Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management (ETDs)
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Item Effects of diversity in senior management teams on corporate sustainability of South African publicly listed companies(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Mtshwane, Busisiwe; Mati, JacobThis study examines the effects of diversity within senior management teams on corporate sustainability of South African publicly listed companies. While earlier research has examined the effects of diversity on organisational performance, limited research has focused on the link between diversity in senior management teams and corporate sustainability outcomes in the South African context. A sequential mixed-methods approach was employed. First, quantitative data was collected using secondary data from publicly available sources, especially the integrated annual reports. Key indicators of diversity within senior management teams, including gender, race, and age were examined alongside corporate sustainability outcomes. Secondly, qualitative data was collected through interviews conducted with senior managers to gain insights into their perceptions of diversity and its influences on sustainability outcomes. The quantitative elements exploring the influence of diversity in senior management on corporate sustainability within the top 40 JSE listed companies uncovers a statistically significant relationship between White executive demographic composition and firm sustainability practices, but a positive correlation and statistically partially significant relationship between ESG Score and Black demographic executives. With regards to age, executives in the 50-59 Age group exhibit moderately positive correlations with ESG Score and statistically significant results while the 40-49 Age group exhibit low negative correlations with ESG Score and statistically partially significant results. Notably, executive members gender shows no correlation with ESG Score. Insights from interviews with 12 managers reveal consensus on the positive impact of diversity within organisations. Managers highlighted that diversity contributes significantly to organizational growth, foresters’ innovation and enhances environmental, social and governance practices. These results provide useful insights to organisations, policymakers, and stakeholders on the potential benefits of diverse leadership teams in driving sustainability performance.Item Evaluating the impact of a diversity and inclusion committee on promoting a diverse workforce and building an inclusive environment at Beckman Coulter SA (PTY) Ltd(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021) Noge, Tebogo; Munkuli, BonganiDiversity and inclusion have long been a challenge in many South African corporate workplaces. This is a reality that stems as far back as the pre-1994 apartheid government, which implemented policies of racial and gender segregation. The purpose of this study was to determine how effective Beckman Coulter SA (PTY) Ltd's diversity and inclusion committee was at fostering a diverse workforce and creating an inclusive environment. To address this purpose, this study interrogated research questions centering around the understanding of diversity and inclusion within the company. The questions unearthed perceptions on the state of diversity, the inclusive nature of both the company’s leadership and the human resources practices, and lastly, the questions evaluated the impact that the diversity and inclusion committee had on employee engagement at Beckman Coulter South Africa (PTY) Ltd. The wide field of sociology guided and supported this research study. Furthermore, the study pursued a qualitative case study design with purposive sampling. The data for the analysis was gathered from both primary and secondary sources. The primary data was analysed using the grounded theory method. Overall, this study found that there has been a noticeable improvement since the appointment of the diversity committee. Moreover, it was concluded that the company is working hard to improve its internal diversity and inclusion position. The majority of employees were found to believe that the committee was effective in raising awareness on diversity and inclusion. However, this study also determined three main opportunities for improvement. Firstly, the black respondents felt racially excluded from the company’s promotion opportunities, top management hiring, career development, and also felt there were significant integration gaps. Secondly, it was noted that there was little modelling of desired behaviours and not enough quick wins to get the necessary buy-in of half of the research respondents. Lastly, the respondents reported a prominent culture of retaliation or no action when discriminatory incidents are raisedItem The influence of systemic team coaching on diversity and inclusion management in corporate South Africa(2022) Segalo, Thuli NokuphiwaIn the multicultural South African (SA) organisational context, effective diversity and inclusion (D&I) management is an organisational imperative. Organisations are challenged with finding effective and sustainable ways to manage D&I. Multicultural teams are at the centre of providing innovation and creativity value for organisations. The ineffective management of D&I has consequences for organisations, such as, increased grievance complaints, declining employee engagement, negative impacts on talent management, and ultimately, impacts the organisation’s competitive advantage and performance. This study explores the influence of systemic team coaching (STC) on D&I management in SA organisations. This was a mixed-methods study that used a sequential explanatory design and had two distinct phases: quantitative and qualitative. The quantitative data acquired via a survey questionnaire was analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Semi-structured interviews were conducted to acquire qualitative data, which were subsequently subjected to thematic analysis. The results and findings were integrated utilising joint display analysis. The study found that key diversity and inclusion enabling elements are inherent in the experience accounts of team coaching by managers and teams. Team coaching enabled the facilitation of increasing team awareness, building trust and psychological safety, creating space for team members to feel heard, and valued. The study contributes valuable insights for HR professionals and leaders in how STC contributes to the effective management of D&I. The study adds knowledge on team coaching, team effectiveness, D&I management. The study concludes that STC is a practical intervention which enables the support of organisational teams to effectively manage D&I complexities.