published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

The study's main purpose is to explore the problem of managerial obsolescence in Canada. The purpose is accomplished through establishing the importance of management techniques and concepts and through determining the managerial level of the understanding of these techniques and concepts. On the basis of the importance and understanding of management techniques and concepts, the study aims to develop an approach which would provide an approximation of the extent of management obsolescence.

M.A. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Thesis (M.M. (Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Wits Business School, 2016. / The purpose of the study was to explore expert performance in business and executive coaching. Although it is an unregulated field, executive coaching continues to grow as an industry with recent estimates suggesting earnings of $2-billion per year (Fillery-Travis & Lane, 2006). Despite the growth of the coaching industry in the last decade there is still a lack of clarity in coaching science as to how performance should be measured; what constitutes expert performance in executive coaching and how it is acquired (Côté, Young, Duffy, & North, 2007). The primary research question is, ‘what is expert performance in business and executive coaching?’ The research also explores what expert performance is, how expert performance can be recognised and how people in the industry recognise expert performance in business and executive coaches in South Africa today. This study aims to fills the gap in research regarding what constitutes expert performance in executive coaching and how it is acquired. This literature review explores the definition of coaching, methods and approaches to coaching, the coaching industry, expert performance per se and expert performance in executive coaching. Expert performance can be defined in many ways. It is the ability to perform at any time with limited preparation (Ericsson, 2008) and is demonstrated by consistent superior performance on a specific task in the person’s field of expertise (Ericsson & Charness, 1994). Chapter 3 documents the research methodology process that was used to conduct this research. The researcher used a qualitative research methodology and the research paradigm for this dissertation was interpretivism. The research design was phenomenology, used to explore the phenomenon of expert performance in business and executive coaching. The population included 6 registered executive coaches in South Africa, 6 executives from various organisations, and 6 heads of Human Resources (HR) or learning and development. 18 semi-structured interviews were used to conduct the research. Deliberate sampling was used until data saturation occurred. This research aimed to deepen the understanding of expert performance in business and executive coaching, and as a secondary focus, to explore what is required to have expert performance as an executive coach, and how it is recognised. Chapter 4 is a breakdown of the categories identified through the findings of the research and provides the reader access to some direct quotes from the respondents through the interviews. There was a consensus that, for coaching to be successful, the individual having coaching needs to a) want coaching, b) initiate it, and c) assume responsibility for choosing the coach. The criteria for choosing a coach are to check testimonials and references, to get clarity on the coach’s qualifications and experience, and to establish the coach’s processes and niche. Moreover, the coach’s motivation for coaching should be assessed. The coach needs to build trust and rapport immediately and exude confidence and passion. A key subject of enquiry of this study was to establish the criteria deemed to be essential for expert executive coaching. Sixteen criteria emerged, they were: 1) relationship skills; 2) willingness to challenge; 3) presence; 4) walks-the-talk; 5) continuous development; 6) self-awareness; 7) can say no to work; 8) can express what they do; 9) has experience; 10) is qualified; 11) can easily unlock potential and depth; 12) can go with the flow and not know; 13) creates powerful results; 14) client centric; 15) referrals and returning coaches and 16) shifts between theory and reality. Chapter 5 compares the literature and the outcomes of the interviews conducted to assess if the findings from this research are consistent with, or contradictory to, the literature on the topic. The outcomes of this chapter reflected key aspects to expert performance in business and executive coaching. To demonstrate expert performance as an executive coach the executive coach needs to have a high degree of authenticity, which builds trust that forms the foundation for a successful coaching intervention. To achieve this they need to have superior levels of self-awareness and social intelligence which provides an array of positive consequences. Expert executive coaches have context specific expertise that is relevant to the area in which they work. Expert executive coaches have clearly defined roles and identities heightening their levels of professionalism and enabling them to articulate what they do, and also to decline work where they recognise it is not their area of expertise. Expert executive coaches have extensive coaching experience and hence high levels of self-efficacy which communicates presence and credibility. To fulfil the requirements for deliberate practice, expert executive coaches have real passion for what they do which enables them to continuously develop themselves professionally and personally so they reach these levels of exceptional coaching. The conclusions chapter reverts back to the original research questions posed for this research and draws conclusions and recommendations for further research. This research showed expert performance in executive coaching was demonstrated by executive coaches who had been in the industry for ten years or more and had vast experience. They had been directly or indirectly applying deliberate practice in the form of continuous professional and personal development, involving supervision, mentoring, and additional coach-specific training. On a personal level they had continued to develop self-awareness by attending consciousness development seminars or retreats or by engaging in their own coaching process with a professional coach. / DH2016

