South African Organisations Research Articles

The impacts of perceived leadership integrity, psychological safety, and organizational culture in sustaining employee voice

The effects of organizational culture, psychological safety, and perceived leadership integrity on employee voice in organizations are evaluated in this paper. Ten (10) companies in South Africa and Nigeria's financial, service, and manufacturing sectors served as the sample for this research. Intentionally, surveys were disseminated to 200 employees from five workplaces in Nigeria and 200 employees from five workplaces in South Africa. To test the investigation's hypotheses and collect data on participants' opinions on corporate culture, psychological safety, leadership integrity, and employee voice, 400 people were recruited. One hundred eighty-one (180) surveys were discovered in Nigeria, while one hundred eighty-three (183) surveys were found in South Africa. The data was collected and analyzed using SPSS version 29 (Statistical Packages for Social Sciences). According to this study, perceived leadership integrity positively and significantly impacts employee voice in South African and Nigerian organizations. It also showed how employee voice in South African and Nigerian organizations is favorably influenced considerably by perceived leadership integrity. Further, it demonstrated how perceived corporate culture favorably influences employee voice in South African and Nigerian organizations. Additionally, this study showed how employee voice in South Africa and Nigeria is positively impacted by perceived leadership integrity, psychological safety, and organizational culture.

Workplace wellbeing among health care workers providing HIV services in primary care in Johannesburg: a mixed methods study.

Burnout among Health Care workers (HCWs) impacts on provider-patient relations and quality of care. Anova Health Institute (Anova) is a large South African non-profit organization and PEPFAR/USAID implementing partner. We conducted a study among HCWs providing HIV-related services in primary care settings in Johannesburg, South Africa, to examine levels of burnout, understand factors affecting workplace wellbeing, and explore strategies to prevent burnout. We used a sequential mixed-method approach. Data were collected between February and April 2022. The first phase consisted of a survey using the Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) to measure levels of burnout. We then interviewed a subset of survey participants to understand the experiences that may affect wellbeing. We used descriptive statistics to quantify burnout rates for each MBI dimension (emotional exhaustion, personal accomplishment, and depersonalization). Qualitative data analysis was guided by the Job Demands-Resources Framework that explores the interactions between demands and resources in the workplace. Survey findings (n = 194) revealed that although depersonalization rates were low at 6%, 21% of participants had high emotional exhaustion and 24% reported low professional accomplishment. Less than half (41%, n = 80) had scores in the high category for any one of the three MBI-HSS dimensions. The MBI-HSS dimensions differed significantly by type of work and job title. Roving positions (HCW working in more than one health facility) were more likely to experience higher emotional exhaustion and lower professional accomplishment. Qualitative findings (n = 25) indicate that a number of job demands, including high workload, inadequate mental health support, and challenging relationships with stakeholders, had a negative effect on HCWs' wellbeing. However, finding meaningfulness in their work, working as a team, and practicing autonomy were experienced as resources that reduced the negative effect of these demands. While measured burnout syndrome rates were low, various experiences negatively impacted at least one in five HCW. We identified key resources that provided buffering against workplace stressors. We recommend that as well as addressing key drivers of burnout, access to these resources should be fostered, for example by strengthening interventions that offer recognition, and promoting team interactions through social activities and support groups.

Unravelling the interplay of authentic leadership, emotional intelligence, cultural intelligence and psychological well-being

Orientation: Organisations are met with many challenges specifically effective leadership of employees. The role of authentic leadership (AL) in the relationship between emotional intelligence (EQ), cultural intelligence (CQ), and psychological well-being (PWB) can add valuable insights to organisations.Research purpose: The study’s focus was to understand the relationships between EQ, AL, CQ, and PWB. Furthermore, it sought to explore the mediating effect AL has in the proposed model.Motivation for the study: Developing well-rounded leaders and managers to adopt an AL style, can increase positive outcomes for employees and organisations.Research approach/design and method: A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was used to collect the data from a sample of 279 managers in South African organisations. The study employed structural equation modelling (SEM) to analyse the data and test hypotheses.Main findings: The study’s findings indicated that the proposed model fit well and showed positive connections between AL, EQ, CQ, and PWB. Additionally, the research revealed that AL played a mediating role in the relationships between EQ, CQ, and PWB.Practical/managerial implications: The findings showed that employing an AL style in the workplace can be strengthened by the development of EQ, CQ, and PWB practices and interventions.Contribution/value-add: This study contributes to the deeper understanding of the integrative connections between AL, EQ, CQ, and PWB for managers.

