The Robben Island diversity experience. An exploration of South African diversity dynamics
SA Journal of Industrial Psychology
| Field | Value | |
| Title | The Robben Island diversity experience. An exploration of South African diversity dynamics | |
| Creator | Pretorius, Marius Cilliers, Frans Michelle, May | |
| Description | Orientation: Because of its historic, symbolic and psychological representation, presenting a diversity event on Robben Island posed invaluable opportunities to form an in-depth understanding of South African diversity dynamics. This research focussed on such an event interpreted from the systems psychodynamic perspective.Research purpose: The purpose of the research was to describe the experiences of participants attending the Robben Island Diversity Experience (RIDE) in order to understand South African diversity dynamics from a depth psychology perspective.Motivation for the study: Of the many and different diversity events presented in South African organisations, RIDE is the only annual systems psycho-dynamically designed and presented event. This research was an effort to explore the nature of these dynamics which manifest themselves from below the surface.Research design, approach and method: Qualitative and descriptive research from a hermeneutic phenomenology paradigm was used. The 15 participants who attended a RIDE event formed a case study. The data from an unstructured interview was content-analysed and interpreted using the systems psychodynamic perspective. The themes were integrated into a research hypothesis.Main findings: Five themes manifested themselves, namely, crossing boundaries, engaging the brave new world, ties that bind, being imprisoned and the struggle.Practical/managerial implications: The research highlighted the importance of understanding unconscious dynamics in the context of diversity in order to inform consultants about diversity management interventions in organisations.Contribution/value-add: The research contributed towards how South African diversity dynamics manifest themselves and how that can be addressed in organisations. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2012-03-20 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/sajip.v38i2.996 | |
| Source | SA Journal of Industrial Psychology; Vol 38, No 2 (2012); 8 pages 2071-0763 0258-5200 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip/article/view/996/1148
https://sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip/article/view/996/1154
https://sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip/article/view/996/1149
https://sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip/article/view/996/1147
https://sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip/article/downloadSuppFile/996/717
https://sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip/article/downloadSuppFile/996/718
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