THE PERCEPTIONS OF EMPLOYMENT EQUITY AND BLACK ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT AS PREDICTORS OF ORGANISATION-RELATED COMMITMENT

The purpose of the study was to test whether the perceptions of employment equity (EE) and black economic empowerment (BEE) are related to organisation-related commitment and whether the perceptions about the mentor’s role significantly mediate this said relationship. The sampling frame for the study constituted 1200 employees of a division of a large transport organisation and a convenience sample including all 1200 employees yielded 637 fully completed records (a 53% response rate). The results of the study indicate that the perceptions of EE and BEE are significantly related to organisation-related commitment and that perceptions of the mentor’s role do not mediate this relationship. More detailed findings on the study are reported.

Having committed employees is, however, not the only prerequisite for organisational performance.Organisations have to be able to adapt successfully to internal and external forces of change (Robbins, Odendaal & Roodt, 2003).Government legislation is also such an external force of change (Pfeffer, 1994).
The management of the transport organisation is also experiencing pressure to change.One force of change in the form of government legislation is the Employment Equity (EE) Act.The EE Act (No 55 of 1998)(Republic of South Africa, 1998) was implemented with the purpose of promoting equal employment opportunity and the fair treatment of people.Black economic empowerment (recently promulgated) is a multi-layered, multi-pronged strategy that requires achievement at a higher level while simultaneously contributing to the development of disadvantaged individuals and groups (De Witt, 2003).
Different employees may respond differently to a particular force of change.For some it may be satisfactory, but for others it will bring pain, stress and disadvantages (Human, 2000;Yousef, 2000).Research shows that higher committed employees will accept change more easily (Guest, 1995;Iverson, 1996;Lau & Woodman, 1995).For South African organisations to be successful, their employees must also accept the legislation and the change that goes along with it.
With the EE Act aiming at providing a more productive workforce, that is better trained and motivated employees and helping to make a company more efficient and competitive (Republic of South Africa, 1998), the question that can be asked is whether all employees are experiencing the outcome of the implemented Act as positive and equally challenging.This study will empirically test which biographical variables are significantly related to the perceptions of EE (see Figure 1).Guest (1995); Innes (2002); Iverson (1996); Lau and Woodman (1995); Müller and Roodt (1998); Republic of South Africa (55 of 1998); Roodt et al. (1993) and Storm and Roodt (2002).]With the aim of the Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (BBEE) Act to transfer the ownership of assets into black hands (Innes, 2002), the same question as with the Employment Equity Act can be asked.Experience in practice has shown that employees are not equally enthusiastic about the change and that this might also affect their commitment levels.This study will empirically test which biographical variables are significantly related to the perceptions of BEE (see Figure 1).The next section will provide some research evidence on the relationship between biographical variables, EE and BEE.
Biographical variables, EE and BEE Some of the research that has been published will highlight the relationship between biographical variables and EE and, to a lesser extent, BEE because this legislation has just recently been promulgated.

Race
Easton- Leadly (1994) has reported that the perceptions of racism are more negative and black respondents claim even more experiences of discrimination.Jordaan (2002) is of the opinion that whites are to experience reverse discrimination, because black workers are given preference.Mahanyele (1993) reflects the frustration that organisations only talk about EE, but deny blacks the opportunity.

Tenure
Tenure is strongly related to age.The reason for the group in their mid-career to be more negative about EE may be related to their career demands and the typical mid-career crisis as pointed out by Walbrugh and Roodt (2003).

Marital status
No research could be found to shed more light on this relationship.

Education levels
No research was found to shed more light on this relationship.

Home language
Müller and Roodt (1998) found that English-and Afrikaansspeaking respondents were more negative about affirmative action (EE) than the group speaking African languages.

