Thesis (MComm) -- Stellenbosch University, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The plethora of differences that characterise the South Africa population has become
a definite concern for organisational management and is of significant importance to
the industrial world itself. The need to critically assess people’s perception and
attitude towards diversity within the organisation, and ultimately serving to inform
management seeking to build an ethically diverse, healthy and productive workforce,
served as a prime motivation for this study. The objective was to demonstrate that
humans are complex beings and that attempts to minimise the complexity by simply
containing that complexity within the bounds of a unidimensional solution are
guaranteed to fail. It is for this reason that diversity management within an
organisation requires the need to manage an infinite and changing variety of social
variables which to varying degrees, impacts on social interaction and people’s attitude
towards diversity. Having completed a literature study concerning the possible antecedents of attitude
towards diversity, and taking into account various suggested future directions for
diversity research, it was decided that the present study would focus on three specific
variables: attitude towards diversity, emotional intelligence and diversity complexity.
The primary goal was to design and conduct a scientific investigation into the
relationships between the latent variables; in hope of ultimately informing
management seeking to build an ethically diverse, healthy and productive workforce
who value the individuality of others. Available literature was studied in order to
understand and comprehend whether any relationships could be theoretically drawn
between the constructs. Several hypotheses were proposed and a conceptual model,
explaining the relationships between these constructs, was developed. Thereafter, both
the postulated relationships and the conceptual model were empirically tested using
various statistical methods.
Existing measuring instruments were utilised in this study, and included the Cultural
Diversity Belief Scale (Rentsch, Turban, Hissong, Jenkins & Marrs, 1995), the Genos
Emotional Intelligence Inventory (Palmer, Stough & Gignac, 2008), and the Reaction-
To-Diversity-Inventory (De Meuse & Hostager, 2001). The sample consisted of 237 selected individuals from various South African organisations. The content and
structure of the constructs that were measured by the instruments were investigated by
means of confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses. The results indicated that in
all cases, the refined measurement models achieved good fit. Subsequently, Structural
Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to determine the extent to which the conceptual
model fitted the data obtained from the sample and to test the relationships between
the constructs when taking the complete conceptual model into account. Overall, it
was found that good model fit was indicated for the structural model. Regression
analyses also found some support for the stated hypotheses. Eight of the ten stated
hypotheses in this study were corroborated.
Although several significant links were established between the latent variables, a
notable unique result of this research presented itself in the significant positive
relationships uncovered between the exogenous latent variable, emotional
intelligence, and the endogenous latent variables of valuing individual differences and
positive perceptual depth. These significant positive relationships provide empirical
evidence of the significant relationships between emotions, attitudes and perceptions.
Moreover, the analysis of the modification indices for the structural model, suggested
that the addition of one path to the existing structural model would probably improve
the fit of the model. Recommendations are made in terms of possible avenues for
future research. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die uiteenlopende verskille, wat 'n kenmerk van die Suid-Afrika bevolking geword
het, is 'n definitiewe uitdaging vir organisatoriese bestuur en is ook van groot belang
vir die sakewêreld. Die behoefte om mense se persepsies en houdings teenoor die
diversiteit binne die organisasie krities te evalueer, wat uiteindelik ook dien om
bestuur, wat op soek is na die bou van 'n etiese, gesonde en produktiewe arbeidsmag,
te help, het as die primêre motivering vir hierdie studie gedien. Die doel was om aan
te toon dat die mens ‘n komplekse wese is en dat pogings om dit gering te skat deur
kompleksiteit net binne die grense van 'n een-dimensionele oplossing te ontleed,
gewaarborg is om te misluk. Dit is om hierdie rede dat diversiteitsbestuur binne 'n
organisasie die bestuur van ‘n oneindige en veranderende verskeidenheid van sosiale
veranderlikes noodsaak, wat, sosiale interaksie en mense se houdings teenoor
diversiteit verskillend kan beinvloed.
Na die voltooiing van 'n literatuurstudie oor die moontlike determinante antecedenten
van die houding teenoor diversiteit, en met inagneming van die toekomstige rigtings
vir diversiteitsnavorsing, is daar besluit dat die huidige studie op drie spesifieke
veranderlikes sal fokus: houding teenoor diversiteit, emosionele intelligensie en
diversiteitskompleksiteit. Die primêre doel was om ‘n wetenskaplike ondersoek te
ontwerp en uit te voer rakende die verwantskappe tussen die latente veranderlikes; in
die hoop om bestuur te help om ‘n gesonde en produktiewe arbeidsmag te bou wat
ook die individualiteit van ander waardeer. Beskikbare literatuur is bestudeer ten
einde te verstaan of enige verbande tussen die teoretiese konstrukte gevind kan word.
Verskeie hipoteses is geformuleer en 'n konseptuele model, waarin die verband tussen
hierdie konstrukte verduidelik word, is ontwikkel. Daarna, is die gepostuleerde
verwantskappe en die konseptuele model empiries met behulp van verskeie statistiese
metodes getoets. Bestaande meetinstrumente is in hierdie studie gebruik en sluit in die ‘Cultural
Diversity Belief Scale,’ (Rentsch, Tulband, Hissong, Jenkins & Marrs, 1995), die
‘Genos Emotional Intelligence Inventory,’ (Palmer, Stough & Gignac, 2008), en die
‘Reaction-To-Diversity-Inventory,’ (De Meuse & Hostager, 2001). Die steekproef het bestaan uit 237 gekose individue uit verskillende Suid-Afrikaanse organisasies. Die
inhoud en die struktuur van die konstrukte wat deur die instrumente gemeet is, is deur
middel van bevestigende en verkennende faktorontledings ondersoek. Die resultate
dui daarop dat in al die gevalle, die verfynde metingsmodelle goeie passings getoon
het. Daarna is Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) gebruik om te bepaal tot watter
mate die konseptuele model die data pas, en om die verwantskappe tussen die
konstrukte te toets wanneer die volledige konseptuele model in ag geneem is.
Algeheel is daar goeie passing vir die strukturele model gevind. Regressie-analises het
ook ‘n mate van bevestiging vir die gestelde hipoteses gevind. Agt van die tien
hipoteses is was in hierdie studie bevestig.
Alhoewel verskeie belangrike verwantskappe tussen die latente veranderlikes gevind
is, is daar 'n unieke resultaat gevind met betrekking tot die positiewe verband tussen
die eksogene latente veranderlike, emosionele intelligensie, en die endogene latente
veranderlikes van waardering van individuele verskille en positiewe perseptuele
diepte. Hierdie positiewe verwantskappe verskaf empiriese bewyse vir die beduidende
verband tussen emosies, houdings en persepsies. Verder, het die analise van die
modifikasie indekse vir die strukturele model aangedui dat die byvoeging van ‘n
addisionele roete waarskynlik die bestaande strukturele model se passing kan
verbeter. Aanbevelings word ten slotte gemaak in terme van moontlike rigtings vir
toekomstige navorsing.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/70359 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Kamps, Jenna May |
| Contributors | Engelbrecht, A. S., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Industrial Psychology. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 237 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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