Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2006. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of this research report is to fully understand the developing of a new age of wisdom. Society is constantly evolving and changing. Within society, there are different generations interacting with each other. Due to the speed of infonnation flow huge generation gaps have developed. This has led to a state of chaos. The report argues that infonnation and knowledge must change into wisdom, thus restoring stability to society. To make such a change, an understanding must be formulated about the wisdom worker, the type of leader who will lead them, as well as the company. Changes must take place in business, or else, the most talented people will leave. The literature investigation concentrates on the central aspects pertaining to this research, namely the understanding of the current society and the different generations. Through literature review, a better understanding is developed about the current chaotic business environment, as well as the evolving of the knowledge worker into the wisdom worker. Different authors' views are combined to develop the characteristics of the wisdom leader and the new structure of the wisdom economic organisation. Themes emerged from the investigation. The general principles of new society was centered out, the coming of the next generation, finding balance in life through five different intelligences, the new generation leader and wisdom workings within the visionary company structure. From the research report it is clear that employees experience a growing need to make work more meaningful and attractive. Due to increasing productivity pressure, employees are starting to look at alternatives. For the wisdom worker, financial well ness is subjective to a life filled with principles and values. They want work to be part of their lives, not the only life they know. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van die navorsingsverslag is om die ontwikkeling van 'n era van Wysheid te verstaan. Die gemeenskap is voortdurend besig om te verander en te ontwikkel. Binne die gemeenskap is daar verskiHende aktiewe generasies. Groot gapings is besig om te ontstaan tussen die generasies, as gevolg van die toenemende spoed waarteen inligting vloeL Die verslag argumenteer dat inligting en kennis verander moet word in wysheid wat sodoende stabiliteit sal gee aan die gemeenskap. Om so 'n verandering Ie maak, is dil nodig om die Wysheidswerker te verstaan , die tipe leier wat nodig is om hulle te lei, sowel as die tipe maatskappy waarin Wysheids-werkers wit werk. Die literatuurondersoek fokus op die sentrale aspekte van die navorsing naamlik om 'n onderliggende begrip teo vorm ten opsigte van die gemeenskap en die verskillende generasies. Daarmee saam word 'n meer volledige beg rip gevorm van die chaotiese besigheidsomgewing en die evolusie van die Kundigheidswerker na 'n Wysheidswerker. Verskillende skrywers se opinies word gekombineer om die karakter·eienskappe van die wysheids-Ieier en - maalskappy Ie onlwikkel. Uit die ondersoek ontvou die algemene beginsels van 'n nuwe gemeenskap en die koms van die volgende generasie. Balans kan gevind word deur te fokus op vyf verskillende intelligensies. Die beginsels van die nuwe generasie leier word bespreek en die wysheidswerking binne die raamwerk van 'n visie-gerigte maatskappy slrukluur. Oil blyk duidelik uil die studie dat daar 'n groeiende behoefte is by werknemers am werk meer betekenisvol en aantreklik te ervaar. As gevolg van toenemende produkliwileilsdruk, begin werknemers na allernaliewe kyk. Vir die wysheidswerker is finansi~le welvaart subjektief ten opsigte van 'n lewe wat gevul is met beginsels en waardes. Hulle wil werk he wat deel is van hulle lewens. nie die enigsle lewe wal hulie ken nie.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Share repurchase activity (or buybacks), as a corporate finance decision-making tool, has increased steadily over the years, both in the USA and in other markets around the world. This research report investigates share repurchase (of ordinary shares) activity in South Africa between July 1999 (when buybacks were legalised) and December 2006. Consistent with empirical evidence elsewhere in the world, the results show that South African companies have increased their share repurchase activity in absolute terms (volume and value). Corporate South Africa is estimated to be sitting on a huge cash pile of approximately R600 billion (or 38% of GOP) - a significant prerequisite for share repurchases. In the absence of potential projects and acquisitions that meet the firms' weighted average cost of capital, it is reasonable to expect that the level and value of buyback activity will increase in the foreseeable future. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die aandeleterugkoop-bedrywigheid (of aandeleterugkope), as 'n korporatiewe finansiele besluitnemingshulpmiddel, het geleidelik toegeneem oor die jare, beide in die VSA en in ander markte wereldwyd. Hierdie navorsingsverslag ondersoek die aandeleterugkoop-bedrywigheid in Suid-Afrika tussen Julie 1999 (toe terugkope wetlig geword het) en Desember 2006. In Iyn met empiriese bewyse elders in die wereld, toon die resultate dal Suid-Afrikaanse maatskappye hul aandeelterugkoop-bedrywighede in absolute terme (volume en waarde) verhoog het. Oit word beraam dat korporatiewe Suid-Afrika 'n groat kontantreserwe van bykans R600 biljoen (of 38% BBP) het - 'n noemenswaardige voorvereiste vir aandeleterugkoop. In die afwesigheid van potensiele projekte en aankope wat die firmas se geweegde gemiddelde koste van kapitaal behaal, is dit aanvaarbaar om te verwag dat die vlak en waarde van terugkoopbedrywigheid in die afsienbare toekoms sal verhoog.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2006. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The last decade has seen a continuing erosion of trust in business. Companies inability to realise trust in practice has created public cynicism and mistrust. This eruption of mistrust compelled business to ask why trust has become as issue of concern and how one can re-establish trust in commerce. The study will investigate the functioning of the concept of trust in business. Our hypothesis is that a move from mistrust to trust in the current business environment is only possible through a change in our understanding of ethics. A mere change in business processes or a tightening of corporate governance and compliance will not help us to move away from the culture of suspicion that is negatively influencing our business environment. We will propose the work of Emmanuel Levinas as an ethical alternative to the de-ontological and teleological approaches that are currently dominating our understanding of business ethics. Using some of his key concepts we construct what we call an 'embodied trust'. This form of trust is grounded in responsibility towards the other, and not in the rational sentiments of the egotistical subject. We complement this more philosophical approach to trust by building a business case for it by looking at the way it functions in various business instances. We acknowledge that a lot of what we have discussed is already an implicit part of what is happing in the business community. By looking at issues such as integrity, transparency I leadership, corporate culture, stakeholders, corporate social responsibility, branding and corporate governance, we highlight the existing forms of trust that already adhere to the discussed ethical requirements, and indicate the direction that business needs to take to cultivate this kind of trust in all its business processes. We conclude our study by giving two examples that will serve as illustration of our argument. The first being Regal Bank as an example of 'embodied mistrust' and the second being Allan Gray as an illustration of 'embodied trust'. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die laaste dekade is gekenmerk deur 'n voortdurende erosie van vertroue in die sakewereld. Maatskappye se onvermoe om in die praktyk vertroue te skep, het verder bygedra tot openbare sinisme en wantroue in sakepraktyke. Hierdie ontploffing van wantroue het organisasies genoop om te besin oor waarom vertroue so 'n belangrike kwessie is, en oor hoe om dit te herstel. Hierdie studie . ondersoek die wyse waarop die konsep van vertroue in besigheid funksioneer. Dns hipotese is dat die verskuiwing van wantroue na vertroue in die heersende besigheidsomgewing aileen moontlik is deur 'n veranderde begrip van etiek. Die blote verandering in besigheidsprosesse of 'n verskerping van korporatiewe beheer en nakoming van reels sal cns nie help om weg te beweeg van 'n kultuur van agterdog wat besig is om cns besigheidsmilieu negatief te be"(nvloed nie. Ons stel die werk van Emmanuel Levinas as 'n etiese alternatief voar om die de-ontologiese en teleologie5e benaderings te vervang wat tans cns beg rip van besigheidsetiek oorheers. Deur van sy sleutelbegrippe te gebruik, konstrueer ons wat ons noem 'n 'beliggaamde vertroue'. Hierdie vorm van vertroue is gegrond in verantwoordelikheid teenoor die ander en nie in die rasionele trekke van die egotisiese subjek nie. Ons komplementeer ons filosofiese benadering tot vertroue met 'n praktiese kyk op hoe dit funksioneer in verskillende besigheidsprosesse. Baie van dit wat ons bespreek, is reeds implisiet deel van dit wat gebeur in die bre;; besigheidsgemeenskap. Deur te kyk na sake soos integriteit, deursigtigheid, leierskap, korporatiewe kultuur, belanghebbendes, korporatiewe sosiale verantwoordelikheid, handelsmerke en korporatiewe beheer, wys ons uit hoe bestaande vorme van vertroue reeds voldoen aan ons voorgestelde etiese voorwaardes. Hiermee saam gee ons ook die rigting aan waarin besigheid moet ontwikkel om die tipe vertroue deel te maak van al sy besigheidsprosesse. Ons sluit die studie af deur twee voorbeelde te gee ter illustrasie van ons argument. Die eerste is die van Regal Bank as 'n voorbeeld van ' beliggaamde wantroue' en die tweede is die van Allan Gray as 'n illustrasie van 'beliggaamde vertroue'.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / The new world of business requires the growth and development of all staff to ensure a competitive advantage for the organisation by maximising the effective and productive impact of the human resources of the company. It is in this context that the informal coach within the company can make the greatest impact by facilitating the development and growth of aspiring leaders and managers to reach their full potential. In this context, the informal coach will be an employee of the company and have a regular designation within the organisation. Apart from his or her daily duties, the coach will aspire to provide guidance and facilitate change with fellow employees on an informal and relaxed basis. The coaching will not take place during formal sessions, as is the case for a traditional coaching process, but will be guided by daily interaction between the coach and client within the work environment. When fulfilling this role the coach needs to be aware of the core principles, skills and values to form the basis of the coaching process. The coach should further have a clear understanding of the independent position that is required within the interaction with the client, where the focus is on the goals, hopes and curiosities of the client as a centre to growth and development. The coach should consider the perspectives of the client that was formed by the client’s life experiences and that could have a profound impact on the effectiveness of the coaching interaction and the possible hindrances to optimal personal development. During this process the particular life stage of the client will play a prominent role in the interaction, with the coach to consider the specific needs and desires of the client in context of his or her development stage or managerial level. The personal and organisational leadership style of the client and the company should be considered when initiating a coaching process, with the client required to be capable of utilising a variety of leadership styles effectively to assure the optimal use of teams. The coach should assist the client to develop the capacity to identify which leadership styles are required under certain conditions and how to use it effectively. The leadership pipeline and succession planning within the company will play an important role in the way the client will be guided to fulfil a specific management or leadership role. In this case the coach will need to be aware and collaborate with human resource planning within the company to ensure that the identification and development of the client is aligned with company strategies and planning. Throughout the interaction the coach should provide feedback to the client on the progress made during the coaching process. This feedback should be managed appropriately to act as motivation to the client for further development. Typically a 360° peer review can be used as a source for feedback as long as it is properly managed to yield accurate and appropriate results. The role of the informal coach should thus not be underestimated in the workplace to facilitate personal growth for individuals and managers to ensure the continued strategic strengthening of the company and the future survival of businesses.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / Organisations are continuously involved in the process of selection, prioritisation and execution of projects in order to achieve some stated objective, within the constraints of a finite set of resources. The problem that many organisations face is how to go about making the decisions to maximise the value of the investment in these projects. Project Portfolio Management (PPM) is a management concept that facilitates and support the decision-making processes to ensure that the optimal mix of projects in a portfolio supporting a particular organisational objective. However, there is no generally accepted standard definition of PPM. This absence of an accepted definition can lead to confusion when organisations implement PPM. A well-defined, accepted standard supported by qualifying criteria will thus enable organisations to make informed decisions about the application of PPM. It will also lead to a better understanding of the PPM value proposition. The purpose of this report is to define exactly PPM entails. It recommends a standard definition that will enable an organisation to understand the use and benefit of PPM. The author reviewed the many different definitions of PPM from different perspectives namely: academic literature, industry bodies, popular press, software vendors and consulting groups. A critical review of the literature was performed to clearly define the concept. All of the different definitions were reviewed and compared within, and amongst, the different perspectives. The final definition of project portfolio management is presented as follows: Project Portfolio Management is a strategic management concept with the objective of ensuring that the portfolio of projects is aligned with and support the organisational strategy. This is done through the integration of strategic and operational management levels within the organisation. An important insight of the research is that projects, and portfolios of projects, can be considered as change initiatives and investments the organisation has made, or plans to make in future. Within this context PPM is positioned on a strategic management level within the organisation to assist in bringing about the change in the correct manner. PPM involves a dynamic decision-making process (defined in this report) where the selection and prioritisation of projects to be executed is done within the constraints of a limited pool of available resources. The selection and prioritisation of projects is determined by a defined set of criteria discussed in this report.