The relationship between psychological ownership and employment equity perceptions

Abstract

Psychological ownership is the psychologically experienced phenomenon that occurs when an employee develops possessive feelings towards a target (for example an organisation). However, there are several factors that influence the emergence of psychological ownership, one of them being contextual factors. Employment equity within the South African context might be considered such a contextual factor. The purpose of this study was to empirically investigate the relationship between psychological ownership (measured by the Psychological Ownership Questionnaire) and perceptions of employment equity (measured by the Employment Equity Questionnaire). A quantitative survey was conducted with a purposive sample of 202 skilled respondents employed in the mining sector. A correlation analysis and an analysis of variance were conducted, which revealed a number of significant relationships and differences between the different groups of respondents. The results of the correlation analysis indicated that a relationship exists between psychological ownership and employment equity. The results of the analysis of variance indicated that differences exist between respondents with regard to various biographical variables. The results might be used in organisations to acknowledge the effect of employment equity legislation on employees’ psychological ownership.