Roslyn de Braine

The world of work is being changed at an unprecedented rate as a result of the rise of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This rate of change was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which left organizations and their leadership to deal with myriad of challenges. These changes also impacted leaders’ identities in their work and their roles in their organizations. We examine how leaders responded to the various workplace challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and what this meant for their work identities as leaders. To do this, we made use of role identity theory, social identity theory, and leader identity. A qualitative study was conducted with a group of eight senior leaders from various South African and global organizations who had between five and 10 years’ work experience, and some had even more. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, conducted virtually and in person. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The main finding that emerged from th...

Orientation: Research shows that engaged employees experience high levels of energy and strong identification with their work, hence this study’s focus on work identity and dedication.Research purpose: This study explored possible differences in the Job Demands-Resources model (JD-R) as predictor of overall work engagement, dedication only and work-based identity, through comparative predictive analyses.Motivation for the study: This study may shed light on the dedication component of work engagement. Currently no literature indicates that the JD-R model has been used to predict work-based identity.Research design: A census-based survey was conducted amongst a target population of 23134 employees that yielded a sample of 2429 (a response rate of about 10.5%). The Job Demands- Resources scale (JDRS) was used to measure job demands and job resources. A work-based identity scale was developed for this study. Work engagement was studied with the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). Fac...

Organisations continuously seek opportunities to be more productive through the human capital they employ. A firm offering of the employee value proposition (EVP) and understanding of employee commitment could enable organisations to have committed employees that enjoy their work and are oriented towards a growth trajectory. This study sought to examine the effect of the EVP on normative commitment in a parastatal organisation. A quantitative research approach was selected to explore the research objectives. The research instruments comprised of value attributes scale and normative commitment scale. The population sample consisted of employees (N=251). Convenience sampling was used within the context of the study. Descriptive statistics, Factory analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, and Regression analysis were employed to interpret data collected and address the research objectives. A positive relationship between the variables was established. The three EVP factors (work, reward...

Orientation: Over the past two decades, since the advent of democracy in South Africa, the country has undergone transformation in virtually all sectors of society. Education is no exception, with higher education institutions (HEIs) also experiencing change. The transformation of HEIs has brought about many new challenges, demands and stresses that may hinder the work performance of academics.Research purpose: This study seeks to determine the ‘hindrance demands’ unique to the South African context by developing and validating the Higher Education Hindrance Demands Scale (HEHDS). This scale includes a set of demands placed on academics’ experiences in this context.Research approach, design and method: Data were collected from 184 academic staff members from HEIs based on a quantitative research design using a cross-sectional survey. Data were analysed through exploratory factor analysis (EFA), while the reliability of the scale was obtained through Cronbach’s coefficient alpha.Main...

The study investigated whether job demands and job resources predict work engagement of public and private sector nurses. The sample comprised of 420 South African nurses (females = 88.8%; employed in the private sector = 61.8%; mean age = 38 years, SD = 9.50 years). They completed surveys of job demands (emotional demands, role ambiguity, and workplace violence), job resources (meaningful work, autonomy, career advancement opportunities, and leader–member exchange), and work engagement. Multiple regression analysis revealed that job resources (meaningful work, leader– member exchange, and career advancement) predicted work engagement of nurses in private hospitals. Job demands (emotional demands) and job resources (meaningful work and career advancement) predicted work engagement among nurses in public hospitals. As a job resource, meaningful work accounted for the most variance in the work engagement of both public and private nurses. Leader–member exchange enhanced the work engag...

Orientation: Practices employed to manage the human resources at Johannesburg (JHB) Metropolitan Municipality were explored to unearth their impact on employee performance.Research purpose: The study sought to reveal the human resource management (HRM) practices that could support employee performance at local government.The motivation for the study: The achievement of organisational goals depends on HRM practices that enhance employee competencies. Employee performance in municipalities is often considered to be substandard. This study aimed to strengthen HRM practices to enhance performance at JHB Metropolitan Municipality.Research approach/design and method: The qualitative inquiry adopted an interpretive stance to reveal participants’ experiences that relate to employee performance. Ten participants were identified purposively and the obtained data were analysed with the assistance of the Atlas.ti software.Main findings: Whilst the organisation’s employee-attraction practices we...