Thesis (M.M. (Business Executive Coaching))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Graduate School of Business Administration, 2013. / Leaders in the 21st century face many challenges. To be effective they need to be visionaries and leaders of change, who realise their visions and goals through others. To do this they need to know who they are, be confident of their own abilities and lead with integrity and conviction, maximising the capabilities of their followers to realise their potential while achieving company goals. A coaching style of leadership could help them to do this. However, coaching does not necessarily come easily to leaders and coaching skills may need to be developed. This research explores the use of theatre-based techniques to develop core coaching competencies in leaders who coach. These techniques, founded on the rigorous training that actors have to undertake, are simple, fun and engaging, yet provocative and transformational. They could help leaders to improve their communication skills, build their emotional intelligence and develop the trust and integrity needed for an authentic, credible presence, which is necessary in leaders who coach. To determine whether theatre-based techniques do develop coaching competencies in leaders who coach, several international and local experts, who use these techniques in training leaders and coaches, were interviewed. In addition, theatre-based workshops were observed and feedback was obtained from delegates. Findings were analysed, using inductive content analysis, and these findings were compared to the relevant literature and to the coaching competencies outlined by international coach federations, to determine the relevance of theatre-based techniques for coach education. The findings from this research show that theatre-based techniques develop key coaching competencies such as presence, emotional intelligence, effective expressive communication, trust and integrity, development and transformation, and creativity in leaders who coach and coaches. It is concluded, therefore, that theatre-based techniques do have a role to play within the context of coach education, and combined with other more formal methods of training that include coaching models, could be useful in developing core coaching competencies in leaders who coach and coaches.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in Business and Executive Coaching. Johannesburg, 2017 / This study assessed the dynamics of the coach-coachee matching process in the South African context with a specific focus on the experiences and perspectives of participants. It took place in Johannesburg within the South African context of business executive coaching, which is growing in popularity in corporates. It involved seven Top 40 organisations listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) that had implemented executive coaching as a management development tool. The participants comprised 22 participants consisting of 15 coachees, four HR/OD managers, and three coaches. A constructivist-interpretivist paradigm and in-depth semi-structured interview technique for data collection was used. The key findings were about organisation-coachee and coach-coachee matching dynamics. Organisation-coachee dynamics included factors contributing to positive organisation-coachee dynamics such as organisational coaching culture and formal programme; trained internal coaches; geographic access to coaches; availability of choice of coaches; a dedicated matching person; group coaching and an enabling use of technology. Factors that contributed to negative organisation-coachee dynamics were limited coach experience; remedial coaching; negative feedback and limiting technology use. Coach coachee dynamics included factors contributing to positive coach-coachee matching dynamics such as complementarity of personality, values and beliefs of the coach and coachee dyad, and various others on the preferred demographics of coach and coachee. Factors that contributed to negative coach-coachee dynamics included unmet expectations of the coachee; lack of trust; personality clash; crossing of the coaching relationship boundaries; and negative impact of coach-coachee demographics. The conclusions of this study indicated that organisations should consider the dynamics involved in matching coaches to coachees by assessing the coaching needs of prospective coachees and helping them find a suitable coach. Furthermore, effective management of both processes and dynamics has an influence on the success or otherwise of the coaching relationship. / MT2017

Lau Wing Man. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 47-57). / Abstract in English and Chinese. / ABSTRACT --- p.1 / 摘要 --- p.2 / ACKNOWLEDGEMENT --- p.3 / Chapter CHAPTER 1. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.6 / Management Development (MD) in Asia --- p.6 / Human Resources Management (HRM) and Organizational Performance --- p.7 / Management Development - A Key Component of HRM --- p.8 / The Concept of Management Development --- p.9 / Relationship between Management Development and Performance --- p.9 / The Importance of Aligning Human Resources Strategies with Business Strategies --- p.10 / The Role of Perception in Moderating the MD-Performance Linkage --- p.12 / Discrepancy in Perception between Human Resources Managers (HR) and Line Managers (LM) --- p.14 / Key MD Aspects: MD Ethos and MD Systems --- p.15 / The Hypothesized Model --- p.17 / Consistent vs Inconsistent Groups --- p.19 / Significance of the Present Study --- p.21 / Chapter CHAPTER 2. --- METHOD --- p.23 / Participants --- p.23 / Procedures --- p.23 / Measures --- p.24 / Data Analyses --- p.26 / Chapter CHAPTER 3. --- RESULTS --- p.29 / "Descriptive Statistics, T-test Statistics and Correlations between Key Variables" --- p.29 / Multisample Analysis of the Hypothesized Path Model --- p.32 / Chapter CHAPTER 4. --- DISCUSSION --- p.37 / Discussion on Key Findings --- p.37 / The Importance of Strategic Alignment --- p.37 / Discrepancy in Perception between HR and LM --- p.37 / "The Importance of Managers' Perception of MD Systems in Collectivistic, Tight Cultures" --- p.38 / Uniqueness of the HL Group --- p.41 / HL Group vs LH Group --- p.41 / HL Group vs HH Group --- p.42 / Theoretical and Practical Implications --- p.43 / Theoretical Implications --- p.43 / Practical Implications --- p.44 / Limitations and Further Studies --- p.45 / REFERENCES --- p.47 / APPENDIX A --- p.58