Talent approaches for the South African automotive industry

Orientation: South African automotive organisations require talented employees to compete both nationally and on a global scale, within the setting of Industry 4.0.Research purpose: This article was aimed at identifying talent management approaches for South African automotive organisations to ensure the availability of talent for Industry 4.0 talent demands.Motivation for this study: In general, South African organisations struggle with securing, developing and retaining talent, a challenge aggravated by accelerated technological breakthroughs accompanying Industry 4.0.Research approach/design and method: This article reports on the quantitative component of a combined method study conducted in South Africa’s automotive industry. Data were collected from operational and human resource management professionals in automotive organisations through convenience sampling.Main findings: A greater collaborative effort is required of key stakeholders associated with the automotive industry and within automotive organisations to address the issue of talent in a holistic and focused manner.Practical/managerial implications: The adoption of advanced technologies in the automotive industry necessitates the upskilling and reskilling of current employees, and a renewed focus on attracting talent specifically targeted for Industry 4.0 developments which require collaboration between government, automotive industry, and educational institutions.Contribution/value-add: The article emphasised a holistic approach to talent supply and management for South African automotive organisations in consideration of Industry 4.0, with implications for the government, educational institutions and the automotive industry.

Enhancing Equality, Reducing Discrimination, and Improving Decision Making: The Impact of Diversity Management in South African Organizations

Research objective: The research aimed to examine the impact of workplace inequality and discrimination on individual development and organizational performance within the hotel industry in South Africa. Methodology: The study utilized four data sources, namely interviews, archival data, discussions, and observations. Semi-structured interviews served as the primary means of gathering information for this research. Findings: The interviews revealed four major categories: "Recruitment and Work Experience," "Emotional Factors in Hotels," "Workplace Inequality," and "Workplace Discrimination." These findings highlight the significance of diversity management in addressing and eliminating inequality and discrimination, as well as enhancing worker performance and decision-making. As a result, it is essential for the government to promote and support increased investment in implicit bias (or unconscious bias) training for both White and Black individuals. Keywords: Diversity Management, Inclusion, Discrimination, Inequality

The Transaction Costs of the South African Levy– Grant System for Skills Development

In this article, I seek to explore the ratio between the administrative transaction costs faced by organisations in South Africa for claiming skills development grants and the grants that they achieve. This simple trade-off of costs versus gains is a key factor in whether firms choose to participate in the training-related activities targeted by this system. Anecdotal sources have claimed that excessive administrative costs have led firms to under-claim grants available to them. However, no prior empirical research exists on such costs, presenting a gap in the literature. Accordingly, in this article, I explore the proportion of administrative transaction costs to direct gains in 14 case studies of South African organisations regarding their 2016 activities and expenditures. The results found half of the firms studied to have costs in excess of direct gains from grants. The remaining firms exhibited extreme variability in the cost–gain ratio from very low to near parity. Some evidence suggests that larger firms may enjoy a slight cost–benefit advantage. This research provides some support for the claim that the levy–grant system for skills development may present many organisations with excessive costs compared to gains. The high levels of variability suggest that policymakers should consider cost structures carefully and mitigate policy instruments.

Exploring E-waste Management Practices in South African Organisations

The previous studies have delineated the weakness and drawbacks of e-waste practices in various organisations. However, these studies failed to address major issues relating to effective e-waste management, hence the high rate of obsolescence of electronic equipment continues to grow becoming the fastest growing waste stream in the world. Organisations are paying little attention to the environmental aspects, and there is limited research surrounding e-waste in South African organisations. The primary motivation of the study was to determine the current e-waste practices in the South African organisations to contribute to sustainable e-waste management. The sample was drawn from ten South African organisations from the viewpoint of Information Technology (IT) professionals and managers through semi-structured interviews. The findings of the study revealed that there is a lack of environmental awareness programme in South African organisations, research is not conducted during the procurement process and there is no procurement strategy, limited budget is provided to purchase electronic equipment, hardware’s and software’s are not upgraded to extend the life span of electronic equipment, and data is not managed appropriately, there is lack of recycling capacity, obsolete electronic is not properly disposed of, and there is non-conformance to environmental legislations due to lack of enforcement. The study recommends an increased environmental awareness programme in South African organisations, research to be conducted prior purchasing, develop procurement strategy, provide sufficient budget and purchase environmentally friendly electronic equipment that are less harmful to the environment. The hardware’s and software’s should be upgraded to extend the life span of electronic equipment, and recycling of e-waste should be conducted to reduce and manage e-waste. To some extent, obsolete electronic equipment should be returned to the supplier to ensure safe disposal, and effort should be made to ensure regulatory compliance with the environmental legislations.

