The importance of leadership style and the organizational citizenship behavior have been recognized in many research studies. However, the influence of empowering leadership on employee's change-oriented organizational citizenship behavior and employees' cognitive mechanism to engage in such behavior have received little attention. Drawing on social cognitive theory, the present study explores the effects of empowering leadership on change-oriented organizational citizenship behavior directly and indirectly through employees' willingness to take risk. The study also examines the boundary conditions that employees would make the decision to engage in such behavior with the effects of two moderators - regulatory focus and perceived organizational support.;A nested data model of empowering leadership, willingness to take risk, regulatory focus, perceived organizational support and change-oriented organizational citizenship behavior were tested using a 3-wave sample of 173 matched dyad relationships from nine financial institutions in Hong Kong. The research model rests with individual-level as unit of analysis while controlling the variances from the teams using hierarchical linear modeling. The results show that willingness to take risk can partially mediate the relationship between empowering leadership and change-oriented organizational citizenship behavior. In addition, promotion focus, prevention focus and perceived organizational support can moderate the relationship between empowering leadership and willingness to take risk when they are of low level while promotion focus and willingness to take risk are proved to be predictors of change-oriented organizational citizenship behavior. Implications from the findings for future research and management practice will be discussed.

Diversity training programmes are formal efforts to prepare the workforce to work with individuals from different cultural backgrounds and to improve organisational effectiveness. Although many studies have described diversity training programmes in the workplace, only a few have been evaluated to assess their effectiveness and impact on job outcomes. This thesis describes a study that assessed the impact of a diversity management-training programme on employee attitudes and behaviour towards diversity in a manufacturing company in Namibia. Kirkpatrick’s (1959) four-level model, which examines the trainees’ reactions to the training, the learning acquired, the behaviour change and improvement in organisational results, was used to measure the impact of the training programme. Data was collected through pre-and post-assessment semi-structured individual interviews and a focus group was conducted two months after the training. Data analysis indicates that the first two levels of the evaluation model showed an impact. The participants had positive reactions towards the course and said that they had learnt from the course. The data also showed that the training did not have any impact on the behaviour of the participants and on organisational outcomes. The research also revealed that lack of improved productivity and organisational results might have been influenced by unrealistic expectations, past political conditions, job insecurity and unemployment and the training context. Some recommendations for both the diversity training programme administrators as well as the management of the company are made.

Authenticity is a leadership characteristic of exceptional leaders. It is an essential requirement for future leaders, especially in an era when the motives and behaviours of many leaders are questionable. Authentic leaders are genuine and utter words that can be trusted (Smith, 2014.). Followers have voiced a need for leaders who can be trusted and show consistency in their actions. The study focused on the investigation of authentic leadership and the influence that authentic leadership has on the engagement levels of employees. A theoretical study of leadership, with the focus on authentic leadership and employee engagement was conducted to achieve the objectives of the study. The research included a literature study, which highlighted the characteristics and behaviours of authentic leadership. Both a theoretical and practitioner view of authentic leadership is included in the theoretical study. Semi-structured interviews were held with two prominent leadership practitioners, one from the University of the Free State and the other from the University of Stellenbosch, to obtain their views on the nature of authentic leadership and examples of South African leaders who they considered authentic leaders. The insights gained from the literature review and the interviews, were incorporated into a survey questionnaire developed for use in the empirical study which was conducted at Continental Tyre SA. An electronic questionnaire was administered to managers and their direct subordinates in the manufacturing and marketing/sales divisions. The questionnaire probed the respondents’ perceptions regarding the level of authenticity displayed by leaders in the organisation, and specifically the extent to which leaders demonstrated the characteristics and behaviours associated with authentic leadership. The Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ), as validated by Walumbwa, Avolio, Gardner, Wernsing and Peterson (2008, p. 64), was used as a basis for the development of the survey questionnaire, with adjustments made to include the practitioner’s perspective as postulated by George (2003, p. 12). The section in the questionnaire on engagement focused on engagement as a psychological state, behavioural engagement and the manager’s role in nurturing engagement. Both managers and employees were requested to provide their view of the manager’s characteristics and behaviours, the managers rated themselves, and both groups rated the engagement levels of employees. A correlation was made between the responses received from the manager and employees. The results of the empirical study revealed that both managers and employees agreed mostly that managers in the organisation displayed the characteristics and behaviours of authentic leadership and employees were engaged. It did however, emerge that the managers were reluctant to share personal information about themselves and that employees believed that managers did not seek feedback on their own behaviour. In terms of employee engagement, the results suggested that the managers believed that employees felt supported, accepted and were committed to the Continental Tyre SA brand; but indicated a lack of knowledge of their roles in the organisation and a lack of passion and energy. Further findings revealed that the managers in the marketing/sales division considered their employees more engaged than the managers in the manufacturing division considered their employees to be. Other findings also revealed that self-awareness in leaders is an important predictor of employee engagement. Self-awareness in a leader is an important feature in facilitating social processes in the leader’s relationship with their followers. Transparent leaders create a psychologically secure environment, enabling employees to be confident and to feel encouraged to express themselves freely. The study concluded with several recommendations. Leaders should be more transparent in their interaction with others by sharing personal stories about themselves. Opportunities should be provided through 360° feedback for employees to give feedback to managers regarding their behaviour. The GIVE (Goals, Interests, Values and Emotions) Model should be used in management development initiatives to facilitate the development of self-awareness and self-knowledge. An appreciative inquiry, which focuses on positive affirmation, should be an approach used in organisations to foster the development of genuine relationships and is an implication of authentic leadership, thus encouraging employee engagement.

