Llewellyn Ellardus Van Zyl

A Strengths-Based Approach Towards Coaching in a Multicultural Environment

The purpose of this chapter was to develop a strengths-based coaching model conducive to a multicultural environment. The model integrates a psycho-existential, positive psychology and person-centered approach (PCA) to provide an ecosystemic view of human nature. The approach focuses on enhancing, predicting and utilising individual strengths and on its various underlying constructs (e.g. happiness, resilience and meaning in work) in order to enhance individual performance and facilitate well-being. A meta-theoretical literature review was used in order to develop a ten-phase strengths-based model for workplace and executive coaching. This chapter focuses on the coaching process.

The relationship between employment equity perceptions and psychological ownership in a South African mining house : the role of ethnicity

Psychological ownership is a cognitive–affective construct based on individuals’ feelings of possessiveness towards and of being psychologically tied/attached to objects that are material (e.g. tools or work) and immaterial (e.g. ideas or workspace) in nature. Research suggests that psychological ownership could be influenced by various individual, organisational and contextual factors. The South African Employment Equity Act, which was implemented to grant equitable opportunities to previously disadvantaged employees, could be a significant contextual factor affecting psychological ownership, due to perceptions associated with inequality. Ethnicity may also act as a moderator for the relationship between perceptions of employment equity and psychological ownership. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between employment equity perceptions and psychological ownership and to explore whether ethnicity plays a moderating role in the relationship. A cross-sectional survey design was employed with a purposeful sample of 202 respondents employed in a large South African mining house. Pearson product–moment correlations and structural equation modelling confirmed that employment equity perceptions could predict the five components of psychological ownership. However, the results revealed that ethnicity has no moderating effect on the relationship between perceptions of employment equity and the emergence of psychological ownership. By implication, organisations that seek to retain employees targeted through equity initiatives need to find ways to enhance and develop the psychological ownership of these employees. The research contributes new insights into and knowledge of how contextual factors could influence employees’ psychological ownership.

Flourishing Interventions: A Practical Guide to Student Development

This chapter presents a practical guide for the development of flourishing students. Flourishing is defined as a positive psychological state characterised by positive emotions, engagement, positive relationships, meaning and accomplishments with various positive work/life outcomes (Seligman, Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being, 2011). Within an academic setting, recent research has alluded to the relationship between flourishing students and academic performance (Van Zyl and Rothmann, Journal of Psychology in Africa 22(3), 2012). Howell (Journal of Positive Psychology 4(1):1–13, 2009) found that flourishing students were less likely to procrastinate, had higher levels of self-control, adopted a mastery-approach towards their goals and reported higher levels of academic performance. Further, Seligman (Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being, 2011) argued that flourishing students has a higher probability to experience fruitful and rewarding careers. Therefore, it is imperative to equip students with the necessary skills to enhance flourishing early in their academic careers. This chapter aims to present the theoretical implications of flourishing as well as to provide a practical approach towards developing flourishing students.

Towards happiness interventions: construct clarification and intervention methodologies

The aim of this study was to investigate the main streams of research on happiness, the approaches/models flowing from these philosophies and the methodology of happiness interventions. A systematic review was performed outlining the authors, the purpose of the research, the nature of the sample/setting, the method utilised and the key findings. Peer-reviewed articles published between 1950 and 2013, written in English/Afrikaans, and which examined the concepts of happiness were analysed. The results showed three causes for failing interventions: (a) unidimensional models/ approaches towards happiness, (b) targeting the concept of happiness instead of mediating factors; and (c) fragmented methodological interventions. The results support the need for a multidimensional model of happiness. Interventions focusing on psychological processes and utilising multi-facet methodologies should be developed and implemented to promote happiness. This study contributes to the existing literature by providing an integrative framework for positive psychological interventions directed at happiness.

Beyond smiling: the evaluation of a positive psychological intervention aimed at student happiness

The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a positive psychological intervention (PPI) aimed at increasing happiness of students in a tertiary educational institution. A convenience sample (n = 20) was drawn from the entire population of academic third year students in the field of Industrial/Organisational psychology (n = 109). The majority of the participants were Sesotho speaking (45%), black (95%), female (90%), and 21 years of age (45%). A single group pre-, post-, and post-post-test design was used. The PPI stretched across eight months and was presented in two phases: (a) a three day self-development workshop and (b) six sessions of individual coaching. The intervention focused on facilitating development on two levels, namely a psychological (engagement, meaning, person-environment fit, autonomy, competence, relatedness and authenticity), and emotional (pleasure, affect balance and life satisfaction) level. Data were collected using the Satisfaction with Life Scale, Positive and Negative Affect Scale, Orientations to Happiness Questionnaire, Basic Psychological Needs Scale, the Authentic Self Inventory and Person-Environment Fit scale. The results indicated that the overall happiness of a student increased through developing individuals on both an emotional and psychological level. The PPI affected all the aspects conceptualised in this study, except for two components of authenticity. Therefore, a multi-dimensional approach towards PPIs aimed at happiness of students in a tertiary educational environment may contribute to happy students.