Job level
Several authors have commented on the excessive job mobility of black managers (Matuna, 1996;Primos, 1994;Sibanda, 1995).Innes (2001) and Roberts (1997) found that black managers were poached at high salaries that are higher than those paid by the market.Vallabh and Donald (2001) reported on the following perceptions of black managers: a.They place a high value on being trusted and recognised for their work, though their values are not recognised.b.They are placed in positions that do not meet their academic background.c.They do not have the opportunity to use their knowledge and skills.d.They are second-guessed by their colleagues and supervisors.
The above research results indicate that people have different experiences and expectations regarding EE and BEE, which will have a definite impact on their commitment.
Commitment is an integral part of a successful organisation (Mowday, Porter & Steers, 1982).For the purpose of this study organisation-related commitment is defined as: 'a cognitive predisposition towards a particular focus (the organisation), insofar this focus has the potential to satisfy needs, realise values and achieve goals' (Roodt, 2004, p. 85).If companies want to remain competitive, they have to incorporate black economic empowerment (De Witt, 2003).For this reason, it is essential that employees are committed, not only in terms of their jobs and the organisation, but also in terms of the perceptions of the EE Act and the BBEE Act.The role of the mentor as a vehicle to assist the organisation in the successful implementation of the EE Act and the BBEE Act and increased commitment will be vital.
With reference to the theoretical model (Figure 1) the next section deals with the relationship between biographical variables and commitment.Vallabh and Donald (2001) found that white employees are more committed than their black colleagues.

Home language
Research findings in this category are also contradictory.Müller and Roodt (1998) found in their st udy that proportionally more English-than Afrikaans-speaking respondents were less committed to their work than the black language respondents.The results of the study of Müller and Roodt (1998) were partially supported in the studies that Roodt (1991Roodt ( , 1993) ) undertook on mainly English-and Afrikaans-speaking people.Roodt et al. (1993) also supported the findings that Afrikaans-speaking employees are more committed to their jobs than Englishspeaking employees.

Job level
In this category the research findings are also contradictory.Müller and Roodt (1998) found that there is a relationship between commitment and work status.They found that clerks were more committed than seniors as a result of too high work expectations and the hope of being promoted quickly.This is in opposition to the results of Mannheim (1975).Roodt et al. (1993) also found that higher-level jobs lead to higher work commitment.

Commitment and mentorship
One of the key success factors in managing change and diversity is mentorship (Clutterbuck & Abbott, 2003;Jordaan, 2002;Singh, Bains & Vinnicombe, 2002;Wingrove, 2002).Mentors influence the level of the commitment of protégés (Clutterbuck, 1997;Mowday et al., 1979).Wingrove (2002) pointed out that it is a demographic imperative for organisations to have skilled employees ten years from now and that mentorship can assist in this respect.Jordaan (2002) concurred by suggesting that promotable black candidates should work with mentors on strategic projects in order to develop their skills.
One context in which mentorship can work is within BEE.If one departs from the vantage point that mentoring is an equal relationship between the mentor and protégé, then entrepreneurial and managerial skills can be transferred while allowing the new manager or entrepreneur to develop the right competencies (Clutterbuck & Abbott, 2003).
According to Storm and Roodt (2002) and Wingrove (2002), white, middle-aged mentors may be cynical and negative about EE and this negativity may be projected to the protégé, which can again lead to lower commitment levels.Little empirical evidence could be found to support this rationale, except for the exploratory research by Storm and Roodt (2002).
Objectives of the study Against this background, the primary objective of this research will be to determine whether the perceptions of EE and BEE are related to organisation-related commitment.
The secondary objectives of the study will be: a. to determine whether this relationship is mediated by the perceptions of the mentor's role; and b. to determine which biographical variables are significant predictors of the perceptions of EE and BEE.
The objectives of the study can be inferred from the theoretical model (Figure1) compiled from the research literature.

Research approach
The research approach followed in the study is from the quantitative paradigm and the application of measuring instruments in a cross-sectional, non-random field survey generated the primary data for the study.An ex post facto approach to data analysis was used in exploring the interrelationships between variables in the data set.

Research methodology
The research methodology followed, is described according to the following three headings:

Sample of participants
The largest division of this organisation was targeted for the research.A convenience sample including all employees from a sampling frame of 1200 employees yielded 637 completed questionnaires.A response rate of 53% was obtained.Only fully completed records were used for the data analyses.

