Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / In order to manage public dental services, information is required about what work is being performed by the staff at the various clinics. Tally sheets have been used in the past to record treatment procedures but this is not an effective method of recording the amount of work done by staff at public dental clinics. But tally sheets are inaccurate, open to abuse, and fail to provide the necessary information for managers. Nor is it of any real value for providing feedback to staff on their performance. This inhibits a core aspect of job satisfaction for the staff, which is feedback. The staff just persevere, continue doing the same thing and feel frustrated. This contributes to poor work performance. Instead of using a tally sheet, 4 digit treatment codes are used for all treatment procedures (as used in the private sector for billing purposes) and additional codes were developed for services such as brushing programmes for which billing codes do not exist. These are recorded for each patient, together with a code for the patient category. A relative value unit (RVU) has been developed for each treatment code that has been weighted according to policy guidelines and the amount of time and effort required to provide the service. This was done for clinical treatment procedures as well as for community-based preventive activities . A computer program has been developed that captures the treatment codes which are saved in a number of databases that are linked to Excel pivot tables. The data can therefore be easily manipulated by the user to obtain the required information in the form of counts of procedures, monetary cost of the same clinical services in the private sector (useful with the proposed advent of National Health Insurance) and also in the form of relative value units. This is available for the current reporting period as well as for previous periods, allowing a detailed analysis of services rendered and staff performance over a period of time to show trends. Use is also made of an Objectives Matrix where the performance of each staff member can be measured according to seven objectives (Key Performance Areas) (five in the case of oral hygienists) to produce an overall Performance Index - which is a score out of ten. This enables performance appraisal to be carried out much easier than by comparing performance based on a number of diverse treatments provided. The data for all the public dental clinics in the Western Cape Province has been analysed for the period 1994 to 2012 using this system, and it has been shown that the system is sensitive enough to highlight problem areas as well as provide a balanced overall view of the service, as measured by a number of variables. The system is "low tech" in that it runs on a "stand alone" personal computer, but it could easily be applied to an integrated, networked information system provided the latter contained the treatment codes, and certain other patient, staff and clinic identifiers. It is therefore suitable for developing countries, such as South Africa, that may later develop a comprehensive Health Information System based on an electronic medical record. The emphasis is not on the information technology, it is focussed on the concepts behind the processing of the data into meaningful information for managing public dental services.

This thesis explores the effect of transformational leadership, employee work environment, job satisfaction, and work-life balance on employee work performance. It begins by looking at existing literature on the effectiveness of transformational leadership as one of the relevant leadership styles in situations that require urgent business system transformation and adaptation as witnessed in the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the consequences of the pandemic is the definition of what a work environment is. Working from home, although not new, has become popular due to the pandemic and there are several publications around this subject under the “New Ways of Working” (NWW) theme. The implementation of working from home for employees within an organization as well as its success and support available to employees depend to some extent on the leadership style practised by persons in senior management positions of such organizations. Two research questions are investigated: (1) What are the effects of transformational leadership style on employee job satisfaction and consequently on work performance? (2) What are the effects of the employee work environment on work-life balance as well as employee satisfaction and consequently on work performance? To answer these questions, structural equation modelling (SEM) is applied to data from a survey questionnaires with 224 respondents. Since the overall aim of the thesis is to assess the effect of transformational leadership style and employee work environment on work performance, the survey measures two intermediate outcomes (employee job satisfaction, and employee work-life balance).  It has been demonstrated through other works that transformational leadership and employee work environment play an important role in overall work performance. Good transformational leadership promotes employee satisfaction. A suitable employee work environment promotes a positive work-life balance as well as high employee satisfaction.  Our findings regarding the effect of transformational leadership on employee work performance are in line with findings of previous work. The results of the SEM analysis demonstrate that transformational leadership positively affects employee job satisfaction which in turn positively affects employee work performance. Interestingly, despite several works suggesting that work environment positively affects work-life balance, our results did not show any statistically significant relationship either with work performance directly or with the mediating variables work-life balance and job satisfaction, to substantiate this link. We discuss our results and make suggestions for policy, practice, and future work implications.

