The purpose of this study was to to investigate the impact of leadership practices on service quality in private higher education in South Africa as a source of competitive advantage. Higher education institutions and, more specifically, private higher education institutions, have faced increasing pressure on many fronts in recent years. These pressures include increased competition, lack of support from key constituencies, an increase in the size and diversity of the student population, dealing with changing technology, increased calls for accountability, a higher demand for quality by all the stakeholders involved, more responsibility for research and teaching and greater emphasis on efficient and effective management. The literature review for this study suggested that leadership impacts positively on quality and, equally important, on service quality. The academic leaders at these institutions have a tremendous influence on the quality of the education provided and the service rendered to the growing number of students. Using a quantitative methodology and a cross-sectional survey research design, this study was conducted on five campuses of a prominent private higher education provider across South Africa using two survey instruments. The Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) questionnaire was utilised to conduct the leadership survey while the SERVQUAL instrument was applied in the service quality survey. The campus principals of the five campuses and some of their selected subordinates completed the LPI survey. The SERVQUAL questionnaires were completed by 984 students from the five campuses. Correlation analysis was the major statistical tool used to analyse the data. The findings of the study indicated a strong positive linear correlation between the leadership practices of principals and service quality to students at these institutions. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)

In the global economy of the 21st century, competition is complex, challenging and fraught with competitive opportunities and threats. Strategic leadership is increasingly becoming the main focus for business and academics alike and is the key issue facing contemporary organisations. Without effective strategic leadership, the capability of a company to achieve or sustain a competitive advantage is greatly constrained. More than 30 years of Harvard Business School research have shown that aligned and integrated companies outperform their nearest competitors by every major financial measure. The organisational effectiveness emanating from alignment is a significant competitive advantage. Alignment is that optimal state in which strategy, employees, customers and key processes work in concert to propel growth and profits. Aligned organisations enjoy greater customer and employee satisfaction and produce superior results. Can leadership make a difference? Some leaders do, some do not - and many more could. Effective strategic leadership can thus help organisations enhance performance while competing in turbulent and unpredictable environments. However, there has been little empirical evidence of the effects of strategic level leadership on organisational processes that have distinctive strategic significance. A greater understanding of the criteria that influence success in organisations will enable organisations to take positive action to become more successful. iv This study examines the importance of critical leadership criteria and the degree of alignment in high-performing organisations. A quantitative research design was used in this study to assess the impact of strategic leadership on strategic alignment of business organisations in South Africa. The research instruments to test the research questions comprised two questionnaires. The first was used to establish the value top leadership place on selected critical leadership criteria, and the second to establish the level of alignment in the organisations under investigation. The population selected for this study consisted of the companies included in the 200 top-performing organisations which appeared in the 2007 Financial Mail. Six companies participated in the research. The data was electronically collated into a database and the results were then analysed using the statistical inferential techniques of correlation and linear regression analysis. The study proposes that strategic leadership will positively influence strategic alignment which, in turn, will have a beneficial effect on organisational performance. / Graduate School for Business Leadership / (D. B. L.)