Measuring instrument
A comprehensive measuring instrument was designed for the purposes of the study.The Employee Commitment Questionnaire consisted of 127 items measured on a five-point intensity scale (excluding the biographical questions).Examples of the items can be seen in Figure 2.  The questionnaire consisted of seven sections: Section A and Bthe background information of the respondent; Section C -the 18 item Organisation-related Commitment questionnaire (Roodt, 1997); Section D -the 16 item Union Commitment questionnaire (Roodt, 1997)  The questionnaires will be discussed in more detail next focussing on the rationale for inclusion in the study, the composition of the questionnaire as well as the reliability and validity of the instruments.
Organisation-related Commitment Questionnaire (Roodt, 1997) The Organisation-related Commitment Questionnaire of Roodt (1997) was used, which initially consisted of 38 items, but was reduced to 18 items for purposes of this study.The questionnaire is based on Kanungo's (1979Kanungo's ( , 1981Kanungo's ( , 1982) ) theorisation of involvement, which proposes a motivational approach to commitment as a cognitive predisposition (Kanungo, 1982).The Organisation-related Commitment Questionnaire will be used to measure an employee's level of commitment to work-related foci such as job, work, career, occupation and organisation.Given the findings of Roodt (1997) and Storm and Roodt (2002) as well as the feedback from the pilot group, it was decided not to differentiate between organisation-related commitment foci like work, job, occupation, career and organisation.The Cronbach Alpha coefficient of 0,914 by Roodt (1997) indicates an acceptable reliability.The construct (factorial) validity can be inferred from the results of the factor and reliability analysis.
The Perceptions of Employment Equity Questionnaire (adapted from Martins, 1999) A radically, adapted version of the Employment Equity Questionnaire based on Martins' (1999) theorisation was used for this study.Statements were converted into questions and most of the limitations in items-construction as identified by Smith and Roodt (2003); Van Zyl and Roodt (2003) and Walbrugh and Roodt (2003) were addressed.The 41 statements that were used in the initial instrument were adapted into 25 items in question format.Martins' (1999) questionnaire has a Cronbach Alpha of 0,959 and it can be concluded that this questionnaire measures employment equity practices consistently and reliably.Construct validity is defined as the extent to which the instrument measures the theoretical contract that is designed to measure (Allen & Yen, 1979;Schepers, 1992).
According to Smith and Roodt (2003), the Employment Equity Questionnaire meets this requirement.According to Smith and Roodt (2003), the Employment Equity Questionnaire has face validity, because it seems that the instrument covers the practices as indicated in the Employment Equity Act.Walbrugh and Roodt (2003) also support the face validity of the instrument.There is also evidence of limited discriminant validity (Smith & Roodt, 2003), but the discriminant validity is also questioned by Van Zyl and Roodt (2003) and Walbrugh and Roodt (2003).

The Perceptions of Black Economic Empowerment Questionnaire
The questionnaire developed by the authors consists of 18 items and was based on existing literature on black economic empowerment.No information regarding the reliability and validity (except face and content validity) of the questionnaire is available yet, but findings of this study will be reported under the results section.
The Perceptions of the Mentor's Role Questionnaire (adapted from Dreher & Ash, 1990) The questionnaire of Dreher and Ash (1990) was adapted for this study, because it supported the theory of Kram (1988) -nine roles of a mentor and it was a shorter version of Noe's (1988) questionnaire based on the same theory.Twenty-nine items in question format were included in this questionnaire.No information on the reliability is available on this instrument, but findings of this study will be reported under the results section.This instrument seems to have content and face validity based on the item content.

Research procedure
The measuring instrument was distributed via the organisation's intranet to all individuals in the division, excluding those on the lowest levels who were not able to read or write.A hard copy was also sent to employees via Human Resources Practitioners.All the ethical codes, e.g.control procedures, were adhered to.A letter of reminder was sent at a later stage to urge individuals to participate in the study.Individuals could respond anonymously and all the returned responses were treated with the utmost confidentiality.The identity of all the individuals was thus protected to ensure reliable responses.

