Thesis (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The globalisation of business is probably the most important topic
of discussion in business around the world. Globalisation impacts on
business processes, and changes in the processes of economic and
political liberalisation signify a radical shift in thinking about how
the world works and how it should be organised. The process of
change consequently means having to deal with increasing
complexity. It is the complexity of change that prompts the urgency
to improve the thinking of management in an organisation. As
adult learners, managers need different competencies to operate; in
addition their thinking skills need to be developed, as they are the
key drivers in an organisation going through transformation.
In a needs' assessment in a financial services organisation
operating in the global environment, a need for training of middle
managers to help them improve their thinking skills in order to
become more effective thinkers was determined. The need to train
adults to develop cognitive skills prompted a specific thinking skills
intervention and the facilitation thereof. A Thinking Skills
Programme aimed at teaching thinking dispositions and thinking
skills was implemented as a programme to teach the managers to
become effective thinkers. The study was approached from a
programme evaluative perspective. The purpose of the programme
was an improvement-orientated evaluation and was designed to
evaluate the outcomes of the programme.
Qualitative data was collected through a pre- assessment and postassessment
process. Open-ended questionnaires as well as other qualitative methods were used in the assessment to capture the
data. The data analysis was done through content analysis. In the
process of determining the patterns and processes in the preassessment,
observations, semi-structured interviews, field notes
and post-assessment, the researcher looked for themes or
interconnections that emerged in the units, sub-categories and
categories. The sub-categories that emerged were derived from the
frequency of appearance in the answers of the participants in the
questionnaires.
The post-assessment feedback categories indicated that a shift in
effective thinking had taken place in the participants. The most
significant difference in their thinking was the awareness of their
thinking.
They reflected on their thinking while solving problems, which is
evidence of effective thinking. They used the thinking tools to help
them solve problems. The intervention influenced the participants
to be more creative in solving problems, which was not evident in
the pre-assessment.
The evaluation of the outcome of the programme through the
application of a Thinking Skills Programme was successful. This was
demonstrated by the fact that in the measurement of the outcome
of the programme it was evident that the middle managers had
become more aware of their thinking and that they applied the
thinking dispositions and thinking tools in their daily managerial
activities. They had become more effective thinkers. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die globalisering van die sakewêreld is waarskynlik die belangrikste
besprekingspunt in dié sektor regoor die wêreld. Globalisering het 'n
impak op sakeprosesse, en veranderings in die prosesse van
ekonomiese en politieke liberalisering dui op 'n radikale verandering
in denke oor hoe die wêreld werk en hoe dit georganiseer behoort te
word. Die proses van verandering dui gevolglik daarop dat daar
rekening gehou moet word met toenemende kompleksiteit. Dit is
die kompleksiteit van verandering wat aanleiding gee tot die
belangrikheid daarvan om die denkvaardighede van die bestuur in 'n
organisasie te verbeter. As volwasse leerders benodig bestuurders
verskillende vaardighede om hulle taak te verrig, en hulle
denkvaardighede moet ontwikkel word aangesien hulle die dryfkrag
is van 'n organisasie wat transformasie ondergaan.
In 'n behoeftebepaling in 'n finansiële dienste organisasie wat op die
wêreldmark meeding, is die behoefte geïdentifiseer aan opleiding vir
middelvlak bestuurders om hulle denkvaardighede te help verbeter,
ten einde van hulle meer effektiewe denkers te maak. Die behoefte
om volwassenes op te lei in die ontwikkeling van kognitiewe
vaardighede het aanleiding gegee tot In spesifieke
denkvaardigheidsintervensie en die fasilitering daarvan. 'n
Denkvaardigheidsprogram gemik op die onderrig van
denkdisposisies en -vaardighede is as 'n program ingestelom
bestuurders op te lei om effektiewe denkers te word. Die studie is
benader vanuit 'n programevaluasie-perspektief. Die doel van die
program was 'n verbeteringsgeoriënteerde evaluasie en dit is
ontwerp om die uitkomstes van die program te evalueer. Kwalitatiewe data is versamel deur middel van 'n pre- en
postassesseringsproses. Oopeindevraelyste asook ander
kwalitatiewe metodes is in die assessering gebruik om data te
versamel. Die data-analise is gedoen deur inhoudsanalise. Vir die
bepaling van die patrone en prosesse in die pre-assessering, is
observasies, semigestruktureerde onderhoude en veldaantekeninge
gebruik. Vir die postassessering het die navorser gesoek na temas
of interkonneksies wat na vore gekom het in die eenhede,
subkategorieë en kategorieë. Die subkategorieë wat na vore gekom
het, is geïdentifiseer op grond van die frekwensie van voorkoms in
die antwoorde van die deelnemers wat die vraelyste voltooi het.
Die terugvoeringskategorieë in die postassessering het aangetoon
dat 'n verandering in effektiewe denke by die deelnemers
plaasgevind het. Die mees beduidende verandering in hulle denke
was die bewustheid van hulle denke.
Deelnemers het gereflekteer op hulle denke tydens
probleemoplossing, wat as bewys dien van effektiewe denke. Hulle
het die denkinstrumente gebruik om hulle te help om probleme op
te los. Die intervensie het tot gevolg gehad dat die deelnemers
meer kreatief tydens probleemoplossing was, wat nie tydens die
pre-assessering geblyk het nie.
Die evaluering van die uitkoms van die program deur die toepassing
van 'n Denkvaardigheidsprogram was suksesvol. Dit is
gedemonstreer deur die feit dat in die meting van die uitkoms van
die program dit duidelik geblyk het dat die middelvlak bestuurders
meer bewus geraak het van hulle denke en dat hulle die denkdisposisies en denkinstrumente in hulle daaglikse
bestuursaktiwiteite toegepas het. Hulle het meer effektiewe denkers
geword.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/50150 |
| Date | 04 1900 |
| Creators | Hermanson, Christina Magdalena |
| Contributors | Kapp, C. A., Engelbrecht, P., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Curriculum Studies. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xiii, 355 p. : ill. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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