Att prestera inom arbetslivet är viktigt i dagens samhälle för att kunna utvecklas, få erfarenhet och kunna bedömas av sin chef. Tidigare forskning visar att vår personlighet spelar en stor roll i arbetslivet. Denna studie fokuserar på tre olika former av upplevd arbetsprestation, det vill säga uppgiftsbaserad arbetsprestation (vardagliga arbetsuppgifter), kontextuell arbetsprestation (initiativtagande utöver de vardagliga arbetsuppgifterna) och kontraproduktiv arbetsbeteende (arbetar emot verksamheten). Syftet med studien var att undersöka sambandet mellan aspekter av individuell arbetsprestation och personlighetsdimensioner. I studien användes test som mäter personlighet utifrån HEXACO (Mini-IPIP6) och Dark Triad (SD3), samt den individuella arbetsprestationen (IWPQ) för att undersöka samband mellan frågeformulären. I studien deltog 207 personer (M = 36.13 år, SD = 19 år; 109 män). Resultaten visade, som förväntat, att uppgiftsbaserad arbetsprestation var positivt relaterad (.35) till samvetsgrannhet och negativt (-.36) till neuroticism. Kontextuell arbetsprestation var bl.a positivt relaterad (.41) till öppenhet, vilket var den starkaste korrelationen. Kontraproduktiv arbetsbeteende visade starkast korrelation med neuroticism (.39). Studiens resultat tyder på att personlighetsdrag har betydelse för den upplevda individuella arbetsprestationen vilket kan vara behjälpligt vid personalutveckling. / Performing in working life is important today in order to develop, gain experience, and be judged by one’s manager. Previous research shows that our personality plays a big role in working life. This study focuses on three different parts of experienced work performance; that is, task work performance (everyday tasks), contextual work performance (initiative in addition to everyday tasks) and counterproductive work behavior (working against the business). The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between aspects of individual work performance and personality dimensions. The study made use of personality-based questionnaires, HEXACO (Mini-IPIP6) and Dark Triad (SD3), as well as a measure of individual work performance (IWPQ). The study involved 207 people (M = 36.13 years, SD = 19 years; 109 men). The results showed, as expected, that task-based work performance was positively related (.35) to conscientiousness and negative (-.36) to neuroticism. Contextual work performance was positively related (.41) to openness, which showed the strongest correlation. Counterproductive work behavior showed the strongest correlation with neuroticism (.39). This study results indicate that personality has significance for individual work performance which can be implemented in staff development.

This research thesis aims to explore the interplay between the recent introduction of generative artificial intelligence at work and professional role identity. As the public introduction of generative artificial intelligence shook up people’s lives in November 2022, we have reasons to think that an exploration of workers’ professional role identity regardinggenerative artificial intelligence is relevant. Due to the recent studies related to the massive introduction of artificial intelligence in the content creators’ field, we chose to explore how their role and their identity are evolving. Organizations face challenges in managing artificial intelligence systems and their impact on professional role identity, which, however, has received limited scholarly attention and is not well-understood yet. While prior research has studied various aspects related to artificial intelligence and has suggested that artificial intelligence can enhance productivity, efficiency, and prosperity, it has to a large extent neglected the influence of artificial intelligence on professional role identities. Therefore, this research aims to contribute to artificial intelligence literature by providing empirical insights into the evolution of work and identity.  To address the abovementioned gap, we build on previous research and conduct a qualitative study. We gathered important insights through interviews with several content creators, including photographers and designers from different countries, to discuss their experiences and elaborate a more comprehensive approach to the potential consequences of the introduction of generative artificial intelligence at work. Taking inspiration from a phenomenological approach, clarifications have been brought forward on the reasons exposed by content creators to introduce generative artificial intelligence in their work process and the consequences of such a choice. A broader perspective has been borrowed in order to question the legitimacy of clients and peers regarding the integration of generative artificial intelligence at work. More than adding a layer on the benefits of the introduction of generative artificial intelligence at work, our thesis sheds light on what we call “a dual motion” for workers’role identity, highlighting both interactions between generative artificial intelligence at work and professional role identity, challenging and enhancing each other. Additionally, this research explores manners content creators can enrich their work with generative artificial intelligence. This thesis gains perspective on this subject and aims to expose practical implications for workers to inform and broaden people’s minds about generative artificial intelligence.

