Thinking style preference profile of the contemporary administrative professional.
Venter, Aletta Johanna
Venter, Aletta Johanna
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Abstract
The challenges that administrative professionals and executive officers face in the new world of work (also referred to as the contemporary work arena) are well known to us. Executive officers are pressurised to deliver exceptional results in a global competitive world. Administrative professionals have had to shift from a manual clerical work environment to a technological, complex and accelerated work environment. The aim of this research was to establish the ideal thinking style preference profile of the administrative professional for optimal functioning in the new work environment. The findings were obtained by means of a literature study, a case study and structured interviews. The thinking style preference profile of the participants was measured by means of the NBIĀ®, a diagnostic tool that revealed their preferred thinking preferences as reflected on the four-quadrant model. The administrative professionals were also assessed to quantify their preferred distinct type on the NBIĀ® 8-Dimension Model which showed that the administrative professionals are either evenly balanced or stronger in one type of thinking style of a quadrant than in the other. The results showed that the administrative professionals at the Tshwane University of Technology predominantly had left brain thinking style preferences. The executive officers of the Tshwane University of Technology were required to prioritise the roles and responsibilities of an administrative professional in terms of their importance within the four basic management functions of an executive officer. The roles and responsibilities were linked to the four-quadrant model. The survey examined the expectations with regard to the roles and responsibilities of the administrative professional as perceived by the executive officers in the new world of work. The findings revealed that executive officers at the Tshwane University of Technology prefer administrative professionals to demonstrate a more right brain thinking style preferences. The changes in the professions of both the administrative professional and the executive officer were examined by means of a literature study. A comparison was drawn between the literature review, the findings of the thinking style preference profile of the administrative professional in the case study, and the outcome of the structured interviews held with executive officers. The relationship provided evidence that the administrative professional is required to demonstrate more right brain thinking style preferences to enable her to support the executive officer effectively. The study concluded that the current administrative professional has not yet adopted the preferred thinking style preferences for effectively supporting her executive officer in the new world of work.
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Submitted in complete fulfilment of the requirements for the degree, Magister Technologiae in the discipline of Office Management and Technology, Faculty of Management Sciences at the Tshwane University of Technology.
Date
2011-05-01
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Tshwane University of Technology
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Keywords
Administrative professional, Management functions, Contemporary work arena, Work environment, Thinking style