M.Phil. (Labour Law and Employment Relations) / The purpose of this study is to determine the work motivation pattern of African workers and the factors that motivate them In the workplace. The research was carried out within the framework of the Herzberg Motivation-Hygiene Theory. The research was conducted within the coal mining industry. The data was collected by means ofa TIMS Attitude Survey questionnaire and review of secondary data relevant to the research. The research results indicated that a sample of African mine workers was largely motivated by the wages, Company Policy and Administration, achievement, recognition for achievement but was demotivated by Company Policy and Administration, wages, job security and other factors. The true motivators for African workers, which predominated, were achievement, recognition of achievement and possibility for growth.The research results largely corresponded with the findings of Professor Backer in Herzberg Motivation studies conducted during the seventies. 63% of satisfaction was caused by hygiene factors and 37% by true motivation, while all the dissatisfaction was caused by hygiene factors.

The relationship between knowledge of drug testing and the degree of support for drug testing was investigated. In addition, the relationship between certain personality characteristics (e.g. authoritarianism, legal authoritarianism, locus of control and social desirability) and support for drug testing was also investigated. A questionnaire that included scales to measure demographics, drug testing knowledge, drug testing attitudes and the above mentioned personality characteristics was utilized. It was found that drug testing knowledge was significantly negatively correlated with support of drug testing. It was also found that those scoring higher on Authoritarianism (legal and otherwise) were significantly more likely to support drug testing. In addition, an internal locus of control was significantly correlated with support of drug testing.

Organisational climate, as represented by the aggregation of the perceptions of the individual employees within the organisation, has been the focus of considerable empirical research that can be traced back to the work of Lewin, Lippit and White (1939).The debate around organisational climate research, concentrates on the methodological issue of how the construct of such climate can be translated into an indicator of organisational effectiveness. Schneider and Bowen (1985), Bacayan and White (1993) have provided evidence that a worthy and functional organisational climate does have a positive effect upon service outcomes and hence improves organisational success. The study examines the influence of organisational participants’ perception of work environment on job performance in a sample of employees within the various departments of Transnet National Ports Authority. The paper presents that the perception of organisational climate has a significant effect on job performance of some employees while it is not so for others. The research sample consists of 71 employees working in the marine and operations, engineering, human resource, marketing and legal departments. One questionnaire was designed by the researcher to measure organisational climate and the effectiveness of job performance. The climate dimensions of communication, management and supervision, reward and recognition and training are significantly related to job performance. The research consisted of the organisational climate and job performance literature and the subsequent link between these two constructs within Transnet National Ports Authority. In conclusion the report presents the authors findings, conclusions and recommendations derived from the study.

The Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCMM) has been experiencing inappropriate job behaviour and performance from some of its workers. These inappropriate practices have been widely reported in the media, audit reports, parliamentary discussions, reports to parliament, municipal reports, and departmental reports. They include misappropriation of municipal resources, maladministration, mismanagement, lack of service delivery, fraud, and corruption. Since many BCMM workers have various levels of formal education, such practices are not expected, because the structural-functionalist assumption is that formal education is a solution to societal challenges. At the BCMM, however, formal education seemed to also serve a different purpose, that of realising the principle that says “[k]now the rules well, so you can break them effectively” (Dalai Lama 2013, 2). This study therefore hypothesises that the perpetual inappropriate job behaviour and performance at the BCMM is due to the paucity of broad skills. The concept of broad skills includes the various dimensions of knowledge (know that, know why, know how) as well as attitudes, ethics and values. Inappropriate job behaviour and performance practices thus indicate that current levels of broad skills are insufficient. This study acknowledges that labour (ability to work) is a product of multifarious forms of capital, hence this study amalgamates four forms of capital - human capital, social capital, cultural capital, and reputation capital – into a theoretical framework in order to get a broader explanation of the workers’ job behaviour and performance. The various forms of capital contribute to the formation of skill, hence the notion of broad skills. How workers discharge their responsibilities is determined by numerous factors such as cultural capital (the workers’ family background, race, ethnicity, personality, and geographical area) (Bourdieu 1977); reputation capital (the workers’ brand, public perceptions of trustworthiness, popularity, authority in the field, ethics, integrity and reputation) (Ingbretsen 2011); social capital (the workers’ social development, social relations, and social networks) (Blackmore 1997); and human capital (schooling) (Becker 1964). The value of adopting the broad skills approach lies in gaining a broader perspective on job performance as opposed to the dominant use of the human capital model alone which predominantly uses schooling to explain job performance. In practice, the human capital model is characterised by its association of job performance problems with lack of skills. However, investigation of the role of attitudes, ethics and values in the labour process reveals that the lack of will also contributes to job performance problems. In fact, the adoption of multiple perspectives for investigating the paradoxical co-existence of inappropriate job behaviour and performance with formal education reveals several factors that make this phenomenon possible, besides lack of skills. These include the job environment, ineffective performance management systems, compromised municipal effectiveness and efficiency due to the politicisation of municipal management, and manipulation of the labour process to suit the interests of the workers who want to engage in inappropriate practices.

