Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management (ETDs)
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://hdl.handle.net/10539/37778
Browse
2 results
Search Results
Item Combining complexity leadership with operational systems and structures for adaptability in South African private hospitals(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Nel, KarenThe global healthcare landscape is complex. The South African Government and various other researchers have highlighted the unequal nature of the healthcare system in South Africa. The system is unsustainable and urgently needs substantial transformation in its current form. As set out by the South African Government, introducing universal healthcare coverage for the whole population is a solution. This will, however, significantly impact and change all role- players relatively quickly, especially for private hospitals. The purpose of this study was to critically examine whether private hospitals in South Africa were positioned for adaptability, considering complexity leadership (with concepts: entrepreneurial leadership, operational leadership and enabling leadership) and operational systems and structures (with concepts: agile, lean and leagile), as an approach to deal with the potential changes. A mixed methods study with an explanatory sequential design was utilised where the quantitative results and sample informed the population and questions of the qualitative study. Additionally, the quantitative results' drivers were identified in the qualitative study, namely causal factors, leadership and operational consequences, and aggravating factors. This study confirmed that the leadership displayed in private hospitals and the operational systems and structures implemented in private hospitals were not aligned with complexity leadership and operational systems and structures as defined in the conceptual model of this study. A unique finding was that operational systems and structures in private hospitals had a significantly higher impact on the hospitals' daily management than the leadership displayed in these hospitals. This was especially evident between managers and non-managers and between clinical and non-clinical employees, with non-clinical employees viewing the impact of the operational systems and structures implemented in hospitals as significantly more impactful than the leadership displayed in these hospitals. Furthermore, it was identified that operational leadership and lean systems and structures were the preferred approaches in private hospitals and negatively impacted the display of entrepreneurial leadership and agile systems and structures in these hospitals. Moreover, it was found that exploitative leadership, which is the leadership approach when dealing with old certainties, labelled as operational leadership in the current complexity leadership framework, should be relabelled a administrative-operational leadership in South African private hospitals, as a result of the hierarchical, autocratic culture. Assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the leadership displayed and the operational systems and structures that were implemented in these hospitals, it was identified that employees can either experience disruption in a positive light through an adaptive response supported flexibility, or be traumatised by it when management implemented an order response with increased controls. It was conclusively confirmed that private hospitals in South Africa do not regularly display complexity leadership nor implement operational systems and structures as defined in this study's conceptual model. Four recommendations were made that can assist the private hospital industry in becoming more adaptable. The first recommendation is for the industry to implement CL and OSS as defined by the study's conceptual model. This implementation will naturally develop into an adaptive space. The second recommendation is to overcome the disconnect between industry players, head offices and hospitals, and to increase collaboration. Although the adaptive space will impact this recommendation positively, it has to be driven and supported by senior leadership. The third recommendation is to develop a formal industry framework for adaptability in private hospitals. The fourth recommendation is for the implementation of integrated and applied development programmes for leaders and staff at all levels. The programmes will assist everyone to better understand the relationship between CL, OSS, business acumen, and business successItem Digital Transformation in a South African retail organization(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Nnzeru, Tshisevhe; Sackstein, SuzanneDigital Transformation is at the heart of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and much of the research claims that an organization’s success is increasingly dependent on their ability to exploit DT with the e-Commerce industry being significant globally. While South Africa’s digital transformation is materially behind developed nations, retailers are gearing up for growth by digitally transforming their operations, not only to compete but remain relevant. Therefore, this research seeks to understand the successful implementation of Digital Transformation in a South African retail context. The Technology, Organization and Environment Framework was selected as the theoretical framework to guide the research design and interpret findings. The research question for the study is What does successful DT implementation in a SA retail organization entail? To answer this research question, an interpretivist qualitative, case study research design was employed. Data from a retailer undergoing Digital Transformation was collected through ten semi-structured interviews using an Interview guide and analyzed using Content analysis method. Findings reveal that Digital Transformation is not about Technology, it is organizational transformation encompassing transformational leadership, strategy development and implementation aligned with overall business strategy, technology as an enabler for transformation, empowerment of the workforce with digital skills and a conducive digital culture characterized by learning, change, innovation and adaptability. Findings also indicate that the added complexities of legacy environments cannot be underestimated for traditional brick-and-mortar retailers. In essence, DT is about people embracing change – not technology. As limited research has been conducted and published regarding the South African retail DT context, these findings contribute to the limited existing knowledge base with empirical findings, specifically, contributing important knowledge on what specific aspects need to be considered and accounted for when conducting DT and proved TOE Framework to be useful for understanding large digital disruption. For practitioners this research contributes a holistic approach to implementing DT beyond technology which includes transformational leadership, Digital Transformation Strategy development and alignment with overall business strategy, empowering people with digital skills and a digitally enabled culture with digital technology as an enabler for Digital Transformation. Furthermore, to be successful with Digital Transformation, it becomes essential for organizations to manage the added complexities of legacy environments and lastly, for entrenched workforces to realize that Digital Transformation is a necessity for business survival and adapt.