Research Articles (Industrial Psychology)

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https://scholar2.stb.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/714

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 74

Intention to quit in the financial services industry : antecedents and managerial implications
(AOSIS, 2020-12) Van der Merwe, Bahia; Malan, Johan; Bruwer, Ronel
Background: A review of the literature revealed that the demanding and often challenging nature of work increases the turnover intention of employees. This trend is especially evident within the South African financial services industry. Aim: The research goal was to explore and empirically test a theoretical model identifying the most salient causes of turnover intention among sales employees employed by financial organisations operating in the South African financial service industry. Setting: The study was conducted on employees operating within the financial service industry in South Africa. Methods: The current study collected quantitative data from 102 employees of insurance or banking or investment companies, using a web-based compilation of standardised questionnaires. This followed a previous study by the research group that collected quantitative and qualitative data from 122 employees operating in an insurance environment, using a combination of an open-ended questionnaire and standardised instruments. Results: The results of the current study confirmed the significance of the paths between turnover intention and employee engagement, time wasted on non-core activities, perceived career development opportunities, and perceived supervisor support, mediated by perceived employee engagement. Conclusion: A replication of this study using a longitudinal research design is recommended in order to overcome the methodological limitations of the current study. The conceptual model developed in this study identified relationships that could be used as guidelines to effectively manage the retention of personal financial advisors in the financial service industry in South Africa.
The relationship between managers' goal-setting styles and subordinates' goal commitment
(AOSIS, 2020-11) Van Lill, Xander; Roodt, Gerhard; De Bruin, Gideon P.
Background: Convincing employees to set aside their self-interests and commit to collective goals is essential for the effective functioning of organisations. It is critical that the impact of different managerial goal-setting styles, and the associated impressions of fair interpersonal treatment in the workplace, is understood from subordinates’ perspective. This might clarify the psychological mechanisms involved in motivating subordinates to commit to organisational goals. Aim: The primary aim of this article is to determine the relationship between managers’ goal-setting styles and subordinates’ goal commitment. The secondary aim is to determine whether this relationship is mediated by interactional justice. Setting: A total of 451 working adults completed an online or paper-and-pen survey. Methods: A mediator model was conducted in structural equation modelling with maximum likelihood estimation and Bollen-Stine bootstrapping, with 5000 bootstrap resamples, to test the hypotheses. Results: The perception that managers are deliberative had the greatest positive direct relationship with subordinates’ goal commitment, followed by the directive style. Subordinates’ perception of managers as complaisant, in turn, were unrelated to goal commitment (amotivational), whereas the perception of managers as hostile had a negative relationship with goal commitment. Informational justice, not interpersonal justice, emerged as the only mediating variable. Conclusion: Managers should be encouraged to actively seek feedback from subordinates on their goal-setting styles. Managers can accordingly adapt their behaviour to effectively motivate subordinates to commit to organisational goals.
Influence of moral intelligence, principled leadership and trust on organisational citizenship behaviour
(AOSIS Publishing, 2020) Engelbrecht, A. S. (Amos Schreuder); Hendrikz, Karen
Background: Organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) plays a substantial role in individual and organisational performance. Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate how moral intelligence and principled leadership can influence trust in the leader and OCB. Setting: Data were collected from 300 employees from various organisations in South Africa. Purposive, non-probability sampling was used. Methods: A theoretical model and hypotheses were developed to explain the structural relationships among the latent variables. Data were analysed by means of item analysis and confirmatory factor analysis conducted via structural equation modelling (SEM). Results: High levels of reliability were found for the measurement scales. Good model fit was demonstrated for the measurement and structural models. Empirical support was found for the significant mediating effects of principled leadership and trust in leaders in the indirect relationship between moral intelligence and OCB. The Principled Leadership Scale (PLS) could be used in the selection or development of principled leaders to develop an ethical culture to combat the high levels of corruption that many organisations face. Principled leaders play a key role in creating an ethical and trusting work climate conducive for OCB. Conclusion: This study is the first to analyse the joint relationships among the specific latent variables in the structural model. Furthermore, the study provided the first supporting evidence for the concurrent validity of the newly developed PLS.
The effect of transformational leadership on intention to quit through perceived organisational support, organisational justice and trust
(AOSIS, 2019) Engelbrecht, Amos; Samuel, Olorunjuwon M.
Background: The literature has extensively presented evidence to establish that employee turnover is costly and destructive to organisational processes and outcomes. Organisations in South Africa are experiencing a high rate of turnover and it is becoming increasingly difficult to retain employees whose skills are critical to organisational success. This provides a compelling necessity to direct research attention to turnover intention in order to avoid actual turnover. Aim: The purpose of this article was to use partial least squares to test the relationships among selected antecedents of intention to quit. Setting: The study was conducted using employees in organisations that were surveyed in both public and private sectors in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Gauteng provinces of South Africa. Methods: The study employed a survey research design using a quantitative research strategy. Data collected from 207 conveniently sampled respondents were used to validate a structural model developed through the review of existing literature. A standardised measurement instrument consisting of all the variables under investigation was used for data collection. Results: The results indicate the following path sequences in predicting employee turnover intention: transformational leadership through perceived organisational support and transformational leadership through organisational justice impact intention to quit. However, the path sequence from transformational leadership through organisational trust impacting intention to quit was not confirmed. Conclusion: A replication of this study using a longitudinal research design is recommended in order to overcome the methodological limitations of the current study. The conceptual model developed in this study provides relationships that could be used as guidelines to effectively manage the retention of key employees in organisations
Variance in employee engagement : a qualitative analysis amongst public school teachers in the Cape Winelands education district
(AOSIS, 2020) Vermooten, Nicola; Malan, Johan; Boonzaier, Billy
Orientation: The Global Competitiveness Index Report 2017 – 2018, which ranks the quality of 124 countries’ education system, positioned South Africa 114th. Challenges with the quality of basic education offered in many public schools across South Africa are attributed to the lack of employee engagement amongst teachers. Research purpose: The aim of this study was, firstly, to identify the most salient antecedents of variance in employee engagement amongst teachers and, secondly, to explore the relational dynamics that exist amongst these antecedents. Motivation for the study: The study was motivated by the intention to inform human resource practices and interventions that can be adopted to facilitate optimal teacher engagement and subsequently performance. Research approach/design and method: A modified version of the interactive qualitative analysis (IQA) methodology was adopted to generate and collect primary qualitative data, but the data analysis was performed in accordance with the prescribed methodology. Initial (n = 37) and follow-up (n = 28) individual interviews were conducted amongst teachers from 12 mainstream public schools in the Cape Winelands education district. Main findings: Teacher-level, school-level, community-level and societal-level determinants were identified that explain variance in employee engagement amongst teachers. Practical/managerial implications: Human resource practices and interventions that may nurture employee engagement amongst teachers are recommended. Contribution/value-add: This study identified the most salient antecedents of variance in employee engagement amongst teachers in the Cape Winelands District and the findings allow for a number of recommendations regarding interventions to facilitate teacher engagement and ultimately performance.

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