The attitudes of employees are key for ensuring the productivity and sustainability of an organisation. The present research aimed to explore obstacles and facilitators of positive team functioning in an offshore environment. Preliminary identification of obstacles and challenges to effective teamwork was achieved through an interview with two senior Human Resource managers at a large international bank, the primary location of which is in Australia. From this information, a survey was developed and distributed to members of an offshore Human Resource (HR) service centre consisting of 100 staff members, responsible for HR operations and described as an ‘extension’ or ‘captive’ team. An interview with management revealed that the effectiveness and sustainability of the current offshore team were of particular interest. Consideration of these issues and research into the effectiveness of virtual and captive teams led to a focus on organisational identity, work engagement, climate, trust, recognition from management, technology support, reliability of technology and goal clarity. Goal clarity and technology support were significant predictors of work engagement; low integration, goal clarity, technology support, reliability of technology and recognition from management were significant predictors of organisational identity. Thus, in an offshore environment, clear goals and the ability to complete those goals through use of efficient technologies are vital. This should impact the type of training given to offshore team members as well as the amount of technology support that is available to them.

Employees in the Occupational Risk Division (ORD) of a large petrochemical company experience many difficult situations on a regular basis. This division of the company comprises the emergency services, the security and the occupational health divisions of the company. Even though every precaution is taken to ensure the safety of employees in the company, accidents and incidents do happen. The employees of the ORD are confronted with gruesome accidents, dangerous accident scenes where they have to enter when everyone else is evacuated, and security breeches where they may have to enter and resolve serious conflict situations. The possibility that their work climate may contributed to their mental health status is suggested. It is suspected that the stress of the job affects the mental health of the employees of the OCD, and ways need to be found to reduce these effects. The objective of this research was to determine the relationship between core self-evaluations, role overload, powerlessness and health indicators of employees in the ORD of a large petro-chemical company and to determine whether core self-evaluations act as a moderator in the relationship between role overload and powerlessness on the one hand and health indicators on the other hand. A cross-sectional design was used. The sample consisted of 299 employees from the Occupational Risk Division of the organization. Age, gender and level of education were included as control variables. A comprehensive survey containing the measuring instruments was administrated. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. Results obtained indicated that some of the scales were not reliable. Powerlessness was dropped from the analysis and qualitative and quantitative role overload were collapsed into a total overload measure. The results showed that a negative relationship exists between role overload and core self-evaluations. A positive relationship exists between role overload and neuroticism, poor health and depression. Self-esteem, self-efficacy and locus of control are negatively related to neuroticism and health, and neuroticism is positively related to poor health. Depression was predicted by experiences of overload, levels of self-efficacy, locus of control and negative affect (Neuroticism). General health was predicted by experiences of overload, locus of control, neuroticism and the interaction between overload and self-esteem. None of the scales predict medication use to a significant degree. Results further indicated that only self-esteem acts as a moderator in the relationship between role overload and general health, but none of the variables of core self-evaluations act as a moderator between role overload and depression or between role overload and the use of medication. By way of conclusion, recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Movement Science Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

