Scielo RSS http://www.scielo.org.za/rss.php?pid=2071-076320230001&lang=en vol. 49 num. 1 lang. en http://www.scielo.org.za/img/en/fbpelogp.gif http://www.scielo.org.za http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2071-07632023000100001&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en ORIENTATION: Meaning is not a concept whose significance needs to be debated anymore. Rather, the meaning of meaning is a concept that needs more clarity to improve its understanding. RESEARCH PURPOSE: In this paper, the construct of meaning is deconstructed to develop a lexicon of the respective meanings of meaning, especially as they apply to the domain of work. MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY: Descriptions of the various meanings of meaning tend to be lost across many different journal articles and books. More clarity regarding the meanings of meaning and how they compare and relate with each other is essential to promote valid research and influential practice in this field. RESEARCH APPROACH/DESIGN AND METHOD: Theoretical research is conducted through a literature study and the meanings of meaning are determined through theory synthesis and topical analyses. MAIN FINDINGS: Meaning is a multidimensional construct, especially as it applies to the work context. The concept of meaning in life is distinct and should be distinguished from related concepts, such as the meaning of work, meaning at work, meaning in work, and meaningful work. PRACTICAL/MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS: By clarifying meanings of meaning, the lexicon provides a unique reference work for scholars, and an essential guide for practitioners in the fields of psychology, industrial and organisational psychology, and even psychiatry, who aspire to advance and promote meaningfulness in their work contexts. CONTRIBUTION/VALUE-ADD: As far as could be established, this is the first lexicon of the meanings of meaning in one easy-to-use compendium, for accurate comparison and reference. http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2071-07632023000100002&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en ORIENTATION: This study was positioned within the field of positive psychology, specifically positive organisational behaviour scholarship (POBS). RESEARCH PURPOSE: The aim of the research was to investigate the relationship between psychological capital (PsyCap), employees' innovative thinking and their innovative behaviour. MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY: Psychological capital has been associated with many positive organisational behaviour outcomes, but relatively little previous research has addressed the relationship between PsyCap and innovation in South Africa. In a similar vein, there is much interest in the Innovator's DNA model, but it too has received little research scrutiny. Combining these variables into a single model, provided an opportunity to address both these research gaps. RESEARCH APPROACH/DESIGN AND METHOD: The research design was quantitative in nature. The model of innovative behaviour was tested on a sample of 485 employees from the travel and automotive industries in South Africa. MAIN FINDINGS: The model of innovative behaviour was mostly supported by the data. Significant relationships between PsyCap, innovators' DNA (innovative thinking) and innovative behaviour were found. PRACTICAL/MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS: The characteristics that underpin both PsyCap and innovative thinking have been shown in previous research to be malleable and trainable. The current research found that both these variables contributed significantly to the variance in innovative thinking. Managers seeking employees who engage in innovative behaviours would do well to spend time and effort in the training and development of both PsyCap and innovative thinking. CONTRIBUTION/VALUE-ADD: This study contributes to the limited amount of research on employee innovative behaviour in South Africa. Specifically, the study established a link between employees' cognitive skills, psychological skills and innovative behaviour. http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2071-07632023000100003&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en ORIENTATION: Public health challenges affect doctors' motivation, retention and service delivery. Understanding their quality of work life will shed light on managing the impact of these challenges. RESEARCH PURPOSE: This study aimed to construct an understanding of oncology doctors' quality of work life in a public hospital. MOTIVATION OF THE STUDY: Variability in conceptualising quality of work life points to the need for context-specific research to address unique work challenges and employee motivation. Quality of work life is especially relevant in public healthcare oncology units, where job demands are high and resources to support quality medical services are low. RESEARCH APPROACH/DESIGN AND METHOD: The study followed a hermeneutic phenomenological approach and qualitative design. Data were gathered from nine oncology doctors using virtual, semi-structured interviews and analysed through interpretive phenomenological analysis. MAIN FINDINGS: Findings highlight the need to address lower-order needs (hygiene factors) to manage contextual limitations and work-life balance challenges that hamper the quality of work life experience. Higher-order needs (motivational factors) help participants to deal with hygiene factors and facilitate quality of work life. Doctors' career identity supports their coping in this context and is reflected in commitment to meaningful work and achievement drive. PRACTICAL/MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS: A holistic quality of work life approach directed at managing lower and higher order needs is proposed, with policies and interventions to ameliorate doctors' quality of work life experience. CONTRIBUTION/VALUE-ADD: The research contributes to the body of knowledge on quality of work life, especially in public health. Recommendations aim to enhance doctors' motivation and