3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/handle/10539/45

Browse

Has files: YesSubject: search.filters.subject.Organizational learning

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Knowledge in modern organisations: establishing the link between knowledge management, organisational learning, environmental dynamism and innovation : (a comparative study of mobile companies in Zimbabwe and South Africa)
    (2019) Masoka, Tinashe
    Knowledge Management has become a key fundamental asset for any organisation`s productivity gains, i.e. product or service innovation. But it does not work in isolation; aspects such as Organisational Learning have proved to be important too as organisations aim to have their employees well equipped with the internal and external environment. That being said, organisations operate in a dynamic environment that keeps changing all the time in terms of technology, financial markets, customer buying-behaviour, amongst other factors. As such, mobile organisations are innovation bound in terms of their products and services that they offer; hence, innovation is their main priority. This research study examines the link that exists between knowledge management, organisational learning, environmental dynamism towards achieving innovation amongst mobile organisations, Organisation A and Organisational B, in Zimbabwe and South Africa respectively. This research study will hypothesize and test knowledge management, organisational learning and environmental dynamism against innovation across the two organisations with a total sample of 370. The results highlight knowledge management, organisational learning and environmental dynamism as positively correlated and there is a statistical significant relationship between knowledge management, organisational learning and environmental dynamism towards innovation. The results also indicated that ED plays a moderating role in regulating how innovative organisations can be with organisations in high unstable environments having high innovation levels. The major implication that will be a limitation for this research study is that the data collected is limited to organisations in South Africa and Zimbabwe only. The practical implications for this research study will aim to contribute to management of organisations to utilise and illustrate that knowledge management, organisational learning and environmental dynamism form part of the bottom line of the organisation towards achieving innovation levels. This research study aims to contribute to the literature that exists on knowledge management, organisational learning, and environmental dynamism by empirically analysing their effects on innovation. It also highlights the interaction and link that exists between knowledge management, organisational learning and environmental dynamism and how these facets work hand in hand to attain innovation levels in organisations that will make them competitive over their rivals.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Executive coaches’ work experiences through a wellbeing and values lens
    (2019) Norden, Beth
    primary objective of the study was to explore how executive coaches experience their work, as this has been largely unexplored in the coaching literature (Bachkirova, 2016; Grant et al., 2010; Schermuly, 2014). Both a wellbeing and values lens were applied to gain a better understanding of how coaches experience their work. The research questions addressed in the study were: What are the positive aspects and challenges coaches experience in their work, what strategies do they apply to sustain their wellbeing and what is the association between coaches’ wellbeing and values? A mixed methods research design was chosen to answer the research questions. Twenty executive coaches comprised the qualitative sample and ninety-eight coaches comprised the quantitative sample. The qualitative component looked at coaches’ wellbeing and how these experiences align to Ryff’s (1989) six-component model of wellbeing. Strong support was found for the alignment of coaches’ wellbeing with the model. The quantitative component examined the way in which wellbeing and values are associated by using the PERMA-Profiler (Butler & Kern, 2016), based on Seligman’s (2011) model of human flourishing, and the Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ-RR), based on Schwartz’s (1990) model of human values. Inter-battery factor analysis (IBFA) confirmed the association between coaches’ wellbeing and values. Four factors were identified from the analysis, resulting in the identification of four coach profiles: good timers, traditionals, independents and achievers.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Empirical study of the reverse-causality between organisation performance and employee behaviour in the agricultural manufacturing sector of Malawi
    (2018) Mvula, Ronnie Timpuza
    Many organisations claim that Human Resources are their critical resource. However, what is most critical is not merely the human resources but how the Human Resources are managed. Human Resource Management is achieved through practices that the firm implements; these give the firm sustained competitive advantage. Many studies have found positive and significant relationship between HR management and firm performance. Previous studies have also studied reverse causality investigating whether organisational performance affects HR management policies and found significant positive relationship implying that it is good performing organisations that can afford adopting HRM practices. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether organisational performance motivates how employees behave at work in the reverse causality in the agricultural manufacturing firms in Malawi. To achieve this purpose a survey design was adopted using quantitative research strategy. Data were collected from a probability sample of 77 managers and 308 employees totalling 385 participants. Descriptive and inferential statistics using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) were used to analyse and test seven hypotheses. The proposed relationships were tested using a number of statistical methods. Adequate reliability was achieved on all measurement scales. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on the content and structure of the measured constructs and were confirmed necessary. Reasonable fit was achieved for all the refined measurement models. A Lisrel based SEM was applied to examine whether the model fitted the data obtained from the sample and test the relationships between latent variables. Consistent with previous research; results of SEM revealed that Human Resource Management (HRM) practices are significant correlates of organisational performance. Further results showed positive relationships between business strategy and HRM practices; HRM practices and organisational performance. Significant negative relationship was found between employee attitudes and employee behaviour and employee behaviour and organisational performance.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    The relations between leadership and knowledge management
    (2018) Jada, Shaheer
    In their aim to gain the competitive edge, organisations are attempting to leverage off of their individual core competencies by turning towards knowledge management practices (KM). By successfully boosting knowledge management practices, organisations believe that this will aid them in increasing their productivity, achieving innovative solutions and achieving a better level of quality for their services and products to customers. Therefore, the contributions that may be brought by KM practices to the overall success of the firm have been extensively recognised. However past research has shown that both leadership behaviours as well as organisational climate are proven barriers to the organisations leveraging and creating knowledge. The existing body of knowledge posits that in order for knowledge management practices to be effective and implemented efficiently, a diagnostic fit needs to be done between the firm and the proposed knowledge management objectives. Therefore, it is critical to establish how leadership styles and organisational climate affect the firm’s capability to apply and create knowledge. Thereafter the firm may focus on relevant strategies that may be used to adjust the climate of the organisation or redesign it in order to support the knowledge management objectives. After critically evaluating the research pertaining to KM and leadership styles research illustrates supporting links. However, research relating to the combination of all three is severely lacking. Therefore, this study will examine this research gap. In precise terms, this study will examine the relationship between KM practices and leadership styles, whilst evaluating the moderating effects of the organisations climate. In order to do this, a conceptual framework will be developed that will compromise of four constructs, namely: transformational leadership, transactional leadership, organisational climate and KM practices. This research study will make use of a post positivist paradigm and will consist of a cross sectional research design. Quantitative data will be collected after evaluating the four main hypotheses in order to conclude if a relationship exists between all three variables. The participants for this study will be from a small and medium sized enterprise within South Africa. It is expected that all three variables bear a positive relationship to each other.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    The effectiveness of using learning factories to impart lean principles to develop business improvement skills in mining employees
    (2017) Makumbe, Ruramai Sarah Mabaisa
    The purpose of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of Learning factories in imparting Lean principles in order to build Business Improvement skills of mining workforces. This study was conducted at a training centre established by a mining company in South Africa. Two groups of participants with employees at two different employment levels were trained at the centre in foundation Lean principles. The Kirkpatrick model for evaluating effectiveness of training was chosen as a tool that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of this Lean training. This was achieved using before-and-after questionnaires, visual observations and process data from improvement projects identified by the participants. The results showed that the Learning Factory is effective in imparting the Lean skills across hierarchy levels in a mining operation within a short space of time. Furthermore, all employees arrived at the same overall Lean understanding post training regardless of their starting point. Where project implementation was done, it was found that the participants were able to apply most of the Lean principles in the workplace. A major shortcoming observed was that the main focus was on technical aspects of Lean with little regard for other aspects that contribute to sustainable Business Improvement such as change of culture. Lastly it was found that while the Learning Factory can assist in building Lean capability in an implementation, the other success factors such as management buy-in and workforce support can enhance this effort. One recommendation is to do a study to determine the interrelated nature of the factors that drive a successful Lean implementation and the role that a change management program like ADKAR can play to maximise success.
Copyright Ownership Is Guided By The University's

Intellectual Property policy

Students submitting a Thesis or Dissertation must be aware of current copyright issues. Both for the protection of your original work as well as the protection of another's copyrighted work, you should follow all current copyright law.