Higher education is important to the country's economic growth. Due to globalisation, it is
important for higher education institutions to keep up with change. The introduction of
universities of technology in response to this places a new demand on academic institutions
in South Africa, creating more occupational stress on employees. Other expectations, for
example demands for more research and publication exert more pressure on staff, which
escalates these stress levels. Workload of staff fluctuates between higher and lower and with
this, a change of fluctuating periods of stress from acute to chronic is described. This chronic
stress has a negative impact on the individuals' physical and psychological health, their
interpersonal relationships at work and the quality of their work, as well as on workplace
morale.
The objectives of the study were to establish how occupational stress, ill health and
commitment are conceptualised in the literature; to establish what the occupational stress
levels of staff at a university of technology are and to assess the mutual relationships among
occupational stress, organisational commitment and ill health of employees at the specific
institution.
The research method consisted of a brief literature review and an empirical study. A cross-sectional survey design was used. A stratified random sample was taken of academic and
support staff at a specific university of technology (N = 334). The ASSET Organizational
Stress Screening Tool and a biographical questionnaire were administered on the personnel.
Cronbach alpha coefficients were used to determine the significance of dimensions of the
ASSET. Exploratory factor analysis was used to investigate the factor structure of the
occupational stress items of the ASSET. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to specify
the relationship between the variables. Standard multiple regression analyses were used to
assess whether occupational stress predicts ill health and organisational commitment.
The results showed that two occupational stressors, namely control and work relationships
were higher than the norm. Physical and psychological ill health was predicted by
occupational stress due to job demands and lack of organisational support. Occupational
stress because of job demands had a significant effect on both affective and behavioural
commitment of employees.
Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nwu/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/1045 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Kotzé, Catharina Gertruida Petronella |
| Publisher | North-West University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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