Manager-Employee Relationships during Turbulent Times at a Gold Mine in South Africa
Keywords:
Manager-employee relationships, employee empowerment, trust building, employee voice, development of skills.
Abstract
This article aims to provide new conceptual insights into the responsibilities of an engineer who acts as a plant manager and who has to deal with employee relations during a turbulent time at a gold mining plant in South Africa. A qualitative research approach was used to gather the data in this study. Trustworthiness of the research was ensured by applying various reasoning strategies, such as content analysis, inductive reasoning, blending, bracketing and understanding in order to interpret the data. The first group interview comprised managers as well as engineers who were appointed as managers, the second, administrative employees from the service departments, and the third, artisans and foremen employed at the mine. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the transcripts. The recurring themes from the group interviews were ‘employee empowerment’, ‘trust building’, ‘employee voice’ and ‘development of skills’. A conceptual framework for manager-employee relations during troubled times was developed from the findings. The essential responsibilities of a gold mining plant manager during periods of turbulence were described.
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References
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Sahi, G. K. & Mahajan, R. (2014). Employees’ organizational commitment and its impact on their actual turnover behavior through behavioral intentions. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 26(4), 621–646. DOI: 10.1108/APJML-01-2014-0015.
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Townsend, K. & Loudoun, R. (2015). The front-line manager’s role in informal voice pathways. Employee Relations, 37(4), 475–486. DOI: 10.1108/ER-06-2014-0060.
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Van Manen, M. (1997). Researching lived experience: Human science for an action sensitive pedagogy. London: Althouse Press.
Welman, C., Kruger, F. & Mitchell, B. (2010). Research methodology (3rd ed), Cape Town: Oxford.
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Arjun, S. D. (2011). The experiences of enrolled nurses caring for multi-drug resistant tuberculosis patients in Kwazulu-Natal. MA dissertation, University of South Africa, Pretoria.
Babbie, E. (2008). The basics of social research. Belmont, MA: Thomson.
Barbour, R. S. (2001). Checklists for improving rigor in qualitative research: A case of the tail wagging the dog. British Medical Journal, 322, 1115–1117. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.322.7294.1115
Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership performance beyond expectations. New York, NY: Academic Press.
Bass, B. M. (1998). Transformational leadership: Industry, military, and educational impact. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Baxter, R. (2015). The future of the South African mining industry. Chamber of Mines of South Africa.
Bloomberg, L. D. & Volpe, M. (2008). Completing your qualitative dissertation: A roadmap from beginning to end. London: Sage.
Borowski, P. J. (1998). Manager-employee relationships: Guided by Kant’s categorical imperative or by Dilbert’s business principle. Journal of Business Ethics, 17, 1623–1632.
Boudrias, J. S., Gaudreau, P., Savouie, A. & Morin, A. J. S. (2009). Employee empowerment: From managerial practices to employees’ organizational empowerment. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 30(7), 635-638. DOI: 10.1108/01437730910991646.
Branine, M., Fekkar, A. F., Fekkar, O. & Mellahi, K. (2008). Employee relations in Algeria: A historical perspective. Employee Relations, 30(4), 404–421. DOI: 10.1108/01425450810879376.
Byrne, M. M. (2001). Evaluating the findings of qualitative research. Association of Operative Registered Nurses Journal, 73, 703–704.
Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches (3rd ed), Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
De Ridder, J. A. (2004). Organizational communication and supportive employees. Human Resource Management Journal, 14(3), 20–30.
De Vos, A. S., Strydom, H., Fouche, C. B. & Delport, C. S. L. (2002). Research at grass roots (2nd ed), Pretoria: Van Schaik.
Deloitte. (2016). Tracking the trends. The top 10 issues mining companies will have to face the coming year.
Dickie, C. & Dwyer, J. (2009). A perspective of HR practices in Australian mining. Journal of Management Development, 30(4), 329–343.
Elo, S., Kääriäinen, M., Kanste, O., Pölkki, T., Utriainen, K. & Kyngäs, H. (2014). Qualitative content analysis: A focus on trustworthiness. Sage Open, Jan-Mar, 1–10. DOI: 10.1177/.
Emmott, M. (2015). Employment relations over the last 50 years: Confrontation, consensus or neglect? Employee Relations, 37(6), 658–669. DOI: 10.1108/ER-07-2015-0140.
Faizal, M., Mathey, A. O. & James, M. J. (2015). A case study on the impact of organizational citizenship behavior on total quality management in an Indian public sector electrical manufacturing subsidiary. Asian Economic and Social Society, 5(10), 215–226.
Fashyoin, T. (2008). Employment relations in Zambia. Employee Relations, 30(4), 391–403.
Gill, A. S. (2008). The role of trust in employee-manager relationship. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 20(1), 98–103. DOI: 10.1108/09596110810848613.
Gill, C. & Meyer, D. (2013). Union presence, employee relations and high-performance work practices. Personnel Review, 42(5), 508–528. DOI: 10.1108/PR-07-2011-0117.
Hall, J. & Sandelands, E. (2009). Addressing South Africa’s engineering skills gaps. Education Training, 51(3), 215–219. DOI: 10.1108/00400910910960759?mobileUi=0&journalCode=et.
Henning, E., Van Rensburg, W. & Smit, B. (2004). Finding your way in qualitative research. Pretoria: Van Schaik.
Herington, C., Scott, D. & Johnson, L. W. (2005). Focus group exploration of firm-employee relationship strength. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 8(3), 256–276. DOI: 10.1108/13522750510603334.
Higgs, N. J. (2007). Measuring and understanding the well-being of South Africans: Everyday quality of life in South Africa. Social Indicator Research, 8, 331–356.