The objectives of this study were to identify leadership competencies required by health services leaders, determine the role of mentorship in leadership development and, make recommendations for succession planning in the public health sector. A quantitative approach using an exploratory and descriptive design was used, with the intention of conducting a census survey. Respondents were managers in positions 11 and upward. Findings revealed that experience assisted managers in improving the technical competencies of human resources, financial and strategic planning, but not that of leadership skills and behaviour, and communication and relationship management, which required development in the form of mentorship. It is recommended that leadership development for future leaders be embedded in succession planning, based on policy guidelines. Limitations of this study were that a response rate of 30% was achieved and due to the narrow geographical coverage, the findings could not be generalised. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

The study focused on the role of the principal as an instructional leader in the Motupa Circuit primary schools of Limpopo Province. The nature and effectiveness of the education system depend on the role of school principals as instructional leaders in the effective and efficient monitoring and support of educators' curriculum implementation in the classrooms, evidenced by learners' performance and the effective functioning of educational institutions. The literature review undertaken benchmarked on the instructional leadership roles of school principals. Qualitative research approach in the form of observations, interviews and the analysis of written documents was employed to elicit the principals' perceptions on their instructional leadership roles and how they enhance effective teaching and learning towards improving learners' performances. The study anticipated that principals as instructional leaders will be increasingly involved in ensuring that curriculum implementation in the classrooms is monitored and supported for effective teaching and learning to be realised. The study's findings revealed that this is not happening as it should. A synopsis of the research findings revealed that principals are beset with a number of contextual factors such as, an inadequate provision of teaching and learning resources and infrastructure needs, lack of monitoring and support of curriculum implementation, inadequate support from the Department of Basic Education, and lack of parental involvement and concern on the education of their children. It is anticipated that the literature review and the findings from the empirical study will contribute to, and strengthen principals' instructional leadership roles in creating conditions for effective teaching and learning, by monitoring and supporting educators in curriculum delivery and implementation in the classrooms. The research recommended that principals should conduct regular class visits and also ensure that strategies are developed to involve parents of learners in the education of their children, and that teaching and learning resources should be provided. The Provincial Department of Basic Education must provide the much needed basic school infrastructure and basic school resources such as LTSM, the national norms and standard for school funding (NNSSF) earlier during the first term, in support of principals' instructional leadership roles. It is recommended that attention to these issues by school principals and the Department of Basic Education will contribute towards effective teaching and learning and improve learners' performances in Limpopo Province and the Motupa Circuit in particular. / Educational Management and Leadership / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Thesis (M.Tech.: Commercial Administration)- Dept. of Office Management and Technology, Durban Institute of Technology, 2004 x, 100, [21] leaves / This study aimed to identify the factors that affect change in attitudes of managers reaching positions of authority in Higher Educational Institutions. Traditionally, managers sat in their office and managed organizations. Today the market place demands something different and there is greater emphasis on leadership qualities for those in positions of authority. Today, leaders are needed who have sound principles, ethics, sound values, integrity, human and communication skills. Individuals in leadership positions who lack the skills listed, experience problems leading and managing a modern organization.

The 21st century has posed challenges and provided opportunities for organisations, and although a large body of research exists on both leadership and organisational climate, these two concepts have become a matter of urgency in South African organisations. The dynamics in the organisation have a direct effect on the people the organisation serves and business performance. The aim of this research was to explore the relationship between leadership and organisational climate in a South African fast-moving consumable goods (FMCG) organisation. There are few research studies that focus on leadership and organisational climate in the South African context and this study builds on limited existing knowledge. Using a descriptive, cross-sectional field survey approach, a sample of 896 participants employed at one organisation was surveyed. Explanatory factor analysis and the structural equation modelling (SEM) multivariate analysis technique revealed a new set of organisational dimensions and confirmed the relationship between leadership and organisational climate and organisational climate and its various dimensions. The findings emphasise the importance of certain generic and specific leadership practices in creating the desired organisational climate in the South African context. This study contributes to knowledge on the relationship between leadership and organisational climate in the South African context. / Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

