Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management (ETDs)

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    Leadership Development Impact Evaluation Approaches
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Mbatha, Vuyile Cynthia; Matshabaphala, Manamela
    This mixed methods multiple case study research investigated the approaches used in the impact evaluation of leadership development initiatives within the context of financial services corporate organisations operating in the African continent and headquartered in South Africa. Organisations around the world are continuously investing incremental amounts of money into learning and development, more specifically directed towards leadership development initiatives (Boyett & Boyett, 1998; Clark & Clark, 1994; McCauley, Moxley, & Van Velsor, 1998) and yet to date, research and literature on leadership has been predominately focused on theories and approaches to leadership (Bass & Stogdill, 1990; Boyett & Boyett, 1998; Brungardt, 1996; Gardner, 1990; Jackson, 1992; Northouse, 1997; Yukl & van Fleet, 1992) with limited research focused on demonstrating the holist impact of leadership development investments (Avolio, 2007). Although research has been done on evaluation practices in relation to training and development, few researchers have addressed the matter of impact evaluation specifically for leadership development, through case study research using the mixed methods lenses. This research study was aimed at investigating the approaches used to measure the impact of leadership development initiatives, through engaging with stakeholders that have a vested interest in leadership development. The qualitative results revealed that the current leadership development evaluation approaches are a case of a self-fulfilling prophecy, enabled by the unilateral design of the current evaluation approaches and matrices for evaluation are not agreed upfront with relevant key stakeholders. Furthermore, the current approaches do not measure leadership impact holistically. This is problematic as business stakeholdersare not able to obtain a sense of the true and holistic impact of leadership development initiatives, in relation to their context and matrices that are important for them as business stakeholders are not included. The quantitative findings highlight the importance of having a leadership development evaluation approach that is 1) credible; 2) simple; 3) enables the evaluation to be done across all three levels of the triple bottom line; and an approach that is 4) theoretically sound. The results provided insights into the core elements that should be included in evaluating leadership development impact holistically and through this theory emerged which informs the theoretical contribution in this research study. In this, a proposed holistic leadership development impact evaluation approach is presented as an evaluation framework with underlying principles used to explain what informs the framework and how the framework may be applied in the evaluation of leadership development initiatives within the context of corporate leadership in South Africa
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    Learning Transfer among Generation Y Entrepreneurs in the South African Manufacturing Sector
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Raliphada, Nditsheni J.; Carmichael ,, Terri
    South Africa has one of the highest levels of unemployment in the world, and youth entrepreneurship is viewed as one of the interventions that can help with job creation and reduce unemployment. This study aimed to understand how learning transfer occurs among Generation Y Entrepreneurs in the South African manufacturing sector. The study followed the Glaserian classical grounded theory methodology. Data was collected through direct interviews (3) and from pre-recorded interviews (27) accessed online. Data was analysed until the theory emerged, observing the principles of constant comparison, theoretical sampling and saturation. The study found that GYEs core concern is “staying afloat” linked to the survival and sustainability of their business enterprises. “Relating” emerged as the core category; learning transfer among GYE occurs primarily through relationships. This study proposes Relational Learning Transfer Theory to account for how GYEs acquire and transfer learning, navigate their environments, respond to their primary concern of staying afloat, and strategise to outsmart the competition. Relational Learning Transfer Theory is a processual theory that recognises internal factors, such as the self, and external factors, such as support structures and the environment. The study also proposes a relational learning transfer matrix and model as contributions to learning transfer. Methodologically, a new coding approach was developed and used in the study as a contribution to grounded theory and qualitative research. The method codes data for actions, conditions, attitudes and consequences (ACAC). The study’s findings provide guidance to GY entrepreneurs to build and enhance their relationships with stakeholders to sustain their enterprises. Academics and practitioners can utilise the theory, matrix, and model to enhance the entrepreneurship curriculum. Policymakers should utilise the findings in this study to direct their policies and strategies to create a conducive environment for entrepreneurial endeavour amongst South African youth.
