The Fast Moving Consumable Goods industry is characterized by competitiveness, on going
change and high turnover. To stay competitive, retain talent and keep up with these fast paced
systems, organisations have to capitalise on the potential of their workforce to
outperform the rest. Giving the increasing demand on both employer and employee regarding
innovation, creativity and shared knowledge, increased importance of employee well-being
being viewed as sources of “prosperity” for organisations, are critical. Organisations must
find a way to enable their employees to flourish. Flourishing refers to high levels of wellbeing
in terms of feeling well and functioning well (Keyes, 2007). Subjective well-being
refers to the levels of positive and negative affect and the overall satisfaction with life.
Psychological well-being consists of individuals’ positive functioning in life. Social wellbeing
relates to individuals’ evaluation of their functioning on a public and social level.
Individuals spend a large part of their adult life at work in organisational environments that
are dynamic and ever-changing. The domain of work is a critical part of existence and plays a
dynamic role in the development, expression and maintenance of well-being. Globally the
workplace is recognised as a key setting for focusing on improving the well-being of
employees due to its compelling impact on a variety of organisational outcomes. Flourishing
is thus not only relevant in everyday life, but also occurs in the work and organisational
environment. Limited studies regarding flourishing in work and organisational contexts exist and
central to studying, understanding, and explaining flourishing at work, are valid and reliable
instruments. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a multidimensional scale that
measures work flourishing. Furthermore, to investigate the impact of various factors in the
work and organisational environment on flourishing in the FMCG industry.
A cross-sectional survey design was used to gather data regarding the flourishing of
employees in the FMCG industry in South Africa. A stratified random sample (N = 779) was
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taken of employees in an alcoholic beverage company in South Africa. The measuring
instruments used were the self-developed Flourishing-at-Work Scale, Flourishing-at-Work
Scale Short Form, parts of the Job-Demand-Recourse Scale, Authentic Leadership
Questionnaire (ALQ), and a Biographical Questionnaire. Confirmatory and exploratory factor
analysis, descriptive statistics, regression analysis and latent class analysis were applied.
Structural equation modelling was used to test a structural model of work flourishing and its
relation to organisational antecedents and outcomes.
The results of study 1 showed the validity of a multidimensional scale that measures
flourishing in work and organisational context. The FAWS (Flourishing-at-Work Scale)
includes the three dimensions of emotional well-being, psychological well-being, and social
well-being, as suggested by Rothmann (2013). This supports the work of Keyes (2005, 2007)
regarding integrating the models of hedonic (Diener, 1984), eudaimonic (Ryff, 1989), and
social well-being (Keyes, 1998) into a unified structure. The results of the latent class
analysis also showed that different classes of well-being were evident due to the interplay
between the various dimensions.
Study 2 showed that work-related antecedents impact on work flourishing. A short form of
the FAWS (Flourishing-at-Work Scale) was developed and found to be valid. The results
confirm that career advancement, authentic leadership and work-life interference predict
work flourishing. Advancement and authentic leadership positively relate to flourishing while
negative work-life interference impacts flourishing negatively. The Conservation of
Resources (COR) framework (Hobfoll, 1989), which suggests that the well-being of an
individual is dependent on the maintenance or gain of resources, is therefore supported. The
job demands workload and job insecurity did not predict flourishing in the organisational
environment.
Study 3 showed that positive organisational practices (positive emotions, support, and
inspiration) predict work flourishing. Furthermore, career advancement was a positive
predictor of flourishing in the work and organisational context.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NWUBOLOKA1/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/17030 |
| Date | January 2015 |
| Creators | Rautenbach, Cindy-Lorraine |
| Source Sets | North-West University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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