- Title
- Authentic leadership, psychological capital, work engagement and safety behaviour in a construction environment
- Creator
- Turner, Gillian
- Subject
- Construction industry -- South Africa -- Safety measures
- Date Issued
- 2021-12
- Date
- 2021-12
- Type
- Doctoral theses
- Type
- text
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10948/54388
- Identifier
- vital:46487
- Description
- Research purpose: The purpose of the study was (1) to investigate the relationship between authentic leadership, psychological capital (PsyCap), work engagement, and employees’ safety behaviour, and (2) to develop and test a theoretical model comprising of all four constructs as informed by the literature review and data collected. In essence, the goal is to develop recommendations to support and contribute to the overall effectiveness of the construction industry based on the findings of the study. The study will assist South African businesses in the construction domain to manage their demanding work environment and minimise the number of occupational safety violations and injuries. Research motivation: Studies that explore safety from more recently acknowledged leadership theories are in short supply. This study is addressed through the lens of Positive Organisational Behaviour (POB) to situate authentic leadership and PsyCap as measurable constructs that can be developed to have a positive impact on work engagement and safety behaviour. This approach is especially significant in the South African construction environment because of the growing emphasis on the health and safety concerns. In essence, this study links a contemporary leadership theory, psychological constructs, and associated outcomes distinctively to a given industry within the South African context, that is work engagement and safety behaviour. Research design, approach, and method: This study follows a cross-sectional approach to investigate the relationship between authentic leadership, PsyCap, work engagement, and safety behaviour in a construction environment. Convenience sampling was employed to recruit full-time employed workers across hierarchical levels, ranging from blue-collar workers (installation technicians, paving installers, and maintenance technicians) to white-collar workers (supervisors, line managers, senior managers, and other administrative employees), working in the South African construction industry. Both paper-and-pencil and online questionnaires were utilised to collect data for the study. Two hundred paper-and-pencil questionnaires were distributed, and 89 online questionnaires were accessed by potential respondents, with a total of 198 completed questionnaires. A response rate of 65.41% was realised. Quantitative techniques were used to analyse the data: Reliability assessment, Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), correlation analysis, independent t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and structural equation modelling (SEM). Main findings: All hypotheses were supported. The results indicate that there is an association between the constructs in the study. Specifically, the relationship between authentic leadership and safety behaviour is mediated by PsyCap and work engagement. The research provides valuable input as significant differences were noted across all constructs and demographic variables, except age. Limitations: The results should be interpreted, bearing in mind that there is limited literature available on the relationship between the constructs in the study when applied to the South African context. Furthermore, the limitations primarily revolved around the research design. Specifically, the questionnaire was completed at one point in time and the use of convenience sampling may be associated with possible sampling bias. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown which limited group gatherings and contact, a change in the data collection method was necessary. That is, the data collection method changed from a paper-and-pencil version to the online administration of the questionnaire. This resulted in a six-month delay in the completion of data collection. Finally, the wording of certain items may have contributed to central tendency in responses. Future research: It is suggested that future studies should investigate the relationship between the constructs using larger samples, different occupations, alternative South African industries, and explore the long-term effects of these constructs in the South African workplace by adopting a longitudinal research design. This can also be considered in relation to possible interventions to improve leadership authenticity and increase PsyCap and work engagement, with the intention of mitigating adverse safety events in the construction industry. In addition, future studies should also consider how this relationship can be influenced by different ethnic and cultural groups to gain a better understanding of how differences in ethnicity manifests in the constructs. Researchers should also explore the constructs as a group-level phenomenon and consider explanations from an alternative theoretical framework.
- Description
- Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, 2021
- Format
- computer
- Format
- online resource
- Format
- Format
- 1 online resource (xvi, 243 pages)
- Publisher
- Nelson Mandela University
- Publisher
- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences
- Language
- English
- Rights
- rights holder
- Rights
- All Rights Reserved
- Rights
- Open Access
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NMU School of Industrial Psychology and Human Resources
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | Turner, G.pdf | 3 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |