Black Managers and Their Work Colleagues: A Study of Perceptions

Abstract

South African black managers are experiencing numerous problems as pioneers in the white-dominated managerial world. Management and research studies have usually concentrated on black managers' behaviour without considering their perceptions. Investigations have also typically examined the viewpoints of either black managers or white employees without exploring both groups' perspectives and perceptual differences. The present investigation attempted to redress this by examining the perceptions of 34 black managers, and of selected work colleagues (a boss, peer and subordinate, if available) in regard to the black manager and black job advancement issues. In-depth, focused interviews were conducted. Fundamental interpersonal perceptual discrepancies emerged between the black managers and their work associates. The black managers tended to attribute their work problems and behaviour to external, situational factors. By contrast, their work colleagues often ascribed them to personal dispositions of the black manager. Euclidean distance analyses revealed that the largest interpersonal perceptual differences existed between black manager-boss dyads. This was followed by black manager-peer dyads, boss-peer dyads and black manager-subordinate dyads. The black managers' perceptions diverged significantly from those of their white bosses, whose perceptions were closer to those of the white peers.As baanbrekers in die wit oorheersde bestuurswereld ondervind swart Suid-Afrikaanse bestuurders talle probleme. Bestuurs-en navorsingstudies het tot op hede hoofsaaklik op die gedrag van swart bestuurders gekonsentreer, sonder inagneming van hul persepsies. Kenmerkend van sulke ondersoeke is dat hulle in die reel die standpunte van of swart bestuurders of werkers ondersoek het sonder om beide groepe se perspektiewe en perseptuele verskille te verken. In die onderhawige ondersoek word daar 'n poging aangewend om die saak reg te stel deur 'n eksplorasie van die persepsies van 34 swart bestuurders en van geselekteerde werkgenote ('n toesighouer, 'n lid van die persoon se portuurgroep en 'n ondergeskikte, indien beskikbaar) met betrekking tot swart bestuur en swart vorderingsmoontlikhede. In-diepte onderhoude met die klem hierop is gevoer. Basiese interpersoonlike perseptuele verskille tussen swart bestuurders en hul medewerkers het na vore gekom. Die swart bestuurders was geneig om hul werksprobleme en -gedrag toe te skryf aan eksterne omstandigheidsfaktore. Daarenteen het hul werkgenote dit dikwels toegeskryf aan die geaardheid van die swart bestuurder. Euklidiese afstandanalises het daarop gedui dat die grootste interpersoonlike perseptuele verskille tussen swart bestuurder-toesighouer-tweetalle bestaan. Dit is gevolg deur swart bestuurder-portuurgroep-tweetalle, toesighouer-portuurgroep-tweetalle en swart bestuurder-ondergeskiktetweetalle. Die persepsies van die swart bestuurders het opvallend verskil van die van hul wit toesighouers. Laasgenoemde se persepsies was nader aan die van die wit portuurgroep. 'Postal address: 5/65 Brad...

New Challenges for South African Development and Training — Linkages to Empirical Research

“…Watts, 33 in her research study of 34 black managers and their work colleagues, identified fundamental perceptual differences attributed to work problems. An interesting finding emanating from this research is that "the largest interpersonal differences existed between black manager-boss dyads."…”