Balancing the double-edged sword of technology within a modern university workplace

  • 908 Views
  • 168 Downloads

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Globalization has influenced the identity of universities worldwide to such an extent that they have become servants for economic growth by producing scientific knowledge and highly educated graduates. In a South African (SA) dispensation, the transformation of higher education (HE) focused on restructuring the system to meet the needs of a technology-orientated economy. The latter resulted in more specialized and complex university work that was reliant on technological devices for its completion. It is on this premise that the author investigated the extent to which technological devices as a ‘job resource’ kept SA University staff constantly connected to their work life.
This study was subject to a mixed methods research design whereby three data collection instruments were used to obtain both quantitative and qualitative data, which were combined via triangulation of factor analysis and theme identification. Purposive sampling included both academic and non-academic staff from a selected SA university. Stemming from the results, it became apparent that problematic merger issues led to inadequate workspaces, job resources and IT network. Consequently, staff were experiencing occupational stressors related to work overload and inadequate job resources, which perpetuated staffs’ work-life transcending into their personal life, as they were constantly plugged into their technological devices to complete job tasks.

view full abstract hide full abstract
    • Figure 1. Talents utilized
    • Figure 2. Concentration
    • Figure 3. Workspace
    • Figure 4. Working equipment
    • Figure 5. Equipment availability
    • Table 1. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for employee wellness factor 2: wellness working environment
    • Aikins, D. (2010). The modern workforce. People Dynamics, 16, January.
    • Amos, T. L., Ristow, A., Ristow, L., & Pearse, N. J. (2008). Human Resource Management (3rd ed.). Cape Town: Juta and Co. Ltd., pp. 174-175.
    • Anonymous. (2011b). Stress: how much more can we take? Sunday Times: Business Times Money & Careers, 5, November 13.
    • Armour, R. A., Caffarella, R. S., Fuhrmann, B. S., & Wergin, J. F. (1987). Academic burnout: Faculty responsibility and institutional climate. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 29, 3-11.
    • Association of University Teachers (2003). Survey of members. London: AUT.
    • Babbie, E., & Mouton, J. (2001). The practice of social research. Cape Town: Oxford University Press, 28 p.
    • Barkhuizen, E. N., Rothmann, S., & Tytherleigh, M. Y. (2004). Burnout of academic staff in a higher education institutions. Paper presented at the 2nd South African Wellness Conference. Potchefstroom, March 2004.
    • Barkhuizen, N., & Rothmann, S. (2005). Occupational stress of academic staff in South African higher education institutions (Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, North-West University, Potchefstroom), pp. 84-87.
    • Becher, T., & Trowler, P. R. (2001). Academic tribes and territories (2nd ed.). Buckingham: SRHE & Open University Press.
    • Bellamy, S., Morley, C., & Watty, K. (2003). Why business academics remain in Australian Universities despite deteriorating working conditions and reduced job satisfaction: an intellectual puzzle. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 25, 13-28.
    • Bezuidenhout, A., & Cilliers, F. V. N. (2010). Burnout, work engagement and sense of coherence in female academics in higher education institutions in South Africa. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology / SA Tydskif vir Bedryfsielkunde, 36(1), 10.
    • Blix, A. G., Cruise, R. J., Mitchell, B. M., & Blix, G. G. (1994). Occupational stress among university teachers. Educational Research, 36, 157-169.
    • Boyd, S., & Wylie, C. (1994). Workload and stress in New Zealand Universities. Wellington: New Zealand Council for Educational Research and the Association of University staff of New Zealand.
    • Coetzee, S. E., & Rothmann, S. (2004). An adapted model of burnout for employees at a higher education institution in South Africa. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology / SA Tydskif vir Bedryfsielkunde, 30(3), 29-40.