Bakgrund: En onboardingprocess är ett av de första stegen en nyanställd genomgår och berör hur denne socialiseras och introduceras in i en organisation. Det är något alla organisationer arbetar med, däremot finns det stor variation i hur organisationerna väljer att implementera den på ett strategiskt plan. Forskning har visat att en effektiv onboardingprocess kan bidra till flertal positiva effekter exempelvis ökad arbetsprestation. Däremot finns det enbart begränsad forskning som behandlar relationen mellan onboarding och individuell arbetsprestation inom den svenska arbetsmarknaden. Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att bidra till en ökad förståelse inom området onboarding. Avsikten är även att deskriptivt undersöka och kartlägga relationen mellan en effektiv onboardingprocess och medarbetares individuella arbetsprestation. Metod: Uppsatsen grundas i en kvantitativ metod i form av en enkätinsamling. Enkäten distribuerades till svenska tjänstemän som arbetat på deras nuvarande arbetsplats i mindre än två år. Insamlade data analyserades därefter utifrån the Four C’s som mäter effektiviteten av en onboardingprocess samt Individual Work Performance Questionnaire som mäter individuell arbetsprestation. Resultaten framställdes med hjälp av korrelationsanalyser samt regressionsanalyser. Slutsats: Undersökningen visade att det finns en stark korrelation och en hög påverkansgrad mellan onboarding och individuell arbetsprestation. En effektivare onboarding bidrar till att medarbetare presterar bättre på arbetet. Ytterligare analyser av de tre dimensionerna inom individuell arbetsprestation – Task Performance, Contextual Performance och Counter-productive Work Behavior – påvisade samtliga höga korrelationer mellan 0,360 och 0,674. Den totala korrelationen mellan onboarding och individuell arbetsprestation uppgick till 0,739. / Background: The onboarding process is one of the first steps a new employee goes through and affects how they are socialized and introduced into the organization. It is something that all organizations work with, there are however great variations as to how the organizations choose to implement them strategically. Research has shown that an effective onboarding process can contribute with beneficial effects such as for example job performance. There is however only a limited amount of research that cover the relation between onboarding and individual work performance in the Swedish work force. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to an increased understanding within the subject of onboarding. Further intentions include to descriptively examine and map out the relation between an effective onboarding and employees’ individual work performance. Method: This grad paper uses a quantitative method in the shape of a survey. The survey was distributed to Swedish employees’ white-collar workers who have been employed two years or less. Acquired data was then analyzed from the theoretical standpoints of the Four C's that measures the effectiveness of an onboarding process as well as Individual Work Performance Questionnaire, measuring the individual work performance. The results were produced by using Pearsons r as well as a regression analysis. Conclusion: This study showed a strong correlation and a high affectivity between onboarding and individual work performance. An effective onboarding contributes to employees performing better. Further analysis showed that when individual work performance was divided into its three dimensions – Task Performance, Contextual Performance and Counterproductive Work Behavior – they all showed high correlations between 0,360 and 0,674. The total correlation between onboarding and individual work performance amounted to 0,739.

The purpose of the present study is to gain insights and a deeper understanding of how the organization's vision and leadership can serve as central motivational factors and influence employees' willingness to perform at a higher level. The primary role of the vision is to provide an inspiring future image and demonstrate what the organization aims to achieve in the long term. Its purpose is to instigate engagement among both leaders and employees. The leader's task involves implementing the vision by rallying all employees within the organization around agreed-upon objectives. Implementation is realized through motivational actions and influencing employees' behavioral patterns, intending to enhance performance. The study was conducted with the intention of examining how the vision and the leader's actions can impact and increase employee motivation in two distinct segments. A qualitative method was applied with an abductive approach and semi-structured interviews. The thesis is based on a hermeneutic methodology, relying on the theoretical frameworks used in the study. Interviews were conducted with twelve employees, all active in the banking or education sectors, to obtain their individual perspectives.The collected empirical data indicated that a clear and well-formulated vision alone is not sufficient. An engaged and active effort from the leader is necessary, as they serve as a vital link between employees and the organization's vision goals. Leadership qualities that employees primarily seek in a manager are associated with transformative and charismatic leadership. The results also suggest that many of the motivational factors considered significant in the organization's vision, and which could be related to some employees' personal goals, were similarly observed regarding employees' workplace. This indicates that fulfilling only external hygiene factors, as Herzberg emphasizes, is not enough. Internal motivational factors must be present for employees to experience increased motivation.

