1,721,035 research outputs found
The influence of job candidate’s trustworthiness and fit on behavioural uncertainty during candidate selection
Full text linkDissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2023A hiring manager in the manufacturing sector grapples with much uncertainty when interviewing external candidates during candidate selection. This uncertainty arises due to the behavioural assumptions of transaction costs; firstly, the hiring manager’s cognitive ability is limited by bounded rationality and secondly, the hiring manager is uncertain whether the candidate acted opportunistically to securing the job. To reduce this behavioural uncertainty, hiring managers often incur significant transaction costs to vet candidates. However, trust can also reduce behavioural uncertainty. The objective of this quantitative research was to empirically examine, using transaction cost theory, whether the hiring manager’s perception of the candidate’s trustworthiness in an interview reduces behavioural uncertainty.
Prior transaction cost research has examined the inverse relationship between trust and behavioural uncertainty. However, there is a paucity of research on whether the antecedent of trust, trustworthiness, also reduces behavioural uncertainty. Moreover, fit is frequently used as a heuristic for candidate assessment, but little was known about whether fit mediates the relationship between trustworthiness and behavioural uncertainty. To test these relationships empirically, survey-based research was done with 318 manufacturing sector hiring managers. Results revealed that two dimensions of trustworthiness (ability and integrity) have a significant influence in reducing behavioural uncertainty. In contrast, the influence of the third dimension of trustworthiness (benevolence) on behavioural uncertainty was insignificant. Furthermore, the result revealed that fit significantly mediates the relationship between all three dimensions of trustworthiness and behavioural uncertainty.
These results contribute theoretically to transaction cost research by highlighting which dimensions of trustworthiness can significantly reduce behavioural uncertainty in a hiring transaction and demonstrates how fit can explain the relationship between trustworthiness and behavioural uncertainty. This research also has managerial implications; managers who align their hiring decisions to the dimensions of trustworthiness and fit can save time and money and reduce the influence of bias during candidate selection.pagibs202
Sensemaking in crisis: An exploration among strategic leaders in small businesses
Full text linkDissertation (MPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2023The small business sector contributes significantly to driving the economy through the creation of job opportunities. Already constrained with limited resources, the sector has felt the impact of crises such as the Covid_19 pandemic. It is therefore up to the strategic leaders in the small businesses to ensure sound leadership during a crisis for business sustainability. The purpose of this research is to explore how the strategic leaders in the small businesses identify their role in sensemaking in a crisis as part of their strategic leadership role. Based on Weick’s sense-making theory, this research contributes to the sensemaking body of knowledge, and it extends strategic leadership in crisis literature. The study followed a qualitative method and an exploratory approach in analysing the small business strategic leaders’ lived experiences of sensemaking in a crisis. A total of 16 in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted virtually with the small business strategic leaders from various industries. This research found that the small business strategic leaders employ a cognitive process and social interaction approaches as enabling strategies in a crisis. The cognitive process of sensemaking encompasses using the current knowledge and experience (existing cognitive frames). Should the existing knowledge and experience not deliver the desired outcome, then they employ intuition as well as trial-and-error (experimental) strategies. Furthermore, considering that sensemaking is a socially rooted phenomenon, the participants interact with the environment, as well as with the internal and the external stakeholders to reinforce the sensemaking capacity. This is more so considering the negative emotions and the lack of social support, that are identified in this research that hinder the strategic leaders’ capacity to make sense of a crisis. This research has therefore provided an understanding of how organisations can bolster sensemaking during crises. Additionally, a conceptual framework that articulates the key constructs and insights into the sensemaking role of the small business strategic leaders in a crisis is another outcome of this research. The management can advance sensemaking by, developing knowledge and experience, strengthening intuitive and experimental decision-making, providing mentorship for strategic leaders, and sharpening environment awareness as well as through stakeholder management skills. Finally, as a limitation to the research, most participants shared their Covid_19 related experiences thus the research outcomes may be biased and skewed towards one crisis type.pagibs202
The juxtaposition of agentic and communal behaviours of women leaders
Full text linkDissertation (MPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2023There have been significant strides made in the representation of women in the workplace
globally and within South Africa, however the representation of women at senior management
levels remains a concern. Role congruency theory posits that women in senior management
are unfavourably judged owing to the incongruence between the communal role of women
versus the agentic role of a leader. Academic literature on role congruency theory has
predominantly focused on the barriers to female advancement into leadership roles.
Furthermore, these studies have predominantly focused on Western societies. Thus, there is
a gap in the literature in terms of exploring the behaviours that aid women leaders in their
career advancement in a non-Western society, namely South Africa.
Owing to the exploratory nature of this research, a qualitative narrative inquiry methodology
was used. The sample is made up of 18 women leaders currently at a senior management
level in a diverse set of industries and roles. Each female leader was interviewed to explore
which agentic, communal, and blending of the two behaviours they used to advance to senior
management. The results show that women predominantly lead with communal behaviours,
however there were a few who lead with agentic behaviours. The five most commonly
occurring behaviours in order were competence (agentic), empathy (communal), connection
(communal), assertiveness (agentic) and care (communal). In addition, all leaders in the
sample utilised a combination of agentic and communal behaviours made up as follows:
balance between communal and agentic; flex between communal and agentic; communal to
agentic; and agentic to communal. Critical to their career advancement were a combination of
organisational and individual enablers.
