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The influence of leadership development opportunities on the career aspirations of professional staff : a case study of a selected South African university
Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2024.
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613743838396416 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Tshuma, Sifiso |
| author2 | Pillay, P. |
| author_browse | Pillay, P. Tshuma, Sifiso |
| author_facet | Pillay, P. Tshuma, Sifiso |
| author_sort | Tshuma, Sifiso |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description |
Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131939 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:41:00.180Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131939 The influence of leadership development opportunities on the career aspirations of professional staff : a case study of a selected South African university Tshuma, Sifiso Pillay, P. Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. School of Public Leadership. Educational leadership -- Education (Higher) -- South Africa Universities and colleges -- Administration -- South Africa Teachers -- In-service training -- South Africa Education, Higher -- Administration -- South Africa UCTD Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. ENGLISH SUMMARY: Effective leaders are critical for guiding organisations to success and growth, and to navigate a changing economic and global landscape. In higher education, and particularly in South African higher education, effective leaders are critical for helping their institutions navigate a transforming context. This research study sought to explore how this leadership can be sustained within higher education institutions through leadership development. The study focuses on professional management-level staff in a selected university in South Africa and their experiences of leadership development, both within and outside the organisation. The study sought to align their access to leadership development opportunities with their career aspirations to ascertain how well (if at all) the institutional leadership development initiatives support the leadership progression of the professional staff. Through a qualitative case study methodology, this research employed interviews and document analysis to collect the data. A total of ten participants were purposively selected to take part in the study, nine of whom were middle to senior management staff in professional positions, while one participant was located in the training centre that administers staff training for the university’s professional and academic staff. Thematic analysis was used to draw themes from the data. In addition, conceptual themes related to career progression were drawn from the literature and helped to frame the presentation of the results and recommendations of the study. The findings of the study show that there are both internal and external opportunities for leadership development. The internal opportunities include secondments, internal training programmes, academic qualifications from the institution, conference presentations within the institution and bursary funding to study outside the institution. External opportunities were in the form of academic qualifications from other universities, exchange programmes, special field-related training programmes, and conference presentations. The study also discusses the leadership development experiences of the participants, and how these relate to their career aspirations. The study shows that having career aspirations is the main driver for participants to aspire to be in leadership roles, and hence seek out leadership development opportunities both within and outside of the university. The following recommendations arose from the study: the importance of line manager support; having development plans for staff; having mentoring programmes that enhance staff leadership development; coaching; relevant training and development programmes for middle management staff; introducing succession planning within departments; career pathing; and supporting the career aspirations of staff. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Doeltreffende leiers is van kritieke belang om organisasies na sukses en groei te lei en om ’n veranderende ekonomiese en globale landskap te verken. In hoer onderwys, veral in Suid-Afrikaanse hoer onderwys, is doeltreffende leiers van kritieke belang om hulle instellings te help om ’n transformerende konteks te navigeer. Hierdie navorsingstudie het verken hoe hierdie leierskap binne hoeronderwys-instellings deur leierskapsontwikkeling volhou kan word. Die studie fokus op professionele bestuursvlak-personeel in ’n verkose universiteit in Suid-Afrika en hulle ervaringe van leierskapsontwikkeling binne en buite die instelling. Die studie het onderneem om hulle toegang tot geleenthede vir leierskapsontwikkeling te belyn met hulle loopbaanaspirasies om te bepaal hoe goed (indien enigsins) die institusionele leierskapsontwikkeling-inisiatiewe die leierskapsprogressie van die professionele personeel ondersteun. By wyse van ’n kwalitatiewe gevallestudie het hierdie navorsing van onderhoude en dokument-analise gebruik gemaak om die data in te samel. ’n Totaal van tien deelnemers is doelbewus gekies om aan die studie deel te neem, nege waarvan middel- tot senior bestuurspersoneel in professionele posisies was, terwyl een deelnemer in die opleidingsentrum wat personeelopleiding vir die universiteit se professionele en akademiese personeel administreer, werksaam was. Tematiese analise is gebruik om temas uit die data te trek. Daarbenewens is konseptuele temas wat verband hou met loopbaanvordering vanuit die literatuur getrek en het dit gehelp om die aanbieding van die resultate en aanbevelinge van die studie te raam. Die bevindinge van die studie dui aan dat daar beide interne en eksterne geleenthede vir leierskapsontwikkeling is. Die interne geleenthede sluit in sekondering, interne opleidingsprogramme, akademiese kwalifikasies vanaf die instelling, konferensie-aanbiedings binne die instelling, en beursbefondsing om buite die instelling te studeer. Eksterne geleenthede was in die vorm van akademiese kwalifikasies vanaf ander universiteite, uitruilprogramme, spesiale studieverwante opleidingsprogramme, en kongres-aanbiedings. Die studie bespreek ook die leierskapsontwikkelingservarings van die deelnemers en hoe hierdie verband hou met hulle loopbaanaspirasies. Die studie toon dat loopbaanaspirasies die vernaamste drywer is vir die deelnemers om te streef om leierskaprolle te beklee en hoekom hulle dus leierskapsontwikkelings-geleenthede beide intern en ekstern tot die universiteit nastreef. Die volgende aanbevelings het uit die studie gespruit: die belangrikheid van ondersteuning deur die lynbestuurder; ontwikkelingsplanne vir personeel; mentorskapsprogramme wat die ontwikkeling van personeelleierskap verhoog; afrigting; relevante opleiding- en ontwikkelingsprogramme vir middel-bestuurspersoneel; die versekering van opvolgbeplanning binne departemente; loopbaanpad-uitlegging; en ondersteuning van die loopbaanaspirasies van personeel. Masters 2025-04-30T06:29:57Z 2025-04-30T06:29:57Z 2024-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131939 Stellenbosch University x, 100 pages : illustrations, includes annexures application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Educational leadership -- Education (Higher) -- South Africa Universities and colleges -- Administration -- South Africa Teachers -- In-service training -- South Africa Education, Higher -- Administration -- South Africa UCTD Tshuma, Sifiso The influence of leadership development opportunities on the career aspirations of professional staff : a case study of a selected South African university |
| title | The influence of leadership development opportunities on the career aspirations of professional staff : a case study of a selected South African university |
| title_full | The influence of leadership development opportunities on the career aspirations of professional staff : a case study of a selected South African university |
| title_fullStr | The influence of leadership development opportunities on the career aspirations of professional staff : a case study of a selected South African university |
| title_full_unstemmed | The influence of leadership development opportunities on the career aspirations of professional staff : a case study of a selected South African university |
| title_short | The influence of leadership development opportunities on the career aspirations of professional staff : a case study of a selected South African university |
| title_sort | influence of leadership development opportunities on the career aspirations of professional staff a case study of a selected south african university |
| topic | Educational leadership -- Education (Higher) -- South Africa Universities and colleges -- Administration -- South Africa Teachers -- In-service training -- South Africa Education, Higher -- Administration -- South Africa UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131939 |
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