An investigation of how newly appointed team leaders in an automotive manufacturing organisation experience the role transition from specialists to team leaders
- Authors: Mzelemu, Patrick Sbusiso
- Date: 2022-10-14
- Subjects: Leadership , Automobile industry executives , Role expectation , Identity (Psychology) , Personnel management , Organizational behavior
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/403036 , vital:69916
- Description: The purpose of this study is to investigate and understand how specialists who are newly appointed team leaders in an automotive manufacturing organisation experience the transition from specialists to team leaders. The role of leading others in an organisation is linked to human resource leadership. The human resource is highlighted as a valuable resource as it is the only thinking resource in an organisation. It also influences cost and quality and it is central to the organisation's competitive advantage. Consequently, any interruptions or lack of effective management of the human resource will result in a loss of value that the human resource brings into the organisation since they maximise the use of all other resources. The role transitioning process takes place in three phases. These are the separation, transitioning and incorporation phases. In the separation phase, the transitioning individuals have difficulty detaching from their previous role; the individuals still having the urge to do the work for their subordinates instead of delegating illustrate this. In the transition phase, the individuals in the study experienced the anxiety of wanting to make the new role a success whilst experiencing a sense of lack of belonging due to not being in the familiar old role and not entrenched in the new role. In the incorporation phase, the transitioning individuals experience a sense of stability where they are comfortable acting in the new role. Problem: This study aims to answer the question of how newly appointed team leaders in an automotive manufacturing organisation experience role transition from specialists to team leaders Method: The study will be employing the qualitative thematic deductive method. The target population consists of team leaders who have transitioned into the team leader position in the past two years in different departments. The data was collected by way of face-to-face semistructured interviews with a sample size of seven participants. Data analysis was conducted with a method that is consistent with thematic analysis. 3 Key Findings: Individuals transitioning have urgencies to perform their previous roles in the early phase; during the transition phase, they have anxiety because they are not yet successful in the new role, and in the final phase, they have become comfortable with their new roles and their new identities. Implications: The study's outcome is to identify insights and resultant recommendations for non-leading specialists transitioning into roles where they have to lead others. The study will add to the research in the field of leadership behaviour and organisational behaviour. , Thesis (MBA) -- Faculty of Commerce, Rhodes Business School, 2022
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An analysis of talent management practices of recently hired employees from the perspective of the psychological contract
- Authors: Bischoff, Olivia Edjegayhu
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Gifted persons , Contracts Psychological aspects , Personnel management Psychological aspects , Breach of contract , Psychology, Industrial , Organizational behavior , Industrial relations , Employees Attitudes , Employee retention
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/191865 , vital:45173
- Description: This research took the form of an explanatory case study focused within a single organisation to evaluate talent management practices of recently hired employees from the perspective of the psychological contract. The theory underpinning this research is Resource-Based Theory (RBT) in the context of Talent Management. The research aims were: 1) to analyse how talent management practices have affected the psychological contract, 2) to analyse how employees have responded and intend to respond if there has been a breach in the contract and 3) to analyse how employees have responded or intend to respond where psychological contract expectations have been met. The key concepts identified include talent management and the psychological contract. The literature therefore expanded on talent management highlighting the importance of recruiting, attracting and retaining talent, especially in a global context where experience and skills are a source of competitive advantage. Following this, the concept of the psychological contract was used as a lens through which to analyse the experience of individuals, specifically focusing on new employees joining the organisation, to assess their socialisation and onboarding experience. The literature further explored the importance of focusing on new employees, as this is deemed by the literature as a critical time of transition in the shaping of the psychological contract. In further reviewing the literature regarding early onboarding, further review of the literature identified important components, including (1) socialisation and onboarding, (2) performance management and probation, (3) employee development and (4) work conditions. From reviewing the literature four propositions were deduced as follows: • Proposition 1: All integrative processes in early onboarding influence the initial psychological contract of the employee. Proposition 1 was further divided into three sub propositions as follows: Sub Proposition 1a) HR plays a key role in early onboarding, influencing the initial psychological contract; Sub Proposition 1b) Supervisor support plays a key role in early onboarding, influencing the initial psychological contract; and IV Sub Proposition 1c) The work team plays a key role in early onboarding, influencing the initial psychological contract. • Proposition 2 stated: Performance