RESULTS
The data analyses were conducted in two stages.The objective of the first stage was to establish whether all the variables were robust and reliable.In order to achieve this objective, all the measuring instruments were factor analysed separately on two levels.This procedure, as suggested by Schepers (1992) was followed to avoid the creation of artificial factors, resulting from differential item skewness.
In the first level factor analyses, all the items of each instrument were intercorrelated and an anti-image correlation was executed to test the suitability of the matrices for factor analyses by referring to the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy and Bartlett's Test of Sphericity.Eigenvalues were calculated on the unreduced item inter-correlation matrix and a number of factors were postulated according to Kaiser's (1970) criterion of eigenvalues larger than unity.
In the second level factor analyses, sub-scores for each postulated factor were calculated and the same procedure as explained above was again conducted on the sub-score intercorrelation matrices.Items on each of the obtained second level factors (scales) were subjected to an iterative item analysis to establish the internal consistency of each scale.Based on this procedure, the following reliabilities were obtained for each scale: The Organisation-related Commitment (OC) Questionnaire of Roodt (1997) yielded a Cronbach alpha of 0,89.The Perceptions of Employment Equity Questionnaire yielded a Cronbach alpha of 0,92 and the Perceptions of Black Economic Empowerment yielded a Cronbach alpha of 0,91.The Perceptions of the Mentor's Role Scale yielded a high Cronbach alpha of 0,97.All the scales thus have acceptable reliabilities and can therefore be included for further analyses.
The second stage of the analyses was focused on the coefficients of association (Cramer's V) between biographical variables and the intercorrelations of the different scales' total scores.From Table 2 it can be seen that race and home language are associated as well as job level and level of education.Tenure and race and tenure and age are also strongly associated.It is highly unlikely that variables that are strongly related, will display interactive effects.Level of 0,130 0,158 0,185 0,167 0,125 education Home 0,681 0,051 0,304 0,351 0,285 0,132 language Job level 0,098 0,160 0,159 0,072 0,131 0,653 0,111 -Mentor Y/N0,193 0,090 0,214 0,185 0,057 0,053 0,116 0,049 -Key for interpreting effect sizes: < 0,1 -no effect 0,1 to 0,3 -small effect 0,3 to 0,5 -moderate effect > 0,5 -large effect EMPLOYMENT EQUITY, BLACK ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT, ORGANISATION-RELATED COMMITMENT The intercorrelation matrix of scale total scores (Table 3) indicates that OC is significantly related to the perceptions of EE (0,642) and BEE (0,377) as well as the mentor's role (0,205).EE and BEE are positively correlated (0,509).All the correlations are significant on the 0,01 level.For the next stage in the analyses, a multi-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to predict a particular criterion variable.A model modification process was followed whereby the most parsimonious model was extracted.Residuals were systematically investigated to establish any possible interaction effects with the predictor variables.
The following biographical variables were included in the final summary model of the multi-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) for predicting the perceptions of EE, namely gender, race and mentor Y/N.No significant interaction effects were detected.These three variables explain 7,4% of EE's variance.See Figures 3-5 for the significant predictors.As can be seen from Figure 3, females are more positive in terms of their perceptions of employment equity than males.
As can be seen from Figure 4, Coloured/Indian/Asian employees are the most positive in terms of their perceptions of employment equity, than African employees, and White employees are the least positive in terms of their perceptions of employment equity.As can be seen from Figure 5, employees who have a mentor are more positive in terms of their perceptions of employment equity than those without a mentor.
The following biographical variables were included in the final summary model of the multi-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) for predicting the perceptions of BEE, namely race, home language, gender x race, age x race and age x home language.These variables explain 40% of BEE's variance.See Figures 6-10 for the significant predictors.
Figure 6: Biographical variable: Race as predictor of the perceptions of black economic empowerment As can be seen from Figure 6, Coloured/Indian/Asian employees are more positive in terms of their perceptions of black economic empowerment than African employees, and White employees are the least positive in terms of their perceptions of black economic empowerment.
Figure 7: Biographical variable: Home language as predictor of the perceptions of black economic empowerment As can be seen from Figure 7, employees speaking African languages are more positive in terms of their perceptions of black economic empowerment than English-speaking employees, and Afrikaans-speaking employees are the least positive in terms of their perceptions of black economic empowerment.As can be seen from Figure 8, White female employees are more positive in terms of their perceptions of black economic empowerment than white males.Coloured/ Indian/Asian and African male and female employees are equally positive in terms of their perceptions of black economic empowerment, but more than White male/female employees.
As can be seen from  In applying a univariate General Linear Model (GLM) (ANCOVA) with all biographical variables, the perceptions of employment equity (EE) and the perceptions of black economic empowerment (BEE) as well as the perceptions of the mentor's role (MR) as predictors of organisation-related commitment, the following emerged from the model modification process: 44% of the variance was explained by respectively educational level, the perceptions of employment equity (EE), and the interaction between the perceptions of black economic empowerment (BEE) and the perceptions of the mentor's role (MR).
The results of the final summary model are depicted in Table 4.The statistical parameters of the final summary model are depicted in Table 5.As can be seen from Table 5, the statistical parameters for the prediction of organisation-related commitment (OC) are as follows: OC = 1,482 + 0,296 [Std.9] + 0,145 [Std.10] + 0,599 [E] + 0,0118 [GF (MRxBEE)].
The results of the above model can be graphically illustrated in Figure 11.

