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Developing an understanding of bullying targets' experience of and coping with abusive workplace situations

  • Authors: Botha, Wilhelmina
  • Date: 2010-10-25T06:29:23Z
  • Subjects: Bullying in the workplace , Work environment , Organizational behavior
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:6935 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3445
  • Description: D.Phil. , In its exploration of workplace bullying, this doctoral study applies elements of two particular types of autoethnography, namely, personal narrative and analytical autoethnography. This unconventional qualitative approach focuses on my own experiences of being bullied as an employee at an organisation where, according to management, bullying was deemed to be an acceptable practice. In the study I describe typical bullying events, related interpersonal dynamics, and the clandestine tactics of bullies. I reveal how bullying affected me, and how I coped with the emotional turmoil and humiliation caused by it. An appreciation for both modernism and postmodernism influenced me to combine elements of these paradigms in the study. In the spirit of postmodernism I share my lived experiences of bullying in an attempt to appeal to the reader‟s empathy and hopefully his or her co-construction, to enhance emotional understanding, and to create a willingness amongst concerned parties to unite in facilitating social change. I also explain the emotional demands and the therapeutic effects on the writer when producing an autoethnography. Regarding the modernist elements, I apply theoretical concepts and research findings on bullying found in the literature to contextualise and make sense of my experiences. In addition, I engage in various levels of analysis and thematically analyse the data contained in the autoethnography, as well as material offered by six people who either witnessed or experienced bullying. This autoethnographic work led to interesting realisations. For example, I found that targets tend to become aware of only the negative characteristics in bullies and disregard their positive qualities. They often fantasise about escaping, though they do not actively take steps to acquire alternative employment, because they have been indoctrinated to believe that they are worthless. I once again realise that all human beings are capable of good deeds, as well as evil ones, and that circumstances often determine who will revert to bullying, and who will become targets. Particularly striking are the study‟s findings that remnants of the ancient practice of sacrificing one person to ensure the survival of the group may be present in modern organisations. Based on the insights gained from this study, I recommend that workplace bullying awareness campaigns should be increased, and, in particular that – (i) employers and unions should be informed about the covert nature of bullying and the consequences for all involved; and (ii) organisations should establish structures and procedures for reporting bullying and counselling targets and bullies.
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Job crafting and work engagement as antecedents of person-job-fit

  • Authors: Viviers, Lizanne
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: Work environment , Job satisfaction , Personnel management
  • Language: English
  • Type: Masters (Thesis)
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/246452 , uj:25552
  • Description: M.Com. (Industrial Psychology) , Abstract: The objective of this study was to determine whether work engagement, job crafting and person-job-fit are related; also, to determine whether job crafting indirectly affects personjob- fit through work engagement. The study used a cross-sectional research design with a quantitative research approach on a South African working sample (n=150). A biographical questionnaire, the Person-job-fit (PJF), Job crafting (JCQ) and Utrecht Work Engagement (UWES-9 item) instruments were used. The R program was used to carry out the statistical analysis where structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed to assess the research constructs. Moreover, regression analysis was applied in order to investigate the mediating role of work engagement. The findings suggest that a relationship exists between the main constructs of the study. The results also confirmed that work engagement mediated the relationship between job crafting and person-job-fit. This study contributes to the literature by emphasising the importance of using job crafting and work engagement to predict personjob- fit in the South African context. The implication of the study is that job crafting can be used as an effective intervention to increase work engagement, thus improving the perception of person-job-fit among employees.
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The workplace of the future : a top management constructionist perspective

  • Authors: Mtebule, Lucia Xitsalala
  • Date: 2012-10-29
  • Subjects: Work environment , Employment forecasting , Organizational change , Industrial relations , Black executives
  • Type: Mini-Dissertation
  • Identifier: uj:10457 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/7922
  • Description: M.Phil. , The future South African workplace promises to be different from that which exists today. In an attempt to understand worldly events and phenomena, people constantly form and reform their own ideas, thus mental models, about how the world works. The objective of this study was to investigate how Black executives, in the South African context, experience the emergence of the future workplace. Data was collected from eight participants using the Repertory Grid technique. The participants were employed as executive managers in five of South Africa‟s knowledge environments. Results revealed that legislative, social, political and economic factors will possibly play an influential role in shaping the emergence of the setting and perspective of the future South African workplace. Keywords: South African context, future, workplace, repertory grid, Black executives.
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Leveraging knowledge assets in a postmodern workplace : a personal constructionist perspective

