Browsing by Author "Kotze, Chloe"

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    The elaboration, modification and empirical testing of the Spies burnout structural model
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03) Kotze, Chloe; Gorgens, Gina; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Industrial Psychology.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY : The service industry, specifically call centres are known to be one of the fastest growing industries globally. Organisations are constantly trying to gain from, or utilise these call centres, as it allows them to be cost effective and improve customer service. While call centres are offering products at an essentially low cost, little emphasis is being placed on the negative physical and mental effects experienced by employees of call centres. Call centre jobs are usually characterised by routine work (low complexity), low control and burdening demands. The incessant and prolonged nature of these demands and subsequent consequences typically creates cumulative job stress leading to burnout (emotional exhaustion). The dysfunctional consequences relating to burnout have therefore been well documented in that call centre work has a harmful impact on employees. In light of the aforementioned it is of great importance to gain insight into factors relating to burnout. The impact could be mitigated by deepening the understanding of the variables that determine burnout in employees within the service industry. Furthermore, the manner in which burnout develops is influenced by certain organisational and individual variables. These variables were regarded as resources, not only influencing burnout but also playing a role in the process in which burnout may occur. For the purpose of this study, the Job Demands-Resource (JD-R) model (focusing on job resources) and the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory (in terms of developing a resource canvas and explaining the significance of these resources) was utilised. It was presented as a theoretical framework to explain and make predictions about employee burnout in terms of the job resources that can aid to buffer the effects of job demands (i.e. emotional labour) on the strain experienced (i.e. burnout). Consequently, the resources (both individual and organisational) included in this study were: Supervisor Support, Psychological Safety and Emotional Intelligence as a coping regulator. This study focused on the modification and elaboration of the Spies (2006) burnout structural model, by expanding the model with the inclusion of additional variables to better understand the development of burnout. The model was expanded to gain a better understanding of the complexity underlying burnout and the determinants thereof culminating into a Spies-Kotzé burnout model. This study made use of an ex post facto design to test the relationships between the various constructs. A non-probability convenience sample of n = 203 call centre representatives (CCRs), employed in a call centre in the Western Cape, completed a composite questionnaire. The Emotional Labour Scale (ELS) (Brotheridge & Lee, 2003), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) (Maslach, Schaufeli & Leiter, 2001), Perceived Organisational Support Scale (POSS) (Eisenberger et al., 2001), Psychological Safety Scale (Edmondson, 1999) and two subscales of the Genos EI Inventory namely Emotional Management of Others (EMO) and Emotional Self- Control (ESC) (Gignac, 2010) were administered. The psychometric properties of the aforementioned measuring instruments were examined by means of item analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The structural model was tested using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to determine the effectiveness with which the model explained unique variance in burnout. The five interaction effects within the model was tested by means of moderated multiple regression. Strong support emerged that Psychological Safety and Surface Acting predicted Emotional Exhaustion. The results further revealed that Psychological Safety is a significant predictor of Supervisor Support. The casual ordering/sequencing of the process model of burnout revealed that sufficient evidence emerged that Emotional Exhaustion predicted Depersonalisation and in turn, Depersonalisation emerged to be a predictor of reduced feelings of Personal Accomplishment. Furthermore, Supervisor Support was found to negatively influence Emotional Labour (defined as the effort, planning and control needed to display organisationally desired emotions during constant interpersonal interactions). Regrettably no support was found for the relationships of Deep Acting influencing Emotional Exhaustion and Emotional Labour as a predictor of Emotional Exhaustion. The moderated regression results revealed only one significant moderating effect; Supervisor Support moderated the relationship between Emotional Labour and Emotional Exhaustion. The study provided some insights into the relevant factors that effect burnout. The results also provided further explanation of the complex nomological net of variables and their interrelationships, which influence the variance of burnout among CCRs.