Published Article / The important impact of an organisation's cultural orientation is often not fully comprehended by management and staff. Organisational culture as the 'soul' of an organisation forms the basis of all decisions that are taken in organisational context. In the Knowledge Age, where service delivery has become a crucial consideration organisations must be creative in dealing with its internal and external customers. In a competitive international environment organisations may find it difficult to apply the cultural principles that correspond with that of the Knowledge Age. This paper argues that in order for organisations to adapt successfully to the challenges of the Knowledge Age, they need to comprehend the fundamental influence of organisational culture, and how a focus on both internal and external stakeholders, could benefit the organisation. The arguments of this paper are based, in part, on an investigation of the organisational culture of a major private security company in South Africa.

Based on a gap identified in existing literature, the aim of the study was to qualitatively examine the thematic patterns and lines of development of leadership models. The research was conducted from within a postmodern, social constructivist epistemological point of view; and was more specifically guided by the narrative theoretical framework. The sample of leadership models were therefore considered as leadership narratives. These leadership narratives were subjected to a qualitative analysis aimed at identifying relevant themes and patterns of development, which were subsequently mapped into a story network analysis and visually represented in the form of a sociogram network display. The major findings of the present research included that; themes that were identified by means of a qualitative analysis, contributed to a possible description of the characteristics of leadership. Core leadership narratives could also be identified and was subjected to further research, which uncovered that the developmental patterns and lines of these core narratives resembled the movement of a pendulum. Such a pendulum seems to have predictive value for organisations, as it might contribute to the understanding of the influences of internal and external factors within these organisations. The research also contributed by exploring the possible impacts that social changes had on the developmental lines and patterns of leadership narratives. This imbedded the study firmly into its proposed sociological context. / Thesis (M.A. (Sociology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

Based on a gap identified in existing literature, the aim of the study was to qualitatively examine the thematic patterns and lines of development of leadership models. The research was conducted from within a postmodern, social constructivist epistemological point of view; and was more specifically guided by the narrative theoretical framework. The sample of leadership models were therefore considered as leadership narratives. These leadership narratives were subjected to a qualitative analysis aimed at identifying relevant themes and patterns of development, which were subsequently mapped into a story network analysis and visually represented in the form of a sociogram network display. The major findings of the present research included that; themes that were identified by means of a qualitative analysis, contributed to a possible description of the characteristics of leadership. Core leadership narratives could also be identified and was subjected to further research, which uncovered that the developmental patterns and lines of these core narratives resembled the movement of a pendulum. Such a pendulum seems to have predictive value for organisations, as it might contribute to the understanding of the influences of internal and external factors within these organisations. The research also contributed by exploring the possible impacts that social changes had on the developmental lines and patterns of leadership narratives. This imbedded the study firmly into its proposed sociological context. / Thesis (M.A. (Sociology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.