This research found that female leaders are indeed blending communion and agency to
advance their careers. They do still articulate the gendered expectations exists; however,
these are overcome with the use of organisational and individual enablers.pagibs202
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
The relationship between cognitive diversity, transformational leadership and team performance
Full text linkMini Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2019.Diversity research is wide and supported with various outcomes and results. This research aimed to understand whether a deeper level diversity namely cognitive
diversity is linked to specific performance outcomes in organisations. Business and academia understand the more common surface level demographic diversity well, as it
is a topic which has been studied widely with mixed results. Transformational
leadership was included in the study as it is a common leadership style included in
diversity research because of its characteristics to inspire and motivate collectiveness
in achieving organisational goals.
A quantitative study was performed operationalised using an online survey. The
questions aimed to gain an understanding of the perceptions of professionals, middle
and senior managers working corporates in South Africa on cognitive diversity,
transformational leadership and performance outcomes in relation to their teams.
Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used in the study. Correlation and
regression analysis were performed on data collected from 153 participants who met
the population criteria. No relationship was found between cognitive diversity and team
performance. However, a significant positive relationship was shown between
transformational leadership and team performance.pt2020Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)MB
Causal factors that influence turnover intent in a manufacturing organisation
Full text linkDissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010.South Africa is experiencing a shortage of skills in key industries and many organisations have listed the retention of staff as a key objective in their annual sustainability reports. The factors that affect an employee’s intent to turnover have received greater attention as a study field of late but the literature is not all in agreement on the principal factors that influence an employee’s decision to leave an organisation. Many authors suggested that more empirical evidence are necessary to validate the significance of the identified precursors of employee turnover. Prince (2001) and other contributing authors postulated a causal model that tries to explain the complex interactions between the principal constructs that influence the job satisfaction and organisational commitment of an employee, ultimately leading to the employee’s decision to stay at the organisation or turnover. A Structural Equation Modelling technique was applied to the survey data gathered from a South African organisation to validate its fit to the postulated causal relationships defined in Prince’s (2001) model. Many of causal relationships could be validated for the company under study but this study had to conclude as so many other authors has done before that more empirical research is necessary to test the principal constructs of labour turnover as this research could not confirm all the factors postulated by Prince (2001). CopyrightGordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)unrestricte
Does Mercedes-Benz service customer satisfaction measure the service advisor emotional intelligence?
Full text linkDissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010.In South Africa’s automotive industry where product features are very similar among vehicles, where there is huge competition between the vehicle brands, whether they are imported or locally produced, what is the leverage one can use to gain a competitive advantage? What will be the means of differentiation? The answer and the ultimate business advantage may very well be customer service excellence. In an effort to measure service excellence, South African customer satisfaction questionnaires, have historically via the questions that they ask and the weightings they give to these questions emphasised the transactional component of customer satisfaction. South African automotive retailers however need to understand the relationship component of the satisfaction of customers. This research shows that the current definition of Customer satisfaction does not measure this relation component as defined by emotional intelligence of the service advisors. Suggestions are given at the end of the report as to how this situation can be changed and the advantages that can be taken for automotive retailers.Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)unrestricte
Contextual intelligence : a leadership model for engineering and construction management companies in South Africa
Full text linkMini Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2015.This research was undertaken to test an existing model of contextual intelligence in the engineering and construction industry of South Africa. It similarly attempted to determine the contributing elements within the defined categories of the contextual intelligence construct that include skills and abilities, types of leadership, intelligence and types of thinking. A qualitative exploratory research method was used whereby sixteen semi-structured, in-depth interviews were held with leaders in the engineering and construction sector of South Africa. A number of existing categories and elements of the contextual intelligence model were found to be relevant, albeit incomplete. A revised Contextual Intelligence Model was developed utilising both highly relevant and relevant elements within the four categories. New elements contributing towards the revised model included having the ability to listen, being collaborative, displaying authentic, participative, organisational and transformational leadership abilities, utilising system thinking and conscious thinking structures, and lastly utilising both emotional and technical intelligence.ms2016Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)MBAUnrestricte
Behavioural economic perspectives in insurance purchase decisions
Full text linkMini Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2023Choosing insurance coverage is a multifaceted and intricate process crucial for protecting individuals and businesses from unexpected risks. This research delved into how people in South Africa make these insurance coverage purchase decisions, particularly considering the uneven nature of coverage available. Using qualitative methods, the research thoroughly investigated the factors influencing insurance choices in the South African context. Examining behavioral economics and where and how consumers get their insurance information, the study uncovered how these elements interact in shaping insurance decisions in South Africa. The insights gained are valuable for insurance companies and policymakers, offering guidance on tailoring insurance products to better suit the diverse needs and preferences of the South African market. Furthermore, the research contributes to the broader understanding of decision-making in insurance, within an emerging market perspective in creating insurance products and regulations. Understanding how individuals in South Africa choose their insurance coverage is not just academically important but also holds practical implications for improving the accessibility and effectiveness of insurance products. This, in turn, promotes greater financial security and risk management within the country.pagibs202
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