scholarly journals Time-use preference and adaptation in relational exchanges

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Glover ◽  
Charlene Lew

Orientation: Similarity of leaders and members encourage positive relational exchanges. However, the role of different time-use preferences, and how leaders and members adapt to the preferences of others in relational exchanges have not yet been studied.Research Purpose: This research explores how time-use preference plays a role in the dyadic relationships between leaders and members within leader–member exchange (LMX) theory.Motivation for the study: We argue that differences between the time-use preferences of leaders and team members result in relational adaptations.Research approach/design and method: The qualitative research design employed semi-structured interviews with nine leaders and 11 employees in a major retail bank in South Africa and data were analysed through thematic analysis.Main findings: The research shows the nature of time-use preference in varying relational exchanges, discover how time-use preferences manifest and how leaders and members adapt to one another’s preferences.Contribution/value add: The study contributes to time-use preference literature by illustrating how polychronic and monochronic preferences may manifest in the workplace. Furthermore, we contribute to an understanding of the nature of relational exchanges in LMX theory by illustrating the influence of polychronicity on dyadic relationships and discuss how leaders and members adapt their preferences.Practical/managerial implications: We propose a framework of the dynamics of time-use preference-based relational entrainment and provide practical considerations to help mitigate the negative impacts that differing preferences can have.

2014 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eileen Koekemoer

Orientation: South African organisations are increasingly recognising the importance of attracting, developing and retaining top talent, especially management employees.Research purpose: In an attempt to help organisations with retaining talent, this study focused on career success and identified specific factors that influence the career success of managers in the South African work environment.Motivation for the study: Organisations need to establish favourable organisational conditions and human resource practices to retain their management employees. By identifying influential factors for the career success of managers, this research may help organisations to focus more accurately on their retention strategies for management employees.Research approach, design and method: The present study used a qualitative research design that followed an exploratory approach. A non-probability purposive sample of 24 senior management employees was selected from two financial institutions in South Africa. Qualitative data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews and the verbatim transcriptions were analysed by content analysis.Main findings: Managers identified various factors that impact on their career success. One can distinguish ‘external’ factors (e.g. political and economic climate and business environment) from ‘internal’ factors (e.g. individuals’ personal attributes, skills and education).Practical/managerial implications: Individuals should focus on the internal contributing factors, whilst organisations should manage the external contributing factors more effectively.Contribution/value-add: Specific South African factors that influence the career success of managers should be included in future retention strategies. From the findings it is suggested that both the individuals and organisations can implement strategies to ensure career success and thereby help retain the top talent in organisations.


2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wim van Breukelen ◽  
Wendy Wesselius

Differential treatment by coaches of amateur sports teams: right or wrong? Differential treatment by coaches of amateur sports teams: right or wrong? J.W.M. van Breukelen & W. Wesselius, Gedrag & Organisatie, volume 20, November 2007, nr. 4, pp. 427-444 A central assumption in the Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) theory is that leaders do not adopt a single style towards all members of their work unit, but treat the various team members differently. This may result in different kinds of working relationships between the leader and the various members ranging from formal to intense. The effects of these different LMX relationships are visible in important outcome variables such as job satisfaction and performance. Not only in working organizations but also in the context of sports differential treatment by the coach seems a relevant topic. In this article we describe the results of a field study among the players (N = 218) of 21 amateur sports teams. Firstly, we investigated on which aspects the coaches of these teams differentiated between the various team members and how these incidents of differential treatment were experienced by the players in terms of justice and fairness. In addition, we analyzed whether the frequency and evaluation of differential treatment was related to the players' enthusiasm and to team atmosphere and team performance. Social differentiation was appreciated less than task differentiation. Especially task differentiation proved to be important for team performance.


2016 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Renard ◽  
Robin J. Snelgar

Orientation: Intrinsic rewards are personal, psychological responses to the work thatemployees perform, which stem from the manner in which their work is designed.Research purpose: This study sought to discover in what ways non-profit employees arepsychologically rewarded by the nature of their work tasks. The use of a qualitative approachto data collection and analysis ensured that in-depth responses from participants were gained.Motivation for the study: Intrinsic rewards are of particular importance to non-profitemployees, who tend to earn below-market salaries. This implies that their motivationoriginates predominantly from intrinsic as opposed to extrinsic rewards; yet, research into thisarea of rewards is lacking.Research approach, design and method: In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conductedusing a sample of 15 extrinsically rewarded non-profit employees working within South Africa.Thematic analysis was utilised in order to generate codes which led to the formation of fiveintrinsic rewards categories.Main findings: Intrinsic rewards were classified into five categories, namely (1) MeaningfulWork, (2) Flexible Work, (3) Challenging Work, (4) Varied Work and (5) Enjoyable Work.These rewards each comprise of various subcategories, which provide insight into why suchwork is rewarding to non-profit employees.Practical/managerial implications: Traditional performance management systems shouldbe re-evaluated in the non-profit sector to shift focus towards intrinsic rewards, asopposed to focusing only on the use of extrinsic rewards such as incentives to motivateemployees.Contribution/value-add: The study provides a qualitative understanding of how extrinsicallyrewarded non-profit employees perceive their work to be intrinsically rewarding, whichbridges the empirical gap pertaining to intrinsic rewards within this sector.