The success of any organisation depends on its ability to adapt to an ever-changing environment. In order to be able to adapt, an organisation needs visionary leadership, a management team that is passionate, professional and entrepreneurial, and employees that are engaged. With the right strategies, organisational practices and management the hidden value of an organisation can be unlocked. The traditional hierarchies in the organisation can be broken down in order to empower management teams to be more entrepreneurial. The right organisational climate should also be created to unleash potential. As part of the business planning process and the drive to reconnect with citizens, to respond to the need to do things differently, to build new relations and to improve service, the municipality should continuously evaluate the human resource management practices in place, to determine whether they are sufficient and effective to enable it to achieve its objectives. Knowledge of organisational climate variables also enables management towards the accomplishment of organisational goals. Local government is key to the realisation of a promise of a better life for all. It is therefore critical for its employees to always perform at their optimal, and adhere to all the principles of the Batho Pele when delivering service to the public. All the principles of this policy are intertwined and collectively guide all three spheres of government efforts in transforming and accelerating service delivery. Managers at all levels must support staff in service responsibility so that staff members feel valued, motivated, informed and challenged to put forth their best efforts on behalf of the people they serve. The objectives of this study were to determine the reliability and validity of the OCQ, the HRPQ, and the SSPPQ instruments, as well as to assess the relationship between human resource practices and organisational climate in the municipality. In Article 1 and Article 3 employees from the municipality were targeted, and in Article 2 citizens from the municipality were targeted separately. The study popUlation from the municipality included employees from managerial and non-managerial categories, and the study population from the citizens included the public which the municipality serve. A cross-sectional survey design was used to obtain the research objectives. Three standardised questionnaires were used in the empirical study, namely the Organisational Climate Questionnaire, the Standardof Service as Perceived by the Public Questionnaire and the Human Resource . Practices Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, factor analyses, Cronbach alpha coefficients, correlations, MANOV AS and regression analyses were used to analyse the data. In Article 1 the results indicated a four-factor structure for the OCQ. Statistically and practically significant differences were found between organisational climate dimensions and some of the biographical characteristics, namely age, service years and job leveL Employees with more years of service experience higher levels of organisational climate, than emlpoyees with fewer years of service. A significant difference in communication was found between job levelland job level 3. Employees in higher positions do not communicate well with employees at lower levels. In terms of Article 2 the study extracted a two-factor structure, namely Consultation and Efficiency. The scales showed acceptable internal consistencies. Most of the Batho Pele principles received negative responses from the public. The results showed that customers who feel they are not sufficiently consulted on services also feel that the services they received were not effective. Knowledge of the service environment was perceived as poor, and consultation on services was perceived as a challenge. The public also perceived responsiveness as poor.In Article 3 the scales showed acceptable internal consistencies and also confIrnled a relationship between human resource management practices and organisational climate Responsiveness! cooperation and human resource development contributed most to people care. Supervision, human resource development, responsiveness/cooperation, employee support andrecognition contributed to structure. Openness, feedback and responsiveness/cooperation contributed most to efficiency. Recognition, responsiveness/cooperation, superviSIOn and openness contributed most to communication. Based on the results, recommendations were made for urgent actions to be implemented by the municipality, as well as for future research / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Movement Science Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

The success of any organisation depends on its ability to adapt to an ever-changing environment. In order to be able to adapt, an organisation needs visionary leadership, a management team that is passionate, professional and entrepreneurial, and employees that are engaged. With the right strategies, organisational practices and management the hidden value of an organisation can be unlocked. The traditional hierarchies in the organisation can be broken down in order to empower management teams to be more entrepreneurial. The right organisational climate should also be created to unleash potential. As part of the business planning process and the drive to reconnect with citizens, to respond to the need to do things differently, to build new relations and to improve service, the municipality should continuously evaluate the human resource management practices in place, to determine whether they are sufficient and effective to enable it to achieve its objectives. Knowledge of organisational climate variables also enables management towards the accomplishment of organisational goals. Local government is key to the realisation of a promise of a better life for all. It is therefore critical for its employees to always perform at their optimal, and adhere to all the principles of the Batho Pele when delivering service to the public. All the principles of this policy are intertwined and collectively guide all three spheres of government efforts in transforming and accelerating service delivery. Managers at all levels must support staff in service responsibility so that staff members feel valued, motivated, informed and challenged to put forth their best efforts on behalf of the people they serve. The objectives of this study were to determine the reliability and validity of the OCQ, the HRPQ, and the SSPPQ instruments, as well as to assess the relationship between human resource practices and organisational climate in the municipality. In Article 1 and Article 3 employees from the municipality were targeted, and in Article 2 citizens from the municipality were targeted separately. The study popUlation from the municipality included employees from managerial and non-managerial categories, and the study population from the citizens included the public which the municipality serve. A cross-sectional survey design was used to obtain the research objectives. Three standardised questionnaires were used in the empirical study, namely the Organisational Climate Questionnaire, the Standardof Service as Perceived by the Public Questionnaire and the Human Resource . Practices Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, factor analyses, Cronbach alpha coefficients, correlations, MANOV AS and regression analyses were used to analyse the data. In Article 1 the results indicated a four-factor structure for the OCQ. Statistically and practically significant differences were found between organisational climate dimensions and some of the biographical characteristics, namely age, service years and job leveL Employees with more years of service experience higher levels of organisational climate, than emlpoyees with fewer years of service. A significant difference in communication was found between job levelland job level 3. Employees in higher positions do not communicate well with employees at lower levels. In terms of Article 2 the study extracted a two-factor structure, namely Consultation and Efficiency. The scales showed acceptable internal consistencies. Most of the Batho Pele principles received negative responses from the public. The results showed that customers who feel they are not sufficiently consulted on services also feel that the services they received were not effective. Knowledge of the service environment was perceived as poor, and consultation on services was perceived as a challenge. The public also perceived responsiveness as poor.In Article 3 the scales showed acceptable internal consistencies and also confIrnled a relationship between human resource management practices and organisational climate Responsiveness! cooperation and human resource development contributed most to people care. Supervision, human resource development, responsiveness/cooperation, employee support andrecognition contributed to structure. Openness, feedback and responsiveness/cooperation contributed most to efficiency. Recognition, responsiveness/cooperation, superviSIOn and openness contributed most to communication. Based on the results, recommendations were made for urgent actions to be implemented by the municipality, as well as for future research / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

