Doctoral Degrees (Industrial Psychology)

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Browsing Doctoral Degrees (Industrial Psychology) by browse.metadata.advisor "Boshoff, A. B."

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    Factors influencing persistence of aspiring chartered accountants : a fortigenic approach
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2007-03) Nel, Petrus; Boshoff, A. B.; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Industrial Psychology.
    Persistence is not a well researched phenomenon. In addition, no previous research has suggested a process depicting a combination of variables that are related to persistence. The current study explores the process of persistence from a fortigenic paradigm, which emphasises psychological strengths. The aim of the current study is to determine the relationship between various fortigenic variables and persistence. The fortigenic paradigm also suggests that psychological strengths can be developed. In order to understand the process of persistence, the current study includes both cognitive (locus of control, optimism, hope, self-efficacy) and emotional psychological strengths (self-esteem, performance self-esteem, resilience) that are related to persistence. Based on literature, the current study suggests a model depicting a sequential process of interrelationship amongst the fortigenic variables and their relationship with persistence. To test the validity of the proposed model, the current study uses a sample of individuals that must be persistent in order to achieve their career goals. A group of 295 aspiring Chartered Accountants who wrote Part 1 of the Qualifying Exam during 2005 participated in the study. From this group, 156 (53%) did not pass the Qualifying Exam during 2005. The study employs both survey and statistical modeling methodologies to guide the investigation. Standardised questionnaires are used for the eight different fortigenic variables. To determine the applicability of the factor structures of these instruments on the current sample, exploratory factor analysis is conducted. The suggested factor structures are confirmed through confirmatory factor analysis with acceptable levels of fit. The revalidated instruments provide better levels of fit than the original instruments. The current study first tested the model of persistence on the total group. The theoretical model depicting the process of persistence provides acceptable levels of fit with all the suggested paths in the model being statistically significant. The same model was tested on the group of individuals that failed previous attempts of the Qualifying Exam, but passed it during 2005. Better levels of fit are obtained with all the paths being statistically significant except between self-esteem and resilience. Again the model was tested using the group of individuals that failed previous attempts at the Qualifying Exam, which failed it during 2005, but still persisted in writing. Acceptable levels of fit are obtained with all the paths being statistically significant except between self-efficacy and resilience. However, the group that failed the Qualifying Exam during 2005 has significantly lower levels of both hope and performance self-esteem. In addition, discriminant analysis shows that hope, optimism, and resilience are factors that can classify individuals into either passing or failing. Of importance is the fact that as individuals write the Qualifying Exam on different attempts, there seems to be a lowering in the number of statistically significant relationships between the fortigenic variables and persistence. The current study ascribes this phenomenon to resource depletion. The latter makes it difficult for individuals to persist in using the same psychological strength if it is not replenished before usage. The study suggests an intervention programme that may enhance the levels of psychological strengths and persistence and counteracting the impact of resource depletion in aspiring chartered accountants.
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    The influence of transformational leadership, emotional intelligence, trust, meaning and intention to quit on organisational citizenship behaviour
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2005-12) Schlechter, Anton Francois; Boshoff, A. B.; Engelbrecht, A. S.; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Industrial Psychology.
