Spelling suggestions: "subject:"executive -- south africa""
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Strategies for advancing women into executive management positionsDlamini, Patricia Dollane January 2017 (has links)
Problem: In South Africa, women have not always had opportunities in society or the workplace due to historical discriminatory political and socio-economic policies and practices, including apartheid (United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, 2011). Gender disparity at the top echelons of organisations is still prevalent, and the South African business landscape is not different despite progressive legislation promulgated in the late 90s when the democratic government took over. Aim of the study: The aim was to identify challenges faced by women when attempting to advance into executive positions and strategies that could assist them in this respect. Method: A literature study was conducted to establish what work had already been done in the field of gender studies and advancement of women in the corporate world. For the empirical study an interpretivist paradigm with a qualitative research approach was adopted. Interviews were conducted with ten women who were members of the Port Elizabeth branch of the Businesswomen's Association of South Africa (BWASA) and who were categorised as hopeful, emerging or already in executive positions. They were asked about the challenges they were facing or had experienced and the strategies that assisted or could assist them in advancing to an executive position. They were also asked to provide critical incidents with the view of enriching the data and gaining a deeper understanding of the phenomenon. Results: Gender-insensitive organisational policies, an unsupportive organisational culture and unknown barriers in selection emerged as key challenges experienced by the participants. Facilitative strategies that emerged included a supportive corporate culture, family support, an enabling supervisor and affiliation to professional bodies. Conclusion: Whilst a large pool of work has been done on the advancement of women, gender equality in corporate South Africa remained a challenge. This challenge should be addressed from a corporate, personal and professional perspective. Recommendations: An integrated organisational approach to this phenomenon is required which should include appropriate company policies, a supportive organisational culture and enabling supervisors. In addition, women should garner the support that their families provide and they could greatly benefit from affiliating to professional bodies.
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An analysis of barriers which affect women in leadership positions in Eastern Cape Municipalities : case study of Amathole District MunicipalityNyangiwe-Ndika, Welekazi January 2015 (has links)
The primary concern of the study is to examine leadership challenges confronted by women leaders in Eastern Cape municipalities. International organisations has made a number commitments encouraging gender parity and eliminating imbalance against women in the past three decades, through international platforms. In the World Summit held in 2005, it was recommended that a Platform for Action (1995) and the resolutions of the Twenty Third special session of the General Assembly as a crucial baseline in attaining then internationally agreed development goals, as well as those contained in the Millennium Declaration. (www.ilo.org) In the above forums national decision makers worldwide were urged to apply strategies and programmes which would improve gender fairness, in leadership positions, giving women complete and comparable share in economic, social, cultural and political decision-making as men. South Africa as a role player in the international space also joined the world in endorsing various programmes and strategies which seek to address gender parities and strive to eliminate women oppression especially in public sector.
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The role of women in develpmental local government: a case study of the Wells Estate area in the Nelson Mandela Bay MunicipalitySihlwayi, Nancy Nomadewuka January 2013 (has links)
The study investigates the role of women in development which is a favourite topic of the researcher. It investigates some aspects of the process of development involving women. It is obvious that the research was provoked by the legal framework directed at the transformation agenda that represents the democratic process of the country. The role of women, in other sectors, who were excluded from issues of community management, politics and government of the country, became obvious for the researcher due to their strategic role in society which is being undermined. The above view poses the challenge of power-sharing with men. This constituted a huge challenge that emanated from a stereotypical perspective and the fear of the unknown. Considerable pieces of legislation, policies, convention resolutions, conferences and publications became catalysts to intervene in the traditional challenge based on the societal construction. This, to the researcher, presents a clear historical anomaly where government has to address all the streamlining and implementation of policies. There should be sustainability through an Integrated Development Plan. The aim of the historical background of women, as envisaged by the study, is to highlight a contextualised role of women in the development of the transformation process and investigate numerous reasons that impede participation and the readiness of government in addressing these issues. Some questions that the researcher had to as relate to; What the impediments causing non-participation of women are; What elements contribute to the participation of women; What government strategies have unlocked non-participation of women; Why women’s contribution is critical to development; What strategies are deployed by government for women’s involvement? What the socio-economic benefits of participation by women are. It is the researcher’s opinion that the municipality should be complimented on its endeavours. However, they need to establish a strategic programme for empowering women to participate in development as a human rights issue.
