Theses and Dissertations (Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS))

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/51280

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Marketing communication strategies for chinese automotive OEMs operating in South Africa: the role of diversity in consumer decision-making
Khumalo, Mmathapelo (University of Pretoria, 2025)
Chinese automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) have expanded rapidly in South Africa, yet performance is uneven when global playbooks meet a super‑diverse market where cultural legitimacy, identity alignment and informal institutions (e.g., language, dignity norms, community values) shape how consumers decode brand messages. This study explores how marketing communication strategies can be designed to align with South Africa’s plural consumer base and how diversity cues influence decision‑making in a high‑involvement category. An integrated lens, Institutional Theory (macro), Homophily (meso) and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB)(micro) guides the inquiry. An exploratory qualitative design combined four online focus groups (FG1–FG4) (South African consumers) and a document/content analysis of recent brand communications by OEMs operating locally (including Chinese OEMs). The data was analysed thematically and triangulated to strengthen credibility and generate practice‑proximal insights. The research setting was Gauteng, reflecting South Africa’s socio‑cultural heterogeneity and media density. Findings converge on eight themes, the salience of localised language and cultural relevance, the positive yet fragile effects of representation (risk of tokenism and backlash), patterns of marketing exclusion/disconnect, the role of storytelling in emotional resonance, entrenched brand heritage and generational loyalty, indecisive attitudes toward Chinese brands, multi‑factor purchase dynamics (value, reliability, financing, service coverage) and peer‑based homophily and social proof that amplify or dampen purchase intention. Across cases, attitudes and subjective norms are moved by identity‑congruent cues, while perceived behavioural control (PBC) hinges on transparent finance and aftersales architectures. The study delivers a context‑sensitive framework that sequences institutional fit (what communications must signal to be legitimate), identity congruence (how cues are read as “for people like me/us”) and intention levers (attitudes, norms, control) to translate communication fit into action. Managerially, it specifies four design imperatives, vernacular language strategy, representation beyond surface tokens, community activation and credible sources and post‑purchase relationship architectures that sustain trust. Theoretically, the work localises inclusive‑marketing scholarship to an African, super‑diverse context and advances a multi‑level pathway from norms to choice.
Progressing digital transformation through successful strategic alliances: a financial sector perspective
Gounden, Ricardo (University of Pretoria, 2025)
Digital transformation is a strategic imperative for organisations seeking to remain relevant in an evolving financial sector. Organisations within the financial sector are recognising that as the pace of technological change increases, successful digital transformation cannot be achieved in isolation. Strategic alliances have therefore become increasingly important, enabling organisations to access new capabilities and accelerate digital transformation initiatives. This study explored how organisations within the financial sector utilise strategic alliances to achieve digital transformation, to identify the challenges faced by these organisations, to uncover the enablers that result in successful alliance-driven digital transformation and to identify the outcomes thereof. Using an exploratory qualitative research design, data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with 15 executives and senior managers from traditional banks, insurance providers, and fintech companies across the financial sector within South Africa. The study focused on corporate entities, listed and/or unlisted companies and subsidiaries actively pursuing or supporting digital transformation. The study potentially contributes to existing literature through the development of an integrated conceptual framework that illustrates how linking digital transformation and strategic alliances shapes successful digital transformation within organisations in the financial sector, by highlighting the associated challenges, enablers, and outcomes. The research outcomes potentially contribute to the growing body of emerging literature on digital transformation and its connection to strategic alliances.
The synegistic impact of organisational culture and digital transformation in enhancing organizational performance and efficiency in public sector institutions
Galada, Goitsemang (University of Pretoria, 2025)
This study explored the synergy and relationship between organisational culture and digital transformation in enhancing performance and efficiency within public sector organisations. As governments increasingly adopt digital technologies to improve service delivery and operational effectiveness, many still struggle to achieve the intended performance outcomes. The research investigated how cultural factors, leadership behaviours, and employee attitudes influence the success or failure of digital transformation initiatives in the public sector context. The study adopted a qualitative research design using semi-structured interviews with senior and middle managers, Information Technology specialists, and transformation leads across selected public sector organisations. The data was thematically analysed to identify patterns and relationships between organisational culture, digital transformation practices, and performance outcomes. This approach allowed for an in-depth understanding of how cultural dynamics and leadership behaviours influence the implementation and effectiveness of digital initiatives in advancing organisational growth.