This thesis sought to place the development of managers, management theory, practice and discourse within its general historical context. The emergence and growth of a body of managers in Australia was examined utilising Historical Sociology, Survey, Content Analysis and Theory of Practices methods. Australian managers, management practice and discourse were influenced by British, American and, more recently, Japanese management theories and practices. Theories and practices from Classical Management and subsequent theories were evidenced as trends which dominated for periods, changing the practices and discourses of managers. Based on a survey of Australian managers, the interaction between management theories and practices was examined and interpreted. Counter trends existed in periods that were dominated by particular theoretical models. These counter trends provided the links to newer practices and theories. The results indicated the continued importance of all theoretical models and the practices they describe. In Australia, the theoretical perspectives did not fit the trends of broad cycles of economic activity but overlapped, having been introduced in differing time frames. Management discourse was evaluated through content analysis of the editorials of Rydge's (a local management magazine) from 1945 to 1987 to ascertain any changes in management discourse as the result of the introduction of new management theories. Other themes and trends were identified and examined to provide insights into managers' values. The production and reproduction of practices were considered utilising a Theory of Practice. In the field of management, practices are produced and reproduced by managers influenced by their habitus, the division of labour and the exercise of power. The survey and content analysis results were examined to profile the habitus through the impact of managers' backgrounds on their behaviour, practice and discourse. These constituted forms of cultural capital which mediated managers' beliefs through symbolic instruments embedded in its structuring structures. Overall, the research highlighted relationships between typologies of management theories, discourses and practices and provided a profile of the production and reproduction of practices in a contemporary Australian setting.

This research explores the nature and importance of leadership in technical projects. It contends that there is a need to develop a leadership model incorporating the unique personality and occupational characteristics of technical professionals and their project environment. Increasing attention is now being paid to the non-technical aspects, such as leadership, in the execution of technical projects; but there is a dearth of empirical research justifying their importance as critical success factors. Using Bass and Avolio�s (1990) model and its measurement instrument, this study tested the suitability of transformational leadership, considered a cornerstone of post-industrial school of leadership, in the successful execution of information systems projects. In addition, a separate technical leadership scale, derived from the meta analysis of the technical leadership literature, was also tested, compared and contrasted with Bass and Avolio�s model. The conceptual framework postulated that a combination of transformational and technical leadership styles augment transactional leadership leading to high project success with the additional support of other contingency factors, such as clarity of project mission, top management support and availability of technical resources. The population for the research was information systems projects in Australian organisations. The participating organisations were part of the top 100 computer using organisations, top 50 software companies and members of the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA). Of the 111 organisations which were invited and found suitable, 36 participated in the research, yielding a response rate of 32%. Each participating organisation involved two project teams in the survey, one considered more successful and another less successful, on specified parameters. The sample consisted of the IT project managers (n = 70) and their subordinates (n = 228) who described the leadership behaviours of self/manager in terms of transformational, transactional, and technical leadership scales and their perceived effectiveness. In addition, senior IT managers (n = 18) were interviewed to obtain a three dimensional (superiors, self and subordinates) perspective of project leadership. The results were consistent with the hypothesis that managers of more successful projects exhibit transformational and technical leadership behaviours to a greater extent than managers of less successful projects. They also exhibited more of transactional contingent reward behaviour, thus, supporting the augmentation effect. Management-by-exception passive behaviour showed a strong but negative correlation with leadership outcome. As hypothesised, transformational and technical leadership scales were more strongly correlated with leadership outcome scales in more successful projects than in less successful projects. These results were in line with the previous findings on Bass and Avolio�s model. The more successful projects also exhibited stronger presence of the contingency factors considered in the study i.e., better clarity of project mission to team members, top management support and greater availability of technical resources. There was a broad agreement between the managers and their subordinates on leadership, outcome and contingency scales. The factor analysis of leadership scales resulted in one transformational scale (combination of intellectual stimulation and idealised influence), one technical scale (organisational catalyst), and three transactional scales (contingent reward, management-by-exception active and passive). The modified leadership scales were used to propose a technical leadership model, laying the foundation for a technical leadership theory. The results demonstrate the importance of leadership as a critical success factor in technical projects and provide valuable clues on a 'role model' for aspiring project managers which include the key elements of transformational and technical leadership. While there may be no one leadership style that is effective in all project situations, the study recommends an underlying yet flexible style characterised by organisational catalyst, intellectual stimulation, behavioural charisma and contingent reward behaviours for enhanced leadership effectiveness.