Abstract
M.Comm.
South African society is currently experiencing a period of rapid transformation. These sociopolitical
changes taking place in the external environment is posing unique challenges to
South African business. Salient to these challenges is how the politically powerful, but poor
majority will be integrated into an environment that previously excluded them. It is commonly
accepted that this integration and the eradication of the economic backlog can not only be
achieved through formal education and training, but that it should be supported by
programmes aimed at the accelerated development of blacks.
As such, the primary role that South African business has to play in the transformation of
society as a whole, is the effective integration of marginalised groups into position from
which they were previously excluded. In order to ensure that this integration is managed
effectively several factors need to be taken into account. Of these, white resistance against
affirmative action and the negative attitudes held by them towards blacks in general, pose
the greatest threat. The negative impact of the aforementioned on the affirmative action
process is heightened when these traits are exhibited by the supervisors of black employees
taking part in affirmative action programmes. In order to determine the effect these attitudes
have on the job involvement and job satisfaction of black employees, factors inhibiting the
occupational mobility of blacks and the role of the immediate supervisor in this process were
analysed from literature. It was found that the supervisor plays a distinct role in the upward
mobility of his/her subordinates and that this is especially the case where he/she has black
subordinates.
In chapter 3 the theory underlying job involvement and job satisfaction is discussed. From
this discussion it is clear that the job involvement and job satisfaction of the individual
influence his/her behaviour within the organisation to a large extent. It was further found that
the immediate supervisor influences these variables to a large extent.
In the empirical part of this dissertation a sample black employees, currently occupying
positions previously reserved exclusively for whites, completed job involvement and job
satisfaction questionnaires. Their supervisors completed a questionnaire that measured their
attitude towards affirmative action.
From the empirical study it was found that subordinates with supervisors who exhibit
negative attitudes towards affirmative action do not necessarily have lower levels of job
involvement and job satisfaction than those subordinates with supervisors who exhibit
positive attitudes. This finding is not consistent with the theorising that supervisor attitudes
towards affirmative action should influence the job involvement and job satisfaction of their
black subordinates, and could be attributed to a number of factors, amongst others the
nature of their jobs.
From the study it became clear that urgent attention needs to be given to the determining of
those factors that influence the job satisfaction and job involvement in Afro-centric
populations. Almost all available research on these concepts focuses exclusively on Eurocentric
populations and very little empirical data regarding the study of these concepts
among Afro-centric populations exit.