The world of work has changed dramatically in the last decade and constant change has become the new normality. Employees are affected by possible re-organisation, retrenchments and downsizing which affects their behaviours and attitudes at work. Leaders have the responsibility of leading their followers through these difficult times to the best of their ability. A positive leader is seen as someone who recognises and focuses on the strengths and accomplishments of his or her employees. When a leader is positive and has a positive leadership approach, it may influence their followers’ feelings of psychological empowerment, work engagement and satisfaction with life. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between positive leadership, psychological empowerment, work engagement and satisfaction with life of employees in a chemical industry. A cross-sectional survey design was used with a convenience sample (n = 322). The measuring instruments used were the Positive Leadership Measure, the Measuring Empowerment Questionnaire, the Work Engagement Scale and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test whether the measures of the constructs were consistent with the understanding of the nature of the constructs and to test whether the data fitted the hypothesised measurement model. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to examine the structural relationships between the constructs. The results show that there are statistically significant relationships between positive leadership, psychological empowerment, work engagement and satisfaction with life. Positive leadership has an indirect effect on work engagement and satisfaction with life via psychological empowerment. The implication of the results is that the work related aspects of positive leadership, psychological empowerment and work engagement has a positive effect on the non-work related aspect of satisfaction with life. Practical implications and directions for future research are offered. / MCom (Industrial Psychology), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

South African organisations face the challenge of creating organisations that will engage employees in ways that allow for the optimisation of their strengths. This can be achieved by following a strength-based approach (SBA). An SBA aims to achieve optimisation of human functioning, where talents and strengths are the focus and weaknesses are understood and managed. Although previous research suggests that an SBA has positive influences on individual and organisational outcomes, no instrument exists within the South African context that measures employees’ perception of the extent to which they believe their organisation makes use of their strengths and talents. Recently, a new scale was developed to address this need. However, no studies have been done to see how well the items of this scale function. The objectives of this research were to 1) conceptualise an SBA according to literature, 2) determine whether the items in the SBA scale are unidimensional, 3) to determine the internal validity and reliability of the new SBA scale, and 4) make recommendations for future research. A cross-sectional quantitative research design was used whereby online and hardcopy versions of the questionnaire were distributed to participants. A sample of 699 participants was collected from the Gauteng and North-West provinces. Rasch analysis was used to determine the reliability and validity of the items. Acceptable item reliability was found. Both the item and person separation indices were acceptable. Mean infit and outfit indices for both person and item were acceptable. The seven-point frequency-based Likert scale worked satisfactorily overall, although categories 0, 1, and 2 were under-utilised. Finally, the infit and outfit statistics for all eight items functioned satisfactorily, except for one item. Recommendations are made for practice as well as for future research. / Thesis (MA (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

The world of work has changed dramatically in the last decade and constant change has become the new normality. Employees are affected by possible re-organisation, retrenchments and downsizing which affects their behaviours and attitudes at work. Leaders have the responsibility of leading their followers through these difficult times to the best of their ability. A positive leader is seen as someone who recognises and focuses on the strengths and accomplishments of his or her employees. When a leader is positive and has a positive leadership approach, it may influence their followers’ feelings of psychological empowerment, work engagement and satisfaction with life. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between positive leadership, psychological empowerment, work engagement and satisfaction with life of employees in a chemical industry. A cross-sectional survey design was used with a convenience sample (n = 322). The measuring instruments used were the Positive Leadership Measure, the Measuring Empowerment Questionnaire, the Work Engagement Scale and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test whether the measures of the constructs were consistent with the understanding of the nature of the constructs and to test whether the data fitted the hypothesised measurement model. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to examine the structural relationships between the constructs. The results show that there are statistically significant relationships between positive leadership, psychological empowerment, work engagement and satisfaction with life. Positive leadership has an indirect effect on work engagement and satisfaction with life via psychological empowerment. The implication of the results is that the work related aspects of positive leadership, psychological empowerment and work engagement has a positive effect on the non-work related aspect of satisfaction with life. Practical implications and directions for future research are offered. / MCom (Industrial Psychology), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

