Participative decision making (PDM) at South African universities
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Date
2004
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Abstract
This study examined the practice of participative decision making (POM) at South African universities. The first aim was to investigate the extent to which these institutions practice participative decision making. The second aim was to establish whether certain managers' characteristics influence the practice of participative decision making. The third aim sought to determine whether there is any difference among institutions in the practice of participative decision making. Finally, the fourth aim was to determine whether there is any association among ranks assigned by adjudicators/respondents to six participative decision making (POM) steps.
To this end a research instrument called a questionnaire, was designed and used to achieve these aims. Moreover, this research instrument, after construction by the researcher, was validated by means of factor analysis (FA). The research instrument was first administered as a pilot sample of one hundred and twenty managers at the University of Zululand's main and Ourban-Umlazi Campuses.
The final instrument was administered to a sample of managers at universities in the whole country. Two hundred and twenty-six (226) managers completed and returned
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questionnaires. The two hundred and twenty-six
questionnaires were to be correctly analyzed.
Each of the aims was tied to a null hypothesis and an alternative one. All in all, eight hypotheses were formulated. The Chi-square (x2) one sample test was employed to test for managers' perceptions about participative decision making (PDM). The outcome was that managers hold negative perceptions about participative decision making. This leads to the conclusion that university managers do not practice participative decision making (PDM). The difference between those who hold positive perception (52.20/0) and negative perception (47.480/0) were not statistically significant.
The second hypothesis which addressed the second aim was tested by means of a Chi-square one sample test as well as in all variables of this aim.
It was found that gender has a positive relationship with regards to decision making, as perceived by the managers. So, gender was found to be statistically significant. However, the rest, such as, age, experience, religion, rank, and type of institution, were perceived by managers to have no relationship with the practice of participative decision
making (POM).
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Description
A thesis submitted in fulfilment for the degree Doctor of Education in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education in the Faculty of Education at the University of Zululand, 2004.
Keywords
Universities and colleges--South Africa--Decision making., Decision making.