DISCUSSION
The first and second level factor analyses of the different measuring instruments, followed by iterative item analyses, yielded scales with acceptable coefficient alphas (ranging from 0,89 to 0,97), indicating that the variables were suitable for inclusion in the second phase of the data analysis.
The second phase of the data analysis indicated the following significant associations (Cramer's V) or effect sizes (displayed in Table 2): a. Race and home language -The Africans speak African languages, the Coloureds/Indians/Asians speak English and the majority Whites speak Afrikaans, which were expected from the culture of this organisation.b.Job level and education -The majority of managers have a higher level of education, which is expected.c.Tenure and race -The African employees have less years of service compared to the White employees with longer years of service.d.Tenure and age -The younger employees have less years of service, which is self-explanatory.
As a result of these associations, one would expect that there would be no interaction effects between these mentioned variables.
The intercorrelations of the scale total scores (displayed in Table 3) indicated that the mentioned variables were all significantly correlated, ranging from 0,205 to 0,642.BEE and EE were positively correlated.
If EE was predicted with all biographical variables by using a multi-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA), only the following biographical variables emerged as predictors in the final summary model, namely gender, race and mentor Y/N.These variables explain 7,4% of the variance in EE.
If BEE was predicted with all biographical variables by using a multi-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA), only the following biographical variables emerged as predictors in the final summary model, namely race, home language, gender x race, age x race and age x home language where 40% of the variance was explained.
The findings of the above two multi-factor ANOVA's indicated that biographical variables were predictors of EE and BEE.Hereby, the second secondary objective of the study was achieved.When a univariate General Linear Model (GLM)(ANCOVA) was used, educational level, the perceptions of EE and the interaction between the perceptions of BEE and the role of the mentor were significant predictors of OC in the final summary model where 44% of the variance was explained.See Figure 14 for a graphic illustration of this relationship.Limited literature was found that could shed light on this finding.The finding indicates that EE and the interaction bet ween BEE and the mentor's role are important predictors of OC.What is disturbing, however, is the possible role mentors play in lowering commitment levels.These findings support the views of Mowday et al. (1979) and partially of Storm and Roodt (2002).It also seems that people with higher qualifications show lower commitment levels.These findings support the views of Mowday et al. (1982) and many others.It is nearly impossible to envisage an organisation where the leadership is not committed to its vision.This clearly spells trouble for the organisation.This situation needs specific management attention to create an organisational setting where all individuals feel equally valued.
The findings on the prediction of organisation commitment suggest that the perceptions of EE and BEE are significant predictors of the criterion variables.These findings support the primary objective of the study.However, no empirical proof was obtained that perceptions of the mentorship role mediate the relationship between EE, BEE and OC.However, perceptions of the mentorship role interacted with BEE in the prediction of OC.This finding does not support the first secondary objective of the study.
This situation creates an unique challenge for the top management of organisations to create a context that will address this dichotomy between lower and higher education levels, those who have a mentor or not in the organisation as well as the polarising perceptions of EE and BEE.Another way needs to be explored as a solution that will engage people at all levels of the organisation.This solution must involve all employees and pose a challenge for everyone in the organisation, and should not be viewed as punitive or as livelihood threatening.The current EE and BEE approach is heading for a disaster, if those who are supposed to provide leadership are alienated from the very organisation they are supposed to lead and the organisational vision they are supposed to create.
If the different models as displayed in Figures 12-14 are combined, the following empirical model as displayed in Figure 15 emerges from the data: This model indicates that organisation-related commitment is mainly predicted by the perceptions of employment equity (EE) and the perceptions of black economic empowerment (BEE) in interaction with perceptions of the mentor's role.These perceptions probably have a strong bearing on people's beliefs, values and needs.This could be a possible reason for the large amount of variance that is explained.This model is also different from the initial theoretical model that was used as a basis of departure for the study.
The study has little nomothetic value, as it was limited to a single organisation.Further research needs to be conducted across different organisations in similar contexts to establish the external validity of the findings.The findings have some theoretical value as the perceptions of employment equity and the perceptions of black economic empowerment were for the first time included as predictors of organisation-related commitment.Furthermore, a more sophisticated multi-variate General Linear Model (GLM) was used for the prediction of organisation-related commitment.Besides providing a parsimonious prediction model by isolating predictors that are significantly explaining variance in the criterion, this model also illustrates possible significant interaction effects between the different predictor variables.In doing so the model serves as a good point of departure for understanding and explaining organisation-related commitment in a diverse workforce setting, where the perceptions of employment equity (EE) and the perceptions of black economic empowerment (BEE) are applied.

