Masters Degrees (Industrial Psychology)

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https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/719

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Influence of board characteristics on human capital disclosure using the SABPP HR reporting framework
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03) Scholtz, Kelly; Magau, Mpho D.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Industrial Psychology.
ENGLISH SUMMARY: Disclosure of human capital in annual reports is increasingly becoming crucial in corporate disclosure and for responsible investing, yet the executive board of directors seems less transparent with people-related information. Human capital disclosure allows the investment community to dissect the impact of human resource solutions on organisational performance and future business earnings, hence the public-listed companies are expected to reduce information asymmetry by aligning with the international corporate reporting requirements. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of the board characteristics on human capital disclosure using the human resource reporting framework of the South African Board for People Practices as an assessment tool. Specifically, the board characteristics were the size, gender diversity, structure, meeting attendance, education, experience and age, which were key predictors of human capital disclosure in the study. A quantitative-based cross-sectional design approach was applied to a sample of the top 100 companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange for the year 2021. The population of this study includes all listed companies on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange for the year 2021. In terms of the measurement instrument, a human capital disclosure index was constructed based on the South African Board for People Practices human resource reporting framework containing five dimensions, namely, human capital availability (10 items), human capital wellbeing (10 items), human capital investment and growth (7 items), human capital contribution (5 items) and human capital wealth creation (7 items). The Statistics Package for Social Sciences was used to analyse data by computing descriptive, correlations and multiple regression outputs. The results indicated that board meeting attendance plays a significant role in disclosing information on human capital attraction, investment, and value-add towards investor confidence than the other board characteristics. Therefore, human resource executives are expected to lead people management systems that provide the board of directors with credible and accurate value-relevant information for integrated reporting. The limitation of the study is the focus on the integrated reports as sources of human capital disclosure, yet the sustainability reports also contain people-related information. Lastly, cross-sectional data does not provide patterns of human capital disclosure over a period, which can be obtained through panel data analysis. These fundamental gaps serve as potential areas for future research to be explored using a sample of more than 100 Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed companies.
Exploring the influence of safety knowledge on employee safety behaviour within the manufacturing industry
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03) Scheepers, Clarissa; Mariri, Tendai; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Industrial Psychology.
ENGLISH SUMMARY: Safety performance is a high priority for South African high-risk industries due to the elevated accident frequency and extreme likelihood of serious injury and death whenever an accident occurs in these industries. The prevalence of and considerable financial and human cost associated with poor safety warrant a deeper understanding of the determinants of poor safety. Safety behaviour is considered one of the key contributing factors to accidents, injuries, near misses and fatalities. This study investigated the influence of safety knowledge on employees’ safety behaviour within the context of other relevant individual human factors. A critical review of the literature on the constructs of interest culminated in the formulation of research hypotheses in addition to the development of a Safety Knowledge-Safety Behaviour structural model. An ex-post facto correlational research design was used, and a convenience sampling technique was chosen to invite research participants to participate in the study. Quantitative data was collected using a self-report questionnaire from a sample of 185 operational workers at a manufacturing organisation based in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Partial Least Squares structural equation modelling was performed to analyse the data collected and to empirically test the theoretical model. The research results indicated support for the majority (11 out of 17) of the hypothesised relationships. The results revealed that acquired safety knowledge can significantly promote safety behaviour directly and indirectly, through other individual human factors. The results were generally consistent with the theory of planned behaviour, upon which the study was theoretically anchored. In particular, the study found that safety behaviour intention influences safety behaviour. Moreover, safety behaviour attitude and perceived control safety behaviour were both found to positively affect safety behaviour intention. The results indicate that workers’ perceived safety knowledge may not translate directly into safety behaviour. Safety behaviour attitude played a key role as a mediator between perceived safety knowledge and safety behaviour intention, indicating an indirect link between perceived safety knowledge and safety behaviour. Even more so, perceived control safety behaviour was identified as a mediator in the association between safety self-efficacy and safety behaviour intention. These results contribute theoretically to the research field regarding the usefulness of individual human factors in the enhancement of employee safety behaviour and, by extension, safety. Practically, the findings provide valuable insight for South African manufacturing organisations, as practitioners could develop interventions targeted at enhancing employee safety behaviours, based on the study’s results and conclusions.
The relationship of vocational interest-environment congruence with academic achievement and persistence in undergraduate engineering students
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03) Sulon, Robyn Andrea; de Bruin, Gideon Pieter; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Industrial Psychology.