    South African organisations have to survive in an increasingly competitive and globalised environment. Many believe that South African organisations are ill prepared for these challenges, based on the fact that many organisations are plagued by low productivity, low levels of trust between employees and employers, as well as low levels of organisational commitment, effectiveness and efficiency. Solutions must be found for these problems and the present study offers one such solution. Organisational citizenship behaviour is essentially pro-social organisational behaviour that is characterised by going beyond what is expected in role requirements or role descriptions and is seen as a key driver of individual and organisational performance. Furthermore, an organisation’s ability to elicit organisational citizenship behaviour is believed to be a vital asset that is difficult for competitors to imitate and which provides the organisation with a competitive advantage. Having completed a literature study concerning possible antecedents of organisational citizenship behaviour, and taking into account various suggested future directions for organisational citizenship behaviour research, it was decided that the present study would focus on five variables: three variables that are characteristic of employees, and two that are characteristic of the management or leadership in the organisation. The primary goal of the present study was to design and conduct a scientific investigation that would attempt to determine the relationships between leader emotional intelligence, transformational leadership, trust, meaning intention to quit, and organisational citizenship behaviour, as well as to further determine the role that these five constructs play in influencing organisational citizenship behaviour. A study of the available literature was made to learn as much as possible about each of these six constructs and to determine what is known about the relationships that exist between them. The knowledge gained from the literature study was used to propose several hypotheses and a conceptual model explaining the relationships between these constructs. The relationships and the conceptual model were then empirically tested, using various (mostly confirmatory) statistical methods. This makes the present study confirmatory in nature. Existing measuring instruments were used to measure each of the constructs in a South African sample (n=496). This sample represented a wide range of organisations. Each of the measuring instruments (excepting the intention to quit scale) was subjected to a double cross-validation Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis procedure to test its construct validity. Internal reliability was determined for all of the instruments and their subscales. The Confirmatory Factor Analysis and internal reliability results were then compared to those obtained when the original measurement model was studied, using these same methods (i.e. Confirmatory Factor Analysis and internal reliability) and the data from the present sample. It was found, in all cases, that the derived factorial configuration differed, in some to a lesser degree and in others radically, from that proposed by the original author/s. It was also found that the EFA-derived measurement models and configurations had a better fit to the data than the original measurement model and its configuration. Once the criteria for construct validity and internal reliability were satisfied, the rest of the statistical analyses could be conducted. The next step was to test the hypotheses concerning the individual relationships that made up the conceptual model. Pearson correlations and Standard Multiple Regression was used to study these bivariate relationships. Several indirect or mediating relationships followed from these direct relationships and these were tested using Path Analysis. In a similar vein, four prediction hypotheses were formulated from the conceptual model and these were also tested, using Standard Multiple Regression. Lastly, Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to see to what extent the conceptual model fitted the data obtained from the sample and to test the relationships between the constructs when taking the complete conceptual model into account. Both trust and meaning were found to individually mediate the relationships between transformational leadership and organisational citizenship behaviour, and leader emotional intelligence and organisational citizenship behaviour. The relationship between leader emotional intelligence and organisational citizenship behaviour was further found to be mediated by transformational leadership and trust, while this relationship was also found to be mediated by transformational leadership and meaning. No significant direct relationships could be found between leader emotional intelligence and organisational citizenship behaviour, or between transformational leadership and both organisational citizenship behaviour and intention to quit. No significant correlation was found between intention to quit and organisational citizenship behaviour either. This meant that several postulated mediating hypotheses could not be corroborated. The SEM result shows that the conceptual model did not fit the data very well, therefore an alternative model was recommended. The results in essence show that effective leaders who are emotionally intelligent and make use of the transformational leadership style can positively influence trust and meaning among followers. This, in turn, will motivate followers to display organisational citizenship behaviour and reduce their intention to quit. These are believed to positively influence organisational effectiveness and performance. Further conclusions were drawn from the obtained results and recommendations are made for future studies. New insights were gained through the results and it is believed that the present study has contributed to the field of organisational psychology and Industrial Psychology in general, on both the academic and the practioner level.
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    The relationship between servant leadership, follower trust, team commitment and unit effectiveness
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2007-03) Dannhauser, Zani; Boshoff, A. B.; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Industrial Psychology.
    A study of the literature revealed that the content and the structure of several constructs that are used in research in the framework of Positive Organisational Behaviour are subject to doubt. It also became clear that the relationship between the constructs (servant leadership, trust, team commitment, and unit effectiveness) could profitably be investigated further. A study to obtain more clarity about these aspects was therefore planned and executed. In order to conduct this exploratory survey research, an electronic web-based questionnaire was used as the method of data gathering. The questionnaire was programmed and posted for a period of three weeks on the portal of the company where the survey was conducted. A total of 531 respondents from the vehicle sales division of the particular organisation participated in the study. Sales persons (n=417) who were working in 100 dealerships in the automobile business completed three questionnaires. The three questionnaires were the rater version of the Servant Leadership Questionnaire of Barbuto and Wheeler (a self-report version also exists), the Workplace Trust Survey developed by Ferres, the Team Commitment Survey of Bennett. The sales persons assessed the level of servant leadership of their superiors (sales managers) and their own levels of trust and of team commitment. The sales managers (n=114) assessed the effectiveness of the sales persons who reported to them by completing the Team Effectiveness Questionnaire developed by Larson and LaFasto. The Directors who were responsible for the marketing of the products of the organisation completed an internal questionnaire on the performance of the sales function in the dealerships. Answers were sought to five research questions, dealing with the content of the constructs, their configurations, their interrelations and biographic and organisational variables that could possibly have an influence on the constructs.