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2006. / Although most businesses require accurate sales forecasts in order to survive and to be successful, very little attention has been devoted to examine how sales forecasting processes should be managed, and the behavioural factors associated with the management of forecasting. Sales forecasting activities and research have by and large concentrated on the techniques or on the systems used, rather than on the forecasting management philosophy, which considers the organisational, procedural, and personnel aspects of the process. Both forecasting modelling and IT systems form the basis for the forecasting process, but the third element, namely the organisation, is potentially the most important one. Researchers have argued that improvements in this area could have a greater impact on the level of forecasting accuracy than improvements with regard to other aspects. After developing predetermined forecasting standards and principles, an audit on the author's organisation was conducted. This revealed that no formal forecasting --- existed, and that a number of business practices were in effect contaminating procedures and possibly affecting the integrity of the data. Very little forecasting knowledge existed, sales were predicted very sporadically, and simple averaging techniques were adopted. Life cycles of products, trends, seasonality or any other cyclical activity were never modelled. This obviously resulted in a very poor level of forecast accuracy, affecting a number of business activities. A decision was made to research the topic of forecasting management, develop a best practice model, and apply it to the organisation. The best practice model was based predominantly on the research work of Armstrong and Mentzer. This model requires the forecasting process to be developed in two specific phases, namely a strategic phase, in which the forecast is aligned to the organisation, the internal processes and the people, and the operational phase, in which more tangible aspects of the forecasting process are identified and constructed. This new forecasting approach and a dedicated forecasting software programme were successfully implemented, improving the overall accuracy level of the forecast.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / The last few decades have been characterised by a high degree of rapid change in the business, social and political environment. The period we are currently living in has been referred to by one of the writers on the subject as a period of "hyper-change" In a period of "hyper-change" the consequences for global businesses is significant. Organisations constantly face new sets of challenges and before they have worked their way through one set another presents itself. In the area of skills development this could have major consequences for the leadership of organisations. It is said that the only way to succeed in a rapidly changing environment is to ensure that knowledge growth outpaces that rate of change. This implies rapid skills update as well. Under traditional leadership development approaches, through structured programmes, the rate of change in skills growth is not sufficient to ensure that the executive and the organisation remain ahead of change. Indeed, traditional programmes are not even able to effectively deliver the kinds of skills that are needed by today's executive. The skills referred to here are softer skills such as communications skills, diversity awareness, conflict resolution, listening skills and so forth. In the last two decades a new trend has developed in the USA. ..coaching, more precisely executive coaching. Started in 1982 by a financial analyst, Thomas Leonard, the practice of coaching seems to have grown exponentially over the last two decades. The popularity of coaching is ascribed mainly to its effectiveness in being able to deliver quick results. It has also proved to be popular among executives for its flexibility around time and structure of process allowing the executive to focus on areas of improvement that will the greatest impact. Coaching has made its mark as one of the essential development tools that must be found in the portfolio of options of any people development strategy.