4. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - Faculties submissions

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    Leadership styles and the retention of transaction managers in South African investment banks
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Stellenberg, Cheryll; Ndaba, Zanele
    This research aims to explore the relationship between transformational leadership and the retention of highly skilled employees, specifically within the context of transaction managers in South African investment banks. While existing studies have established the positive impact of transformational leadership on employee retention, there is a notable gap in the literature regarding its application to highly skilled professionals in the transaction management role within the South African investment banking sector. This study seeks to fill this void by examining the extent to which transformational leadership practices contribute to the retention of these specialised professionals. The study used a qualitative method, conducting semi-structured interviews with transaction managers from several banks. The qualitative Delve tool data analysis programme was employed to conduct an inductive investigation into the truth behind the four pillars of transformational leadership and its impact on the retention of transaction managers in Johannesburg banks' investment banking divisions. The following four pillars were also chosen as higher-order themes: (1) idealised influence, exemplified by a transformational leader serving as a role model; (2) inspirational motivation, reflecting a leader's ability to effectively communicate a compelling vision and motivate followers to align their goals with the company's; (3) intellectual stimulation, denoting a leader engaging followers' minds in challenging activities; and (4) individualised consideration, signifying a leader actively observing and addressing followers' expressed needs. Retention is a top priority for any organisation, with a well-designed plan aiming to reduce personnel turnover rates, resulting in lower expenses and higher revenue and profitability. Simultaneously, such an approach should improve employee morale and productivity. In light of the awareness that individuals often leave due to managers rather than the company itself, there is an increased focus on assessing the level of leadership within organisations. 3 This study seeks to enhance the current knowledge base by offering empirical evidence on how transformational leadership specifically affects the retention of highly skilled transaction managers in South African investment banks. The findings may offer valuable insights for organisational leaders, human resource practitioners, and policymakers in the financial sector, helping them tailor leadership practices to enhance employee retention in this specialised role.
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    Perceptions of performance appraisals amongst civilian employees of the Department of Defence
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021) Gopane, Onkemetse Macphonia; Van Nieuwkerk, Anthoni
    The purpose of this study was to explore civilian employees’ perceptions of the management of the performance appraisal process in the Department of Defence. To achieve this objective, a qualitative case study was undertaken whereby data were collected by using face-to-face semi-structured interviews. A sample of 15 purposely selected junior and middle management civilian participants from Defence Head Quarters was done whereby participants were interviewed and data collected analysed by using thematic analysis. The themes that emerged indicated how employees perceive and experience performance appraisal. The findings revealed that although employees understand what performance appraisal is, the management of the process remains a challenge. From the analysis, there is a lot of dissatisfaction among employees as they feel that performance appraisal is subjective, and the way performance bonuses are paid is based on favouritism and inconsistency which lead to grievances. The findings also indicated that some managers use performance appraisal to punish employees that they do not like regardless of their performance which often diminishes the morale of high performers. The absence of feedback, lack of training by Human Resource Development and lack of support and commitment by top management were also raised as challenges that impede proper management. It is therefore recommended that the Department of Defence should prioritise offering regular and detailed performance appraisal training and workshops to managers and employees so that they both have a common understanding of the objective of the process. Furthermore, the Department of Defence should benchmark with other state institutions and implement an automated performance appraisal system with the latest technology which might reduce human errors and biasedness
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    Exploring the relationship between the factors of Digital Maturity
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Nkomazana, Joice; Armstrong, Brian
    This study examines the factors that influence digital transformation in South African organizations and explain their hypothesized relationships. Armstrong and Lee (2021), building on and synthesizing existing models of digital maturity, proposed a unified digital maturity model and further proposed a systems digital maturity model to understand these relationships. However, their model has not been directly empirically validated, including in the specific context of South African businesses. Therefore, the extent to which the same questions or factors apply in a South African business context remains assumed. Secondly, while the proposed systems model is intuitively compelling, the relationship between the factors is postulated rather than demonstrated. These factors are not independent, as one might – and in many cases will – impact the other. As a result, there is a lack of studies that disentangles business results from the other factors of digital maturity to see whether these factors can explain the business results. Accordingly, there is a need to examine the relationship between these other factors and business results. The research was quantitative and cross-sectional. An online survey using a self- administered questionnaire was issued to collect data from the sample from the 763 respondents drawn from the student database studying digital business management courses at the Wits Business School during the period 2019 to 2022. The study found out that the majority of the factors of digital maturity have a positive and significant relationship with each other. Moreover, these findings suggest that these factors are crucial to the success of a business, and they contribute to successful digital transformation and business results. However, the study also found a negative and statistically insignificant relationship between organization and governance and workforce enablement and performance, skills and workforce enablement and performance, Information Technology/ Information systems excellence (IT/IS) and workforce enablement and performance and Workforce enablement and performance and business results, whereas Investment and 3 innovation architecture and workforce enablement showed a negative and significant relationship. The implications of this research for managers are to inform practitioners of the significance of digital transformation and the factors that drive it. The study will also assist managers in developing risk management strategies that address the unique challenges digital transformation poses. The study will assist managers in differentiating their organizations from competitors by investing in digital abilities that improve agility, customer service, and innovation
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    The impact of insourcing processes on managers at the University of the Witwatersrand
    (2022) Mathonsi, Mpumelelo
    Outsourcing was adopted as a sourcing strategy by universities in South Africa for two decades to focus on core business, create efficiency and remain competitive in the global higher education market. In 2017 South African universities reversed their outsourcing decisions, subsequently implementing insourcing of labour, specifically in cleaning, landscaping, routine maintenance, security and, catering. Leveraging the rich body of literature based on the reasons to outsource as a starting point, this study investigates the challenges and opportunities of insourcing and the impact of insourcing on managers at The University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg. A structured framework used by researchers in the Middle East is adopted to categorise the impacts of insourcing on managers’ work and utilised in the study. The study employs the qualitative research strategy with a case study design to capture the experiences and perceptions of managers on insourcing. A semi-structured interview schedule is used in the study to collect data from participants in management. Findings from the researchers show that insourcing had a substantial impact on the work of managers, presenting a range of challenges and opportunities around effectiveness, efficiency, quality of service, departmental control, human resources, cultural integration, and skills advancement. The findings' recommendations provide a roadmap that can influence university policy in response to the insourcing challenges and expanding opportunities within higher education institutions.