discussions influence the psychological contract. • Proposition 3: Employee development opportunities are a source of motivation in the fulfilment of the psychological contract. • Proposition 4: Employment conditions influence the fulfilment of the psychological contract. The research followed a qualitative approach, using deductive analysis to analyse the data collected from semi-structured interviews. The findings and discussion show that the propositions confirmed the literature and were relevant to the case study at hand. Where there was varying degree of experience regarding the effect of the influence or impact on the psychological contract this was noted and expanded on accordingly. The study also recognised the additional context that presented itself within the findings, namely the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research concludes in acknowledging the delimitations and limitations of the study while making suggestions for areas of future studies. To conclude, this research shows that the transition of a new employee in their early stages within the organisation is an opportunity to support in positively influencing and maintaining the psychological contract to support employee satisfaction and motivation. If organisations can also appreciate that the psychological contract is dynamic and can change over time based on changing circumstances or needs, then this can be proactively monitored to support long-term retention of talent. , Thesis (MBA) -- Faculty of Commerce, Rhodes Business School, 2021
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Multilingualism, innovation, and productivity: an examination of the impact of multilingualism in the workplace, with reference to the BRICS countries
- Authors: Leyne, Breda
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Multilingualism -- BRIC countries , Bilingual communication in organizations , Second language acquisition , Language in the workplace , Diversity in the workplace , Communication in organizations , Intercultural communication , Labor productivity , Organizational behavior , Technological innovations , BRICS countries
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/148149 , vital:38714
- Description: This study examined whether the choice of language in the workplace affects personal and workplace productivity. The study has focussed on those working in countries which come under the BRICS grouping, Brazil, Russia, India and China and South Africa, as this provided a rich comparison of historical, economic and linguistic contexts. The research undertaken sought to explore the impact of prevailing language usage amongst employees of multi-national companies operating within the BRICS countries. With the assumption that these workforces will include multilingual individuals, the study set out to ascertain whether multilingualism has been recognised as a factor that might impact upon personal productivity or progress, either in a positive or negative fashion. The study set out to consider how language use may affect economic behaviour, firstly on a personal level and then to extrapolate this more widely into organisational productivity and innovation. This was set against background research into; theoretical perspectives on the acquisition of additional language, perceived benefits of bilingualism for individuals, studies of the management of language use with multinational corporations and relationships between language and economics. The conclusion reached is that multilingualism could have a beneficial impact on wider workforce productivity, and that it is not just a ‘language problem’ as it often seems to be treated. The final conclusion is that this may be something that should be more carefully considered by organisations in an increasingly global workplace. The researcher considers that multilingualism could be better employed as a workplace productivity metric, in a way that arguably it is not at present.
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Perceived breach and violation of the psychological contract in a collectivistic culture
- Authors: Van der Merwe, Sophie Wilhelmine
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Collectivism , Employees -- Attitudes , Contracts -- Psychological aspects , Industrial relations , Breach of contract , Personnel management -- Psychological aspects , Organizational behavior , Psychology, Industrial
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:855 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017523
- Description: The significance of relationships on economic actions and employee behaviour makes it critical for employers to understand the dynamics of employment through mutual obligations (Rousseau, 1990; Guest, 2004b). The psychological contract affords a broad platform to study the employment relationship (Thomas et al., 2010), and is an important tool for organisational success (McDermott et al., 2013). The literature review contained in this study indicates the differences in contracting environments due to the prevailing cultural orientation. However, there is a dearth of research in collectivistic culture, to which this study will add. The literature also makes a distinction between perceptions of breach and violation. While perceptions of breach of the psychological contract is the perception that the employer has not met all obligations and promises, violation is the emotional and affective state following breach (Morrison & Robinson, 1997) and results in negative or deviant behaviours (Chiu & Peng, 2008). Both breach and violation perceptions negatively affect employee behaviours and attitudes in the workplace (Aggarwal & Bhargava, 2014). This research assumed a constructivist paradigm and builds understanding of the outcomes of breach and violation of the psychological contract on employees’ working life in a collectivistic environment. Primary data collection was by in-depth semi-structured, one on one interviews with five employees of a state-subsidised organisation in East London, making use of convenience sampling. Follow up interviews were