Holtzhausen, L. & Fourie, L. (2009). Employees’ perceptions of company values and objectives and employer-employee relationships: A theoretical method. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 14(3), 333–334. DOI: 10.1108/13563280910980104.
Jenkins, H. (2004). Corporate social responsibility and the mining industry: Conflicts and constructs. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environment Management, 11, 23–34. DOI: 10.1002/csr.50/full
Josep, F. M. S. J. & Taka, M. (2012). The human rights of artisanal miners in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, 3(1), 137–150. DOI: 10.1108/20400701211197320?fullSc=1&journalCode=ajems.
Kilroy, J. & Dundon, R. (2015). The multiple faces of frontline managers: A preliminary examination of FLM styles and reciprocated employee outcomes. Employee Relations, 37(4), 410–427. DOI: 10.1108/ER-06-2014-0071.
KPMG. (2016). Despite new challenges, CEOs confident in growth through transformation.
Kvale, S. (1996). Interviews: An introduction to qualitative research interviewing. London: Sage.
Leedy, P. D. & Ormrod, J. E. (2013). Practical research, planning and design (10th ed), New York, NJ: Pearson Education.
Magness, V. (2015). Strategic posture, financial performance and environmental disclosure: An empirical test of legitimacy theory. Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal, 19(4), 540–563. DOI: 10.1108/09513570610679128?mobileUi=0&journalCode=aaaj.
Marques, J. (2008). Awakened leadership in action: A comparison of three exceptional business leaders. Journal of Management Development, 27(8), 812–823. DOI: 10.1108/02621710810895640.
May, M. S. (2010). The unconscious at work in a historically black university: The (k)not of relationship between students, lecturers and management. DLitt et Phil thesis, University of South Africa, Pretoria.
Nel, P. S., Kirsten, M., Swanepoel, B. J., Erasmus, B. J. & Jordaan, B. (2016). South African employment relations: Theory and practice (8th ed), Pretoria: Van Schaik.
Phakhati, S. T. (2013). Getting on’ and ‘getting by’ underground: Gold miners’ informal working practice of making a plan (planisa). Journal of Organizational Ethnography, 2(2), 126–149. DOI: 10.1108/JOE-05-2012-0026.
PWC. (2016). SA’s mining industry continues to face tough times. [Online] Available from https://www.pwc.co.za/en/press-room/sa-mining-face-tough-time.html.
Ranjan, R. & Das, N. (2015). Designing a framework for integrating environment management with drivers of economic performance. International Journal of Energy Sector Management, 9(3), 376–392. DOI: 10.1108/IJESM-02-2014-0004.
Sahi, G. K. & Mahajan, R. (2014). Employees’ organizational commitment and its impact on their actual turnover behavior through behavioral intentions. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 26(4), 621–646. DOI: 10.1108/APJML-01-2014-0015.
Savolainen, T. (2000). Towards a new workplace culture: Development strategies for employer-employee relations. Journal of Workplace Learning, 12(8), 318–326. DOI: 10.1108/13665620010355566?
Schiavi, P. (2013). Trust and regulation: Insights from the mining industry, in Lange, B., Thomas, D. & Sarat, A. (eds.). Perspectives on Transnational Risk Regulation. Studies in Law, Politics and Society, (62), 239–261. DOI: 10.1108/S1059-4337%282013%290000062009.
Shurbagi, A. M. A. & Zaharii, I. B. (2013). The relationship between transformational leadership and organizational culture in the National Oil Corporation of Libya. International Journal of Business Administration, 4(4), 26–34. DOI: 10.1.1.862.7302&rep=rep1&type=pdf.
Tanzel, A. & Gazioglu, S. (2014). Management-employee relations, firm size and job satisfaction. International Journal of Manpower, 35(8), 1260–1275. DOI: 10.1108/IJM-09-2014-0179.
Tekleab, A. G. & Taylor, M. S. (2003). Aren’t there two parties in an employment relationship? Antecedents
and consequences of organization-employee agreement on contract obligations and violations. Journal of Organizational, 24, 585–608. DOI: 10.1002/job.204/full.
Tesch, R. (1990). Analysis types and software tools. New York, NY: Falmer Press.
Tjosvold, D., Hui, C. & Law, K. S. (1998). Empowerment in the manager-employee relationship in Hong Kong: Interdependence and controversy. The Journal of Social Psychology, 138(5), 624–636.
Townsend, K. & Loudoun, R. (2015). The front-line manager’s role in informal voice pathways. Employee Relations, 37(4), 475–486. DOI: 10.1108/ER-06-2014-0060.
Trading Economics. (2016). South Africa mining production. [Online] Available from https://tradingeconomics.com/south-africa/mining-production. Date of access: 8 May 2017.
Tustin, C. & Geldenhuys, D. (2000). Labour relations: The psychology of conflict and negotiation (2nd ed), Cape Town: Oxford University Press.
Van Manen, M. (1997). Researching lived experience: Human science for an action sensitive pedagogy. London: Althouse Press.
Welman, C., Kruger, F. & Mitchell, B. (2010). Research methodology (3rd ed), Cape Town: Oxford.
Zheng, C., Di Milia, L., Rolfe, J. & Bretherton, P. (2007). Emerging strategic people management of coal mines in Central Queensland. Management Research News, 30(4), 302–313. DOI: 10.1108/01409170710736338?mobileUi=0&journalCode=mrn.
Published
2019-01-16
How to Cite
Schultz, C., & KüselR. (2019). Manager-Employee Relationships during Turbulent Times at a Gold Mine in South Africa. Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, 10(6A(J), 81-88. https://doi.org/10.22610/jebs.v10i6A.2664
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Section
Research Paper
Copyright (c) 2019 Cecile Schultz, Reulene Küsel
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