Intended and unintended outcomes from strategy implementation activities by middle managers in state-owned entities
Debe, Cwayita (University of Pretoria, 2025)
South Africa (SA) faces significant challenges, including rising unemployment, high inequalities, widespread poverty, and stagnant economic growth. To address these challenges, the government has established State Owned Entities (SOEs), which are wholly owned and operated by the government. SOEs in South Africa drive the implementation of the large-scale national priorities that the private sector cannot deliver at the required scale. These include energy security, efficient logistics, industrial growth, and economic competitiveness. For each SOE to deliver on these priorities, they develop a set of strategic priorities to be achieved. The implementation of these strategies is monitored through the National Development Plan (NDP). A decade since its launch, the NDP has not yielded the desired outcomes, with entities such as Eskom and Transnet far from achieving their strategic goals. These failures in achieving the NDP goals suggest that the problem lies not in strategy formulation but in strategy execution. The study aimed to explore the strategic outcomes of strategy implementation activities through the lens of middle managers in SOEs. This is because middle managers in these SOEs are central to implementing these strategies, as the Top Management Team (TMT) delegates to them to operationalise within their teams and translate them into day-to-day activities. Given the SOEs' important role, understanding how middle managers influence strategy implementation within them is critical. Based on 15 semi-structured interviews with SOE middle managers, the study investigated how their strategy implementation activities relate to intended and unintended strategic outcomes. The research found that middle managers experience challenges during implementation, including resource constraints, frequent leadership changes, and competing mandates, which lead to unintended strategies. These challenges are further compounded by the SOE context of having to achieve financial goals and public service objectives simultaneously. It identified their strategy implementation activities and how they relate to intended and unintended outcomes of the strategies, providing insights into how SA SOE can improve the delivery of their strategies.
Business model innovation processes in the South African podcasting industry
Makhubela, Thabang (University of Pretoria, 2025)
In 2004, British broadcaster Ben Hammersley, for his article Audible revolution in The Guardian, was looking for a word to describe the rapid growth of online radio (Bottomley, 2015). As a result, Hammersley landed on the term ‘podcasting.’ It was only a decade later, in 2013 and 2014, that the podcast industry started to take off. Apple had reached 1 billion podcast subscribers and Serial, a true crime podcast, gained immense popularity (Rime et. al, 2022). Since then, the term ‘podcasting’ has become popular in most parts of the world. The study sought to understand the application of business model innovation (BMI) frameworks and processes in the South African podcasting industry. Specifically, the study examined the key factors that have helped Podcast and Chill with Mac G (and other mainstream South African podcast creators) reimagine how value is created and captured in the South African podcasting industry. Moreover, the study examined the mechanics of business model innovation and identified the internal and external factors that have influenced innovation, and how these factors interact with one another. Finally, the study sought to understand what the barriers for innovation have been for these platforms, and how creators have responded to them.
Harnessing digital technologies to enhance innovation outcomes through virtual networks in MNEs
Maema, Gobakwe (University of Pretoria, 2025)
Digital communication technologies facilitate increased efficiency and cost reduction in coordinating activities across global locations. These advancements also enable innovative business models that shift value creation and innovation to international networks. The implementation of virtual networks and digital tools has narrowed geographic gaps, mitigating risks associated with distance and underdeveloped infrastructure. However, MNEs face fast changing digital technologies and may struggle to translate digital technology investments into tangible innovation outcomes. Therefore, MNEs must develop the necessary capabilities to leverage these digital technologies to effectively manage their virtual networks and enhance innovation. Digital tools have enabled globally dispersed organisations to connect across time and space, regardless of their geographic location. Organisations are developing digital strategies to create new business models, shifting costs and activities from their own to partners, complementors, customers, and other stakeholders at home or abroad. However, the understanding of how MNEs manage these virtual network relationships, through digital technologies, to enhance organisational innovation outcomes is fragmented. There has been extensive research on how digital technologies impact innovation, however literature on how digital technologies enhance innovation outcomes through MNEs virtual networks is limited. The purpose of this study is to explore how digital technologies enhance innovation outcomes through virtual networks of MNEs. An interpretive, exploratory, phenomenological approach was adopted for this study. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted from four grouped clusters (automotive, banking, telecommunications, and manufacturing). These groupings allowed for ease of comparison, but the participants were from eight MNEs based in South Africa, as a host or home country. The research outcomes were found to have similarities with literature in most of the themes identified. However new themes were identified from the empirical data, these were ‘create a virtual experimental environment’ and ‘virtual networks as enablers of customer driven innovation’. This study has contributed to literature by adding empirical evidence to existing literature, and refinement through potentially new insight on how virtual networks enhance innovation outcomes, enabled by digital technologies. Further, a conceptual framework was developed on the key considerations of understanding how digital technologies enhance innovation outcomes through virtual networks in MNEs. Recommendations to management and for future research were included.