ENGLISH SUMMARY: Holland’s (1973) theory of vocational personalities and environments is one of the most well-respected theories that has been used extensively to explain the vocational behaviour of people. The theory suggests that career satisfaction, stability and achievement is dependent on the degree of congruence between one’s personality, defined by occupational interests, and one’s occupational environment. There is also evidence to suggest that interest-environment congruence is significantly and positively correlated with academic performance and persistence, among other career-related outcomes (Spokane, 1985). Despite this, South African school-leavers do not often have the luxury of choice in their vocational pursuits. Many other factors can play a more significant role than psychological suitability, especially when individuals do not have access to accurate information concerning career guidance. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between vocational interest-environment congruence and student academic achievement and persistence in a South African university context. Results of the study conclude that for the particular population of interest, the relationship between the vocational interest-environment congruence and academic achievement and persistence of Engineering students was found to be not statistically significant. This finding has implications for career guidance services in South African schools and tertiary educational institutions. More specifically, the study establishes that factors beyond vocational interest preferences are of importance when attempting to understand the career decision-making of young South Africans and the study further encourages and supports the need for a more holistic approach to career guidance that incorporates contextual aspects, such as cultural, individual, familial as well as socioeconomic factors.
Task significance and deviant workplace behaviour : the moderating effect of the dark triad in a military context
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03) Kleynhans, Yolika Johanna; de Bruin, Gideon Pieter; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Industrial Psychology.
ENGLISH SUMMARY: Deviant workplace behaviours and the Dark Triad of personality have received literary attention of late, but attention to task significance on its own and its impact on the work environment has been scarce. The objective of this study is to investigate task significance and its impact on deviant workplace behaviour with the Dark Triad of personality as a moderator in a sample of members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). A quantitative approach will be used to generate correlation, regression, and factor analysis data. Random samples of members of the South African National Defence Force (N = 117) will be taken. The Work Design Questionnaire, Interpersonal and Organisational Deviance Scale and the Short Dark Triad will be used as measuring instruments. The results are intended to provide information regarding the relationship between task significance levels and its subsequent effect on deviant workplace behaviours with the Dark Triad as a moderator in this relationship, in order to improve human resource practices and interventions. This study indicated that the relationship between task significance and deviant workplace behaviour was insignificant, but despite this, the Dark Triad of personality can be a predictor of deviant workplace behaviour.
Exploring employees’ subjective experience of psychological empowerment after adopting Artificial Intelligence technology
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2023-12) Macnab-Holding, Cuan Selkirk; Adams, Samantha; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Industrial Psychology.
ENGLISH SUMMARY: The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is characterised by an environment which is highly complex, dynamic, and uncertain, accompanied by an influx of technological advancements. As technology advancements influence employees’ work environment and to varying degrees the way they are required to work, it will be important to understand to what extent this influences feelings of psychological empowerment within the work role. Psychological empowerment is defined as intrinsic task motivation reflecting a sense of control in relation to one’s work and an active orientation to one’s work role that is manifested in four cognitions: meaning, self-determination, competence, and impact. It is positively associated with showing initiative, coping with uncertainty, and embracing risks. Therefore, given the 4IR environment it will be important to have employees who are psychologically empowered and thus display the associated behaviour. Even though psychological empowerment is a well-established construct, it is proposed that employees' perceptions towards feeling psychologically empowered in their work may change to some extent because of this new environment. Due to scant literature on psychological empowerment in the 4IR context, it is therefore important to better understand this construct within this context so that practitioners are equipped to make more informed decisions about the strategic integration of humans and technology in their work tasks. A qualitative exploration of experiences therefore was warranted to better understand how individuals make sense of their encounters with Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. Accordingly, the aim is to establish a better understanding of the perceived psychological empowerment of employees who have recently adopted AI in their work. Employing a phenomenological research design, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted to understand the lived experiences of employees when engaging with AI technology. Purposive sampling was utilised to recruit a sample of 12 commerce and financial services sector professionals that had adopted AI technology in the last 6-36 months. The data was analysed using thematic analysis. The findings yielded four primary themes that were identified from the participants’ lived experiences, namely: (1) enhanced work experiences through AI integration, (2) impact of AI on emotional, cognitive, and motivation dynamics, (3) AI’s role in influencing self-efficacy and decision making, and (4) AI as a growth tool. The findings indicated both positive and negative consequences of AI’s role in participants’ perceptions of psychological empowerment. In sum, the findings support the advancement of the adoption of this technology which in certain contexts may be perceived as psychologically empowering. Additionally, this research can be the departure point for better understanding human-AI integration from a psychological perspective, which can contribute towards professionals strategically integrating humans and AI in the 4IR context.

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