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / Some digitised pages may appear illegible due to the condition of the original hard copy / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The complexity of modern business requires that all managers be, at least, partially responsible for strategic risk management. Therefore, all managers must have an awareness of the business direction of the organisation as a whole; that is, the corporate and business strategy. Companies embark on this journey to ensure their future existence. In this regard, having a risk management strategy allows a company to visualise and aim for its future, because such strategy guides decisions on the allocation of resources throughout the organisation. The risk management strategy encapsulates both desired goals and beliefs about what are acceptable and, most critically, unacceptable means of achieving them. To achieve the above, the ineptitude of traditional risk management strategy rarely seems to dictate unique structural solutions. Rather, the crucial factors in the operational risks processes are most often those of execution and continuous adaptation; of getting things done, and staying flexible. In addition, and to a very large extent, this means going far beyond strategy, to issues of organising structure, people, and the like. Given the historical development arising from the academic and insurance background and its inefficacy in dealing with the array of risks in the fast changing business environment, it is therefore important that risk management be embedded in every aspect of the management structure in an organisation for it to deal holistically with all risks facing it. The major challenge, however, is how to free risk management from the specialist "silos" of academia and insurance that have hindered its growth since inception. The approach of this research study is motivated by a desire to address this challenge. To do so, it employs two scientific research methods, first, to provide basic knowledge of concepts in view of expanding the existing basic knowledge and contribute to the literature of risk management at large by describing its evolution into a modern risk management now known as enterprise risk management, and, second, to use the applied research method in focusing on the specific problem of knowing how to translate theoretical aspects of risks management into business solutions within the context of managing operational risks. This is done by illustration using South African Airways as a Case Study. In view of the above, the aim of this research study is to show how practically to liberate risk management from the clutches of academia and insurance and to give risk management strategic significance at senior management level and tactical significance at operational level within the aforementioned modern technique of enterprise risk management. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die ingewikkeldheid van moderne besigheid vereis dat alle bestuurders ten minste gedeeltelik vir strategiese risikobestuur verantwoordelik is. Daarom moet alle bestuurders bewus wees van die besigheidsrigting van die organisasie as geheel; dit is, die korporatiewe en besigheidstrategie. Maatskappye pak dié reis aan om hul bestaan in die toekoms te verseker. 'n Risikobestuurstrategie stel 'n maatskappy in staat om die toekoms te visualiseer en daarheen te mik, want dié strategie lei besluite oor die toekenning van hulpbronne regdeur die maatskappy. Die risikobestuurstrategie behels die verlangde doelwitte, en die oortuigings van wat aanvaarbaar en wat, uiters belangrik, onaanvaarbaar is om die doelwitte te bereik. Om die bogenoemde te bereik wil dit voorkom of die ongepastheid van tradisionele risikobestuurstrategieë selde unieke strukturele oplossings voorskryf. Die beslissende faktore in bedryfsrisiko-prosesse is gewoonlik uitvoering en voortdurende aanpassing; om dinge te laat gebeur en buigsaam te bly. Daarmee saam, en tot 'n baie groot mate, beteken dit om verby die strategie te beweeg na aangeleenthede van struktuur, mense en dies meer. Gegewe die historiese ontwikkeling van die akademiese en versekeringsagtergrond en die onvermoë om 'n verskeidenheid risiko's in 'n vinnig veranderende sake-omgewing te hanteer, is dit belangrik dat riskobestuur in elke aspek van die bestuurstruktuur van 'n organisasie vervat word. Dit sal verseker dat die organisasie dreigende risiko's holisties benader. Die grootste uitdaging is egter hoe om risikobestuur los te maak van die "spesialissilas" van die akademie en versekering, wat die groei daarvan sedert sy ontstaan belemmer het. Die benadering van dié navorsingstudie word gemotiveer deur 'n behoefte om dié uitdaging aan te pak. Om dit te doen, word twee wetenskaplike navorsingsmetodes gebruik. Eerstens, om basiese kennis te verskaf oor konsepte om die bestaande basiese kennis uit te brei en by te dra tot die literatuur van risikobestuur. Dit word gedoen deur die evolusie hiervan tot moderne risikobestuur, nou bekend as ondernemingsrisikobestuur, te beskryf. Tweedens, om die toegepaste navorsingsmetode te gebruik om te fokus op die spesifieke probleem van hoe om teoretiese aspekte van risikobestuur oor te skakel na besigheidsoplossings in die konteks van die bestuur van bedryfsrisiko's. Dit word gedoen deur die Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens as gevallestudie te gebruik. In die lig van die bogenoemde, is die doelwit van dié navorsingstudie tweeledig. Eerstens, om aan te toon hoe om risikobestuur te bevry van die kloue van die akademie en versekering. Tweedens, om die belangrikheid van strategiese risikobestuur op senior bestuursvlak en taktiese risikobestuur op bedryfsvlak uit te lig binne die voorgenoemde moderne tegniek van ondernemingsrisikobestuur.