Browsing by Author "Herbert, Marthine"

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    An exploration of the relationships between psychological capital (hope, optimism, self-efficacy, resilience), occupational stress, burnout and employee engagement
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011-12) Herbert, Marthine; Gorgens-Ekermans, Gina; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Industrial Psychology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Occupational stress and Burnout are serious problems in current day organisations. To this end organisations should actively promote positive psychological health and occupational wellbeing in order to harness the full potential of their workforce and increase organisational performance. Studies from the emerging field of Positive Psychology hypothesize that personal resources, like the constructs of Psychological Capital (i.e. Hope, Optimism, Self-Efficacy and Resilience), may contribute to decreased Stress (Avey, Luthans & Jensen, 2009), Burnout (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2001) and increased work Engagement (Avey, Wernsing & Luthans, 2008). Moreover, it has been proven that the Psychological Capital (PsyCap) constructs are state-like and can be developed (Luthans, Avey & Patera, 2008). It may, therefore, be vital for organisations to identify and develop these positive PsyCap factors, which might moderate the effect of Occupational stress on Burnout, as well as curb the initial experiences of Occupational stress and the subsequent development of Burnout in their employees. The presence of PsyCap may also lead to increased Engagement, which is also known to be associated with less Burnout. The aims of this study were to explore the relationships between Burnout, Employee Engagement, Occupational stress and PsyCap in the South African context, as well as to determine whether PsyCap plays a moderating role in the Occupational stress, Burnout relationship. A non-experimental research design (i.e. exploratory survey study) was used to explore the relationships between these four constructs. In this study, Burnout was defined as a condition characterised by fatigue and exhaustion, divided into Personal Burnout (“the degree of physical and psychological fatigue and exhaustion experienced by the person”), Work-related Burnout (“the degree of physical and psychological fatigue and exhaustion that is perceived by the person as related to his/her work”) and Client-related Burnout (“the degree of physical and psychological fatigue and exhaustion that is perceived by the person as related to his/her work with clients”) (Kristensen, Borritz, Villadsen & Christensen, 2005, p. 197). Employee Engagement was defined as “a positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind that is characterized by vigour, dedication, and absorption” (Schaufeli, Salanova, Gonzalez-Roma & Bakker, 2002, p.74). Occupational stress is experienced when an imbalance exists between people’s perceived environmental demands and their perceived ability to cope with these demands (Cooper, Clarke & Rowbottom, 1999). Lastly, PsyCap was described as a second-order construct which included Hope, Optimism, Self-efficacy and Resilience (Luthans, Youssef & Avolio, 2007). A convenience sample of 209 permanent employees and support staff of a medium size construction company within the Western Cape, South Africa, participated in the research. The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI; Kristensen et al., 2005), the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9; Schaufeli & Bakker, 2003), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS; Cohen, Kamarck & Mermelstein, 1983) and the Psychological Capital Questionnaire-Self Rater Version (PCQ-24; Luthans, Avolio & Avey, 2007) were administered. Consistent with previous research, significant negative relationships were evident between all three dimensions of Burnout and Occupational stress. This indicates that higher Occupational stress is associated with an increased propensity to develop Personal-, Work- and Client Burnout. This was expected as it is known that Burnout develops in reaction to prolonged Stress. The correlational results further revealed that higher levels of Hope, Optimism, Self-efficacy and Resilience (and the PsyCap total score) were associated with lower levels of Occupational stress and Burnout. This suggests that increased levels of PsyCap may probably lead to decreased levels of Occupational stress and Burnout. As expected, multiple moderate positive correlations were evident between the PsyCap sub-dimensions, empirically confirming the discriminant and convergent validity of the dimensions in the South African context. This implies that by developing one of the constructs, the others are also likely to increase. As hypothesised, both Occupational Stress and Burnout was found to relate negatively to Employee Engagement. The results further revealed that higher PsyCap was related to higher Engagement levels and that Optimism and Self-efficacy, as PsyCap sub-dimensions, emerged as the two strongest predictors of Employee Engagement. These results suggest that the development of PsyCap may hold multiple benefits (e.g. increasing Engagement, lessening Stress and subsequent Burnout). Lastly, PsyCap did indeed emerge as a moderator in the relationship between Occupational stress and Personal- and Work Burnout respectively. This suggests that although Occupational stress is inevitable in any work environment, PsyCap as a personal coping resource, can buffer the development of Burnout over the long term. Limitations of the study as well as suggestions for future research were discussed.
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    Psychological capital : internal and external validity of the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ-24) on a South African sample
    (AOSIS, 2013) Gorgens-Ekermans, Gina; Herbert, Marthine
    Orientation: Psychological capital (PsyCap) is a relatively novel construct measured with the Psychological Capital Questionnaire 24 (PCQ-24). Only one published South African study on the instrument exists, providing inconsistent psychometric results, when compared with other United States of America (USA) and non-USA studies. Research purpose: The objectives of this study were to investigate the internal validity (construct and discriminant validity), reliability and external validity (relationship with theoretically relevant variables, namely stress, burnout and work engagement) of the PCQ-24. Motivation for the study: Multiple studies have underscored the value of PsyCap within the workplace. In order to harness the full potential of the construct in the South African environment, sound measurement thereof, evidenced by a psychometrically sound instrument, is needed. Research design, approach and method: A cross-sectional survey design was used. The sample consisted of employees at managerial and non-managerial levels, from a medium-sized construction company in the Western Cape, South Africa. In addition to PsyCap, perceived stress, work-related burnout and work engagement were measured. Main findings: The results provided preliminary evidence of construct and discriminant validity, reliability and significant relations with external theoretically relevant variables. Practical/managerial implications: Researchers may confidently use the PCQ-24 to measure the construct of PsyCap and investigate relations with workplace outcomes in the South African environment, informing human relations practices. Contribution/value-add: Preliminary evidence of the psychometric properties of the PCQ-24, which measures the construct of PsyCap (consisting of hope, self-efficacy, resilience and optimism) on a South African sample, was provided in this study.