1958 veröffentlichte Luciano Berio seine erste Sequenza, die Sequenza per flauto solo, welche 1992 durch eine revidierte Fassung bei Universal Edition als Sequenza I ersetzt wurde. Aufgrund von zu freien Interpretationen hat er dabei die offene Rhythmik eliminiert, wodurch insbesondere die Bewertung Umberto Ecos als Kunstwerk in Bewegung infrage gestellt wird. Dieser Beitrag möchte zunächst die Notation der beiden Fassungen der Sequenza sowie ihre Interpretationen miteinander vergleichen, um anschließend Ecos Einstufung als Kunstwerk in Bewegung zu überprüfen. Dabei stellt sich heraus, dass einerseits auch die Version von 1992 Ambivalenzen beinhaltet, andererseits Interpretierende die erste Fassung von 1958 aufgrund der offenen Notation in der Praxis bevorzugen. Die neue Fassung gestattet somit tatsächlich weniger Spielräume in der Ausführung, dennoch ist Ecos Deutung der Urfassung als offenes Kunstwerk letztendlich nicht als Missverständnis zu werten, zumal Berio die Veröffentlichung dieser Hypothese direkt mitverfolgte. / In 1958 Luciano Berio published his first Sequenza, the Sequenza per flauto solo, which was replaced in 1992 by a revised version at Universal Edition as Sequenza I. Due to overly free interpretations, Berio eliminated the open rhythms calling into question Umberto Eco’s estimation of the piece as an example of a ‘work in motion’. This article will first compare the notation of the Sequenza’s two versions in order to then review Eco’s classification as a ‘work in motion’. It turns out that, on the one hand, the 1992 version also contains ambivalences, and on the other hand, performers prefer to use the 1958 version because of its open notation. Thus, the new edition indeed allows less leeway in execution, yet Eco’s characterisation of the original version as an open work of art cannot be considered as a misunderstanding, since Luciano Berio directly followed the publication of this hypothesis.

The purpose of this study was to determine managers' perceptions of the relationship between spirituality and work performance. The sample consisted of twelve senior managers from different organisations. Semi structured interviews were used to gather the data. The data was qualitatively analysed and themes were identified. The findings indicated that spirituality promotes the healthy development of individuals by assisting with their own self-awareness, helping them find inner peace and dealing with stress and depression. Respondents also felt that spirituality enhances teamwork and redefines the concept of success in terms of engaging in competition, having unselfish motives and encouraging honesty. Based on the findings, recommendations were made for practice and for future research. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)

Text in Afrikaans, abstract in Afrikaans and English / Die primere doelstellings van die navorsing is om die verband tussen persoonlikheid en toesighouersukses te bepaal. Persoonlikheid is deur die 16-Persoonlikheidsfaktorvraelys ( 16PF) en toesighouersukses deur 'n prestasiebeoordelingstelsel gemeet. 'n Literatuurstudie van persoonlikheidsteoriee en vorige navorsing is gebruik om die verwantskap tussen persoonlikheid en werksukses te verifieer en die navorsingsbehoefte aan te dui. Die steekproef is 74 toesighouers, hoofsaaklik blanke mans, by 'n fabriek van 'n suiwelvervaardigingsmaatskappy. Die verwantskap tussen die 16PF-resultate en toesighouersukses is statisties deur Pearson en Spearman se Produkmomentkorrelasiemetode, Standaard en Stapsgewyse meervoudige regressie en T-toetse vir onafhanklike groepe bepaal. Die resultate toon dat slegs faktore B, C, L, 0, Q4 en die tweedeordefaktor QII van die 16PF 'n beduidende verband met toesighouersukses het. Dit is bevind dat ouderdom, ondervinding en kwalifikasie nie die verwantskap tussen persoonlikheid en toesighouersukses be'invloed nie. Hoewel hierdie bevindinge nie veralgemeen kan word nie, moet persoonlikheid wel deeglik by die evaluering van personeel, byvoorbeeld in seleksie, oorweeg word. / The aim of the research is to establish the relationship between personality and supervisor success. Personality was measured with the 16-Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF) and supervisor success through a performance measuring system. A literature study was done to verify the relationship between personality and work success. The sample consisted of 74 supervisors, mainly white males, working at a dairy factory. The relationship between the 16PF results and supervisor success has been statistically established through Pearson and Spearman's Product-moment correlation method, standard and stepwise multiple regression analysis and T-tests for independent groups. The results show that factors B, C, L, 0, Q4 and the second order factor QII of the 16PF has a meaningful relationship with supervisor success. It was found that age, qualifications and experience do not influence the relationship between personality and supervisor success. The findings cannot be generalized but personality can be taken into consideration when evaluating employees, for example in selection. / Industrial & Organisational Psychology / M. Comm. (Bedryfsielkunde)

The first objective of this research was to investigate the predictive validity of the learning potential as measured by Ability, Processing of Information and Learning Potential Short Version (APIL SV) in predicting work performance. The second objective was to investigate the predictive validity of personality as measured by the Occupational Personality Questionnaire Ipsative (OPQ32i) in predicting work performance. The sample consisted of 104 employees of a public sector department. Learning potential and personality were the predictor/independent variables; work performance as measured by supervisory rating was the only criterion/dependent variable of the study. The results revealed that both the APIL SV and the OPQ 32i dimensions did not correlate significantly with work performance as measured by supervisor rating. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)