In order to obtain an improved understanding of behaviour at work, employees should be studied from physical, psychological, and spiritual dimensions. Although the physical and psychological dimensions of individuals at work have been studied extensively, the spiritual dimension has been neglected for many years. The objective of the present research was to determine the relationship between spirituality and a positive work-related attitude, i.e. job satisfaction. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 600 white collar workers chosen from two organisations in different industries in South Africa. Personal spirituality, organisational spirituality, job satisfaction, and perceptions were measured. The data was analysed by means of a Principal Factor Analysis, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Item Analysis, Correlation Analysis, and Regression Analysis. Some instruments used in the study were revalidated. The primary result of this research indicated a positive relationship between organisational spirituality and job satisfaction. In addition, weak negative relationships were found between personal spirituality and job satisfaction, as well as personal spirituality and organisational spirituality. Personal spirituality showed statistically significant associations with biographical-type variables such as gender, ethnical grouping, and strength of religious conviction. The association between personal spirituality and strength of religious conviction significantly differed between the private hospital and educational organisation. Organisational spirituality showed a statistically significant association with age. The association between organisational spirituality and gender significantly differed between the private hospital and educational organisation. The two organisations were also found to differ in terms of organisational spirituality, with the educational organisation measuring higher on organisational spirituality than did the private hospital. Job satisfaction and perceptions did not show statistically significant associations with any of the biographical-type variables. Furthermore, it was determined that the respondents perceive personal spirituality and job satisfaction to be related. These findings deepened the understanding of personal spirituality, organisational spirituality, and job satisfaction. It brought new insight into the significant role which spirituality plays in the context of the workplace. To survive in the 21st century, organisations need to be spiritually-based. This in turn will lead to workers being satisfied with their entire work experience. / Thesis (PhD (Organizational Behaviour))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Human Resource Management / PhD / unrestricted

Bakgrund: Ekonomistyrning fungerar som ett verktyg för att stödja chefer och styra medarbetare mot organisatoriska mål. Kommunikation som är kritisk för styrningen, är integrerad i organisationens processer, struktur, miljö och kultur. Intern kommunikation stöder anställdas förståelse för företagets mål, vilket påverkar deras beslutsprocesser och hur de bidrar till företagets framgång.  Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att öka förståelsen för hur ekonomistyrning genom intern kommunikation utformas med hjälp av olika kommunikationsvägar. Dessutom är syftet att undersöka om medarbetare på olika nivåer förstår det som kommuniceras. Metod: I metoden förklaras hur denna studie är genomförd. Studien är en fallstudie på ett medelstort industriföretag i Småland. Forskningsmetoden är kvalitativ genom semistrukturerade intervjuer, datainsamling via direkt observation och från dokument.  Slutsats: I slutsatsen besvaras frågeställningarna. Första frågeställningen är “Hur är den interna kommunikationen för styrning utformad? ” vilket besvaras att den är utformad hierarkisk, med en stark möteskultur samt är transparent för den som vill ta del och lyssna. Den andra frågeställningen lyder “hur väl förstår medarbetarna det som kommuniceras?”. Detta besvaras att kommunikationen inte är anpassad för alla och därmed skiljer sig förståelsen mellan nivå, roll och avdelning. Strategisk och taktisk nivå, som har chefsroller, har hög förståelse medan operativ nivå, med underställda roller, inte förstår all intern kommunikation. De som arbetar på produktionsavdelningen har sämre förståelse än resterande operativ personal på andra avdelningar. / Background: Management control serves as a tool to support managers and guide employees towards organizational goals. Communication, which is critical for management, is integrated into the organization's processes, structure, environment and culture. Internal communication supports employees' understanding of the company's goals, influencing their decision-making and contributing to the company's success. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding of how management control through internal communication is designed using different communication pathways. Furthermore the purpose is to examine whether employees in different levels understand what is communicated. Method: The method explains how this study was conducted. This study is a case study of a medium-sized industrial company in Småland. The research method is qualitative, through semi-structured interviews, data collection via direct observation and from documents. Conclusion: In the conclusion, the research questions are answered. The first question is "how is the internal communication for management designed?" to which the answer is that it is designed hierarchically, with a strong meeting culture and is transparent for those who want to take part in the information and listen. The second question is "how well do employees understand what is being communicated?" This is answered by stating that the communication is not tailored to everyone, leading to varying levels of understanding based on role, level and department. Strategic and tactical levels, which include managerial roles, have a high level of understanding, whereas the operational level, with subordinate roles, do not understand all internal communication. Those who work in the production department have a poorer understanding compared to the rest of the operational staff in other departments.