This research project studies the management of change by school managers. South African school managers are operating in one of the most difficult environments in the world, one where many variables have an enormous influence on their main task, namely to achieve their organisation's goals and objectives. The new political dispensation in South Africa is characterized by a host of variables that can be classified under what is known as "transformation".The organization exists in a dynamic environment in which changing ways of life, as well as political trends are continually changing the environment and ultimately affecting it. Insight into trends and events in the environment, especially the ability to forecast the implications of these for managerial decision-making, are now a top priority for management, since past experience in the rapidly changing environments often of little help when the management has to deal with new problems.All organizations, including school organizations, are created and kept together by a group of people striving towards a common purpose or goal. All organizations have plans on how they will achieve the goals. These people are called managers, and they influence the success of their organizations. The success with which an organization achieves its objectives and satisfies the ever-increasing needs of society, depends on the competence of its managers.All organizations, including school organizations, are created and kept together by a group of people striving towards a common purpose or goal. All organizations have plans on how they will achieve the goals. These people are called managers, and they influence the success of their organizations. The success with which an organization achieves its objectives and satisfies the ever-increasing needs of society, depends on the competence of its managers.In developing goals, or planning the future of the organization, managers are confronted with decisions. In a decentralized organization members of the organization participate in decision making. Empowerment, which means the sharing of power with subordinates, has become a very important management issue.Change triggers emotional reaction because of the uncertainty involved, and most organisational change efforts run into some form of employee resistance. Resistance to change can be overcome by education and communication, participation and involvement, facilitation and support, negotiation and rewards, and coercion and manipulation.From the empirical research undertaken through the use of questionnaires, interviews and observation, it is apparent that managers are working hard to implement change and that all stakeholders need to be trained on issues related to change. This implies that managers have to be exemplary and motivate teachers, learners and the parent body to do their respective duties. Parents are no longer spectators in the education arena, they are part of the governance structures in schools. Their co-operation, support and participation is highly crucial in the implementation of change in schools.Several recommendations are made in respect of the Department of Education, managers, educators learners and parents in education. These recommendations will hopefully benefit all stakeholders in education and contribute in stimulating further research. / Thesis (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2003. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

This research empirically investigates Locke's (1997) model of work motivation by means of quantitative research. The OCQ consisting of three tiered questionnaires was constructed based on Locke's model. OCQ-Tierl deals with core components of Locke's model. OCQ-Tier2 determines which factors caused the incidence of dissatisfaction in OCQ-Tierl. OCQ-Tier3 enables the identification of corrective actions. The OCQ was administered to financial services employees. The results were analysed and Locke's model was tested by means of structural equation modelling using the AMOS graphics programme. The results indicated that the model, suggesting causal links between components within OCQ-Tierl, could not be confirmed. A better fit was found at OCQ-Tier2 and OCQ-Tier3. In testing the causal links across the three tiers per component, the models did not fit the data for "personal actualisation" and "goal achievement". Moderate confirmation of the models was found in the case of "goal setting" and "goal behaviour" across the three tiers after some adaptations were made to the models on the basis of "modification indices", suggested by AMOS. A reasonably good fit was found for the models across the three tiers for "quality of work life". The level of correlation between factors was high because of this, and in some cases some of the factors were merged. Modification indices in the statistical output suggested that improvement was possible if covariance between error terms in the model was allowed. This suggested possible systematic sources of covariance between items not accounted for by the factors in the models. As confirmed by the Cronbach Alpha coefficients within tiers and across tiers, the general level of internal consistency was very high. Possibly response set and response style were the cause of this. This made the testing of models difficult in the present study. So too was it difficult to draw a conclusion about the internal consistency reliability of the measurement of each component across the three tiers, because the high Cronbach coefficients may to some extent be due to the indiscriminate high correlations between items / D.Litt. et Phil. (Industrial Psychology)