South African Journal of Industrial Psychology : Annual editorial overview 2014

The annual overview of the two 2014 editions (volumes 40[1/2]) of the South African Journal of Industrial Psychology (SAJIP) evaluates the scholarly contributions of the publications in terms of the focus and scope of the journal and outlines the evolution of the SAJIP since the journals inception in 1974.

Theoretical orientations and practical applications of psychological ownership

This book shares the theoretical advancements that have been made regarding psychological ownership since the development of the construct and specifically the practical applications within multi-cultural and cross-cultural environments. Enriched by empirical data and case studies by subject specialists in the field, this book serves as a cutting-edge benchmark for human resource management specialists, industrial psychologists, as well as students in positive organizational psychology and professionals in other fields. This book follows an in-depth view of the most recent research trends in psychological ownership. Offering practical tools of how the psychological ownership of employees could be developed in the workplace to not only enhance the performance of organisations, but to increase the commitment of employees and influence the intentions of skilled employees to remain with their organisations.

The Future of Multi-cultural Coaching Psychology

The final chapter of this manuscript focuses on determining the future direction of multi-cultural coaching psychology for both the discipline (research) and the profession (practice). Through thematic content analysis, this chapter aimed to evaluate the 17 manuscripts submitted for this specialist book in order to provide a descriptive overview of the most frequently occurring themes relating to the future direction of coaching psychology within multi-cultural contexts. A brief overview of the research method, data analysis and findings will be presented.

Training Emerging Psychologists as Multi-cultural Contextual Coaches

Research on the education, professional training and tuition models of emerging psychologists (or ‘student psychologists’) has significantly increased during the past two to three decades (Johnson WB, Kaslow N (eds). The Oxford handbook of education and training in professional psychology. Oxford University Press, New York, 2014). Various evidence-based, practitioner-scholar-, clinical-scientist- and science-practitioner models have been developed to aid in the professional training of emerging psychologists (Bell D, Hausman EM. 3 training models in professional psychology doctoral programs. The Oxford handbook of education and training in professional psychology. Oxford University Press, New York, 2014) in order to develop competence in different practice domains such as counselling/therapy (Smith EJ. Couns Psychol 34(2):13–80, 2006), psychometric evaluation (Theron C. SA J Ind Psychol 33(1):102–117, 2007), forensic analysis (Neal TM, Brodsky SL. J Forensic Psychol Pract 14:24–44, 2014) and coaching psychology (Biswas-Diener R, Dean B. Positive psychology coaching: putting the science of happiness to work for your clients. Wiley, Hoboken, 2007). Coaching psychology has emerged as a rapidly growing practice domain (Passmore J (ed). Diversity in coaching: working with gender, culture, race and age. Kogan Page Publishers, New York, 2013) in both uni- and multi-cultural contexts (Palmer S, Whybrow A (eds). Handbook of coaching psychology: a guide for practitioners. Routledge, London), however limited scientific research exists relating to the training and development of emerging psychologists as coaches within multi-cultural environments. As such, the chapter aims to evaluate the experiences of emerging psychologists relating to an evidence-based training methodology in order to provide structured guidelines for the development of a multi-cultural coaching training programme. Through the use of an evidence-based research methodology and thematic content analysis, the chapter will present the specific strategies employed and methodologies utilized in the development of multi-cultural coaching competence of emerging psychologists as part of their formal academic training. The research method, data analysis and results will be presented followed by recommendations that flowed from the study.

Exploring Positive Psychology and Person-Centred Psychology in Multi-cultural Coaching

Positive psychology and the person centred approach have emerged as dominant perspectives utilized within multi-cultural coaching contexts owing to ‘cultural neutrality’. Eclectic theorists within coaching psychology suggest that these perspectives are mutually related and complementary both in conceptualization and application (Joseph S, Murphy D. Person-centered theory encountering mainstream psychology: Building bridges and looking to the future. In: Interdisciplinary handbook of the person-centered approach. Springer, New York, pp 213–226, 2013). Though, purists in both the positive psychological and person-centred domains argue that each paradigm is mutually exclusive, unrelated and conceptually dissimilar (Robbins, Humanist Psychol 36: 96–112, 2008). As such, this chapter is aimed at contrasting eclectic and purist theorising through examining similarities and differences between positive psychology and the person-centred approach as dominant paradigm perspectives within multi-cultural coaching. Both the positive psychological and person-centred paradigms will be presented against an eclectic multi-cultural strengths-based coaching model founded in both paradigms (cf. Van Zyl LE, Stander MW. A strengths-based approach towards coaching in a multicultural environment. In Cornelius-White JHD, Motschnig-Pitrik R, Lux M (eds) Interdisciplinary handbook of the person-centred approach. Springer, New York, pp 245–257, 2013). Through the use of connective conceptual analysis (Banicki 2011), each phase of the proposed eclectic coaching model will be explored from a positive psychological and person-centred orientation to develop a clear understanding of the essential commonalities and dissimilarities of the paradigms within the multicultural coaching context.