retention in public hospitals, in view of quality patient care. http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2071-07632023000100004&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en ORIENTATION: More than two and a half decades into South Africa's democracy, the majority of the country's learners receive low-quality school education, adversely affecting upward social mobility. Ensuring quality education for all South Africans requires a combined approach of equitable resource allocation and effective school leadership that transforms resources into educational outcomes. RESEARCH PURPOSE: The objective of the study was to develop a behavioural competency framework for school principals. MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY: While past studies highlight school leadership and management to be pivotal in the establishment and maintenance of well-performing schools, less is known about the behavioural competencies required by school principals. RESEARCH APPROACH AND METHOD: Guided by a synthesis of literature on school management, critical incident interviews were conducted with a sample of 10 school principals with good track records. The salience of the literature-derived competencies was established, and the content supplemented by contextualising the competencies with specific behavioural denotations from the interviews. MAIN FINDINGS: Eleven key competencies emerged from the data: creating a school vision and setting strategic direction, setting goals and expectations, developing school staff, influencing and communicating, resourcing strategically, leading with compassion, maintaining a student-centred learning environment, making decisions, managing self, managing teaching and learning, and leading across school boundaries MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS: The competencies identified provide a blueprint to guide human resource management interventions aimed at establishing effective school leadership. CONTRIBUTION: The study provides a rich source of information about critical school principal behaviours, explored from an integrated perspective that acknowledges the school context. http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2071-07632023000100005&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en ORIENTATION: Leaders need goodness-of-fit with the context in which they are leading, and coaching is considered an effective strategy to achieve this. RESEARCH PURPOSE: To critically problematise current dominant coaching strategies in terms of their underlying worldviews, in order to assess their potential effectiveness and relevance in enhancing context‒leadership goodness-of-fit, given the emerging context faced by leaders. MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY: The current ever-changing context of leaders requires different thinking, including with regard to coaching. The framework of the coaching landscape, with its associated building blocks, provides the conceptual framework for the review of current coaching strategies. Three dominant worldviews that have historically influenced the thinking in social sciences are employed in this review, namely Newtonian, general systems theory and complexity or chaos (second-order systemic thinking). RESEARCH APPROACH/DESIGN AND METHOD: This was a critical conceptual study aimed at problematising the worldviews informing the currently dominant coaching strategies. MAIN FINDINGS: The problematising of the worldviews underlying the dominant coaching strategies revealed that these strategies are not always informed by a worldview congruent with that demanded by the qualities and features of the world that leaders currently face. There is a pressing need for a coaching strategy informed by a complexity or chaos (second-order systemic) worldview, which better meets the emerging contextual demands and requirements imposed on leaders in practice PRACTICAL/MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS: A different coaching strategy, called systemic coaching, is proposed. CONTRIBUTION/VALUE-ADD: The proposed systemic coaching strategy is highly suitable to bringing about improved goodness-of-fit between the leader and the emerging context. http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2071-07632023000100006&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en ORIENTATION: Personality and emotion-related predispositions cause individuals to respond differently to environmental stressors, resulting in different wellness outcomes. RESEARCH PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the mediating role of positive coping behaviour in the association between trait emotional intelligence and flourishing. MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY: Research shows that emotionally intelligent people experience higher subjective well-being and psychological functioning. Yet, few studies have examined the pathway through which trait emotional intelligence leads to improved well-being, especially in times of uncertainty and change. RESEARCH APPROACH/DESIGN AND METHOD: A cross-sectional survey design was used to collect quantitative data from a convenience sample of knowledge workers in South Africa. The participants' self-evaluations were measured using the Assessing Emotional Scale, the Positive Coping Behaviour Inventory and the Flourishing Scale. Statistical analyses included the use of descriptive statistics, the assessment of model fit, the evaluation of bivariate correlations and mediation analyses. MAIN FINDINGS: The results show that the significant association between trait emotional intelligence and flourishing is attributable to the positive coping behaviour capabilities of emotionally intelligent individuals. PRACTICAL/MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS: In a work environment characterised by the unknown and unpredictable, organisations should remain focused on enhancing employees' emotion-related abilities and personal psychosocial resources. CONTRIBUTION/VALUE-ADD: By focusing on the mediating role of positive coping behaviours in the relationship between