The research undertaken in this study was to identify the strategy needed to be adopted by the East Cape Motor Industry Cluster (ECMIC) in order to develop the competencies of its Team Leaders. v Hamel and Prahalad (1994: 28) are of the opinion that the focus of a company must move from current market share, to the share of tomorrow’s opportunities that the company can reasonably expect to gain. The company must therefore consider what it can achieve with its existing set of competencies, and what new competencies need to be acquired in order to prosper in the future. The development of competencies is thus deemed to be critical to the South African economy as the various local automotive manufacturers enter the export field. The ECMIC has traditionally been considered the heart of the automotive industry in South Africa with three of the major manufacturers located in the Nelson Mandela and Buffalo City Metropoles. In order to support these manufacturers, a vast number of component manufacturers and service providers have been established to support the automotive manufacturers both in the ECMIC and in other areas of the country. Since the establishment of a democratic South Africa and the removal of sanctions, the automotive industry has started to establish itself globally. This study will undertake a literature study of the application of competencies in the workplace, teams and team leaders and how competencies are applied in the ECMIC. The results of an empirical study into core competencies in the ECMIC will be used to elucidate a set of competencies which will be used to develop a strategy utilising the competency approach in team leaders in the ECMIC.

Human attributes that constitute a good leader in terms of leadership qualities and thinking styles are somewhat limited. The latter situation makes it difficult to employ the right person with the right leadership qualities in the continuously changing world of work (Lussier & Achua, 2000). The researcher investigated the relationship between cognitive styles and leadership styles of individuals who are employed in the automotive industry and in a supervisory position. A quantitative research methodology was employed for the study of (n= 115) using the Cognitive-Style Indicator (COSI) developed by Cools and van den Broeck (2007) and the Leadership-style questionnaire developed by Clark (2007). Leadership styles have been researched throughout the world, but a dearth of research specifically pertaining to cognitive styles was rather limiting in the context of the research that was undertaken. On the one hand, leadership focuses on three main dimensions, namely: Authoritarian, Participative and Delegative Leadership Styles. According to Clark (2007), the above three dimensions are the core styles that are used within the workplace. On the other hand, a three-dimensional cognitive style model, as proposed by Cools and Van den Broeck (2007) incorporates three dimensions with specific characteristics pertaining to each style. These three dimensions were labelled as: Knowing (K), Planning (P), and Creating (C) styles, which were utilised to find a significant relationship between the various leadership styles. Significant relationships were found between the Cognitive-Planning style and the Participative Leadership style, the Delegative Leadership style and the Knowing-Cognitive style, the Creative-Cognitive style and the Delegative Leadership style, and the Knowing-and-Planning Cognitive style. Similarities were also found between the Coloured and African groups, as the Delegative style is relevant to both the Coloured and African groups, while the participative style is more prominent in the White racial group. No significant correlations were produced for the Asian group, however. Organisations are rapidly changing and adapting to various types of change; and it is essential for all employees – and not only those within a leadership position – but it is imperative that leaders should not only understand and know their cognitive and leadership style, but also of those individuals who are reporting to them.

South African organisations are facing a new era of intense global competition. The modern business world is characterised by change and this change presents both challenges and opportunities. As a result, organisations have to become more responsive to change by continuous, rapid and cost-effective innovation through integrating the strengths of the entrepreneurial small firm, such as creativity, flexibility and innovativeness, with the market power and resources of the large firm. Due to the dynamic nature of the automotive industry, it is vital that South African organisations and management identify creativity and innovation as the main sources of sustainable competitive advantage. Sustained competitive advantage is derived from consistently satisfying customers’ wants and needs through innovation. An intrapreneurial philosophy is of key importance to an organisation’s corporate strategy, ensuring that entrepreneurial values are incorporated into the culture of the organisation. This study took place within an automotive component company operating in the Eastern Cape. Based on the theoretical findings of the literature study a questionnaire was developed and distributed to all employees of the company. The objective of the questionnaire was to measure the prevalence of intrapreneurship within the company and based on the findings of the literature study, recommendations on the structure, systems, culture and management styles of the organisation were made. Finally, a model was developed that identifies the importance of innovation, customer-solution centeredness and being market driven as core strategic values.

The success of the South African automotive production industry relies on the industry support programs from the Government. The industry’s seven Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) of passenger vehicles are wholly owned by respective Multinational Companies (MNCs) and they, together with the Components suppliers, engage with the Department of Trade and Industry, as Host Country (HC), in the development of the automotive industry support programs. The research tested the Obsolescing Bargain Theory (Vernon, 1971) within the South African Automotive Industry context of three bargain cycles of the industry programmes, viz. 1989 Local Content Phase VI, the MIDP of 1995 and APDP introduced in 2013. The study explored the longitudinal interaction between automotive MNCs and the Host Country in terms of relative bargain power during the three bargain cycles. Using the qualitative single case study method, nine industry stakeholders were interviewed, and responses were triangulated with secondary data. The findings provided the following insights into the automotive industry’s bargain power relations between government and multinational companies: The relative bargain power shifted towards MNCs due to the locational disadvantage of the HC, FDI spill-over effects on components suppliers, employment and technology, as well as due to investments driven by short product cycles. Further insights emerged in terms of the collaborative nature of MNC-HC relations during the three bargain cycles due to industry significance. This research was of value in extending research on the obsolescing bargain theory, particularly in the manufacturing industry. It was also of value to the future of bargain relations between the automotive and manufacturing industries with the government, in general. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / zkgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / Unrestricted

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1974. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 361-383).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Johns Hopkins University, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 607-641).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--City University of New York, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 134-141).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Michigan State University, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 446-485).