The applicability and challenges of implementing Facilities management standards in South Africa

FM is a multi-sector environment where organisations vary in terms of scope, structure and services. The publication of management system standards in the FM environment has created significant challenges in implementation. Few of the World’s top 10 listed FM companies have achieved ISO 41001 certification. This opinion paper discussed the applicability and challenges of the implementation of ISO41001 standard in the South African context. An opinion piece was conducted on applicability and challenges of implementing management system standards in South Africa. The paper found that the challenges of implementing these systems include a lack of awareness, resistance to change, and lack of applicability to some organisations. Also, many organisations spend many human resources, capital, and time but still have inadequate and poorly deployed management systems. The paper recommends that ISO41001 implementation frameworks are developed that consider the varying scope, structure, and services within the FM environment to improve its success in the South African organisations.

Technology-Enhanced Learning, Data Sharing, and Machine Learning Challenges in South African Education

The objective of this paper was to scope the challenges associated with data-sharing governance for machine learning applications in education research (MLER) within the South African context. Machine learning applications have the potential to assist student success and identify areas where students require additional support. However, the implementation of these applications depends on the availability of quality data. This paper highlights the challenges in data-sharing policies across institutions and organisations that make it difficult to standardise data-sharing practices for MLER. This poses a challenge for South African researchers in the MLER space who wish to advance and innovate. The paper proposes viewpoints that policymakers must consider to overcome these challenges of data-sharing practices, ultimately allowing South African researchers to leverage the benefits of machine learning applications in education effectively. By addressing these challenges, South African institutions and organisations can improve educational outcomes and work toward the goal of inclusive and equitable education.

Amicus Curiae Applications in Malawi—Reflections of a South African Practitioner

Abstract Amicus curiae applications are important as they aim to raise awareness for the court around aspects of a case that might otherwise be overlooked. This is especially significant in cases dealing with the intersection of various rights of vulnerable individuals such as women and children. In this practice note, I discuss the amicus intervention of the South African non-profit organization, the Centre of Applied Legal Studies, in the Malawian Constitutional Court case of AJ and TS v State and Others. The case deals with the constitutionality of section 138(1) of the Malawian Penal Code, which makes it an offence for anyone to engage in intercourse with a female child under the age of 16. Although this section was undoubtedly aimed to protect female children from sexual violence and rape it casts the net too wide by including consensual intercourse between minor children. In this case, both minor children were under the age of 15 at the time of their arrests. They had both engaged in consensual intercourse with their female partners (also minors) at the time and both faced a prison sentence of up to 14 years. In this note I proceed to explore the importance of the amici submissions in the case, the process of applying to be admitted as an amicus curiae in Malawi, as well as the challenges associated with being a foreign amici before the Malawian Constitutional Court.

Conformer or colluder? The human resource professional’s contribution to toxic leadership

Orientation: There is a growing body of knowledge on the role of human resource (HR) professionals in workplace bullying, but their role in perpetuating a toxic leadership culture in organisations remains unscrutinised. Human resource professionals are uniquely positioned to influence toxic leadership styles as they are required to cultivate and sustain the organisational leadership culture.Research purpose: The aim of this study was to identify gaps in HR practices that could contribute to toxic leadership in organisations.Motivation of the study: The inherent role conflict of the HR professional and competing demands from organisational stakeholders are likely to create toxic outcomes.Research approach/design and method: A phenomenological study was carried out at a South African organisation to gain insight into the practices of HR professionals. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and the key findings of the study were identified through a thematic analysis.Main findings: Three themes emerged that contribute to creating gaps in HR practices that support toxic leadership: toxic HR practices, challenges faced by HR professionals and business results at any cost.Practical/managerial implications: The findings suggest a need to alleviate the inherent role conflict experienced by HR professionals, so that their contributions to toxic leadership are minimised.Contribution/value-add: This study contributes to the literature on toxic leadership by expounding on the role of the human resources professionals (HRP) and gaps in their practices that contribute to toxic leadership. Suggested guidelines and recommendations are offered to address the gaps in HR practices.

