Leading higher education into the fourth industrial revolution: an empirical investigation.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) rapidly advanced at the beginning of the 21st century. Leaders within organisations need to adjust their visions, plans, organisational structures, and management with regard to the demands, challenges and opportunities of this development. This is in particular the case in higher educational institutions (HEIs), which have to adjust to the rapid changes and new demands of skills of university graduates. Leaders in HEIs must therefore be aware of the related challenges and opportunities and might have to adjust the learning and teaching environment, the skills development of students, graduates, and faculty, as well as the technological requirements to create advanced skill sets. This article is based on a qualitative research study which was conducted at a university in South Africa. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were used to explore the views of higher-education leaders at the selected university. Data were analysed through thematic analysis. It was found that leaders in HEIs need to be aware of their leadership and preferences in times of transition toward a more technologised learning environment, as well as the needs, demands, challenges and opportunities of the new workplaces, and new skill sets needed in the 4IR. The researchers made some recommendations. "Education is the key that unlocks the golden door to freedom." George Washington Carver.

Between suffering and coping: burnout in female medical doctors in South Africa.

Burnout is described as emotional and physical exhaustion, reduced accomplishment, together with an outlook of inadequacy and cynicism related to job stress. It has a harmful impact globally, especially in developing countries, such as South Africa. This study is a phenomenological collective case study focusing on burnout experience in a sample of female medical doctors working in a South African public hospital. Based on ongoing explorations of burnout themes, empirically based intervention strategies are needed to be developed and presented for the South African public health sector to prevent stress-related burnout. The findings support the trend in literature that burnout is an overwhelming experience for female medical doctors in South Africa. The study presents voices of female medical doctors, their concerns, the causes for burnout and their coping mechanisms. It provides a strong contribution to exploring and presenting women's experiences in working in the medical field in South Africa from a positive psychology perspective. The findings indicate the struggles and the coping mechanisms of female medical doctors working in the field.

Generation Y medical doctors' experiences of a positive psychology 2.0 intervention for burnout in a South African public hospital.

The aim of the research was to explore experiences of a Positive Psychology 2.0 (PP2.0) intervention for burnout among Generation Y medical doctors working in a South African public hospital. The emphasis was on the potential benefits and recommended intervention amendments in a specific cultural context of South Africa. A phenomenological approach was followed in the collective case study. The Maslach Burnout Inventory was administered in phases I and III to quantify the level of burnout. This study offers findings that could be incorporated into a bigger burnout intervention strategy in the South African public hospital, involving all stakeholders to ensure that burnout is combatted on a long-term basis. Furthermore, the findings emphasized certain culture-specific structural issues and the impact that the neglection of burnout has on newly qualified medical doctors working in a South African public hospital and patients in their care. Certain recommendations were made for the South African public hospital for future research in PP2.0 interventions and for facilitators working with burnout among newly qualified medical doctors.

Unconscious system-psychodynamics within a German 4IR engineering company in South Africa.

This article focuses on systems psychodynamics and particularly on the CIBART-model which explores conflict, identity, boundary, authority, role and task and how these phenomena work out on an unconscious level. Therefore, this article presents empirical findings on CIBART in a German multinational engineering organization operating in South Africa. For this study, 16 managers where interviewed on their transformation toward Industry 4.0 with special interest in the interconnection how CIBART aspects play out in the South African context. Findings show that all of the CIBART-phenomena are important during the transformation to more advanced technological levels and restructuring processes. Conclusions are drawn and recommendations are given how to deal with systems-psychodynamic influences within the organization.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution - Smart Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Algorithms: Industrial Psychologists in Future Workplaces.