South African organisations face the challenge of creating organisations that will engage employees in ways that allow for the optimisation of their strengths. This can be achieved by following a strength-based approach (SBA). An SBA aims to achieve optimisation of human functioning, where talents and strengths are the focus and weaknesses are understood and managed. Although previous research suggests that an SBA has positive influences on individual and organisational outcomes, no instrument exists within the South African context that measures employees’ perception of the extent to which they believe their organisation makes use of their strengths and talents. Recently, a new scale was developed to address this need. However, no studies have been done to see how well the items of this scale function. The objectives of this research were to 1) conceptualise an SBA according to literature, 2) determine whether the items in the SBA scale are unidimensional, 3) to determine the internal validity and reliability of the new SBA scale, and 4) make recommendations for future research. A cross-sectional quantitative research design was used whereby online and hardcopy versions of the questionnaire were distributed to participants. A sample of 699 participants was collected from the Gauteng and North-West provinces. Rasch analysis was used to determine the reliability and validity of the items. Acceptable item reliability was found. Both the item and person separation indices were acceptable. Mean infit and outfit indices for both person and item were acceptable. The seven-point frequency-based Likert scale worked satisfactorily overall, although categories 0, 1, and 2 were under-utilised. Finally, the infit and outfit statistics for all eight items functioned satisfactorily, except for one item. Recommendations are made for practice as well as for future research. / Thesis (MA (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

This Degree Project studies health promotion and strengths-based approaches in an Indigenous Australian context. The study focuses on an Indigenous Australian organisation called the Deadly Choices and their health-related promotion. The study is informed by postcolonial theory as well as cultural identity theory, and it was conducted through a textual analysis by analysing Deadly Choices’ Facebook posts and Twitter tweets both qualitatively and quantitatively. The study set out to determine what kind of features and what style language could contribute to the notion of a strengths-based approach and thus could empower Indigenous people to become change agents themselves.  The aim of the study was to understand if there are certain repetitive, identifiable features that construct the basis for a strengths-based approach and thus contribute to the matters of empowerment and decolonising health promotion in the context of Deadly Choices. In total 151 samples were analysed. I was able to conclude that Deadly Choices uses a strengths-based approach to an extent, but they tend to focus on only the resilience approach rather than the more prominent sociocultural approach.

This study aimed at examining if a strengths-based intervention implemented by two coordination teams in Surahammar and Hallstahammar has a positive effect on the wellbeing and work capacity of participants with complex needs such as mental and physical disabilities. As a direct result of citizens with complex needs having problems getting gainful employment the two teams were formed to help people who has not yet been helped by other previous interventions. Due to the studied group commonly facing several mental and physical disabilities the teams were constructed to use a strengths-based solutions-focused approach for their interventions. During a one-year intervention period the participants actively participated in strengths-based interventions consisting of solutions-focused activities, group activities, individual coaching and on-site job training. The research method used had a mixed methods design using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Data were gathered with the sense of coherence questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. When measured, using the instruments, results showed that participants wellbeing as well as their work capacity increased. In the discussion it is suggested that further research is needed as a small sample size and participant dropout limit the possibility to generalize the findings to a broader context.

The secondary impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and young people have been significant, including impacts on education, young people’s social lives, physical activity and mental health, as well as increased abuse. These impacts risk running into the long term, and in order to mitigate this, a better understanding of how children and young people’s lives have changed and the role they can play in driving solutions is needed.   UNICEF’s global Communication for Development (C4D) team has commenced a collaborative project with partners, the Children & Young People Participatory Research and Communication for Change Initiative, to better understand the experiences and perspectives of children and young people in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to what extent they are able to be involved in developing solutions. As part of this initiative, desk reviews were carried out to establish the landscape of children and young people’s experience of issues in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as their participation in these issues.   This paper serves to narrow down the focus of the subsequent research to be undertaken by UNICEF and partners as part of the initiative, which will produce new information on children and young people’s experiences and participation in the context of COVID-19, and help build a model for children and young people’s participation to inform future UNICEF Communication for Development programmes. Through interviews and focus groups with UNICEF staff in the 11 participating country offices, this paper produces a set of recommendations for specific areas of research in terms of the key issues to be further investigated regarding children and young people’s participation in the context of COVID-19. It also demonstrates how using strengths-based and intersectional approaches to the research can bring subaltern youth voices in particular to the fore.