    • Cross, G., & Carroll, D. (1990). Goodwill under stress: morale in UK universities. London: Association of University Teachers.
    • Currie, J., & Newson, J. (1998). Universities and globalization: critical perspectives. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
    • Daniels, K., & Guppy, A. (1994). An exploratory study of stress in a British university. Higher Education Quarterly, 48, 135-144.
    • De Vos, A. S., Strydom, H., Fouche, C. B., & Delport, C. S. L. (2013). Research at grass roots for the social sciences and human service professionals (4th ed.). Pretoria, South Africa: Van Schaik Publishers, pp. 435-436.
    • Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., Nachreiner, F., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2001). The job demands – resourced model of burnout. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 499-512.
    • Dhobale, R. S. (2009). Stress management training: a boon to employee wellness! The Icfai University Journal of Soft Skills, 3(1), 39-44.
    • Donaldson, S. I. (1993). Effects of lifestyle and stress on the employee and organization: implications for promoting health at work. Anxiety, stress, and coping: An International Journal, 6(3), 155-177.
    • Doyle, C., & Hind, P. (1998). Occupational stress, burnout and jobs status in female academics. Gender, Work and Organizations, 5, 67-82.
    • Dubrin, A. J. (1994). Applying psychology: individual and organizational effectiveness (4th ed.). Englewoods Cliff, NJ: Prentice Hall, pp. 180-184.
    • Dubrin, A. J. (2004). Human Relations: Interpersonal, Job – oriented skills (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, pp. 318-320.
    • Fittogether (2004). Workplace Wellness Toolkit.
    • Gillespie, N. A., Walsh, M., Winefield, A. H., Dua, S. J., & Stough, C. (2001). Occupational stress in universities: staff perceptions of the causes, consequences and moderators of stress. Work & Stress, 15, 53-72.
    • Greenberg, J., & Baron, R. A. (1995). Behavior in organizations: understanding and managing the human side of work (5th ed.). Trenton, NJ: Prentice Hall, 250 p.
    • Grinnell, R. M., & Unrau, Y. A. (2008). Social work research and evaluation: foundations of evidence-based practice. New York: Oxford University Press, 153 p.
    • Grinnell, R. M., & Williams, M. (1990). Research in social work: a primer. Itasca, IL: Peacock, 127 p.
    • Homburg, C., Fassnacht, M., & Guenther, C. (2000). The role of soft factors in implementing a service-orientated strategy in industrial marketing companies (Unpublished ISBM report 18). Mannheim: University of Mannheim.
    • Huysamen, G. K. (1991). Steekproefgroottes in plaaslik gepubliseerde psigologiese navorsing [Sample sizes in locally published psychology research]. Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Sielkunde, 21(3), 183-190.
    • Janice, T. S., & Ho, C. (1997). Corporate wellness programmes in Singapore: effect on stress, satisfaction and absenteeism. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 12(3), 177-189.
    • Jaye, J. (2010). Identify and address job stress. HR Future, 43 p., March.
    • Khan, M. T. (2015). Development of Human Capital through Institution of Islamic Waqf. International Journal of Information, Business and Management, 7(3), 36-50.
    • Kinman, G. (1998). Pressure points: a survey into the causes and consequences of occupational stress in the UK academics and related staff. London: Association of University Teachers.
    • Kinman, G., & Jones, F. (2003). Running up and down the escalator: stressors and strains in UK academics. Quality in Higher Education, 9, 21-38.
    • Klaas, N. P. (2007). Factors influencing the retention of nurses in the rural health facilities of the Eastern Cape Province (Unpublished Master’s thesis. Pretoria: University of South Africa).
    • Lange, L. (2012). The public purposes of the university: a historical view, 1995–2010. In Leibowitz, B. (Ed), Higher education for the public good: views from the south (pp. 45-57). Stellenbosch Trentham Books in association with Sun Media.