Figure 2 :
Figure 2: Item examples of the Employee Commitment Questionnaire

Figure 3 :
Figure 3: Biographical variable: Gender as predictor of the perception of employment equity

Figure 4 :
Figure 4: Biographical variable: Race as predictor of the perception of employment equity

Figure 8 :
Figure 8: Biographical variables: Gender × Race as predictors of the perceptions of black economic empowerment

Figure 9 ,
African employees in the age group 31-35 years of age are the most positive in terms of their perceptions of black economic empowerment and 36-40 years of age are the least positive in terms of their perceptions of black economic empowerment.Coloured/Indian/Asian employees are the most positive in terms of their perceptions of black economic empowerment in the age group 30 years of age and younger and the Coloured/Indian/Asian employees in the age group 31-35 years of age are the least positive in terms of their perceptions of black economic empowerment.White employees 31-35 years of age are the most positive in terms of their perceptions of black economic empowerment and White employees in the age group 30 years of age and younger are the least positive in terms of their perceptions of black economic empowerment.African and Coloured/Indian/Asian employees are also more positive in terms of their perceptions of black economic empowerment than the White employees.

Figure 9 :
Figure 9: Biographical variables: Age × Race as predictors of the perceptions of black economic empowerment

Figure 11 :
Figure 11: Graphical representation of the predictors of organisation-related commitment

Figure 12 :
Figure 12: Biographical variables as predictors of the perceptions of employment equity

Figure 14 :
Figure 14: Results of a predictive model for organisationrelated commitment

Figure 15 :
Figure 15: An Integrated predictive model of organisation commitment

TABLE 3 INTERCORRELATIONS
OF SCALE TOTAL SCORES OF THE All Correlations are significant at the 0,01 level (2-tailed).