Ledare vill att medarbetare skall vara engagerade i sitt arbete och i organisationen som helhet. Ett sätt att uppnå detta är att arbeta utifrån ett styrkebaserat förhållningssätt vilket har flera positiva effekter i organisationer såsom att behålla medarbetare och öka lönsamheten. Utgångspunkten i detta är att fokusera på styrkor och möjligheter istället för svagheter och problem. Trots att tidigare forskning har visat att ett styrkebaserat förhållningssätt är effektivt har inga studier undersökt vilka faktorer som påverkar om en organisation använder sig av metoden eller inte. Syftet med den här studien var att undersöka vad som gör att vissa organisationer väljer att arbeta utifrån ett styrkebaserat förhållningssätt och andra inte samt vad som krävs för att lyckas med implementeringen. Detta har utforskats genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med fem specialister inom området. Därefter gjordes en tematisk analys av resultatet. Studien visade att många inom organisationer har en positiv inställning till det styrkebaserade förhållningssättet när de får höra om det men att det är få som känner till det. Skulle det styrkebaserade förhållningssättet och dess effekter vara mer kända skulle detta förhållningssätt kunna tänkas vara mer etablerat i organisationer. Att många fokuserar på problem och svagheter framför möjligheter och styrkor beror på fostran i problembaserade tankebanor. För att lyckas med implementeringen behöver organisationen vara mogen för förändring samt genomföra en bedömning av sitt utgångsläge. Eftersom ett styrkebaserat förhållningssätt passar i alla organisationer men inte alla situationer behöver organisationen klargöra hur utvecklingen ska se ut i sin organisation. Det kräver ett tydligt mål med implementeringen samt att ledningen står bakom initiativet och driver hela förändringsprocessen tillsammans med medarbetarna. Studien visade också att det är av stor vikt att ha uthållighet och genomföra hela processen utan genvägar.

Family resilience is the ability of a family to rebound from adversities, often stronger than before. To be knowledgeable on the characteristics and processes that render individuals and their families resilient, contribute to family well-being. Using a qualitative research approach and an interview guide, the researcher focused on developing a better understanding of the manifestation of family resilience as part of a family’s ability to adapt to changing circumstances and life in its dynamic form. Family resilience as an interactive process over time, normalizes resilience as part of the day to day living of the family and its members, including the young and the old. The domains of family resilience are, organizational patterns, adaptability, protective processes (including family risks, family strengths and protective/buffering factors), communication processes and family belief systems that, in synergy with one another, render families resilient. The research results confirmed the presence of characteristics and processes of family resilience amongst social work client families in South Africa. Depending on the challenges families my face, all families are either more resilient or less resilient. The latter most often needing additional support, such as social work intervention. South African policies should be family-focused and urge for a strengths-based approach towards enhancing family resilience and ultimately family well-being. Service providers need to give recognition to the fact that all families have challenges that need to be faced, but that families also have strengths to be drawn-upon to address and overcome these challenges. This implies that social work interventions that impact on the lives of families, should be rendered from a family resilience perspective and strengths-based approach, with the family as focal point for service delivery. / Social Science / M.A. (Social Work)

Text in English / Child-headed households are a reality in South Africa, and extensive research has advanced its causes and the children’s coping mechanisms. Social workers identify children in need, refer them to SASSA for social grants, facilitate foster care placements and offer psychosocial support services. This study sought to determine the nature of social work services rendered to children in such households in Virginia in the Free State. Qualitative exploratory, descriptive and contextual research was used to reach the goal of the study. Thirteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with thirteen participants who were selected through purposive sampling. The data collected was analysed using the eight steps of Tesch (in Creswell, 2009) and verified through Guba’s method of trustworthiness (Krefting, 1991). The services rendered to child-headed households (CHHs) through individual, group and community work were inadequate due to lack of resources including a shortage of social workers due to a general dissatisfaction with salaries. Participants suggested the need to build the capacity of the available staff through staff training and improved access to available resources in order to strengthen the nature of services rendered to CHHs. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Work)