In the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), STARA (smart technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and algorithms) is predicted to replace a third of the jobs that exist today. Almost twice as many current work tasks will be handled by robots. It is forecast that by 2025, 85 million jobs may be displaced by a shift in the division of labor between humans and machines, while 97 million new roles may emerge that are more adapted to the new division of labor between humans, machines and algorithms. Industrial psychologists are playing an increasingly important role in the workplace due to these trends from a strategic intelligence perspective. The objective of this article is to present a critical review of industrial psychologists in future workplaces in the context of the 4IR - STARA. A competence model is posed for industrial psychologists to perform a strategic intelligence role in organizations in the 4IR.

Sense of Coherence in Managers during COVID-19 and the New World of Work: A Mixed-Method Study.

During COVID-19, the working world has changed inevitably, and many managers experience extreme strain and stress. This study determines how managers cope with the changes during COVID-19 from a positive psychology and salutogenic perspective. It employs a hermeneutical research design and an interpretivist paradigm by using a mixed-method research approach in which managers' sense of coherence (SOC) is investigated quantitatively through the 29-item Life-Orientation scale and qualitatively through semi-structured interviews. Purposeful and snowball sampling techniques are used. The sample consists of 17 managers. Data were collected in different organizations within South Africa and analysed through content analysis, linking quantitative and qualitative data in a holistic, integrated and complex way. In terms of the quantitative findings, the managers scored at the medium and higher end of the SOC-scale in comprehensibility, followed by manageability and finally meaningfulness. Male managers in the age group 47-57 scored highest. Female and younger managers scored lower on average. Lowest scores in comprehensibility and manageability were scored by a young female manager, while in meaningfulness the oldest male participant scored lowest. The qualitative findings show that high scoring SOC managers apply complex thoughts to the present and future workplace scenario. Individuals with lower SOC scores do not present as much knowledge, complex thinking and argumentation structures during the interview in comprehensibility scores as high scoring SOC managers, yet still acquire resources to manage the workplace (manageability). High meaningfulness scores are associated with creating meaningful workplace interaction (human-human and machine-human), knowledge distribution through technology, impactfulness, experiencing the job as meaningful, including helping others, and achievements. Managers have a complex view of the world and findings show the complex connections of a high/low SOC scores and the managers' explorations and systemic understanding regarding their managerial world. Conclusions and recommendations for theory and practice are given.

The Impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on Managers' Sense of Coherence.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) disrupts the world of work, new technologies change the nature of individuals' work and their tasks, and therefore it is necessary to determine how managers cope with these changes, specifically relating to their salutogenesis. There is a lack of research conducted on the salutogenesis of managers in times of the 4IR. The purpose of this study is to investigate the level of managers' sense of coherence (SOC) in terms of the adjustments and developments of the 4IR, and their in-depth understanding of their SOC. This study employs a hermeneutical research design with a qualitative approach by using a semi-structured interview. The method used to analyze the data was content analysis. From the data analysis, the findings indicate that a majority of the managers tend to have an understanding of the 4IR and what implications of the 4IR will have on the world of work and their job description, the necessary resources to cope with the 4IR, and find the 4IR meaningful, therefore, managers have a strong SOC level during the 4IR. The recommendations for future studies suggest that research could be conducted how managers and lower-level managers' SOC differ, which will provide insight into what different methods are required for the different level of managers.

Sense of coherence in systemic family therapy trainees in times of change.

This study aimed at qualitatively exploring the development of a sense of coherence (SOC) among systemic family therapist trainees (FTT) over a 3-year period. It was conducted in a private family therapy training institute in central Germany. The sample consisted of 66 trainees. The components of SOC and their general health played an important role in the development of FTTs throughout the three training years. Findings show that the SOC component of meaningfulness (motivation) was most frequently mentioned and most important to participants' personal and professional development, followed by comprehensibility (understanding of self, others and the context) and finally by manageability (coping with challenges based on personal, social and professional resources). The three SOC components fostered a positive self-care approach in FTTs and improved health and well-being over the 3 years. Visions of FTT at the end of the training show that they aim at personal and professional growth and development in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

Positive transformation towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution: empirical evidence from a technology company.