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study project has as its objectives the analysis and evaluation of people management practices within a broad spectrum of organisations in South Africa, using the Marglen diagnostic model. It also serves to assess the usage and utility of this model during this process. The Marglen model provides a conceptual framework consisting of twenty key issues which organisations can use to assess its people management practices. The model promotes a holistic, integrated and strategic approach to people management, with people management practitioners being considered as strategic partners within the core business activities of the organisation. In the current and foreseeable global economic order where rapid change and turbulence tend to be the only certainties, successful organisations are those who are creative, innovative, highly adaptable and who invent the future. In other words, organisations who leverage their only appreciating assets, namely their people, their human capital. In order to achieve this organisations need to move from traditional human resource management to progressive people management: from controlling and circumscribing staff to managing performance and leading and realising people's potential effectively and efficiently. Our studies show that the majority of organisations in South Africa, especially the bigger and older ones, tend to be reactive when it comes to people management. They largely still use the traditional human resources approach, changing only when forced to, for example, because of competition or legal pressures such as the Employment Equity Act. A small but growing number of organisations, which includes mainly the smaller and newer organisations operating especially in young or volatile industries (e.g. information technology sector) tend to be more proactive and tend to lean toward a more integrated people management system, with flatter structures and lots of positive energies. This is especially true when the leadership are still young/fresh and are hands- on. Because of their flexibility, responsiveness to markets and sensitivity to globalisation these "new generation" organisations most probably will adopt new (and hopefully more progressive) people management practices much quicker than the older, bigger ones. The Marglen model itself proved its worth with the wealth of empirical information generated and the encouragement of a systems approach to the solution of problems. With the necessary adjustments the model can become an even more potent tool for all managers, whether they are formal HR practitioners or not. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie werkstuk is onderneem om die praktyk van mensebestuur in 'n wyd verspreide spektrum van Suid Afrikaanse organisasies te ondersoek met behulp van the Marglen diagnostiese model. Dit dien ook as 'n evaluasie van die bruikbaarheid van die model self. Die Marglen model veskaf 'n konseptuele raamwerk bestaande uit twintig sleutels wat organisasies kan gebruik om hul mensebestuur praktyke te kan ondersoek. Die model bevorder 'n geintegreerde en strategiese nadering van mensebestuur, waar mensebestuur praktisyne beskou word as strategiese vennote deur alle ander bestuurders. In die huidige globale ekonomiese orde waar blitsige veranderinge en onstuimigheid die enigste sekerheid bied is suksesvolle organisasies die' wat kreatief, vernuwend en soepel is: diegene wat die toekoms skep. Met ander woorde, organisasies wat die beste gebruik maak van hul grootste en enigste groeiende bate, hul mense. Om suskesvol to wees en so te bly moet daar 'n wesenlike verandering van mensebestuur filosofie and praktyk wees, van die tradisionele metode van kontrole en verbiedinge na progressiewe metodes waar die persoon se potensiaal gerealiseer word ten bate van beide die persoon self en die organisasie. Ons ondersoek toon dat die meerderheid van organisasies, veral die groter en ouer garde, reagerend is wat mensebestuur betref. Hulle gebruik grootliks die tradisionele personeelbestuur filosofie en praktyke en verander net as hulle gedwing word deur eksterne faktore soos byvoorbeeld erg mededinging (veral van oorsee) en wetgewing. 