Employee performance is a constant concern for any manager in a company or organisation. Managers have the unenviable task of balancing the meeting of organisational targets through the resources at their disposal. They must also manage their own responsibilities and personal targets which could be different to targets of the employees. These differences could create divergent priorities and affect the manager-employee relationship. Managers, in an effort to create a healthy work environment, need to show leadership qualities that encourage cooperation from their employees. These qualities must enable employees to form trustworthy relationships with their colleagues and the organisation thereby encouraging employee engagement and improved performance. A specific leadership quality that can create this type of positive and productive environment is authenticity. Authentic leadership can engender employee trust and organisational commitment and improve performance. Authentic leadership encourages improved relationships in the organisational environment by allowing employees and managers to communicate effectively. This encourages understanding of individual and organisational limitations in a non-threatening manner. Cultural intelligence is another quality that can enhance the employee manager relationship and affect the organisational climate. In South Africa’s culturally diverse environment managers from various cultural backgrounds will need to form healthy working relationships with employees and colleagues to encourage cooperation. These challenges and opportunities form the basis for this research study in the hope of informing managers of the relevance of the research topic and encouraging a change of behaviour and further study within the South African work environment.

Organisations are continuously searching for ways to increase their competitiveness as a means to survive in the global economy. More recently approaches have focused on the role that people perform in bringing about competitive advantage. Research indicates that engaged employees contribute vastly to the financial bottom-line of the organisation (see section 3.2.2). The research problem in this study was to identify strategies that organisations can use to engage their employees. To achieve this objective a theoretical employee engagement model was presented. The presentation of the theoretical model consisted of the following sub-processes: § Firstly, a literature survey was conducted to determine the underlying drivers/constructs of employee engagement. Abstract iii § The second comprised surveying the literature dealing specifically with approaches for measuring employee engagement. § Thirdly, the literature was surveyed to identify strategies and models used by organisations for engaging employees. The theoretical employee engagement model served as a basis for the compilation of the survey questionnaire that determined the extent to which human resource practitioners and line managers agree with the theoretical model developed in this study. The questionnaire was administered to a random sample of individuals employed in the automotive cluster in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality and the Buffalo City Metropole. The empirical results obtained from the survey indicated that respondents strongly concurred with the theoretical employee engagement model presented in the study. These results were included in the theoretical model, which lead to the development of the integrated organisational employee engagement model. The model comprises of four interrelated categories that all contribute to enhancing employees’ engagement. These categories are organisational leadership, organisational culture, organisational strategies and the manager’s role. From the literature survey and the study it became clear that the role of the manager, had the most significant impact on employee engagement of all the categories. In addition, the integrated organisational employee engagement model can be used by organisations as an applied strategy for the measurement of employee engagement. The main findings from this research are that 60 per cent of organisations that participated in the empirical study had implemented strategies to engage their employees. However, the majority of organisations reporting not having an engagement strategy were among organisations that employed less than 700 employees (smaller organisations). The study also highlighted certain variables that required special attention, especially when implementing employee engagement within the South African context. South African companies as compared to their overseas counterparts, rated organisational engagement variables such as remuneration, benefits and gain sharing lower. A further variable that was identified by the study requiring special attention was, ‘senior management shows a sincere interest in employees’ well-being’. A final point emanating from the study is that the implementation of employee engagement, as a strategy to enhance organisational competitiveness, must be viewed as a continuous process. Organisations should prior, to the implementation of an employee engagement strategy, consider whether they are prepared to share engagement results, take corrective action commensurate with the results and deal with employee expectations that may be incurred. The strategies espoused by the integrated organisational employee engagement model developed in this study, can be used by organisations to increase organisational competitiveness by improving their employees’ level of engagement.

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