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Factors contributing to the success of professional and business women in South AfricaDoubell, Marianne January 2011 (has links)
Women remain notably underrepresented in management and leadership positions despite the enactment of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action policies. A critical literature review yielded evidence of a multitude of barriers inhibiting women’s career advancement beyond an apparent glass ceiling, but not which of the factors constitute the major barriers. A knowledge gap was further identified in research pertaining to characteristics of successful professional women and the environments that enable them to succeed in their professions. The purpose of the current study is to expand the empirical body of research and knowledge on factors contributing to the success of professional women, and of factors inhibiting the career progression of women in business. The study extends that of Punnett, Duffy, Fox, Gregory, Lituchy, Monserrat, Olivas-Luján and Santos (2006) and of Duffy, Fox, Punnett, Gregory, Lituchy, Monserrat, Olivas-Luján, Santos and Miller (2006), conducted in the Americas, to the South African context. The study suggests a conceptual framework for investigating factors that influence professional success of women. The developed conceptual framework of factors perceived to influence professional success was employed to empirically test the relationships between the variables presented. The empirical data collected was subjected to a series of statistical tests and the results considered in testing the hypotheses. Statistica 10 was employed to analyse the empirical data collected. Univariate and multivariate tests (MANOVA) were employed to determine whether sufficient evidence existed to make conclusions about hypotheses one to five of the study, relating to differences between two success groups of women based on their demographics and the selected variables. Pearson Product Moment Correlation (Pearson r) was employed to determine whether sufficient evidence existed to make conclusions about vi hypotheses six to ten, relating to significant relationships between the selected independent variables for the study and the professional success of women. Professional success was measured as job seniority level. For the pipeline success group, professional success was measured as seniority in relation to years in the employment sector and age. The contribution of the study to management science and possible limitations are discussed and recommendations made for future research. Recommendations for the development of women and for the social transformation of organisations are made. The study identifies a number of internal organisational support factors and government interventions which are recommended for inclusion in development initiatives for the achievement of gender equity.
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An investigation into the factors that affect change in the attitudes of managers in higher educational institutions on reaching positions of authorityNaidoo, Tigambery January 2004 (has links)
Thesis (M.Tech.: Commercial Administration)- Dept. of Office Management and Technology, Durban Institute of Technology, 2004 x, 100, [21] leaves / This study aimed to identify the factors that affect change in attitudes of managers reaching positions of authority in Higher Educational Institutions. Traditionally, managers sat in their office and managed organizations. Today the market place demands something different and there is greater emphasis on leadership qualities for those in positions of authority. Today, leaders are needed who have sound principles, ethics, sound values, integrity, human and communication skills. Individuals in leadership positions who lack the skills listed, experience problems leading and managing a modern organization.
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The relationship between patterns of sex role identity, work stress, social support and wellbeing in South African female managers.Bernstein, Colleen 07 January 2014 (has links)
A large body of research has documented the deleterious relationship between work stress and
health and wellbeing. This research has also examined which factors intrinsic and extrinsic to the
individual create variations in this pattern of relationship. Two notable factors in this regard are
gender and social support. Previous research has indicated that gender and social support can lead
to variations in the way individuals perceive, cope with and react to stress. This research has also
indicated that gender can influence the extent to which individuals will effectively utilise different
sources of social support. However, much of this research has focused on a dichotomous
conceptualisation of gender, restricting the exploration of gender to that which is biologically
defined. Research advances have been made utilising Bem’s (1974) Theory of Psychological
Androgyny. This theory has acknowledged and explored socially constructed ‘within gender’
differences of masculinity and femininity, proposing that androgyny, defined as an equal balance
of masculine and feminine traits within an individual, independent of biological sex, is the ideal
with regard to experienced optimal health and wellbeing. While this theory has enjoyed a vast
empirical base that indicates that those with an androgynous sex role identity tend to enjoy the
greatest health and wellbeing; the research on psychological androgyny has not been without its
limitations. Competing models of gender identity, such as the ‘Differentiated Model have
suggested that gender identities are made up of both socially desirable and socially undesirable
sex-typed behavioural traits; this model promoting a ‘new prescription’ for gender in the 21st
century. This new prescription requires the acknowledgement of both types of sex-based
behavioural traits, expanding the conceptualisation of gender to take into account both negative
and positive sex-based feminine and masculine traits, that is, traits that are both socially desirable
and undesirable in terms of masculinity and femininity. This new prescription thus intends to
segregate and explore the relationship between socially desirable and socially undesirable sex-
typed behavioural traits to health and wellbeing.
