Thesis (MA) -- University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Current time pressures, complexity, rapid change, global competition, and the merging of
computer and communication technology are facilitating a trend toward the virtual workplace.
As the growth in the virtual workplace accelerates, organisations face new challenges to cope
with new organisational structures and managerial leadership roles. Of particular relevance to
this study is that the new organisational forms necessitate new management structures, which
might be different from mechanistic structures. It also implies that the prevalence of managerial
leadership in different organisational structures might be different.
Using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) of Bass & Avolio (1994) and
Organisational Structure Questionnaire of Miller & Droge (1986), this research attempted to
investigate the prevalence of leadership in mechanistic, organic and virtual structures.
Hypotheses were tested to determine the relationship between leadership and structure;
leadership and environment; and environment and structure.
The data was collected through a field experiment. The study was aimed at middle, senior and
top level management. Of the 165 questionnaires sent out, 80 middle level managers, 20
senior level managers and two top level managers completed questionnaires.
The results reflect that both transformational and transactional leadership occur in organic
organisations. The results also reflect that both transformational and transactional leadership occur in virtual organisations. The results of the survey also show that only some of the
organic-mechanistic dimensions predicted the prevalence of leadership in these structures. A
positive relationship was found between organic and virtual structures. Environment served as
a poor predictor for the prevalence of transformational and transactional leadership in a
dynamic or stable environment. The results also confirmed that virtual organisations do occur in
dynamic environments. However, no relationship was found between environment uncertainty
and either mechanistic or organic structure.
Conclusions are drawn from the results obtained and recommendations are made for future
research. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: 'N EKSPLORATIEWE STUDIE VAN BESTUURSLEIERSKAP BINNE MEGANISTIESE,
ORGANIESE EN VIRTUELE ORGANISASIES. Huidige tydsdruk, kompleksiteit, snelle verandering, globale kompetisie en die samesmelting
van rekenaar- en kommunikasietegnologie fasiliteer 'n tendens tot die onstaan van die virtuele
werkplek. Met die versnelling van die groei van die virtuele werkplek kom organisasies voor
nuwe uitdagings te staan om nuwe organisatoriese strukture en leierskaprolle te hanteer. Veral
relevant met betrekking tot hie~die studie, is die feit dat nuwe organisatoriese vorms nuwe
bestuurstrukture wat van meganistiese strukture sou kon verskil, noodsaaklik maak. Dit
impliseer ook dat die voorkoms van bestuursleierskap binne verskillende organisatoriese
strukture verskillend sou kon wees.
Hierdie studie poog om die Multifaktor Leierskap-vraelys (Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire
(MLQ)) van Bass en Avolio (1994) en die Organisatoriese Struktuur-vraelys (Organisational
Structure Questionnaire) van Miller en Droge (1986) te gebruik om die voorkoms van leierskap
binne meganistiese, organiese en virtuele strukture te ondersoek. Hipoteses is getoets om vas
te stel wat die verband tussen leierskap, struktuur en omgewing is.
Die inligting is deur middel van'n veldeksperiment ingesamel. Dit was gemik op bestuurders op
middel-, senior en topbestuurdersvlak. Een honderd vyf-en-sestig vraelyste is uitgestuur en 80
middelvlakbestuurders, 20 senior bestuurders en twee topbestuurders het vrealyste voltooi.
Die resultate toon dat beide transformasionale en transaksionele leierskap wei binne organiese
organisasies voorkom. Die resultate reftekteer ook dat beide transformasionale en transaksionele leierskap binne virtuele organisasies voorkom. Daarbenewens toon die resultate
van die opname dat slegs sommige van die organies-meganistiese dimensies die voorkoms
van leierskap binne hierdie strukture voorspel het. 'n Positieve verband is tussen organiese en
virtuele strukture gevind. Omgewing het as In swak voorspeller vir die voorkoms van
transformasionele en transaksionele leierskap gedien. Die resultate het ook bevestig dat
virtuele organisasies wei' binne dinamiese omgewings voorkom. Geen verband kon egter
tussen omgewing-onsekerheid en meganistiese of organiese struktuur gevind word nie.
Alfeidings is uit die verkree resultate gemaak en voorstelle ten opsigte van toekomstige
navorsing word aan die hand gedoen.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/52110 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Muetudhana, Julia |
| Contributors | Engelbrecht, A. S., Cilliers-Hartslief, M., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Psychology. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 82 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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