Creating a learning climate : a South African study

Purpose – The purpose of the study was to ascertain whether there were differences in how one public and two private South African organizations created a learning climate. Design/methodology/approach – This article is based on a survey and comparative analysis of specific departments in a chemical and gas company, an insurance company, and a semi-private state-owned organization (SPSOO) to establish dimensions that foster the creation of a learning climate. Findings –The findings indicated that management support, autonomy and responsibility, time, the opportunity to develop, and guidelines to access information were pivotal in the creation of a learning climate and varied across organizations. Research limitations/implications – The results indicated that variations across departments within each of these three organizations relating to employees’ perceptions of a learning climate were not considered. Practical implications – The study revealed that a learning climate can be created in different types of organizations through organizational, group and individual drivers. It further revealed that the strategy in creating a climate of learning should be aligned with the organization’s structure, culture and goals. Originality/value – This article makes a contribution to the literature on talent development in organizations as it indicates that different strategies can be utilized in successfully creating a learning climate in different types of organizations.http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?issn=0969-6474hb2013ff201

The establishment and early history of the South African Board for People Practices (SABPP), 1977-1991

ORIENTATION: Human resource (HR) management is recognised as a profession worldwide, especially in countries that are forerunners in the field. RESEARCH PURPOSE: The main purpose of this study is to record the historical development of HR management as a profession. This study will provide a platform for evaluating the professional standing of HR management in South Africa. MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY: The motivation for the study is to record the historical development of HR management in South Africa because this is long overdue. RESEARCH DESIGN, APPROACH AND METHOD: The researchers achieved triangulation by examining archived documents they obtained from the South African Board for People Practices (SABPP) and semi-structured interviews with five founding members of the SABPP who were involved during the whole period of the study. The founding members also verified the researchers’ interpretations of the information they obtained from the documents and the interviews. The researchers used content analysis and coding to analyse the data they obtained from the archived documents and the semi-structured interviews. MAIN FINDINGS: The history of HR management in South Africa shows that it meets the four founding pillars of professionalism. PRACTICAL/MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS: The study also gives HR professionals confidence because HR management is achieving recognition as a profession. CONTRIBUTION/VALUE-ADD: The main contribution of the study is that it has recorded the history of HR management as a profession in South Africa properly for the first time.http://www.sajhrm.ac.zanf201

The relationship between job satisfaction and locus of control in a South African call centre environment

The high levels of absenteeism and turnover that call centres across the globe experience due to employee job dissatisfaction have led to a renewed interest in the role that personality traits play in the service industry. The purpose of this study was therefore to determine the relationship between call centre agents’ job satisfaction and their locus of control orientation. A sample of 187 call centre agents from a municipality in Gauteng participated. The results of a chi-square test analysis suggested that call centre agents with an internal locus of control appear to experience significantly higher general, extrinsic and intrinsic job satisfaction compared to call centre agents with an external locus of control. The results further suggested that the male and female participants did not differ with regard to their general and intrinsic levels of job satisfaction and that participants with post-school qualifications experienced lower levels of intrinsic job satisfaction. Further research is necessary to arrive at a better understanding of the antecedents and correlates of job satisfaction in the South African call centre environment