'n Groeiende minderheid van organisasies wat insluit meesal die kleiner en jonger garde en wat veral in die nuwer en meer onstuimige sektors soos informasie tegnologie gevind word, neig om meer proaktief te wees. Hulle neig ook om 'n meer geintegreerde mensebestuur stelsel te hê met minder vlakke en met volop energie. Dit is veral opvallend wanneer die leierskap nog jonk is en heelhartiglik deelneem in die organisasie. As gevolg van hul soepelheid en hul reponsiewiteit en vatbaarheid vir die globale ekonomiese orde sal hulle heel moontlik die voortou neem met nuwe en hopelik progressiewe mensebestuur praktyke. Die Marglen model het sy self bewys met die inligting wat ontgun was en met die bevordering van 'n stelselmatige nadering van problem oplossing. Met die nodige aanpassings sal die model 'n selfs meer kragtige middel vir alle bestuurders wees, nie net vir personeel bestuurders nie.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001 / Is Management or Leadership ability a prerequisite for a successful project Supervisor/facilitator? Management and Leadership: In traditional thinking managers requires certain competencies to be able to plan, organize, direct and control the allocation of human, material, financial and information resources in the pursuit of organisational goals. Management is therefore a technical discipline of applying and administering authority over others, which is given through a formalised structural arrangement of the organisation. Leadership is about vision and influence, ie. the ability to obtain followers. Leaders are also seen as people who communicate effectively, which leads to recognition, which in turn leads to influence. Leadership is therefore a quality of obtaining results from others through personal influence. The distinction between leadership and management is perhaps in the fact that the former focuses more on setting the vision and relying on softer skills such as interpersonal skills to communicate the vision and generate commitment and enthusiasm to make it happen, while the other concentrate on the harder more functional issues of planning and controlling. Project management: Project management is a structured but flexible process for producing a new end result. Its success depends on the application of a two-step sequence: First plan - then produce. Success from a project management perspective requires being on time, within budget and meeting requirements. However, from a project perspective, a successful project is clearly one in which the 'customer' ends up satisfied. Optimum project management success is therefore obtained when both success dimensions are achieved simultaneously. Project Success is dependent on the nature of the organization (sector, activities, structure), the nature of the project, nature of the project work (complexity, scale, stature), but most importantly the personality of the project manager. Hence, must the project manager be a manager or leader? The various authors generally agree that leadership is important to the success of a project because leadership is essentially about motivating people. Also, what may be characterized, as "managership" is equally important because this is about getting things done. To get a project started off right, the project manager must become a leader. However, the style of leadership does need to change as the project progresses through its life cycle. Indeed, there comes a point in time when "managership" may be more important than "leadership. Failure to match an appropriate style to project circumstances can lead to unsatisfactory project results. Project management style classification: Having stated that the style of leadership needs to change as the project progresses we base our classification on the work done mostly by R. M. Wideman, whose research focused on four project leader profiles, namely: The Explorer: entrepreneur type project leaders have a vision of the future being bold, courageous and imaginative, constantly searching for opportunities and improvements. The Driver: distinctly action-oriented, hard working, hard driving, pragmatic, realistic, resourceful and resolute. The Coordinator: have a more independent and detached view of their surroundings and responsive to the views of project team members. The Administrator: recognizes the need for stability and optimize productivity through maximizing repetition, information assembly and analyzing, scheduling, trade-ofts to resolve conflicts and problems, in advance. Although experienced and skilled project managers often find themselves 'shifting gears' to suit current circumstances during the course of a project, the literature suggest that it is unusual to find all four traits in a single person. The study also discusses research done into the availability of people suited to various roles in project work. The research concluded that the Explorer (entrepreneur) type makes up only about 1-2% of the population, some 5-10%, are of the Driver (marshal) type, some 5-10%, are of the Coordinator (catalyst) type and 25- 30% are of the Administrator (stabilizer) "professional" types. Another 20-25% of the population is probably more suited as "followers". That still leaves about a third of the population who are most likely uncomfortable and unsuited to working on projects at all. If these statistics holds true, then the rate of unsatisfactory projects should come as no surprise considering the scarcity of people naturally suited for project management.