The impact of positive organisational factors on the career success of black employees in the South African work environment: An exploratory study

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study is rooted in career psychology with implications for career management. Inaddition, the study draws from various fields including the positive organisationalbehaviour paradigm. The underlying assumption of this study is that certainorganisational and individual factors influence the experience of subjective careersuccess amongst black employees in the South African work environment. In order toevaluate this assumption an attempt was made to gain an understanding of theantecedents of subjective career success. An overview of the literature led theresearcher to the conclusion that transformational leadership, job resources,supportive organisational climate, psychological empowerment, and psychologicalcapital (PsyCap), could be regarded as antecedents of subjective career success.Based on the literature, a theoretical model was developed that portrays a sequentialprocess within which the identified variables play roles that vary in salience,depending on the stage in the sequential process.A mixed-methods research design was employed to guide the investigation. Morespecifically, the study consisted of a qualitative strand, followed by two quantitativestrands. In the qualitative strand (Phase 1), a semi-structured interview was used toobtain information about the factors influencing career success from 30 blackemployees in white-collar jobs from three different South African organisations. Thepurpose of the qualitative strand was two-fold, firstly to seek confirmation that theinstruments utilised covered the most salient issues. Secondly, to obtain guidance onhow to supplement constructs that were not adequately covered, before continuingwith the subsequent quantitative strands. The outcome of Phase 1 provided evidenceof sufficient coverage of the variables as based on the literature review. However, itwas decided to add three questions to the job resources measuring instrument, aswell as two items to the supportive organisational climate instrument.During both the quantitative strands, survey research was used. To facilitate thecollection of data during the survey research, an electronic web-based questionnaire was compiled. Standardised questionnaires were utilised to measure each of the tenconstructs.The purpose of Phase 2 was to pilot test the composite questionnaire. A total of 220usable questionnaires were analysed during Phase 2 with regard to the psychometricproperties associated with each of the constructs. Evidence of the psychometricproperties was obtained by means of internal consistency, confirmatory andexploratory factor analysis. All the instruments used in Phase 2 had acceptablereliabilities and goodness-of-fit, with the exception of the psychological capitalinstrument (PCQ). More specifically, less than satisfactory reliability coefficients wereobserved for resilience (α= .60) and optimism (α= .48). On the basis of this, nochanges were made to the content of the instruments for use in Phase 3. Howeverassumptions about the factorial structure of the job resources scale had to berevisited. The outcome of Phase 2 was a set of reliable and valid measuringinstruments that could be used with confidence.The purpose of Phase 3 was to evaluate thirteen propositions guiding the currentstudy. A total of 418 usable questionnaires were analysed during Phase 3. DuringPhase 3, further confirmation was found that all the instruments used had acceptablereliabilities, as well as goodness-of-fit. In addition, correlation analysis, step-wisemultiple regression and structural equation modelling (variance and covariance-based)were employed.All the independent variables were significantly related to the dependent variable,subjective career success, except for objective career success (past). Job resources,psychological capital and supportive organisational climate, however, were the onlysignificant predictors of career success. In order to evaluate the appropriateness ofthe proposed sequential model, both variance and covariance-based structuralequation modelling were used.Model exploration was facilitated by the use of variance-based structural equationmodelling. Both non-significant paths, as well as significant, but weak paths, were removed during the exploration process. The covariance-based approach allowed theutilisation of modification indices to arrive at an optimal model. A model consisting ofonly the significant paths were subjected to covariance-based structural equationmodelling.The modification indices suggested adding three direct paths between subjectivecareer success and transformational leadership, job resources, as well as supportiveorganisational climate. However, in the optimal model, the direct path betweentransformational leadership and subjective career success was excluded due to notbeing statistically significant. In the optimal model all the proposed paths weresignificant. Acceptable goodness-of-fit was obtained for this optimal model. Theresults of Phase 3 provided evidence supporting the majority of the thirteenpropositions that guided the current study.With the unique combination of variables, this study can be seen as making acontribution to the existing theory and literature by explicating the interrelationshipsbetween transformational leadership, job resources, supportive organisationalclimate, psychological empowerment, psychological capital (PsyCap), and subjectivecareer success. The researcher made recommendations for future research, as wellas for scientific and practical interventions regarding the development of subjectivecareer success.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University