2014 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanri Barkhuizen ◽  
Lené I. Jorgensen ◽  
Lizelle Brink

Orientation: Industrial-organisational (I-O) psychologists are often confronted with counselling interventions in the workplace and thus it is vital that they are effectively prepared for their role as workplace counsellors.Research purpose: The aim of this study was to review the role of I-O psychologists as counsellors and to ascertain whether these practitioners are effectively prepared for this purpose.Motivation for the study: I-O psychologists are mainly concerned with the deep-rooted problems individuals experience in the workplace, and they therefore need appropriate counselling skills. However, it is not clear whether graduates in this discipline receive adequate training for this role.Research design, approach and method: A qualitative research design with convenience and snowball sampling of 22 participants was utilised. Participants were practising I-O psychologists across Gauteng and North West (South Africa). Semi-structured in-depth interviews were used to gather data, which were transcribed verbatim and analysed using content analysis.Main findings: Participants were familiar with the meaning of counselling and confirmed that they are faced with a range of counselling situations requiring a unique set of skills and competencies. Based on these findings, participants made recommendations for the future training of I-O psychologists and recommended that counselling be included in the scope of practice of I-O psychologists.Practical/managerial implications: The role of the I-O psychologist requires training in short-term therapeutic techniques and counselling in tertiary education.Contribution/value-add: The study clarifies the role of the I-O psychologist as a counsellor that will ensure that I-O psychologists can be trained more effectively for this role.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zihné Coetzee ◽  
Henri Bezuidenhout ◽  
Gabriel Mhonyera

Orientation: Retail sector multinational enterprises (MNEs) face challenges and follow diverse strategies when they expand into foreign markets.Research purpose: The major aim of this article is to determine how three well-established retail sector MNEs, namely, Walmart, Carrefour and Shoprite, addressed the challenges they faced and structured their market entry strategies in the African continent.Motivation for the study: While the opportunities in Africa are perpetual, breaking into the African market is not so straightforward. It is in this regard that the importance of determining the challenges faced by established retail MNEs in Africa and the valuable lessons that can be drawn by small and upcoming MNEs, from the experiences of these prominent MNEs studied, is exposed.Research approach/design and method: This article employs a mixed-method approach (i.e. case study and semi-structured interviews) to determine the challenges faced by Walmart, Carrefour and Shoprite when they expanded into Africa, and how they overcame those challenges.Main findings: The findings reveal that Walmart and Shoprite possess a substantial footprint in sub-Saharan Africa, while Carrefour enjoys a substantial footprint in North Africa and Francophone Countries of west Africa. Furthermore, Walmart follows a risk-averse approach when expanding into the African continent and only expands into new foreign markets based on the market potential and the ability to succeed. Carrefour’s main strategy is to achieve international expansion into Africa through the acquisition of international partnerships with local and regional firms. Shoprite, on the other hand, maintains that no written strategy was followed when the retail MNE expanded into Africa. It is also evident that external factors are significant for MNEs seeking to invest in Africa.Practical/managerial implications: Not all MNEs expanding into Africa have been successful. Accordingly, the practical value of this article rests upon the lessons that small and upcoming MNEs can learn from the experiences of MNEs that are now well established in African markets.Contribution/value-add: This article contributes to existing foreign direct investment (FDI) literature by identifying challenges that Walmart, Carrefour and Shoprite faced when they expanded into Africa. In addition, lessons that aspiring and small MNEs, specifically in the retail sector, can learn from these three retail MNEs that are now well established in African markets are drawn.


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanri Barkhuizen ◽  
Lené I. Jorgensen ◽  
Lizelle Brink

Orientation: Industrial and organisational (I-O) psychologists are responsible for workplacecounselling. Workplace counselling requires specific skills and training for the I-O psychologist.Research purpose: The main aim of the study was to explore the role of training the I-Opsychologist as workplace counsellor.Motivation for the study: Studies show that the I-O psychologist does not feel adequatelyprepared for their role as workplace counsellor. It is important to explore which skills andtraining are needed to equip the I-O psychologist as counsellor.Research approach, design and method: A qualitative research design with convenience andsnowball sampling was used to identify I-O psychologists (n = 22) from different businesssectors in Gauteng and North-West. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gatherdata and content analysis was utilised to extract themes and sub-themes from the results.Main findings: The findings showed that the participants know about the process of counselling, but they did not feel adequately prepared for their role as workplace counsellors. From the findings, recommendations for the training of future I-O psychologists are made.Practical implications: This study adds to the knowledge about ensuring that the I-Opsychologist is equipped during their training for the workplace to address the counselling needs of employees in the workplace in South Africa.Contribution/value-add: This study contributes towards ensuring that the I-O psychologistis sufficiently prepared for their role as workplace counsellor by making knowledge available regarding the skills required by I-O psychologists to be applied in practice.Keywords: Industrial-organisational (I-O) psychologist; Counsellor; Skills and competencies; Qualitative research; Training


2021 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nelesh Dhanpat ◽  
Dorothy L. Danguru ◽  
Oyisa Fetile ◽  
Kholeka Kekana ◽  
Kholosa N. Mathetha ◽  
...  