This study is within the field of Industrial and Organisational Psychology. It focuses on the relationship between diversity management and organisational climate dimensions. The literature review indicates that most of the research conducted on these two concepts, diversity management and organisational climate investigated the concept diversity, not diversity management (Cox, 1993; Hicks-Clarke & Hies, 2003). This study specifically explores diversity management in a retail organisation. The empirical component of the study includes confirmatory factor analysis, reliability analysis and a correlational study investigating the relationship between diversity management and organisational climate. It was found that there is a positive and strong relationship between diversity management and organisational climate. Diversity management seems to correlate highly with the following climate dimensions: policies and procedures, discrimination, gender issues, equality in conditions of employment and employment equity. The results indicate that younger employees have more positive views regarding diversity management, and middle aged employees have less positive views regarding diversity management. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Admin (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

The performance of state-owned enterprises in Namibia has been in the spotlight for many years, resulting in the Government of the Republic of Namibia to introduce interventions and strategies to address and improve this performance. The poor performance of state-owned enterprises has been studied in terms of financial aspects with less attention, however, on human resources as a key success factor in contributing to performance. Studying performance in terms of the human resources is an important area for research and intervention. The Government introduced several measures to ensure the efficient governance and monitoring of state-owned enterprises and to ensure that they are performing to the satisfaction and expectations of the stakeholder. These measures included the introduction of the State-Owned Enterprises Act (Act 2 of 2006) of Namibia, as well as governance structures to ensure that the performance of state-owned enterprises is properly maximised. Despite these efforts by the Government to regulate state-owned enterprises with the intention to improve performance, to date the poor performance of state-owned enterprises is still a topical issue in Namibia. Almost a decade after the promulgation of the State-Owned Enterprises Act, in 2006, the government is still financially bailing out a number of the state-owned enterprises. State-owned enterprises need to take a positive approach that recognise and leverage human resources for contribution to sustainable growth, competitive advantage and performance. Positively oriented high-performance work practices are conceptualised within the context of positive organisational behaviour. Positive organisational behaviour as characterised in the form of psychological capital, with antecedents such as authentic leadership and supportive organisational climate and employee outcomes such as job satisfaction, intention to leave, engagement in the Namibian state-owned enterprises context are the main focus of this study. The study aimed to assess the relationship between psychological capital, authentic leadership, supportive organisational climate, job satisfaction, intention to leave, employee engagement and performance for employees in state-owned enterprises in Namibia. A cross-sectional survey design was used to gather data regarding all these constructs as experienced by employees. A convenience sample (N = 452) of employees from 20 state-owned enterprises participated in the study. The measuring instruments used were the Psychological Capital Questionnaire, Performance-related Attitudinal Questionnaire, Job Satisfaction Scale, Turnover Intention Scale, Engagement Scale, Authentic Leadership Questionnaire, Supportive Organisational Climate Questionnaire and a biographical questionnaire. The results of study 1 showed that authentic leadership was positively associated with psychological capital (i.e. experiences of hope, optimism, self-efficacy and resilience) and job satisfaction. Authentic leadership affected job satisfaction indirectly via psychological capital. Psychological capital had a medium to large indirect effect on employees’ intentions to leave. The findings suggest that authentic leadership and psychological capital explain job satisfaction and retention of employees in state-owned enterprises. Study 2 showed that authentic leadership and psychological capital predicted employee engagement. A supportive organisational climate was related to employee engagement on individual level, but only if authentic leadership and psychological capital were not included in the model. Psychological capital mediated the relation between authentic leadership and employee engagement on an individual level in state owned enterprises. The results of study 3 showed that authentic leadership and a supportive organisational climate had a positive impact on psychological capital. Psychological capital predicted job performance on an individual level. Psychological capital was not associated with organisational performance. Recommendations for interventions to promote psychological capital, its antecedents and outcomes were made.