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    The impact of organisational governance on team autonomy in large-scale agile projects
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Dhlamini, Bridgette Sebueng; Appiah, Erasmus Kofi
    Traditional software development methods have proven to be ineffective for large- scale projects in the current digital era. This, as well as the complexities of large-scale projects, has exacerbated the need for more and more organisations to adopt agile project methodologies for large-scale projects to keep up with the fast-paced technology landscape. The adoption of agile methodologies can only work if it is supported by organisational structures that enable agile to be effective. These include governance structures and organisational culture that enable continuous rapid delivery of quality software. Team autonomy is key in enabling fast-paced delivery, and there should be alignment between the organisational governance structures and the autonomy of project teams. It is not clear as to what level of autonomy should be afforded to project teams, at the same time ensuring that the project receives the right level of oversight. The research followed a qualitative research approach, and 10 participants who had experience working on agile projects in one of the big banks in South Africa were interviewed. The study found that the lack of team autonomy in large-scale agile projects was due to the organisation’s little to no tolerance for risk and the blaming culture. To change this, the organisation needs to cultivate a learning culture that will allow project teams to learn and grow through their mistakes
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    The perceived value and positioning of coaching in a leadership development programme within a state-owned entity
    (2022) Herbert, Samantha Lynn
    Organisations around the world are embattled in the corporate race to secure highly skilled talent to stay ahead of the human resources recruitment curve. Additionally, many top performing employees within organisations also need to be stimulated to remain at the top of the skills curve and ultimately, to serve their organisations. The format of such stimulation is often undertaken by organisations in the form of leadership development programmes. Most leadership development programmes employ coaching as a self-development tool with the intention of perpetual learning through positive change. The common understanding is that coaching contributes to the performance of organisations. It has however, been found that coaching on its own cannot withstand the responsibility of determining organisational wellness, which motivated this study to research the value-add which coaching contributes to leadership development programmes and to explore whether such value–add is partial to the positioning of coaching in the development programmes. The purpose of this study is to suggest best practices for the positioning of coaching in corporate leadership development programmes, to derive optimal value for organisations. The data was collated through a thematic analysis of information drawn from semi-structured interviews. The study drew largely from the personal experiences of graduates from a leadership development programme within a State-Owned Entity in the logistics fraternity. Executive level employees were interviewed for senior levels of work experience. The key finding of this study is that coaching must be included in the strategy phase of planning within an organisation for purposes of alignment of all stakeholders, for high levels of leadership support and ultimately, for the creation of environments conducive for effective coaching. When coaching is strategically dealt with, the contribution of this study enables organisations to obviate probable downstream failure of coaching practices through the aligned buy-in of organisations from the highest levels of leadership and it provides a road map for effective placement of coaching in future leadership development programmes. Coaching is most effective when supported by various fundamentals, in this case, by its positioning within leadership development programmes for optimal value extraction.
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    Leadership development impact evaluation approaches
    (2022) Mbatha, Vuyile Cynthia
    This mixed methods multiple case study research investigated the approaches used in the impact evaluation of leadership development initiatives within the context of financial services corporate organisations operating in the African continent and headquartered in South Africa. Organisations around the world are continuously investing incremental amounts of money into learning and development, more specifically directed towards leadership development initiatives (Boyett & Boyett, 1998; Clark & Clark, 1994; McCauley, Moxley, & Van Velsor, 1998) and yet to date, research and literature on leadership has been predominately focused on theories and approaches to leadership (Bass & Stogdill, 1990; Boyett & Boyett, 1998; Brungardt, 1996; Gardner, 1990; Jackson, 1992; Northouse, 1997; Yukl & van Fleet, 1992) with limited research focused on demonstrating the holist impact of leadership development investments (Avolio, 2007). Although research has been done on evaluation practices in relation to training and development, few researchers have addressed the matter of impact evaluation specifically for leadership development, through case study research using the mixed methods lenses. This research study was aimed at investigating the approaches used to measure the impact of leadership development initiatives, through engaging with stakeholders that have a vested interest in leadership development. The qualitative results revealed that the current leadership development evaluation approaches are a case of a self-fulfilling prophecy, enabled by the unilateral design of the current evaluation approaches and matrices for evaluation are not agreed upfront with relevant key stakeholders. Furthermore, the current approaches do not measure leadership impact holistically. This is problematic as business stakeholders ii are not able to obtain a sense of the true and holistic impact of leadership development initiatives, in relation to their context and matrices that are important for them as business stakeholders are not included. The quantitative findings highlight the importance of having a leadership development evaluation approach that is 1) credible; 2) simple; 3) enables the evaluation to be done across all three levels of the triple bottom line; and an approach that is 4) theoretically sound. The results provided insights into the core elements that should be included in evaluating leadership development impact holistically and through this theory emerged which informs the theoretical contribution in this research study. In this, a proposed holistic leadership development impact evaluation approach is presented as an evaluation framework with underlying principles used to explain what informs the framework and how the framework may be applied in the evaluation of leadership development initiatives within the context of corporate leadership in South