In 2003, Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) introduced policies on performance management in an endeavour to improve the quality of teaching and learning in schools. With these policies, schools are supposed to be constantly audited, monitored, and supported by district officials. Within district offices, there are unit supervisors who are responsible to manage PMDS to inculcate a performance culture. This performance culture is subsequently cascaded down to schools to yield quality matric results and yet this remains to be seen. Furthermore, the study aimed to explore the experiences and perceptions of supervisors and officials on the PMDS management within districts. With an interpretive paradigm, the researcher was able to analyse data from interviews and questionnaires. The study revealed that PMDS is generally acknowledged and positively perceived albeit with significant challenges to its implementation in the GDE districts. / Educational Leadership and Management / M.Ed. (Education Management )

Dissertation (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Since the late 1940s, South Africa and South Korea were ruled by authoritarian governments, which oppressed the people’s freedom and rights. The governments created the deeply divided societies that resulted in racism in South Africa and regionalism in South Korea. These similarities may have played a major role in allowing Nelson Mandela and Kim Dae-jung to develop strong emotional bonds with their followers and to articulate their visions for the future. The two leaders, Nelson Mandela and Kim Dae-jung, fought for freedom and human rights against the apartheid government in South Africa and military dictatorial government in South Korea. During these processes of democratisation, the two leaders displayed common transformational and social learning leadership styles and presented their visions of the end of the authoritarian regimes and the establishment of democracy; shared these visions with the people and encouraged and mobilised them in struggling together against authoritarian government. Subsequently, the two leaders’ transformational and social learning leadership styles provide a successful role model to countries in which there are conflicts between the constituents of the society, as in East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and Middle East; a desire for transformation towards democracy by the people, and where countries are confronted with new challenges. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Beide Suid-Afrika en Suid-Korea was sedert die laat 1940’s onder die bewind van outoritêre regerings met gepaardgaande onderdrukking van die mense se vryhede en regte. Dié regerings het diep-verdeelde gemeenskappe daar gestel wat in Suid-Afrika op rassisme en in Suid-Korea op regionalisme uitgeloop het. Hierdie ooreenkomste mag grootliks daartoe bygedra het dat beide Nelosn Mandela en Kim Dae-jung sterk emosionele verbintenisse met hul volgelinge kon ontwikkel en hul toekomsvisies kon artikuleer. Die twee leiers, Nelson Mandela en Kim Dae-jung, het onderskeidelik teen die apartheidsregering in Suid-Afrika en die militêre diktatuur in Suid-Korea geveg vir vryheid en menseregte. Gedurende hierdie demokratiseringsprosesse het die twee leiers gemeenskaplike transformasie en sosiale leer leierskapstyle openbaar, hulle visies oor die beëindiging van outoritêre regimes en die vestiging van demokrasie bekend gemaak en die mense aangemoedig tot en gemobiliseer vir strydvoering teen die outoritêre regerings. Gevolglik verskaf hierdie twee leiers se transformasie en sosiale leer leierskapstyle ‘n geslaagde rolmodel vir alle lande waar daar konflik binne gemeenskappe bestaan, soos in Oos-Asië, Suid-Sahara Afrika asook die Midde-Ooste; lande waar die mense smag na transformasie tot demokrasie en lande wat hulleself met nuwe uitdagings gekonfronteer vind.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The current effects of globalisation are requiring of leaders to deal with many changes in the workplace, including a globally changing, diverse workforce. The question that this research report aims to address is what does it require of a leader to be successful in the business environment today and what characteristics or behaviours would such a leader display? It is argued that although the context of leadership has and will continue to change, the fundamentals of leadership have essentially remained the same (Kouzes and Pousner, 2002:xviii). A comprehensive study of literature in the field of leadership will reveal the views of various writers on this subject, namely what constitutes effective leadership. Five leadership theories, which in the researcher's opinion give a balanced overview of the various theories, are discussed in more detail and later on used to evaluate the leadership characteristics and style of one of the very successful leaders in South Africa, the current CEO of Sanlam, Dr. Johan van Zyl. The combination of these five theories focuses on leadership characteristics, leadership behaviours, different leadership styles and the relational aspect of leadership, that is the interaction between the leader and his followers. These five theories include the situational leadership theory, servant leadership, transformational leadership, the theory of level five leadership and emotional intelligence. A broad overview of Sanlam's history focusing on the company's transformation in recent years