This article explores the question of how organizations can transform constructively and positively towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). It presents insights into the state of the art on 4IR, positive psychology movements PP1.0 and PP2.0 and particularly on German organizations in the 4IR within the South African context. The study uses a qualitative research approach and presents findings from a study conducted with 16 managers across top, middle and lower management levels in a German engineering organization, based in South Africa, operating in Southern Africa. Findings, discussion, conclusions and recommendations provide insights into emerging themes on the 4IR from perspectives that take the context of discourses on the 4IR in developed and developing countries into account. Findings show the importance of five main themes when transforming into the 4IR: (1) Employee management; (2) Innovative technological and systemic change; (3) Work organization; (4) Environment and (5) Network and cooperation. Human communication and connectivity and a balanced human-machine interaction seem to build the core framework for constructive socio-technological change and a meaningful work environment. Thereby, a focus on the positive transformation requires working through the challenges and dark sides of the 4IR as well as a contextual and culture-specific approach to finally create a meaningful, healthy and optimal functioning work environment for the employees.

Sense of Coherence, Compassionate Love and Coping in International Leaders during the Transition into the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Contemporary workplaces are influenced by rapid changes, high levels of competition, increasing complexities and internationalisation processes. At the edge of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), insecurities and anxieties are high, and leaders are encouraged more than ever to lead employees with meaningful vision and prudence in order to make use of employees' strengths, and ensure mental health and well-being. The aim of this article is to present new insights into salutogenesis, particularly sense of coherence (SOC), compassionate love (CL), and coping (C) in leaders with different cultural backgrounds. This study strengthens the idea that CL is a coping mechanism. This coping mechanism can be used by leaders to establish a resilient and salutogenic organisations. This article explores the subjective perspectives of 22 international leaders from five different countries and their views regarding SOC, CL and C through a qualitative research approach, using a qualitative online questionnaire for data collection and content analysis for data analysis. The findings on the perspectives of leaders provide new and original insights into how SOC, CL and C are connected, and how these concepts contribute to healthy organisations which are on their way to the transition into the 4IR. Conclusions are drawn. Recommendations for future research and practice are given.

Developing Value-Orientations in Family Therapy Trainees: A Three-Year Investigation.

Family therapy has advanced as an important therapeutic approach in Europe and, in Germany, future family therapists enter a three-year-training programme every year. Family therapist trainees (FTTs) have hardly been studied in terms of their value-orientations (VOs) and how they see the world. This study aims at researching the value-orientation developments in FTTs during the three-year training period and based on the Schwartz value model. A longitudinal study was carried out over a three-year period. The sample consisted of 65 FTTs. VOs were investigated using open questions in self-developed questionnaires. The findings show that FTTs focus mainly on VOs in the Schwartz value domain of "benevolence", followed by "self-direction" and "universalism". This shows that the well-being of others is in the centre of interest in FTTs. However, VOs which indicate a freedom to make decisions and be self-directed are also extremely important. The least-mentioned value domains include "power" and "stimulation", showing that FTTs are neither focused on status, wealth or richness, nor on excitement or a varied life. With regard to the Schwartz value dimensions, the dimension of "self-transcendence" was the most frequently mentioned, followed by "conservation", "openness to change" and "self-enhancement". Self-transcendence includes the value domains of benevolence and universalism and shows that the preservation and enhancement of welfare of other individuals are highly important, as well as VOs such as understanding, appreciation, tolerance and protection of human beings and the environment. So-called collectivist VOs seem to be more important to German FTTs than individualistic VOs: they focus on the needs of the social group and their VOs show that the systemic view is inherent in their social VOs. Findings further show that FTTs develop their professional identity while consciously strengthening their VOs. This study contradicts previous research which claims that FTs are, to a large extent, unconscious in respect of their VOs. The study shows that FTTs are aware of their VOs and this supports them in facilitating client-centred approaches and develop themselves as FT professionals. Recommendations for future research and practice are provided.