Consequently, the present study adopts this prescription in order to examine this expanded
conceptualisation of sex role identity, utilising a South African sample of female managers. More
specifically, the present study examines the relationship between socially desirable and socially
undesirable sex role identities and perceptions of work stress, social support, psychological wellbeing and self-esteem. In addition, the present study examines the moderating effect of social
support in the relationship between indicators of work stress and wellbeing.
The Extended Personality Attributes Questionnaire (EPAQ) was revised and utilised to assess the
expanded conceptualisation of both socially desirable and socially undesirable sex role identities
within a South African sample of 1477 female managers accessed from two national financial
institutions and one tertiary institution.
Results of the study indicate that the socially desirable, positively valenced identities fare better on
health indicators than the socially undesirable, negatively valenced identities. In all instances
positively valenced sex role identities perceive the least stress and have the highest level of
psychological wellbeing and self-esteem as compared to the negatively valenced identities.
Clearly those with negative identities, more particularly those that were negatively feminine or
negatively androgynous are significantly worse off in terms of health and wellbeing than those
with positive identities. Overall, the hypotheses proposing significant differences between positive
identities, that is, positive androgyny and the negative femininity and negative androgyny, with a
few exceptions, were supported.
Three sources of social support, that is, colleague, supervisor and partner support had a main
effect on psychological wellbeing while all five sources, that is colleague, supervisor, partner,
family and friend had a main effect on self-esteem. With regard to moderating effects, both
colleague and supervisor support interacted with work stress to moderate the relationship between
work stress and psychological wellbeing to reduce the impact of work stress on wellbeing. None
of the non-work sources of support interacted to moderate the effect of work stress on
psychological wellbeing. In addition no interaction effects for all sources of support were
observed for self-esteem with the exception of friend support which moderated the relationship
between work stress and self-esteem. However, this interaction effect was in an unexpected
direction, in that friend support exacerbated the relationship; indicating that the higher the social
support the lower the self-esteem. Based on the results of the study and the methodology utilised, a number of strengths and
weaknesses of the present research are identified. With regard to strengths, the present study has
added to the literature on sex role identity and its implication for female managers within a South
African context by identifying specific positive sex role identities and specific negative sex role
identities and their relationship to health and wellbeing indicators within an occupational context.
In addition, the findings of the present research suggest that there may be specific contingencies
pertaining to stressor situations, the contexts within which they occur and the domains upon which
they predict, which may prescribe which sex role identity may be most or least beneficial in terms
of health and wellbeing.
Study limitations have both theoretical and methodological implications for future research. In
particular, issues pertaining to the measurement of gender are outlined that need to be resolved by
future researchers in order to effectively measure the construct of gender and its relationship to
wellbeing. In addition, in order to determine which sex role identities will have the most or least
beneficial health effects, future researchers need to develop and explore specificity hypotheses that
enable the examination of gender in relation to specific stressors within specific socio-cultural
contexts and the relationship thereof to particular predictor domains.
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An investigation into the factors that affect change in the attitudes of managers in higher educational institutions on reaching positions of authorityNaidoo, Tigambery January 2004 (has links)
Thesis (M.Tech.: Commercial Administration)- Dept. of Office Management and Technology, Durban Institute of Technology, 2004 x, 100, [21] leaves / This study aimed to identify the factors that affect change in attitudes of managers reaching positions of authority in Higher Educational Institutions. Traditionally, managers sat in their office and managed organizations. Today the market place demands something different and there is greater emphasis on leadership qualities for those in positions of authority. Today, leaders are needed who have sound principles, ethics, sound values, integrity, human and communication skills. Individuals in leadership positions who lack the skills listed, experience problems leading and managing a modern organization.
