African Journals Online
SA Journal of Industrial Psychology
/Tydskrif vir Bedryfsielkunde

Volume 28, Issue 4 2002
ABSTRACTS

Contemporary organisational change and the importance of trust

Abstract: Over the last two decades the rate of social change has been so rapid that there are those who have announced the arrival of a whole new era. For this special edition of the South African Journal of Industrial Psychology, this paper examines some of these changes, as they are unfolding over two fronts. Firstly, the extent of change in respect of the transformation of work is considered. Secondly the manner in which employees are responding to these changes is examined. These changes are then related to the phenomenon of organisational trust and the importance of organisational trust within contemporary society.

Sosiale verandering oor die afgelope twee decades het teen so 'n tempo plaasgeving dat sommige beweer dat 'n nuwe era aangebreek het. Met die oog op hierdie spesiale uitgawe van die South African Journal of Industrial Psychology / Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Bedryfsielkunde verken hierdie artikel sommige van die veranderinge soos wat dit veral op twee fronte ontvou het. Eerstens word gekyk na die omvang van die transformasie van werk. Tweedens word die wyse waarop werkers op hierdie transformasie reageer, ondersoek. Hierdie veranderinge word daarna in verband gebring met die verskynsel van vertroue in organisasies asook met die belangrikheid van sodanige vertroue in die huidige tydsgewrig.

Psychological self-portrait and individual coping in a situation of mass downsizing

Abstract: The tests presented are based on individual analyses in a case study. They show the psychological self-portrait of an individual in a situation of corporate changes and how this self-image influences a person's capacity to manage in such situations. The results obtained prove that the individual's psychological self-portrait changes in relation to changing situations. The anticipation of one's redundancy undermines one's sense of individual identity and the stability of the employee's professional and personal life. A comparison of the self-portraits of people examined in two stages with their preventive behaviours proves the existence of a very close interdependence between the two.

Die toetse wat voorgelê word, is gebaseer op individuele ontledings in 'n gevallestudie. Die toetse toon die sielkundige selfportret van 'n individu in 'n situasie van korporatiewe veranderinge en hoe hierdie selfbeeld 'n persoon se kapasiteit om die situasie te hanteer, beïnvloed. Die resultate bevestig dat 'n individu se selfportret verander in verhouding tot veranderde situasies. Die antisipering van aflegging ondermyn 'n person se waarde van individuele identiteit en stabiliteit, van die person se professionele en persoonlike lewe. 'n Vergelyking van die selfportrette van persone, in twee fases van hul verdedigende gedrag, bewys die onstaan van 'n baie noue verwantskap.

An evaluation of the facilitators of trustworthiness

Abstract: Recent changes in the nature of work initiated by the emerging "post-industrial" society have rekindled a multidisciplinary interest in trust. In view of these developments the issue of intra-organisational trust is addressed in terms of a model of trust. The validity of an aspect of this model, in respect of the proposed facilitators of trustworthiness, is empirically tested in a South African financial institution. Results of this test are then compared with the results of a similar and recent study also undertaken in a South Africa context.

Onlangse veranderinge in die aard van werk wat voortspruit uit die opkomende nywerheidwese, het 'n multidissiplinêre belangstelling in vertroue tot gevolg gehad. In die lig hiervan is die kwessie van 'n interdissiplinêre vertroue as model vir vertroue ondersoek. Die geldigheid, as oogmerk van hierdie model ten opsigte van die voorgenome aanbieders van vertrouenswaardighed, is aan 'n proefondervindinglike toets onderwerp in 'n Suid- Afrikaanse finansiële instelling. Die uitslae van hierdie toets word vergelyk met die resultate van 'n soortgelyke onlangse studie wat ook in Suid-Afrikaanse verband onderneem is.

The impact of organisational restructuring on perceptions of trustworthiness

Abstract: An opportunity recently arose in a South African organisation currently undergoing drastic structural changes to assess the effects of these changes on the trust relationship between employees and those to whom these employees report. Two studies form the focus of this article. The first one was undertaken prior to the announcement of the restructuring programme. Some 13 months after the restructuring was announced and 10 months after it had commenced, a similar study focusing on trust was undertaken. In this paper the major findings of the two studies on the trust relationship in the organisation are compared.

