Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
Role demands, constraints and choices: The impact of context and stakeholder expectations on business incubator managers’ strategic agency
Dissertation (Doctoral)--University of Pretoria, 2024.
Saved in:
| Other Authors: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
University of Pretoria
2025
|
| Subjects: | |
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1867613496047304704 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author2 | Marks, Jonathan |
| author_browse | Marks, Jonathan |
| author_facet | Marks, Jonathan |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | © 2024 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
| description | Dissertation (Doctoral)--University of Pretoria, 2024. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/103139 |
| institution | University of Pretoria (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:37:03.713Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | University of Pretoria |
| publisherStr | University of Pretoria |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| spelling | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/103139 Role demands, constraints and choices: The impact of context and stakeholder expectations on business incubator managers’ strategic agency Marks, Jonathan ichelp@gibs.co.za Olivier, Johan L. Gwarega, Dambudzo UCTD Dissertation (Doctoral)--University of Pretoria, 2024. This study examines how stakeholders’ expectations influence the behaviour of business incubator managers, as demonstrated by their strategic agency. While existing research acknowledges the potential of effective business incubator management in fostering successful new ventures, it does not delve into this role's complex and contextual nature, particularly in developing economies. Understanding how stakeholder expectations influence incubator managers’ strategic agency enhances understanding of managerial role behaviours in different operating contexts and helps improve business incubation practices. Role theory posits that a role occupant’s behaviour is shaped by the demands and constraints emanating from the members of the role-set’s expectations, with little focus on the occupant’s agency. However, organisation and management literature show managers have agency and can enact their roles. Therefore, foregrounding this literature, the study answers, “In what way do stakeholders’ role expectations enable and/or constrain the strategic agency of business incubator managers in a resourceconstrained context?” The study uses a qualitative, multiple case study design involving six business incubators purposively selected in South Africa, a resource-constrained emerging economy in sub-Saharan Africa. The data were thematically analysed using abductive reasoning anchored by the role theory framework. The findings underscore the continuous struggle of incubator managers to gain and maintain the incubator's legitimacy. Gaining legitimacy hinges on delivering visible performance impacts, adhering to the incubator's mandate, and bolstering its reputation. This balance between performance impact, incubator sustainability, and reputation is the central driver of the incubator manager’s strategic agency. The findings enrich role theory by illustrating that the demands managers face, driven by stakeholders' expectations, can act simultaneously as both constraints and enablers of strategic agency. For practice, the findings inform policy regarding entrepreneurship support through business incubation in a resourceconstrained context. Moreover, practitioners can benefit from insights into how misaligned stakeholder expectations constrain incubator managers’ strategic agency. Furthermore, insights into the impact of organisational structures on incubator managers’ performance can inform incubator institutional arrangements and management practices suited to the contextual demands. Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) DBA Unrestricted Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) SDG-08: Decent work and economic growth SDG-17: Partnerships for the goals SDG-16: Peace,justice and strong institutions 2025-07-03T07:02:52Z 2025-07-03T07:02:52Z 2025-09 2024-10 Dissertation * A2025 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/103139 en © 2024 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria |
| spellingShingle | UCTD Role demands, constraints and choices: The impact of context and stakeholder expectations on business incubator managers’ strategic agency |
| title | Role demands, constraints and choices: The impact of context and stakeholder expectations on business incubator managers’ strategic agency |
| title_full | Role demands, constraints and choices: The impact of context and stakeholder expectations on business incubator managers’ strategic agency |
| title_fullStr | Role demands, constraints and choices: The impact of context and stakeholder expectations on business incubator managers’ strategic agency |
| title_full_unstemmed | Role demands, constraints and choices: The impact of context and stakeholder expectations on business incubator managers’ strategic agency |
| title_short | Role demands, constraints and choices: The impact of context and stakeholder expectations on business incubator managers’ strategic agency |
| title_sort | role demands constraints and choices the impact of context and stakeholder expectations on business incubator managers strategic agency |
| topic | UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/103139 |