The impact of freedom of expression in the workplace

  • Authors: Storm, Jan Abraham
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: Freedom of speech - Social aspects , Social media - Law and legislation , Labor laws and legislation , Work environment
  • Language: English
  • Type: Masters (Thesis)
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/236855 , uj:24258
  • Description: LL.M. (Labour Law) , Abstract: Technological advances in communication have increased to such an extent that it influences many personal and professional relationships, including the employer-employee relationship. Social media has become the preferred communication method used by various people across the world. Social media allows the users to share information, ideas, opinions and other forms of expressions with the public across the world. Social media can be accessed through the use of a desktop computer, tablets and the most popular of all, the smartphone. Some of the most popular social media websites are Facebook, WhatsApp, Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter, Baidu Tieba, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, Viber, Snapchat, Weibo and WeChat. Facebook is a free social networking site that allows users from across the world to communicate, interact, share and express themselves to the public. However, Facebook is also a platform that is often used by employees to express themselves about their employer. Within this context the question arises: when will it be permissible for employees to express opinions of their employer and when can it lawfully be limited without infringing on the employees’ freedom of expression?2 The problem is further confounded when employees access social network sites during work hours. The defences that employees often employ after expressing opinions about their employers on social media, is that they have the right to privacy and the right to freedom of expression. Social media has however impacted employers in several ways, such as when the employee expresses something derogatory on such a platform. The employer’s reputation is often linked to the employee in the public domain. Therefore an employer’s reputation is often at stake and may have serious monetary...
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Race-based perceptions of organisational attractiveness

  • Authors: Singh, Saasha
  • Date: 2011-12-12
  • Subjects: Organizational attractiveness , Work environment
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:1888 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4242
  • Description: M.A. , This research study is focused on the influence that racial stereotypes have on South African students’ perceptions of the work environment. A multi-factorial experiment was conducted by randomly assigning 90 male Accounting students (mean age = 22.4 years) to three groups. All participants viewed identical information about a fictitious organisation. In the two experimental groups the race of the manager was manipulated by means of a picture. No picture was displayed in the control group. The hypothesis (which was based on research of traditional stereotypes) was disconfirmed. The highest ratings of organisational attractiveness were provided by participants in the control group, and the lowest ratings by those who viewed the white manager, χ2 (5) = 29.48, p < .05. Further, both black and white participants showed in-group bias on the Loyalty scale, χ2 (5) = 12.11, p < .05. The results are discussed in terms of racial stereotypes, the emergence of a new form of racism, and the prominence of in-group bias.
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Leadership meta-competences for the future world of work: an explorative study in the retail industry

  • Authors: Van der Merwe, Letitia
  • Date: 2008-08-15T07:54:52Z
  • Subjects: Leadership , Retail trade in South Africa , Organizational change , Work environment
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:7856 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/874
  • Description: To achieve this purpose a leadership meta-competence model, based on levels of work theory, was developed for the future world of work. This model was firstly validated by senior managers in the retail industry. Subsequently a questionnaire assessing the perceived importance of these competencies currently and in the future was designed. This questionnaire was completed by 101 managers from various South African retail industries. The resultant data was analysed and the results indicated that there is a significant difference between the perceived current and future definitions of the nature and work of business leaders, specifically Level II work behaviour will become less important in the future and Level III and IV work behaviour show increasing importance for the future business leader. The works of Ackoff (1994), Carpa (2003), Starbuck (2005) and Wheatley (1999) propose the rethinking of the manner in which organisations plan and execute work in the emerging future, while managers and leaders often ask why they should prepare for the future when it is impossible to know what to be prepared for (Rethinking corporate strategy, 2003:65)? Weingand (1995) argues that today’s speculations on the future have moved from the realm of fantasy or literary illusion into the pragmatic world of organisational need. Tomorrow needs to be explored in order to more fully understand the demands of today and the critical decisions that must be made for the future. Weingand (1995) further argues that it is no longer enough to wonder what the future might bring; it is necessary to critically assess potential future scenarios and incorporate well-considered forecasts into today’s planning. It can be argued from the above that even though the future is uncertain, organisations that study potential futures, share knowledge and encourage collective learning are more likely to survive the test of time. Peters (1992:483) supports this argument by suggesting that organisations do not only need to become “learning organisations”, but be able to innovate on a continuous basis. Organisations find themselves midstride between an old and new era, and have not yet found their way (Nicol in Parker, 1998:1). It is also evident that the changes surrounding organisations are not mere trends but the workings of large, unruly forces: globalisation and increased international competition (Kiggundu, 2002; Moon & Bonny, 2001), cross national strategic alliances and mergers, privatisation, outsourcing, information technology innovations, the increasing short term work contract (Cooper, 2005; Stewart, 1993) and changing work ethic and culture (Ulrich, Zenger, & Smallwood, 2003). These influences are leading to an increasingly chaotic and complex world of work (Cairnes, 2004; Hite, 1999 and Kraut & Kormann, 1999). , Dr. Anton M. Verwey
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An investigation into the work environment elements on job satisfaction- a case study on a company in the telecommunications industry.