Remembering the Herero-Nama Genocide in Namibia

Remembering the Herero-Nama Genocide in Namibia

Employee voice as a behavioural response to psychological contract breach: The moderating effect of leadership style

Empirical evidence shows that psychological contract breach (PCB) leads to negative work behaviours of employees, including withholding of discretionary activities such as employee voice (EV). This research aims to determine empirically how PCBs are linked to different types of EV, and how different leadership styles affect these relationships. The paucity of literature on the relationship between all three variables necessitated this research. The study targeted medium to large South African organisations with more than 60 employees. The population sample was representative of a broad range of South African employees. This research adopted a crosssectional survey design, whereby the respondents were asked to answer a questionnaire about PCB, leadership styles and EV. Correlation analyses were used to test the direct links between variables and regression analyses to test for the moderation effect of leadership styles on the PCB–EV link. The data were collected from 620 respondents from 11 organisations. All the instruments showed acceptable psychometric properties. Three findings were dominant: PCB correlated negatively with promotive types of EV and positively with prohibitive types of EV; leadership styles were a weaker predictor of EV than PCB; and the PCB–EV relationship was, in most cases, partially moderated by leadership styles. PCB and leadership styles influence EV; however, leadership styles only partially influence the PCB–EV relationship. Applying a specific leadership style to influence EV under conditions of PCB is partially effective. Managers should circumvent PCB and focus on the fulfilment of PC, as this would elicit promotive EV and lessen prohibitive EV.

The impact of South African culture on the work-life balance of women in leadership positions

Women are the pillars of every healthy society. Numerous socio-cultural practices, especially patriarchy and religion in African communities deprive women of equality and justice across all sectors of society. However, younger and educated generations seem to adopt a different attitude. This paper explores the impact of South African culture and the work-life balance (WLB) of women in managerial positions since the democracy’s inception. A survey based on elements of three complementary theories: the role of congruity, feminism and cultural dimension theories was used to collect data from 187 women in leadership positions in the Mangaung metropolitan municipality in the Free State province of South Africa giving a 75% return rate. A factor analysis was conducted to determine the loading of items. The reliability of instruments using the Cronbach alpha value was reported at 0.87. Results reveal that 47.1% bemoan cultural tendencies at work. Furthermore, 35.7% opined that the choice between adoption and conceiving children is non-negotiable, despite pressing work demands and 34.3% agreed that culture makes them feel guilty if they give their work preference over their family life. Crafting human resource strategies that advocate for ‘gender equality or sensitivity’ and harmonise the work-life balance of female staff in order to enhance their performance in a sustainable way is long overdue and needs to be prioritized by any South African organizations.

Vulnerability of South African Commodity Value Chains to Cyber Incidents

A commodity value chain can be considered the ‘route’ from the source (provider) to the destination (client), including the various modes of transportation. This will often include some form of road or rail to a port for export to a destination country. Due to the rise in cybercrime and state-backed cyber operations, these commodity value chains may be disrupted, having a cascading effect down the value chain. Previous research has considered this a form of economic information warfare, and has indicated that state-sponsored cyber operations to disrupt a commodity intentionally will most likely fall below the threshold of a ‘use of force’ or ‘attack’ under international law. Subsequently, two pertinent instances of cyber incidents at ports have occurred: the disruption of a major Iranian port, and a ransomware incident at a major South African freight and logistics state-owned enterprise. Following the disruption resulting from the ransomware incident affecting South African freight organisations, there is a need to analyse the vulnerabilities of the freight transportation sector further, in particular the ports and associated railways in terms of malicious cyber interference. Expanding previous research, this article provides a specific view of the major commodity value chains in South Africa that are supported by the freight transportation infrastructure, their possible vulnerability to cyber incidents, and the potential implications thereof. In addition, publicly available information on the responses to the ransomware incident will be discussed to gauge national readiness in terms of crisis management of a major disruption to the primary trade mechanisms in the country. The article focuses on identifying single points of failure within the commodity value chain, and employs hypothetical scenarios to illustrate possible ramifications of a major incident. The port of Durban is shown to the most critical single point of failure overall. Recommendations include the introduction of a sector-specific computer security incident response team for the freight transportation sector.

PARTICIPATIVE MANAGEMENT FOR TEAM EFFECTIVENESS AND INNOVATION

This study investigates the effect of a participative management practice, ‘mini-business activities’ (MBAs), on three outcome variables: team effectiveness, team innovation, and job satisfaction. An empirical approach is employed, with survey data gathered from 340 individuals working in 50 teams in South African manufacturing organisations. The results indicate that MBAs have a significant and positive effect on team effectiveness and team innovation in a similar way to that of quality circles. However, MBAs are found to have no direct or indirect effect, through employee engagement, on job satisfaction. The findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the impact of participative management practices in different contexts, and indicate that future research considering the impact of high unemployment levels on the relationship between participative management practices and job satisfaction would be valuable.