Orientation: The hiring of graduates is valuable to organisations. It is necessary to understand the self-management behaviours they display and the behaviours required to keep them engaged.Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore how self-management strategies enhance work engagement of recent graduates who find themselves in a new environment of the world of work.Motivation for the study: Employee engagement is of both academic and practitioner interest. With organisations hiring graduates, it is valuable to understand the self-management behaviours needed to remain engaged.Research approach/design and method: A qualitative research approach was employed through an interpretivist research paradigm. A purposive sample of 12 graduate employees (median age = 24) in various fields of work were interviewed (women = 11, men = 1; black = 11, coloured = 1). The graduates participated in semi-structured interviews. A thematic analysis was conducted and five themes emerged.Main findings: Through an inductive approach, the five themes that emerged concerning self-management strategies used by graduates to enhance their work engagement are goal setting, self-cueing, self-observation, self-reward and self-punishment and work engagement practices.Practical/managerial implications: Self-management strategies help to sustain an engaged workforce. Organisations that make use of graduate recruitment will largely benefit from the findings.Contribution/value-add: There is limited research on the topic pertaining to graduate employees. Graduates remain relevant in the organisation, and hence, the study makes a contribution to theory and practice. A model is presented with recommendations for graduates and the organisation, which, when implemented, have the potential to enhance work engagement.


2010 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tharina Guse

Orientation: The development of positive psychology interventions have burgeoned internationally and are relevant to the professional training of psychologistsResearch purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the personal and professional impact of including positive psychology in the professional training of clinical and counselling psychologists.Motivation for the study: It is not known how students previously educated in a pathogenic paradigm experience the exposure to positive psychology, and resultant paradigm shift, as part of their professional training.Research design, approach and method: A qualitative research design was implemented. Data consisted of written documents submitted by the participants and was analyzed by means of thematic analysis.Main findings: Integrating positive psychology in the professional training curriculum was valuable and enriching on both a professional and personal level. The participants reported an experience of positive emotions and increased sense of self-understanding and psychological well-being. Professionally they experienced a sense of increased self-efficacy.Practical/managerial implications: Positive psychology should be considered as part of the basic training of psychologists since it may enhance the development of trainee psychologists’ professional self, enhance aspects of psychological well-being as well as prevent stress and burnout.Contribution/value-add: This is the first South African study to explore the impact of including positive psychology principles and interventions in professional training.


2014 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanya Reuben ◽  
Shaida Bobat

Orientation: Apartheid in South Africa constructed racial, economic, social and political segregation, the consequences of which are still experienced today. Government has made concerted efforts to ‘deracialise’ South Africa, most notably through affirmative action (AA) measures.Research purpose: This study aimed to explore employees’ social constructions of AA in a South African organisation.Motivation for the study: Research in this field focuses mostly on attitudinal perspectives of AA with an emphasis on traditional approaches. Subjective, contextualised approaches to AA have received little attention. Thus, this study aimed to critically engage with the embodied nature of prejudice, particularly in reference to how we understand and experience AA.Research approach, design and method: This study aimed to explore AA from a social constructionist orientation, using semi-structured interviews. More specifically, this study used Potter and Wetherell’s discursive psychology.Main findings: The findings illustrate how participants engage in discursive devices that continue to rationalise a racial order of competence. Ultimately, AA is a controversial subject that traverses many segments of life for all South Africans.Practical/managerial implications: The findings contribute to the discipline of industrial psychology, particularly with regard to policies around preferential treatment, and can add value to the ways in which organisational policy documents are conceptualised. The findings also suggest the importance of developing an inclusive, non-discriminatory organisational culture.Contribution/value-add: This approach adds to the existing body of knowledge around the embodied nature of prejudice. The study’s methodology highlights the value of studying context in meaning-making and implied inferences that underlie talk.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dumisani V. Dhliwayo ◽  
Mark H.R. Bussin

Orientation: Classic agency theory posits that the impact of uncontrollable factors should be excluded from executive remuneration. Existing research, however, shows a departure from this theory.Research purpose: This study sought to determine the approaches organisations take and the reasons thereof to account for uncontrollable factors in the design of their executive incentive schemes.Motivation for the study: There is little research in South Africa on how organisations account for uncontrollable factors in the design of their incentive schemes.Research approach/design and method: An exploratory qualitative research using semi-structured interviews was conducted.Main findings: South African organisations are not strictly conforming to the classic agency theory prediction for uncontrollable factors as some allow the impact of uncontrollable factors to be included, and further, hybrid approaches may be applied.Practical/managerial implications: The menu of approaches presented will aid designers of incentive schemes to identify a tried and tested approach to adopt or improve their incentive-related policies.Contribution/value-add: An expanded list of uncontrollable factors identified from South Africa’s uniqueness is presented. Models for (1) accounting for uncontrollable factors in incentive schemes and (2) pay for individual performance versus firm performance dilemma are presented. These add to the body of existing literature.


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