and its contribution to broad based empowerment are also discussed, providing the background and context to discuss the leadership provided by Johan van Zyl in recent years. The fourth chapter of this report provides an analysis of primary data collected through questionnaires sent to senior executives of Sanlam as well as through an interview with Van Zyl. The final chapter contains conclusions from the research results, namely the leadership characteristics and style of Van Zyl and his leadership approach as compared to the various theories studied. The researcher is of the opinion that valuable lessons are to be extracted from examining Van Zyl's leadership characteristics and style and that these could be applied to modern business practice. The research results showed that Van Zyl has characteristics of most of the leadership theories investigated in this study including characteristics of the situational leader, transformational leader, level five leader and that of an emotionally intelligent leader and that this is standing him in good stead for the transformation and strategic repositioning of Sanlam. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die huidige gevolge van 'n globaliserende wereld vereis van leiers om voortdurende veranderinge in die werksplek te bestuur, insluitende 'n globaal veranderende, diverse werkspan. Die vraag wat hierdie navorsingsprojek pobeer beantwoord is wat vereis dit van 'n leier om suksesvol te wees in die besigheidswereld vandag en watter leierseienskappe en gedrag sal so n leier betoon? Dit word beweer dat alhoewel die konteks van leierskap verander het en voortdurend sal verander, het die fundamentele begrip van leierskap dieselfde gebly. 'n Omvattende literatuurstudie in die veld van leierskap sal die standpunte van verskillende skrywers in die vakgebied daarstel om vas te stel wat, volgens die teorie, effektiewe leierskap behels. Vyf leierskap teoriee, wat in die navorser se opinie 'n geredelike oorsig gee van die verskeie leierskapsteoriee, word in groter diepte beskryf en later gebruik as die grondslag waarop 'n baie suksesvolle leier in Suid-Afrika, huidige uitvoerende beampte van Sanlam, Dr. Johan van Zyl se leierskap eienskappe en styl ge-evalueer word. Die kombinasie van die vyf teoriee fokus op leierseienskappe, gedrag, leierskapstyle, en die verhoudingsaspek van leierskap, byvoorbeeld die interaksie tussen die leier en navolgers. Die vyf teoriee sluit die situasionele leierskapteorie, dienende leierskap ('servant leadership'), transformasionele leierskap, vlak vyf leierskap en die teorie van emosionele intelligensie in. 'n Bree oorsig van Sanlam se geskiedenis wat fokus op die maatskappy se transformasie die afgelope paar jaar en bydrae tot breed gebaseerde swart ekonomiese bemagtiging ('broad based black economic empowerment') word ook bespreek en dien as die agtergrond en konteks om Dr. Johan van Zyl se leierskap te evalueer. In Hoofstuk Vier word 'n analise van primere data gedoen. Die data is ingesamel deur vraelyste wat voltooi is deur senior bestuurders van Sanlam asook deur 'n onderhoud met Van Zyl. Die finale hoofstuk beval afleidings i.v.m die leierskapseienskappe en -styl van Van Zyl en sy leierskapsbenadering soos vergelyk met die teoretiese benadering bestudeer. Die navorser is van die opinie dat belangrike lesse geleer kan word vanaf die studie van Van Zyl se leierskaps eienskappe en -styl en dat dit toegepas sal kan word as moderne besigheids beginsels vir leiers. Die bevindinge van die studie het getoon dat Van Zyl eienskappe van die meeste van die leierskapsteoriee wat bestudeer is in die studie betoon. Dit sluit eienskappe in van n situasionele leier, 'n transformasionele leier, n vlak vyf leier en 'n emosionele intelligente leier. Hierdie bevindinge word onderskraag deur die literatuur oor leierskap en die navorser is van die opinie dat hierdie eienskappe hom in n goeie posisie plaas vir die transformasie en strategiese herposisionering van Sanlam.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University. 2012. / Strategic planning has become part of higher education institutes (HEIs) in the late 1990s. Even though several authors disagree on the merit of strategic planning in HEIs, the challenge is to use planning well and wisely. The need for strategic planning exist due to a constantly changing environment, e.g. an increased demand for tertiary education, a decline in government funding and the changing demographics of students. In this research report, a strategic plan for the Department of Genetics at Stellenbosch University was formulated. Following a literature review of strategic planning in higher education, a contextual overview of the institute is conveyed and subsequent analyses of the internal and external environments. The research design included engagement with all relevant stakeholders (staff members, students in the department and the Dean and faculty manager of the Faculty of AgriSciences). The department also serves students in the Faculty of Science and secondary data was obtained from both faculties for analyses. Five strategic themes were identified for the department. These themes contribute to the sustainable growth of the department as well as the overall strategic direction of the institute. The strategic themes were prioritized for implementation to commence in 2013. The key to successful execution of the strategic plan in the department is related to strong leadership, inclusion of all staff members and students and by encouraging creativity and innovation. The identified strategic themes also aims to alleviate, in part, some of the challenges faced by the South African government in higher education and, if successful execution occurs, will prove to serve the society as a whole.