Articles
Cultivating a culture of mental health in organisations: Reading the room
SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 2025This opinion paper explores the critical role of Industrial and Organisational Psychologists (IOPs) in addressing mental health in the workplace. As global awareness of employee well-being and its impact on performance grows, IOPs are uniquely positioned to lead in developing frameworks and strategies that integrate individual interventions with broader organisational change.
Drawing on literature and expert insights, the article argues that mental health should be managed through both behavioural and structural lenses. IOPs, as scientist-practitioners, are well-equipped to influence theory, policy, and practice—ensuring organisations create psychologically healthy environments.
This work contributes to the evolving discourse on workplace mental health by offering a strategic, IOP-led approach to understanding and managing mental health challenges systemically.by Ruwayne Kock, Lené I. Graupner & Sylvia BaloyiRead More
This opinion paper explores the critical role of Industrial and Organisational Psychologists (IOPs) in addressing mental health in the workplace. As global awareness of employee well-being and its impact on performance grows, IOPs are uniquely positioned to lead in developing frameworks and strategies that integrate individual interventions with broader organisational change.
Drawing on literature and expert insights, the article argues that mental health should be managed through both behavioural and structural lenses. IOPs, as scientist-practitioners, are well-equipped to influence theory, policy, and practice—ensuring organisations create psychologically healthy environments.
This work contributes to the evolving discourse on workplace mental health by offering a strategic, IOP-led approach to understanding and managing mental health challenges systemically.
by Dr Ruwayne Kock, Prof Lené Graupner & Sylvia Baloyi
Relational authenticity in workplace friendships
SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 2024
This article explores how workplace friendships foster relational authenticity among women in managerial and professional positions in South Africa’s private sector. Because women are often underrepresented in such roles, they may face challenges in expressing themselves authentically at work. Using a qualitative design, the study conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 women to examine how friendships enable authentic self-expression.
Findings indicate that high-quality workplace friendships create spaces for self-disclosure, acceptance, and self-verification, thereby strengthening social fit. These relationships reduce the risks associated with authenticity and allow women to express themselves more freely. The study highlights practical implications for organisations, suggesting that cultivating supportive workplace friendships and relationships can enhance well-being, authenticity, and performance.
By extending authenticity research to informal workplace relationships, the article demonstrates how friendships facilitate relational authenticity through processes of self-verification and social fit. It offers valuable insights for organisations seeking to build environments that promote authentic expression and social connectedness in the changing world of work.
By Tatenda Zigomo, Dr Ruwayne Kock & Prof Fiona Donald
The changing world of work
In Industrial-Organisational Psychologists (IOPs) engaging with the new world of work against the backdrop of the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Emerging shifts and challenges with the required future-fit responses by and abilities for IOPs, 2021, pp. 9–37.
The future. Two words which can project either fear or curiosity into any conversation. One thing is sure, though – the future cannot be avoided, or held back. As a society, we can either brace ourselves and respond to any changes which come our way. Or, we can use the possibilities that the future holds as an opportunity to participate in creating a purposeful and meaningful legacy for future generations.
The purpose of this chapter is to profile the emerging world of work. The chapter proceeds as follows:
First, dominant contextual qualities and shifts are elucidated that will significantly shape the changing world of work going forward, specifically in terms of technology, sustainability, global competitiveness, and economic power distribution.
Next, the organisation, work, the worker, and the leadership of the future, as elements of the changing world of work, are discussed. Thereafter, the implications of this new world are explicated.
Finally, guidelines are proposed for how to engage with the changing world of work.
By Dr Ruwayne Kock, Dr Dieter Veldsman, & Ester Kruger
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My career development journey to an authentic work identity
Career Development International, 2020
This paper describes the author’s lived experiences as a marginalised professional. It offers a nuanced understanding of his career development journey to an authentic work identity.
This analytic autoethnography, situated in a multicultural, democratic South Africa, describes how historic moments in the country’s political evolution influenced the author personally: his sense of belonging and his various roles socially, as well as at work.
The paper tracks selected stories in the author’s professional career journey to an authentic work identity, as indexed by the themes: I am a Black South African; I am a gay professional; and So, who am I at work? On reflection, the author realised how the bounded nature of authenticity allowed psychological safety while exploring congruency between his multiple work identities.
The autoethnography demonstrates how multiple accounts by the same author may be a valuable way of contributing to the literature on authentic work identity. This autoethnographic work extends the authentic identity literature of marginalised professionals beyond the narrow authenticity‒inauthenticity binary of most organisational studies. The paper introduces limited authentic work identity as an ameliorative self-concept in organisations.
by Dr Ruwayne Kock
Debunking the Talent Retention Myth
Human Capital Review, 2011
The second National Employee Engagement Survey debunked some key myths about the retention of employees in South African organisations. The critical learning from the second Survey was that companies can no longer assume that career paths, brand loyalty and rewards will retain their valued employees.
Instead, companies need to recognise that financial rewards are not a catch-all and that employees in the new world of work have developed an open, flexible attitudes to their relationship with employers.
by Ruwayne Kock and Dr Kent McNamara
Seven tactics to engage young employees
Human Capital Review, 2010
The authors conducted a national survey to determine the current levels of employee engagement within South African organisations. The findings form part of a pilot employee engagement survey. In this article, they share seven practical ways of helping you to engage young graduates within your organisation.
by Ruwayne Kock and Dr Kent McNamara
Managing talent in the South African public sector
Public Personnel Management, 2008
Given South Africa’s social and economic development challenges, general human resources management (HRM) practices may not be adequate to address the challenges of transformation and executing the expected developmental role.
A review of the literature and practices regarding the envisaged role of the Public Service in what is characterized as a developmental state is undertaken here, and the existing inadequacies with respect of attracting and retaining skilled employees are highlighted.
The argument is offered that talent management should be adopted as a complementary HRM practice to achieve Public Service objectives. This is necessary in the context of a shortage of skills and the need to redress past racial biases in the Public Service.
by Ruwayne Kock and Mark Burke
The alignment between effective people management, business strategy and organisational performance
SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 2002
The aim of the study was to determine the nature of the alignment between people management effectiveness, business strategy and organisational performance within the banking and insurance sector in South Africa.
From the field study, it was evident that the majority of the participating companies fell short of people management best practices and were therefore unable to support their business strategies, which were in line with best practices. The organisational performance data was insufficient to determine the nature of the alignment between organisational performance, people management, and business strategy.
The South African banking and insurance industry needs to realign their people management component to support the appropriate business strategy and to produce a desired level of organisational performance.
by Ruwayne Kock, Prof Gert Roodt & Prof Theo Veldsman