Die geleentheid het onlangs ontstaan om die effek van hierdie veranderinge op die vertrouensverhouding tussen werknemers en diegene aan wie hulle rapporteer binne 'n Suid-Afrikaanse organisasie wat tans drastiese strukturele veranderinge ondergaan, te beoordeel. Hierdie artikel fokus op twee studies. Die eerste een is onderneem net voor die aankondiging van die herstruktureringsprogram. Ongeveer 13 maande na die herstrukturering aangekondig is en tien maande na dit 'n aanvang geneem het, is 'n soortgelyke studie oor die vertrouensverhouding onderneem. In hierdie artikel word die belangrikste bevindings van die twee studies met betrekking tot die vertrouensverhouding vergelyk en die resultate bespreek.

The impact of leader behaviour on trust in management and co-workers

Den Hartog, Deanne N.; Schippers, Michaela C.; Koopman, Paul L.

Abstract: Within organizations, trust is essential for cooperation. One important form of trust is employees' generalizing of trust in management and co-workers. Leaders may have an important role in enhancing such trust. Previous studies have linked transformational leadership with employees' trust in their leader. In this study, we test whether such leadership is also related to trust in generalized others (management and co-workers). As expected, trust in the leader and management were highly positively related to transformational and less so to transactional. The same pattern was found for trust in colleagues, although these relationships were less strong.

Vertroue is onontbeerlik vir samewerking in organisasies. Een vorm van vertroue wat belangrik is, is werknemers se veralgemening van vertroue in bestuur en medewerkers. Bestuur mag 'n belangrike rol hê om dié vertroue te versterk. Vorige studies het transformasieleierskap gekoppel aan werknemers se vertroue in hul bestuurder. In hierdie studie word getoets of transformasieleierskap 'n verband toon met die veralgemening van vertroue (bestuur en medewerkers). Soos verwag, het vertroue in die leier en vertroue in medewerkers 'n hoogs positiewe verband getoon met transformasieleierskap. Dieselfde patroon het voorgekom by vertroue in medewerkers, alhoewel die verhouding minder sterk is.

Trust and its relations to commitment and involvement in work and organisations

Abstract: There are two perspectives on trust: personal and systems trust. This paper focuses on personal trust. The purpose of the paper is to analyse the relationship between personal trust in organisations on the one hand and organisational commitment and job and work involvement on the other hand. This is done against the background of four hypotheses. They refer to the difference between affective and instrumental commitment - stating that personal trust correlates with affective but not instrumental commitment - and to the difference between job and work involvement - stating that personal trust correlates with job but not work involvement. These hypotheses are tested with data from four studies in different areas of work (office work, management, nursing of the elderly, health care). Using partial correlation and canonical correlation analysis, the hypotheses about commitment can be confirmed in total while the results for involvement are only partially in accordance with the hypotheses.

Daar is twee perspektiewe oor vertroue: persoonlike en stelsel vertroue. Hierdie artikel fokus op persoonlike vertroue. Die doel van die artikel is om die verwantskap tussen persoonlike vertroue in organisasies aan die een kant en organisasie-verbintenis en pos - en werkbetrokkenheid aan die ander kant te ontleed. Dit word gedoen teen die agtergrond van vier hipotesese. Hulle verwys na die verskil tussen affektiewe en instrumentele verbintennisse - beklemtoning dat persoonlike vertroue korreleer met affektiewe maar nie instrumentele verbetenis - die verskil tussen pos en werkbetrokkenheid - beklemtoning dat persoonlike vertroue korreleer met pos maar nie werkbetrokkenheid. Hierdie hipotesese word getoets aan die hand van data van vier studies in verskillende werksareas (kantoor, bestuur, verpleging van bejaardes en gesondheidsorg). Deur gebruik te maak van parallelle korrelasies en kanonieke korrelasie-ontleidings, kan die hipotese met betrekking tot verbintenis in die geheel bevestig word terwyl die resultate van betrokkenheid slegs gedeeltelik bevestig word, soos gestel in die hipotesese.

