| Summary: | Affirmative action is a central concept in South African politics and the workplace. The
Employment Equity Act divides society into a designated group (blacks, women and
people with disabilities) and a non-designated group (white men and white women). In
this study, the influence of affirmative action on alienation of the non-designated group
was investigated. Guidelines were also developed for employers in order to lead the
non-designated group from a state of alienation to that of commitment.
Two research questions were investigated: • Does affirmative action lead to the alienation of the non-designated group? • What will guidelines for companies, with the view to address the alienation problem, look like?
Three central themes appear in this study. Firstly the concept alienation was
investigated. The theory of Seeman was heavily relied on. He succeeded in summarising
the experience of alienation in five variants, namely powerlessness, meaninglessness,
normlessness, isolation and self-alienation. Secondly, guidelines were developed in order
to lead the non-designated group from a state of alienation to that of commitment. To
succeed in doing this, the industrial sociology alienation theory and the industrial
psychology motivation theory were linked together. The quadruplet sisters of the
motivation theory, namely motivation, work satisfaction, work involvement and
organisational commitment were applied as the basis for the guidelines. Thirdly,
affirmative action was discussed in depth. The experience of the non-designated group
regarding affirmative action was investigated, affirmative action as an international
phenomenon was scrutinized, different methods for implementing affirmative action
were researched and a study on statutory framework of affirmative action was also
undertaken. === Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Sociology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.
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