conducted, resulting in 7ₑ/₄ hours of interviewing time. Cultural orientation was ascertained through the use of a questionnaire. The findings of this study confirmed that the type of psychological contract entered into influences the outcomes of perceptions of breach and violation. Both dimensions of collectivism, namely institutional and in-group, were practised in this environment, which also impacted on both the individual’s experience and outcomes for the organisation. The latter was influenced by commitment to organisational goals and supervisory or collegial relationships. Most notable of the results is the effect of expectations of transitional justice on experience of the psychological contract. Practical implications and recommendations for future research are made. This research is presented in three sections; firstly the research is presented in the format of an academic paper and includes a concise summary of literature and research method. The second section is an expanded literature review of the psychological contract and its influencing factors, as well as the outcomes of breach and violation. The last section describes and justifies in detail the design of the research and the research procedure followed. , Alternate name: Van der Merwe, Somine
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The leadership competencies subordinates value : an exploratory study across gender and national culture
- Authors: Gondongwe, Sharon
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Leadership , Organizational behavior , Organizational behavior -- Cross-cultural studies , Organizational behavior -- Sex differences
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1203 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1015673
- Description: The effectiveness of leadership is largely dependent on whether the leadership competencies exhibited by leaders are congruent with the value system endorsed by subordinates. One of the ways in which leaders can influence subordinates is by understanding the leadership competencies valued by subordinates. Gender and national culture are two of the many factors that have an influence on the leadership competencies valued by subordinates. A large amount of research has been conducted to determine if, indeed, gender and national culture influence the leadership competencies subordinates' value. However, most of this research has been conducted in Europe and North America, places in which national cultures differ significantly from those prevailing in African countries. This study, from a South African and Zimbabwean perspective, attempted to ascertain if gender and national culture influence the leadership competencies they value in their leaders. Existing studies have indicated that gender and national culture do not influence the leadership competencies valued in a leader. The findings of this study are in accordance with previous research and agree that gender and national culture do not influence the leadership competencies valued in a leader. The results of this study indicated that male and female subordinates value similar leadership competencies. With respect to national culture, both South African and Zimbabwean subordinates value similar leadership competencies. Based on the findings of this study, regardless of gender and national culture, all subordinates value a leader who is loyal, visionary, openly embodies integrity, and is a leader who empowers subordinates.
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Organisation development: a formative evaluation of an OD intervention
- Authors: Routledge, Michael Henry Collis
- Date: 1999
- Subjects: Organizational change , Organizational behavior , Action research , Psychology, Industrial
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3044 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002553 , Organizational change , Organizational behavior , Action research , Psychology, Industrial
- Description: Rapid changes and increased competitiveness in business environments, together with greater demands by employees for improvements in the quality of their work lives, make it necessary for organisations to review their operating styles and functions. Many companies have found an answer in Organisation Development (OD) which focuses on ways in which people associated with organisations learn to diagnose and solve those problems which limit organisational effectiveness. The present study evaluates the progress of an OD intervention underway in an organisation in Zimbabwe. A formative evaluation is undertaken during an OD intervention. It is designed to assess the change effort's progress in such a way that steps can subsequently be taken to correct, modify or enhance such aspects of the intervention as may be determined by the evaluation. The study begins with a review of the company's original and revised Mission Statements as well as the present and last two sets of corporate three-year plans. These documents inform the construction of an interview guide. Individual interviews are then used to ascertain attitudes of respondents to the OD intervention and the changes it is bringing about. In addition the interviews are used to gauge the degree of commitment of respondents to the intervention. All the senior managers in the organisation are interviewed as well as the holding company's chief executive and the external consultant facilitating the intervention. The study records fundamental changes taking place in the attitudes of top managers and the first signs of an impact of these attitude changes on the formulation of company plans. Management styles and the culture of the organisation also show some change and influence on routine business operations. In addition there are early indications of an alteration of behaviour at other levels in the organisation. Business outcomes are improving and it is proposed that the benefits are due to fortuitous market developments assisted to an extent by the culture and attitude changes brought about by the OD intervention.
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