of the experiences, perceptions, and needs of employees with physical disabilities in the workplace. The researcher utilized applied research method which aims at solving problems in order to assist decision-making at line levels, managerial levels and policy levels. A collective case study research design was followed to gather data directly from respondents in their natural environment for the purpose of studying interactions, attitudes and characteristics. The aim is to understand and interpret the meaning that they give in relation to their workplace. A non-probability sampling method was used to select 12 respondents who have a physical disability and are employed within the Government sector for the period of 1 year or more. The data was collected through the semi-structured interviews with an interview schedule. The interview was used to gain a detailed picture of the respondents’ experiences, beliefs, regarding the barriers and needs they are experiencing in the workplace. The research results revealed job dissatisfaction and emotional experiences of hopelessness, anger and frustration by the PWD within the workplace. The results of such experiences are attributed to physical and social barriers identified, as well as lack of management support and lack of implementation of existing legislations and policies on managing disability in the workplace. Physical barriers are associated with the physical infrastructure and the working environment, whilst social barriers are associated with the attitude of the employers, supervisors and co-workers towards the PWD (Chima 2002&Barlow 2003). The needs that were identified were the need for recognition, need for reasonable accommodation, the need for advocacy and empowerment. In essence PWD need to be treated like any other employee within the workplace. They need to be included especially on issues concerning them and their work. Employers need to start making efforts to address the barriers affecting PWD and try to also meet their needs in the workplace. This can be done in consultation with the PWD to create and ensure a conducive working environment. / Dissertation (MSD (Employee Assistance Programme))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

South Africa’s legacy of apartheid has created massive social and economic inequalities along racial and gender lines, resulting for instance, in the under-representation of Blacks and women in the higher echelons of industry and at decision-making levels in the public service. In order to eradicate historical discriminatory employment policies and practices in the workplace based on race, gender and disability and redress imbalances, in 1998 Parliament enacted the Employment Equity legislation, which describes measures through which organisations should speed up their transformation efforts. These measures are collectively known as affirmative action. Affirmative action was conceived as a vehicle that would improve the employment and promotion opportunities of Blacks, women and the disabled. However, the goal of transforming South African business organisations and public service from discriminatory structures to ones which reflect the demographic composition and values of South African as a whole has not been without controversy. Given the racial construction of privilege and discrimination in South Africa, affirmative action evokes strong emotions from ‘designated group’ and ‘non-designated group’ members’ demographic status, histories of relative deprivation, personal and collective interests and political ideologies leading to a polarisation of attitudes towards affirmative action. While some people view affirmative action as an antidote to past discrimination against Blacks, women and the disabled, others believe affirmative action promotes discrimination against Whites and in particular White males. Social policies that are perceived disproportionately to help Blacks or women, in general, and affirmative action programme, in particular, have emerged as a major socio-political battleground in South Africa. There is a long history of economic and employment discrimination in South Africa, and government-supported interventions, such as affirmative-action programmes, have been designed to increase employment opportunities for Blacks and women in organisational contexts in which they have been historically underrepresented. Although affirmative-action programmes have provided important economic benefits to Blacks and women, public debate about affirmative action programmes have been framed in terms of race and gender. Affirmative action has emerged as one of the most controversial policies in South Africa and is under attack. This study was conducted with employees from the Compensation Fund in Pretoria. Sixteen semi-structured interviews, ranging from between 20 and 30 minutes, were conducted with the aid of an in-depth personal interview schedule, using convenience sampling technique. The interview schedule had four sections in line with the problem statements and contained qualitative type questions. The purpose of the present exploratory study aimed to gain insight into the attitudes, experiences and perceptions of the Compensation Fund employees towards affirmative action. Findings of the study indicate that the dominant perception of the non-designated group (White participants) is that the recruitment, accomplishment and promotion of employees from the designated group is related only to demographic status, rather than qualifications, competences and personal effort as well. Race and gender appear to be operant dimensions along which Whites who could do the job are symbolically set apart from Blacks and women who were supposedly employed in the interest of getting the numbers right. Racial and gender prejudices emerged as the two main themes of the study. The dissertation interprets the participants’ racial and gender prejudice in terms of Blumer’s Group Position Model. The Group Position Model states that when an in-group perceives it’s group position to be threatened it results in racial (gender) hostility towards the out-group. In terms of this research’s findings, the non-designated group (White males) constitute the in-group, while the designated group (Blacks and women) constitute the out-group. The model adequately explains the negativity of the non-designated group towards affirmative action. This study represents a vital step towards a better understanding of the successful implementation of affirmative action and should contribute to more efficient and effective practice of affirmative action in the workplace. / Dissertation (MSocSci)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Sociology / unrestricted