Abstract
The present researcher developed a management value chain as part of a Master’s degree during 2009 and 2010. During this study, management practices were identified, deemed necessary for the new world of work. Subsequently, the link between all the management practices and work engagement stood out as a potential challenge, due to the increasing level of complexity in organisations. After the completion of the Master’s study, the present researcher decided to continue immediately with a doctoral study on work engagement within the context of perceived complexity in organisations.
The researcher was of the opinion that engagement as a management tool has been over-simplified by consulting organisations, and that the levels of complexity in organisations make it more difficult for management and leadership teams to engage their people effectively. In addition, as a result of doing a comprehensive engagement survey in Africa for a large telecom provider, the researcher realised that senior executives and managers have some effect on their own staff’s engagement levels. He became interested in determining whether a management level engagement construct and a team-level engagement construct existed...
D.Phil. (Human Resources Management)