3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item The contributions of performance management systems to performance in the Namibian context.(2014-03-04) Hamumokola, Ndafuda NdayandjoshishoAlthough there is considerable interest in the role of performance management systems (PMS) to enhance innovation and performance, there is limited literature regarding successful implementation in organisations. Most research has focused on the technicalities of performance management implementations, while neglecting the human reactions that influence the outcomes of such systems. This research therefore aimed to examine employees’ perceptions of performance management systems in various organisations and how performance management systems, or the lack thereof, specifically influence performance in the Namibian organisational context. A multiple case study methodology was adopted for the research, where open-ended questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from various organisations. Data was primarily analysed by means of qualitative content analysis which was supported by the pattern matching technique. The research findings supported goal setting theory which predicts that performance benefits can be realised by implementing specific challenging goals because they have a motivational effect on employees compared to vague and easy goals. Findings also supported theory which suggests employee participation in goal setting and providing feedback led to higher performance compared to when goals are assigned and no feedback is given. The findings supported predicted positive relationships between rewards and performance. However, findings also suggested that performance management systems, or lack thereof, are unfair because rewards are distributed unjustly, which has a negative effect on performance. Nevertheless, it was suggested that employees are more motivated to perform by intrinsic factors, including achieving challenging goals, than extrinsic factors. These findings not only supported goal setting theory, they supported McGregor’s (1960) theory Y which argued that employees are ambitious and motivated by more than money, yet surprisingly also supported his theory X as it was revealed that some employees would only work harder if rewards, or performance bonuses, are given. Although the research aimed to test goal setting theory, findings also supported Vroom’s (1964) valence-instrumentality-expectancy theory, Maslow’s (1943) and McClelland’s (1975) need theories, which all argue that performance is enhanced by other sources of motivation. The findings supported contradictory theories, yet discovered interdependency among the theories, which created a cyclical notion. This means, Vroom’s (1964) theory argues that an employee can be motivated to perform better when there is a belief that the better performance will lead to good performance appraisal and in the realisation of personal goal in the form of some reward. It, however, implies that goal setting theory has no impact on employees’ performance. Yet, according to the qualitative findings, some employees will only increase performance if their performance is monitored and appraised. Therefore organisations are required to have performance management systems in place, in turn, supporting goal setting theory. The research attempted to generate meaningful insight that would be beneficial to organisations, in and outside Namibia, that are considering implementing or improving their performance management systems by incorporating what employees perceive to be fundamentally important. Communication, management support, performance feedback, education and training, goal setting and employee participation are amongst the factors perceived as essential to effective performance management systems implementation. As literature (Bernardin & Beatty, 1984; Fox & Spector, 2002) has affirmed, these findings stress that the effectiveness of performance management systems depends on employees’ attitudes and perceptions of the systems.Item Employee perceptions of social and environmental corporate responsibility : the relationship with intention to stay and organisational commitment.(2012-09-03) Pitt, Bianca AgrestiThe current study aimed to examine whether or not employee perceptions of their organisations corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices impacted upon organisational commitment and intention to stay. Moreover, this research aimed to determine whether or not an individual’s perception of their organisations CSR practices was impacted upon by their preference for CSR. As an initial step, it was essential to determine whether or not individuals had a preference for certain CSR practices. The current study defined CSR in terms of three distinct constructs: environmental CSR, external social CSR and internal social CSR. Environmental CSR encompassed any action undertaken in order to promote environmental sustainability while external social CSR dealt with initiatives aimed at assisting individuals and communities in need. Lastly, internal social CSR was operationalised as the degree to which organisations address social asymmetries with regards to gender, race, sexual orientation and disability. An exploratory factor analysis demonstrated that employee perceptions of CSR do not occur in terms of the three distinct constructs described above. Rather, employee perceptions occur in terms of actions which impact employees within the workplace, labelled internal CSR, and those that are focused outside the organisation, termed external CSR. Employee perceptions of internal CSR are thus concerned with the degree to which organisations adequately address social asymmetries based on gender, race, sexual orientation and disability. Conversely, perceptions of external CSR are concerned with the adequacy of organisational initiatives aimed at environmental sustainability and assisting individuals and communities in need. The results derived from the multiple regression suggests that both internal and external CSR predict organisational commitment ( = 4.92, p < .0001; = 2.64, p = 0.0095 respectively) and intention to stay ( = 0.13, p = 0.0032; = 0.15, p < .0001 respectively). In terms of the strength of the predictions, internal CSR is a moderate predictor while external CSR is a weak predictor of both organisational commitment and intention to stay. With regards to employee preference for CSR practices; results derived from analytic hierarchy process and ward’s minimum variance clustering method demonstrate that the sample, composed of 119 participants, could be split into two clusters. Both clusters demonstrated that external social CSR was the most preferred CSR practice. Results from t-tests demonstrated that employee preference did not impact upon employee perceptions of external CSR ( = 0.10; p = 0.92) and internal CSR ( = 0.25; p = 0.80).Item Employee perceptions of trust in managers of different gender(2008-03-17T11:37:56Z) Gunpath, DheshniABSTRACT Trust is a central component in leadership and has been shown to be associated with employee commitment, motivation and performance. The phenomenon has been investigated at the organisational level and there have been previous studies of trust within the manager/subordinate relationship. However, research in this area within the South African environment has been limited. The present research investigates the trust displayed by employees in relation to their immediate managers and explores this relationship from a gender perspective. As women are still not well represented at management level and as perceptions of male and female managers tend to differ, the purpose of this study is to determine whether perceptions of male and female managers differ in terms of trust. The aims of the study are to assess whether there are differences with regard to the trust that employees place in managers of differing gender, as well as to assess whether there are differences in the trust displayed by employees of differing gender. The methodology of the study is based on analysis of questionnaires distributed within a large company in the retail environment. The instrument used is a Trust measure developed by Daniel McAllister (1995). Initial analyses were undertaken to establish Cronbach Alphas on both sub-scales of the Trust measure. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted to establish whether responses to the questionnaire loaded on the same subscales identified in the original McAllister study. The main analyses were then carried out using t-tests and Analysis of Covariance, in order to control for a number of potentially confounding variables in the study. The results indicate that males and females display an equal propensity to trust. In addition, male and female managers are viewed no differently in terms of trustworthiness. There are also no significant trust differences when same gender relationships were compared to cross gender relationships between managers and employees. However, manager age and the length of time that the employee knows a manager were found to be significant covariates.