    • Levert, T., Lucas, M., & Ortlepp, K. (2000). Burnout in psychiatric nurses: contributions of the work environment and a sense of coherence. South African Journal of Psychology, 30, 36-43.
    • Lockwood, N. R. (2003). Work / life balance: challenges and solutions – 2003 Research Quarterly. HR Magazine, June.
    • Maslach, C. (1982). Burnout: the cost of caring. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
    • Maune, A. (2016). Human capital intelligence and economic development. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 14(3), 564-574.
    • McInnis, C. (2000). Changing academic work roles: the everyday realities challenging quality in teaching. Quality in Higher Education, 6, 143-152.
    • McKenna, S. (2012). Interrogating the academic project. In Quinn, L. (Ed.), Re-imagining academic staff development: spaces for disruption (pp. 15-26). Stellenbosch: Sun Media.
    • Michie, S. (2002). Causes and management of stress at work. Occup Environ Med, 59, 67-72.
    • Monette, D. R., Sullivan, T. J., & De Jong, C. R. (2005). Applied social research: a tool for the human services (6th ed.). Australia: Thomson Brooks/Cole, 184 p.
    • Neuman, W. L. (2003). Social research methods: qualitative and quantitative approaches (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 75 p.
    • Nompula, T. I. (2007). An exploratory investigation of the factors that influence the retention of knowledge workers at the national energy regulator of South Africa (Unpublished Masters in Business Administration thesis). Grahamstown: Rhodes Investec Business School, 71 p.
    • Olivier, M. A. J., Venter, D. J. H., & De Lange, N. (2004). Emotional intelligence of academics. Paper presented at the 2nd South African Wellness Conference, Potchefstroom, March 2004.
    • Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (6th ed.). (2004). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1230 p.
    • Pienaar, C., & Bester, C. (2009). Addressing career obstacles within a changing higher education work environment: perspectives of academics. South African Journal of Psychology, 39(3), 376-385.
    • Rose, R. C., Beh, L., Uli, J., & Idris, K. (2006). Quality of work life: implications of career dimensions. Journal of Social Sciences, 2(2), 61-67.
    • Rosse, J. G., Boss, R. W., Johnson, A. E., & Crown, D. F. (1991). Conceptualizing the role of self-esteem in the burnout process. Group and Organization Studies, 16, 197-204.
    • Rothmann, S., Barkhuizen, N., & Tytherleigh, M. Y. (2008). Model of work-related ill health of academic staff in a South African higher education institution. South African Journal of Higher Education, 22(2), 404-422.
    • Schaufeli, W. B., & Enzmann, D. (1998). The burnout companion to study and practice: a critical analysis. London: Taylor and Francis.
    • Shamir, B., & Salomon, I. (1985). Work-at-home and the quality of working life. Academic Management, 10, 455-464.
    • Singh, M. (2012). Re-inserting the ‘public good’ into higher education transformation. In Leibowitz, B. (ed), Higher education for the public good: views from the south (pp. 1-15). Stellenbosch: Trentham Books in association with Sun Media.
    • South Africa. Department of Education. (1997). White Paper 3. A programme for the transformation of higher education. Pretoria: Government Printer.
    • The Word Spy (2002). Work-life-balance.
    • Ungerer, M., Herholdt, J., & Uys, K. (2006). Leveraging knowledge-based assets – The new value equation to create competitive advantage. Johannesburg, South Africa: Knowledge Resources, 13 p.
    • Wilmont, C., Williams, B., Guest, J., & Amos, T. (2010). The factors that influence the retention of academics at a tertiary education institution: an exploratory study (pp. 1-22). Proceedings of the 22nd Annual Conference of the Southern Africa Institute of Management Scientists, Mpekweni, 12-15 September 2010.
    • Winefield, A. H., & Jarrett, R. J. (2001). Occupational stress in university staff. International Journal of Stress Management, 8, 285-298.
    • Winefield, A. H., Gillespie, N., Stough, C., Dua, J., & Hapuararchi, J. (2002). Occupational stress in Australian universities: a national survey. Melbourne, Australia: National Tertiary Education Union.
    • World Health Organization (n.d.). Occupational health: Stress at the workplace.
Related Articles

