Gbolahan Gbadamosi

HRM and the commitment rhetoric: challenges for Africa

This paper highlights some contemporary issues in the commitment research as it relates to HRM. A comparative evaluation of the meaning of commitment as espoused by academics and managers was also made. Some African empirical evidence was reported and examined with its implications for managerial practice discussed. The paper finally identifies certain contemporary issues that should be of interest for managerial practice, and, perhaps, guide future research given the realities of the African situation.

Money Ethic, Moral Conduct and Work Related Attitudes: Field Study From the Public Sector in Swaziland

Purpose This study investigates perception of ethical and moral conduct in the public sector in Swaziland, specifically, the relationship among: money ethic, attitude towards business ethics, corruption perception, turnover intention, job performance, job satisfaction, and the demographic profile of respondents. Methodology/Approach The study was a survey using self-administered questionnaires. Using stratified sampling technique in selected organisations, usable data was collected from 83 public sector employees in Swaziland. Findings Results indicated significant relationship among money ethic, attitude towards business ethics, turnover intention and job performance. The importance of money as a motivator was also demonstrated. Respondents hold that civil servants’ involvement in corruption is high and that bribery and corruption is widespread in Swaziland. Research limitations/implications The sample size was small and hence limits generalization of findings, but provides preliminary information for a larger study. The need to enrich future studies with in-depth follow-up interviews was noted. Practical implication The respondents’ perception of widespread corruption calls for a reinvigoration of government anti-graft efforts and the need to promote ethical consciousness in the country. Originality/value of paper This paper has demonstrated the importance of ethical awareness, the importance of money as a motivator and the state of corruption in another cultural setting – Swaziland.

Academic ethics: What has morality, culture and administration got to do with its measurement?

While there is no dearth of studies on ethical issues, the specific subject of examination misconduct has attracted fewer studies, especially in Africa. This study is an ongoing exploratory attempt to develop a measure of examination misconduct. Self‐administered questionnaires were used to collect data from 450 undergraduate business students of the Universities of Botswana and Swaziland. A nine‐item measure of examination misconduct was correlated with a measure of perception of business ethics, ethical value assessment and Hofstedes four dimensions of culture. The results indicated significant inter‐correlations among the variables (especially the three measures of ethics) and limited construct validity for the examination misconduct scale. The results of factor analysis suggest three factors for the emerging scale: cheating behaviour, intervention and desperation. The ethical inferences of the findings, managerial implications for university administrators and practitioners, study limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

Funding full‐time study through part‐time work

Full‐time students engaged in part‐time studies have been a subject of increasing academic attention. This study extends work in this area by examining: the extent to which full‐time undergraduate students undertake part‐time employment, the reasons for working whilst studying full‐time and the extent to which students relate their part‐time employment to full‐time study, and to their future career aspirations. The results indicated that the majority of students now undertake part‐time work, with the principal motivating factor to be financial necessity, with a smaller number seeking to gain experience to support their studies. This study has also uncovered the potential of the measuring scale developed and used. Good reliability and validity measures were reported and factor analysis indicated that the scale loaded on two factors: ‘aspirational’ (long‐term) and ‘functional’ (short‐term). The implications of findings for students, universities and employers are discussed as well as suggestions for future research direction.

Ritualism, Symbolism and Magic in Consultancy Practice: An Exploratory Investigation

Purpose – The paper is an exploratory attempt to examine the practice of management consultancy and the cultural components of rituals, symbolism and magic in Botswana. Management consultants as catalytic agents of change remain relevant in organisational life and this study aims to investigate how they are perceived and how they perform their tasks in the African context. Design/methodology/approach – In-depth unstructured interviews were conducted with seven top management consultancy firms in Botswana, who agreed to participate in the study, focusing on six key research questions. Findings – Findings revealed that the role of cultural values, while relevant, does not affect actual consultancy practice. It also establishes that consultation process is limited to mainly big organisations and government departments. The activities of consultants may be ritualistic to the extent of repetitiveness; there are also symbolic practices, there is, however, no evidence of superstitious or magical acts. Research limitations/implications – Qualitative data generally struggles with the accusation of researchers bias, while a sample size of seven consultants, certainly limits the generalisability of the findings, how much can we possibly learn from such a small size? Practical implications – The need to reposition the consultation process for long-term survival in the non-Western context by inculcating indigenous values and mores was discussed as well as other policy implications. Originality/value – The paper demonstrates the need for a re-conceptualisation of what should constitute an effective management consultancy practice in non-Western settings. Since managers are not divorced from their socio-cultural environment their mental images reflect axioms that are deeply located in the uniqueness of their cultural settings.