trait emotional intelligence and flourishing, this study contributes to existing knowledge regarding the pathway through which specific dispositional characteristics influence well-being outcomes at work. http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2071-07632023000100007&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en ORIENTATION: The study attempted to establish the role played by different perceived corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities on the organisational commitment of employees. RESEARCH PURPOSE: To investigate the nomological network of variables playing a role in the relationship between Perceived CSR and Affective Commitment. MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY: Understanding the contribution of perceived corporate social responsibility to the organisational commitment of employees could inform managerial attempts to facilitate positive employee attitudes. RESEARCH APPROACH/DESIGN AND METHODS: The current study utilised structural equation modelling to evaluate the hypothesised multivariate causal relationships in the proposed model. A convenience sample of 172 employees of a consumer goods company completed several questionnaires, including measures of Affective Commitment, Perceived CSR, Organisational Social Identity, Perceived Organisational Justice, Psychological Contract, as well as three cultural value orientations. MAIN FINDINGS: The most significant finding of the study was the positive relationship between Perceived CSR and Affective Commitment. The results revealed that Perceived CSR has a positive impact on Perceived Organisational Justice and fulfilment of the Relational Psychological Contract. Both variables impacted on Organisational Social Identity, which was positively related to Affective Commitment. PRACTICAL/MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS: Organisations should ensure that employees are made aware of their CSR policies and activities through corporate communication. Organisations should also invest their resources in dealing with social problems that are regarded as important by employees and engage in fair human resource practices.. CONTRIBUTION/VALUE-ADD: Engagement in CSR activities could help retain and attract talented candidates and increase commitment and identification with the organisation. http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2071-07632023000100008&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en ORIENTATION: Organisations are facing several challenges pertaining to effective leadership, fairness and loyalty of employees. The moderating influence of transformational leadership (TL) on the relationship between justice and employee commitment is still largely unknown and needs to be explored further, especially within the customer service industry. RESEARCH PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between organisational justice and employee commitment and to examine the moderating effect of TL on the relationship between organisational justice and employee commitment in a customer service organisation. MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY: The research setting of this study is a customer service organisation. This organisation calls for a role model leadership approach, such as TL, to create a just, fair workplace and ultimately increase the level of employee commitment. RESEARCH APPROACH/DESIGN AND METHOD: A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was used to collect the data from a sample of 111 permanently employed staff in a South African customer service organisation. MAIN FINDINGS: The findings indicate that TL had a significant positive relationship with organisational justice and employee commitment. Furthermore, the results indicate that TL moderated the relationship between organisational justice and employee commitment PRACTICAL/MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS: The findings showed that TL could be vital as an effective leadership approach that can enhance justice perceptions and psychological attachment in the workplace. CONTRIBUTION/VALUE-ADD: This study contributes to the theoretical debate on TL, workplace fairness and psychological attachment by providing empirical support on the effect of TL on the relationship between justice and commitment perceptions. http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2071-07632023000100009&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en ORIENTATION: Faced with high contextual dynamics, organisational leaders are looking to resilience as a resource to help their employees manage their well-being as they adapt to the changes. Appreciating the complementary resource streams that help employees adapt or transform the context is an urgent priority. RESEARCH PURPOSE: Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, the study evaluated the moderating role of political skill in the relationship between work engagement and resilience at work. MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY: The quality of the employees' personal and social resources at work could explain the degree to which they move beyond mere adaptation to thriving. RESEARCH APPROACH/DESIGN AND METHODS: The data collected from a convenient sample of over 200 individuals were used to construct a hierarchical multiple regression model. MAIN FINDINGS: There was a significant association between work engagement and resilience at work. The interaction term between work engagement and political skill accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in resilience at work. PRACTICAL/MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS: The result suggests that work engagement and political skill act in an integrative way to replenish adaptive resources at work. Organisational leaders must inculcate and nurture cultures that promote these complementary capabilities if they are to enjoy adaptive advantages. These capabilities are learnable and, hence, developable. CONTRIBUTION/VALUE-ADD: The study model deepens our understanding of the integrative mechanisms that nourish employee resiliency.