Psychological Attributes of Successful Trainee Accountants

  • Authors: Strbac, Esmari , Roodt, Gert
  • Date: 2005
  • Subjects: Work environment , Academic performance , Personality traits , Examination pass rate , Work performance , Verbal evaluation questionnaire
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: uj:6413 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/120
  • Description: It is suggested that certain psychological attributes of accounting graduates are significant predictors of the later success of trainee accountants in the work environment. Since selection is a key human resources function in public accounting firms the present study investigated the relationship between academic performance, specific personality traits, examination pass rate and the work performance of a sample (N = 77) of trainee accountants from an international, mid-sized firm. The results indicate that the majority of cases could be correctly predicted as successful or not by a verbal ability variable and that the criterion measure developed for this study (Cronbach alpha = 0,95) can be used successfully to measure the work performance of trainee accountants. The importance of academic performance as well as the pass rate in the qualifying examinations are also discussed.
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Die verwantskap tussen prestasiemotivering en organisasieklimaat

Freedom of expression in the workplace and social networking systems

Strategies to improve the level of employee motivation in the fast food outlets in Cape Town, South Africa

  • Authors: Ukandu, Nnenna E. , Ukpere, Wilfred I.
  • Date: 2011-11
  • Subjects: Motivation , Work environment , Working conditions , Organizational commitment , Job satisfaction , Employee performance , Employee recognition , Employee promotion , Fast food workers
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: uj:5782 , ISSN 1993-8233 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/7789
  • Description: Motivation increases the level of performances of employees and also increases their commitment in the workplace. This implies that motivating workers is very important. The fast food workers are unique and have their individual needs, potentials, values and goals. Job satisfaction leads to job motivation. Therefore, when workers are satisfied, they tend to be motivated to work. The study points out the strategies that could be used to improve the level of motivation of the fast food workers and also discusses the causes of low employee motivation within the organization. This will also assist the management of the fast food industries in improving the performances of their employees. A case study approach was used for the survey because only the fast food industries were involved. Information was obtained from both the operational workers, administration, cashiers and the managers. A total of 200 closed-ended questionnaires and open-ended semi-interview questions were distributed and 123 employees responded which gave a response rate of 62.5%. Research proved that the rate of personal growth of the employee’s in their workplace was not satisfactory with a rate of 56.1% respondents. Also, the flexible time plan was not satisfactory to the workers because they were being given a flexible time sometimes especially when their workplace is very busy. In addition, the employee’s were not given the privilege of making decision in their workplace especially in the areas that concerns them. However, the researcher recommended that the fast food workers should be empowered in different ways, to give them opportunities to share their views. Also, the skills should be developed through coaching and feedback system. The study includes only the fast food workers that have at least six (6) months experience. This is to obtain a reliable and valid result.
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First encounters in the workplace as experienced by industrial psychologists

  • Authors: Adinolfi, Enrico
  • Date: 2013-07-10
  • Subjects: Industrial psychologists , Work environment , Communication in organizations , Interpersonal relations
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:7598 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/8464
  • Description: M.A. (Industrial Psychology) , The object of this study is to explore the first-time work experiences of industrial psychologists. This phenomenon occurs during the entry phase of one’s career life cycle, and is associated with a reality shock, role transitions and socialisation. Ten participants were interviewed by making use of the Repertory Grid Technique to discover their mental models and personal constructs, which they created through their experiences. This information was interpreted from an interpretivist stance by using a case study and modernistic qualitative approach. Seven main themes were identified from the participant’s experiences. Four of these were considered to be enhancing and three were limiting. The three limiting themes that were regarded as negative relationships that were formed were the lack of knowledge of the industrial psychology profession, negative relationships formed and unmet expectations. The four enhancing themes were professional development, personal development, identifying the role of the industrial psychologist and identifying the value of the industrial psychologist. Recommendations were made on how to alleviate the negative experiences and a contracting model and industrial psychology career entry model were formed.
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The dimensionality of the work and meaning inventory

  • Authors: Finch, Jenna Diane
  • Date: 2014-09-10
  • Subjects: Work , Work environment , Labor supply - Effect of technological innovations on , Work measurement , Work - Social aspects
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:12241 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/12007
  • Description: M.Com. (Industrial Psychology) , Research has linked the construct of meaningful work to a variety of positive individual and organisational outcomes (cf. Rosso, Dekas, & Wrzesniewski, 2010). As such, the measurement and cultivation of meaningful work within the workplace can aid organisations in the promotion of a purposeful and energetic workforce. To date, South Africa has not developed or validated a meaningful work measure, which is problematic when it is considered that differences in culture have been shown to affect responses to items on specific psychometric measures (Meiring, van de Vijver, & Rothmann, 2006). It is therefore essential that the psychometric suitability of an instrument be established prior to it being applied within the country’s diverse population. This study examines the reliability and validity of a meaningful work measure in the South African context. Specifically, the dimensionality of the Western-developed Work and Meaning Inventory (WAMI) is investigated using a South African sample. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was adopted using a sample of South African working adults (N=300) within the Gauteng province. The results of CFA and EFA did not provide support for the original three-factor WAMI structure. However, theoretical and statistical support was found for an adapted twofactor version of the scale. Limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed.
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Datasheet showing the impact of work environment on productivity in higher education institutions

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