Trust and organisational change: an experience from manufacturing

Abstract: The introduction of new working practices in manufacturing organisations often highlight increased interdependencies and subsequently a heightened need for trust. The paper presents a study which monitors trust in an organisation that has introduced two such practices, namely team working and Just-In-Time. The study examines trust at a variety of levels at the organisation, over 21 months. It follows the progression of the new working practices, employing a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. The results show that significant changes in trust occur over time. Further, benefits and consequences of trust to the new working practices are detailed.

Die inwerkingstelling van nuwe werkspraktyke in vervaardigingsorganisasies beklemtoon dikwels 'n verhoogde interafhanklikheid en gevolglik 'n verskerpte behoefte aan vertroue. Hierdie artikel bespreek die monitering van vertroue in 'n organisasie wat twee projekte geïmplementeer het, naamlik spanwerk en net-betydse werk. Die studie ondersoek vertroue oor 'n periode van 21 maande, in 'n verskeidenheid van vlakke in die organisasie. Dit volg die ontwikkeling van nuwe werkspraktyke deur 'n kombinasie van kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe metodes. Die resultate toon dat betekenisvolle verskille in vertroue oor tyd plaasvind. Die voordele en gevolge van die nuwe werkspraktyke op vertroue word ook bespreek.

Trust as a factor in determining how to attract, motivate and retain talent

Abstract: The aim of this study was to validate a questionnaire that can be used to determine how employees select the best company to work for. The second focus was to determine the role of trust in a relationship where employers must attract, motivate and retain employees. The confirmatory factor analysis resulted in 10 dimensions that supported most of the theoretically constructed dimensions. A second-order factor analysis was done and it became clear that there are two second-order factors underlying factor 1, namely leadership and trust. A strong correlation was found between trust and the dimensions of job satisfaction, relationships and leadership.

Die doel van die studie was om 'n vraelys te valideer wat gebruik kon word om te bepaal hoe werknemers die beste organisasie om voor te werk kies. Die tweede fokus was om die rol van vertroue te bepaal in 'n vertrouensverhouding waar werkgewers werknemers moet lok, motiveer en behou. 'n Bevestigende faktorontleding het tien faktore tot gevolg gehad wat die meeste van die teoreties opgestelde dimensies ondersteun. 'n Tweede-orde-faktorontleding van faktor een het aangetoon dat die faktor uit twee tweede-orde-faktore, leierskap en vertroue bestaan. 'n Sterk korrelasie het voorgekom tussen vertroue en die dimensies van postevredenheid, verhoudinge en leierskap.

An organisational culture model to promote creativity and innovation

Abstract: The aim of the study was to determine what type of organisational culture would support creativity and innovation in an organisation. A new model was developed and compared with the theoretical model. Similarities, differences and new perspectives emerged. The factors trust relationship, working environment, management support and customer orientation on an operational level presented shifts in emphasis in the new model. The trust relationship in particular indicated that trust manifests in openness and sincerity. Trust influences both employee support for change and the probability of successful change, which influence the degree to which creativity and innovation are stimulated and promoted.

Die doel van die studie was om te bepaal watter tipe organisasiekultuur kreatiwiteit en innovasie in 'n organisasie sal stimuleer. 'n Nuwe model is ontwikkel en met die teoretiese model vergelyk. Ooreenkomste, verskille en nuwe perspektiewe het aan die lig gekom. Die faktore vertrouensverhouding, werkomgewing, bestuursondersteuning en kliëntegeoriënteerdheid op 'n operasionele vlak was klemverskuiwings in die nuwe model. Spesifiek die vertrouensverhouding het daarop gedui dat vertroue manifesteer in openlikheid en opregtheid. Vertroue beïnvloed beide werknemers se steun vir verandering en die waarskynlikheid van suksesvolle verandering, wat die mate waarin kreatiwiteit en innovasie gestimuleer en bevorder word, sal beïnvloed.