Manifestations of corruption within the Kwazulu-Natal municipalities: A thorn in the flesh

Corruption is regarded as a global phenomenon that no country is immune to, and it has been a well-known fact that it is prevalent in less developed countries (Enste & Heldman, 2017). In the South African public sector, evidence points to corrupt activities, such as state capture, real political interference in massive contracts, and political deployments (amaBhungane, 2017; Newham, 2014). Therefore, this study sought to investigate manifestations of corruption within KwaZulu-Natal municipalities. The quantitative research method was used to collect and analyse numerical data. A structured questionnaire was adopted to collect the data from 225 respondents. The result showed that the common manifestations of corruption in the KwaZulu-Natal municipalities were fraud and bribery, financial mismanagement, abuse of power, procurement irregularities, appointment irregularities, and unethical behaviour. Among indicators, items fraud and bribery had the most significant impact on corruption, followed by mismanagement of funds, abuse of resources, procurement irregularities, appointment irregularities, and unethical behaviour. The study is significant because it sheds more light on the various forms of corruption in KwaZulu-Natal municipalities. The study helps South African organisations to detect different forms of corruption and take appropriate mitigation measures. The study expands on limited empirical research on the common manifestations of corruption in the South African public sector.

Pay transparency, job turnover intentions and the mediating role of perceived organizational support and organizational justice

PurposeDespite widespread media attention and growing interest from researchers, pay transparency remains an under-studied field of research and its impact on organizational outcomes like job turnover is not well understood. This study explores the impact of pay transparency on job turnover intentions through the mediating effect of perceived organizational support (POS) and organizational justice.Design/methodology/approachData from quantitative surveys conducted with 299 employees at four South African organizations with different pay transparency practices were used to test the conceptual model of pay transparency impacting job turnover intentions through the mediators of POS and organizational justice.FindingsThe authors found a weak negative relationship between pay transparency and job turnover intentions and the role of the mediating variables was confirmed. Unexpectedly, the role of the organization emerged as a key variable. Controlling for organization type showed that the direct effect of pay transparency on turnover intentions became insignificant, indicating a stronger effect from organizational factors, of which pay transparency practices are just one.Originality/valueIdentifying a contextual (organizational) dimension to pay transparency practices extends the understanding of this concept and has implications for practice. The study also makes a methodological contribution by demonstrating the value of linking respondent data to a particular organization when researching pay transparency.

Transformational leadership influences on work engagement and turnover intention in an engineering organisation

Orientation: This study examined how transformational leadership (TFL) moderates the relationship between work engagement (WE) and perceptions of turnover intention (TI) in an engineering organisation. Research purpose: The study seeks to address the paucity of research on the moderating effect of TFL on the relationship WE and TI in the South African working environment and more specifically in the engineering organisation. Motivation for the study: The engineering sector is an important contributor to the DGP, but faces a skills shortage. Transformational leadership can play a key role in the retention of skills. Research approach/design and method: The study comprised 129 engineers in a South African engineering organisation. The study used a nonexperimental, quantitative research approach, while the population included a convenience nonprobability sample ( N = 124) of permanently employed engineers in a South African engineering organisation (women = 18%). Perceptions of TFL, WE and TIs were measured, and data were analysed by applying hierarchical moderator regression analysis to predict employee TI from WE in interaction with TFL. Main findings: The results indicate that TFL dimensions, namely idealised influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualised consideration, moderated the relationship between WE dimensions, namely vigour and dedication and TI. Perceptions of a leader who articulated the organisation’s vision, acted as a role model, was inspiring, stimulated creativity and developed followers would enhance employees’ levels of energy, dedication and efforts and hence reduce TI. Practical/managerial implications: Transformational leadership is vital for positive employee engagement and employee retention. Leaders should therefore have TFL competencies and be adept in engaging with their followers. Contribution/value-add: This study adds value to the current engineering organisation as well as TFL, WE and TI literature by examining the effects of WE and TI, positing that TFL is a sound moderator in the relationship between the WE and TI.

The Effective use of Social Media by South African Political Organisations to gain Voters’ Confidence

The Effective use of Social Media by South African Political Organisations to gain Voters’ Confidence