Should we bother improving students’ attendance at seminars?

This study uses action research intervention to improve students’ attendance at seminars. Specifically, the study asks the question: will students’ attendance improve if they drive their own learning by running their own seminars? Records of lecture and seminar attendance at a module and comparative ones were used. Focus group interviews provided additional feedback, with students in support of student-led seminars. Students identified running their own seminars as beneficial, but suggested some modifications. Findings also revealed that, relative to comparable modules, seminar attendance on this module was improved. Moreover, attendance at seminars, but not at lectures, was significantly correlated with and a significant predictor of academic performance. The article highlights ideas for future research.

The work–study nexus: the challenges of balancing full-time business degree study with a part-time job

This study examined how full-time university students cope with part-time working during term time. A qualitative approach was used to examine how students simultaneously manage the two activities, and how part-time working affects their academic study. Semi-structured interviews were used to obtain data from a sample of 30 undergraduate business students. The findings confirm that students merely satisfice many aspects of their lives, with time set aside for reading and assignment preparation being areas that are most likely to suffer in order to allow students to engage with part-time work. Possible options available to higher education institutions to adapt to, and remedy, the situation are explored in the conclusion.

Predicting charlatan behaviour in a non‐Western setting: lack of trust or absence of commitment?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify predictors of charlatan behaviour and investigate relationships among the construct and other variables like: trust in management, organisational commitment, turnover intention, supervisory support, job performance and some job characteristics in Botswana and Swaziland. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires in this survey. Usable questionnaires were received from a total of 484 respondents. Respondents were from public and private sector. Five hypotheses were tested. Findings – Result shows a strong and significant inverse relationship between charlatan behaviour and trust on the one hand and a direct significant relationship with continuance commitment on the other. Supervisory support, employee participation and goal clarity were also significantly albeit inversely correlated with charlatan behaviour but not so with all other study variables. The significant predictors of charlatan behaviour were trust in management and continuance commitment. Research limitations/implications – The predictor variables for charlatan behaviour in this study were few and the sample is heavily skewed towards the public sector. Future studies would benefit from looking at how co-worker trust and ethical behaviour scales would relate to charlatan behaviour, as well as cross-cultural and multi-cultural comparison. Practical implications – Deliberate management policies that build trust, identify and tackle charlatan behaviour during selection and performance evaluation while sustaining employee commitment is vital. So is dealing with the potential problems posed by charlatans especially the possibility of upsetting and demotivating other sincere and committed employees. Originality/value – The paper re-awakens a new task for HR practitioners and researchers: that of identifying organisational charlatans. Also striving to create sustained commitment while building trust and segregating (or incorporating where possible) charlatans.

Understanding the causes and consequences of work-family conflict: An exploratory study of Nigerian employees

Purpose – An important theme for a twenty-first century employee is a desire for work and family balance which is devoid of conflict. Drawing on detailed empirical research, the purpose of this paper is to examine the multi-faceted causes and consequences of work-family conflict (WFC) in a non-Western context (Nigeria). Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses qualitative data gleaned from the semi-structured interviews of 88 employees (44 university lecturers and 44 medical doctors) in cities in the six geo-political zones of Nigeria. Findings – The findings showed that work pressure, heavy familial duties, poor infrastructural facilities, and a lack of suitable and practicable work-family balance policies are the main causes of WFC in Nigeria. Juvenile delinquencies, broken marriages/families, and an unhappy workforce are among the grave consequences of WFC among Nigerian employees. Originality/value – This paper suggests that the availability of basic infrastructural facilities, more governmental s...

Organisational culture and TQM implementation: investigating the mediating influences of multidimensional employee readiness for change

Despite the robust evidence for the direct relationship between organisational culture (OC) and total quality management (TQM), the mechanisms underlying this relationship are not fully explored and have received little empirical attention. This paper extends prior TQM research in a novel way by building and then empirically testing a theoretical model that includes the mediating role of employee readiness for change dimensions (ERFCs) in the OC–TQM relationship. The paper adds value through its contextual originality in being one of the first studies that are conducted in Algeria; which has special ties with the EU geographically, politically and economically. The empirical data for this study was drawn by distributing a questionnaire to 226 middle managers of Algerian firms. Our findings support the mediating roles of two dimensions of ERFC, namely: self-efficacy (ERFC1) and personal valence (ERFC4) in the OC–TQM relationship. This indicates that the improvement in TQM implementation is not a direct consequence of supportive organisational culture but rather of self-efficacy and personal valence transferring the impact of group and adhocracy culture to TQM. To this effect, these results go beyond previous research and contribute significantly in explaining the underlying psychological mechanisms in the OC–TQM relationships model.