  • Integrated Financial Management Information System: a conceptual framework for Migori County, Kenya

    Otieno Okello Jared , Stephen Migiro , Emmanuel Mutambara doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/pmf.06(1).2017.04
    Public and Municipal Finance Volume 6, 2017         Issue #1         pp. 37-45 Views: 2430 Downloads: 2188 TO CITE АНОТАЦІЯ

    In the modern world, developing countries like Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and several others in the African continent have been encouraged to reform their public expenditure management systems through computerization of the entire public sectors in response to the increasing volume of data or information that need to be processed. There are, however, various factors to be considered prior to the implementation of the public expenditure management information systems. This paper undertakes a theoretical review of the critical success factors that impact on the implementation of an Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) with a view to identify factors applicable to the Migori County of Kenya. The paper, then, identifies the key factors to be incorporated in the proposed IFMS framework. The proposed framework draws from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT) and the Work Around Theory (WAT). The paper fuses these theories towards a successful adoption of use of modern technology within the public sector IFMS. The key factors include technical, organizational, environmental, cultural and ethical behavior. These factors could improve efficiency and transparency through direct payments to suppliers and contractors, reduced prices due to gains based on the time value of money, as well as the comparative analysis of market rates and advanced relations across the numerous organizational units within government on execution, reporting, and thoroughness of budget transactions.

  • The development of talent management in Malaysian public sector: a comprehensive review

    Sharmaine Sakthi AnanthanORCID , Halimah Abdul ManafORCID , Mega HidayatiORCID , Dian Suluh Kusuma DewiORCID doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ppm.17(2).2019.18
    Problems and Perspectives in Management Volume 17, 2019         Issue #2         pp. 242-253 Views: 2227 Downloads: 1118 TO CITE АНОТАЦІЯ

    The aim of this current study was to analyze recent development of talent management among public service managers in Malaysia. The study brings understanding on talent management and broader human capital issues within Malaysia context by analysing the comprehensive literature. Government of Malaysia is emphasizing on development of talent in the public sector, as it is the most significant resource for the public service. The study found that the government has invested in various programs and initiatives to develop and produce key talented human capital within the public sector. However, despite the initiatives taken by the government, Malaysia is still short of talented people and struggling to develop talent, and talented skilful people are leaving. The study also indicated that year after year increasing number of graduates are being produced at the public universities, but the education system is not producing the right skilful individuals for the particular position or task, resulting in talent mismatch. Another key issue is the incapability to retain talented people that led to poor innovation and creativity within the country. Is key issue is part of the factors discussed in the 10th and 11th Malaysia Plan, and is a concern, as it plays a role in preventing the progress of Malaysia in achieving a developed nation by 2020. As one of the key aspirations of Malaysia is to enrich public service in Malaysia as a citizen centre that is having talented human capital. The study revealed that there is a need for in-depth quantitative and qualitative further research to discover new insights on talent management and retain talent among the public sector managers in Malaysia.

  • Strategic human resource management practices and human capital development: The role of employee commitment

    Main Naser AlolayyanORCID , Mohammad Sharif AlyahyaORCID , Dana Ahmad Omari doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ppm.19(2).2021.13
    Problems and Perspectives in Management Volume 19, 2021         Issue #2         pp. 157-169 Views: 1843 Downloads: 2101 TO CITE АНОТАЦІЯ

    This paper studied the influence of strategic human resource management on human capital development through the mediation of employee commitment. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used to collect data from 514 participants (medical staff) from five hospitals in northern Jordan. The hospitals involved were from different sectors, including governmental, private, and university hospitals. Several analysis methods were used in the study: Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), discriminant validity, and composite reliability. Direct and indirect hypothesis testing was also utilized using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The study showed that the practice of strategic human resource management had a direct positive impact on employee commitment; the practice of strategic human resource management had a direct positive impact on human capital development; the impact of employee commitment on human capital development was positive and direct; employee commitment has a partial mediating effect between both of them. Accordingly, HR managers in hospitals should move from “softer” responsibilities and traditional HR activities to a more strategic level (i.e., developmental strategy), where HR strategies are aligned and reinforce the hospital’s vision and mission and link organizational strategy to HR strategies. Healthcare managers should invest more in human capital through formal education and training.

    Acknowledgments
    The Deanship of Research at Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) in Jordan is acknowledged by authors for providing facilities through the research No. 488/2020 and research environment to accomplish the goals of this work. The authors thank Professor Fareed Nusair at the Department of Health Management & Policy, the Faculty of Medicine.

Download Preview
Close
Problems and Perspectives in Management
Problems and Perspectives in Management