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Exploration into leadership challenges facing female employees at Telkom head office in Pretoria.Shangase, Nonhlanhla Primrose. 27 August 2013 (has links)
The Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 (EEA) deals with the achievement of equity in the
workplace. This involves the promotion of equal opportunities and fair treatment as well as
the implementation of affirmative action measures. Telkom, like many other organizations in
South Africa was, and is expected to comply with the Act. Compliance includes the
development and promotion of female employees into leadership positions. Very few
Telkom female employees are in top leadership positions. Even those that are in top
positions have been recruited externally. South African history may play a role in the
problem by regarding males as leaders at work and at home. The intention of the study was
to explore leadership challenges facing female employees within Telkom and to be able to
understand the perceptions and realities accompanying these challenges. Theories based on
gender, traits, leadership, the hierarchy of needs and development were used as the
theoretical framework in this study. The systems thinking approach was used to assist in
looking towards a broader perspective. The population of the study was female employees at
Telkom Head Office in Pretoria. From these, twelve served as a sample for the study. In
gathering data, semi-structured interviews were conducted. Qualitative analysis was used to
analyse data. Analysis and interpretation involved identifying themes, coding and
interpretation. The findings in the study are: the strong belief that leadership is solely for
males or females is incorrect; there are leadership challenges facing Telkom female
employees. The study focused on leadership challenges facing Telkom female employees at
middle management, junior management and operational level. These are OP to M4. It is for
this reason that the researcher thinks that a future study that will focus on leadership
challenges facing top and senior female leaders can be conducted for comparison, as well as
another study to ascertain the influence of the working environment on these leaders. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2011.
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Werkstres en hanteringsmeganismes van afrosentriese en eurosentriese middelvlakbestuurdersLabuschagne, Karina 31 July 2014 (has links)
M.A. (Social Sciences) / Presently a fine balance between South Africa's politics and the industrial situation exists. The South African political focus was aimed at fulfilling the clamouring of America and Europe, and not tailored for the South Africa situation that asks for reciprocity. This immediate way of handling the South Africa political field, has resulted in the industry being at the receiving end of the country's political controversies. What we find in the industry is a total distortion of white male managers occupying 88.2% of all the middle and senior positions, whilst 75% of the South African population consist out of blacks. A very poor representation of African managers is thus visible in the industry that asks for change, reformation and renewal. These changes that are required, will have to take place within a limited accelerated time span, which might be revolutionary rather than evolutionary. Limited research has been done on coping during stressful situations (Feldman & Brett, 1983; Latack, 1986; Burke & Belcourt, 1974; Newton & Keenan, 1985 and Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). The research that had been implemented was taxonomic (Burke & Belcourt in Newton & Keenan, 1985:108). This scientific research is about the stress management and coping skills of Afrocentric and Eurocentric middle managers. These managers are employed by Eskom which implies a working milieu that has been exposed to reorganisation, structural changes and rationalisation. An important component of .this research, is that the Eurocentric middle managers are being compared with the Afrocentric middle managers regarding their work and life circumstances and coping skills one or two months before South Africa's very first democratic election that took place on the 27th April 1994. It was important to assess the climate within Eskom as an organisation regarding the white versus the black managers just before a third world democratisation.
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The current state of Black female empowerment in the construction industry measured against broad-based Black economic empowerment scorecardPodges, Joan Winnifred January 2009 (has links)
The Government of South Africa has placed a lot of emphasis on economic growth and the involvement of Black people in the mainstream of the economy. The implementation of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) created opportunities for direct empowerment of Black females in ownership and management. The Construction Industry is being challenged to increase the number of Black females in management and ownership levels. Due to the nature of the Industry, only a small population of females considers Construction as a career option. The Industry has also lost a significant number of skilled Engineers and is experiencing a shortage of skilled managers in Middle and Senior Management Levels. The research problem questioned the current state of empowerment for Black women in the Construction Industry as measured against the B-BBEE Scorecard. The literature review focused on the requirements of the B-BBEE scorecard and Construction Charter. The second phase focused on gender equality and the achievements of women in Construction. The research design was done by using questionnaires to the South African Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors (Safcec) members in the Eastern Cape. The research design and survey aimed to determine the status of empowerment in the Construction Industry. With reference to both the literature review and the empirical findings the state of female empowerment can be determined. Therefore iv recommendations and opportunities for further research in this regard can be identified.
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