The relationship of intrinsic motivation on the intention to adopt emerging technologies in an emerging market’s university of technology
Hlongwane, Given (University of Pretoria, 2025)
This quantitative research study analysed the relationship of intrinsic motivation on the intention to adopt emerging technologies in an emerging market university of technology. The mounting evolution of emerging technologies continues to impact social interactions, business engagements and country adaptations, forcing organisations and legislatures to introduce and adopt to technological advancement. In the higher education industry, the adoption and integration of emerging technologies continue to lack common and unified practices that can enable the integration of such technologies into teaching and learning. Through the lens of the Theory of Planned Behaviour, 207 self-administered questionnaires were analysed to investigate the constructs relationships. The structural equation modelling analysis revealed that; (i) whilst attitude and perceived behavioural control did not have a statistically significant relationship with the intention, the relationship was observed with subjective norm, (ii) intrinsic motivation did not moderate the relationships between both subjective norm and perceived behavioural control with intention, however it negatively moderated the relationship between attitude and intention, and (iii) there was a statistically significant relationship between intrinsic motivation and the intention to adopt emerging technologies. The study modestly contributes to the developing understanding within emerging markets of the adoption behaviour of emerging technologies in higher education. Further avenues are therefore opened for future research on emerging technologies adoption behaviour with the higher education industry in emerging markets.
Determining the influence of technological advancement on strategic decision-making in the African broadcasting industry
Dhladhla, Zithulele (University of Pretoria, 2025)
The African broadcasting landscape is undergoing a fundamental shift driven by technological; advancement and changing audience consumption patterns. Artificial intelligence, virtual production and streaming platforms are transforming how content is produced, delivered and monetized, creating both opportunities and uncertainty for broadcasters. While traditional linear television remains culturally and commercially relevant, digital transformation is reshaping strategic priorities and placing pressure on legacy business models. The purpose of this research is to investigate how emerging technologies influences strategic decision making in the African broadcasting sector. The study focuses on how broadcasters adapt their approaches to content creation, audience engagement and monetisation when integrating new digital tools and platforms. Guided by the Business Model Innovation framework, the research investigates how value creation, value delivery and value capture are being reconfigured within this evolving ecosystem. A qualitative, exploratory research design will be employed, using semi-structured interviews with executives and industry experts across multiple African markets. Thematic analysis supported by Atlas TI will be used to analyse and interpret the data. The outcome of this study is expected to provide both theoretical insight and practical guidance, contributing to scholarly understanding of digital transformation while supporting broadcasters seeking sustainable innovation in a rapidly changing environment.
Exploring the role of hyperscalers in South African MNOs' business model innovation
Chingwena, Edmore (University of Pretoria, 2025)
The rapid rise of hyperscalers has transformed the competitive landscape in the global telecommunications sector, challenging the traditional connectivity-focused business models of mobile network operators (MNOs). This study investigates how South African MNOs are navigating this disruption through business model innovation (BMI) spurred by the urgency to transform routine dynamic capabilities. Using Teece’s dynamic capabilities framework and the modern business model innovation framework, the research explores how sensing, seizing, and transforming capabilities enable incumbents to respond strategically to hyperscaler competition. An interpretive qualitative research approach is employed to understand how the industry defines dynamic capabilities for business model innovation amidst hyperscaler disruption. The study enriches theory by providing an African perspective on MNO digital transformation and extending dynamic capabilities research into the context of hyperscaler disruption. Practically, it offers strategic insights for MNOs aiming to reposition themselves as digital service providers in an increasingly platform-driven environment. Findings are intended to inform industry leaders about strategies to address disruptive challenges. The results reveal that partnerships with hyperscalers, integration into cloud ecosystems, and experimenting with platform-based business models are becoming important strategic responses. MNOs demonstrate strong sensing abilities in recognising shifting value pools towards the cloud and digital services; however, capabilities related to seizing and transforming opportunities remain inconsistent, hindered by legacy systems, regulatory uncertainties, and organisational inertia.
Environmental sustainability initiatives and performance in multinational enterprises: a multi-case analysis of the South African mining sector
Baloi, Griffiths (University of Pretoria, 2025)
This qualitative study investigated how multinational enterprises (MNEs) in South Africa’s mining sector leverage internal and external mechanisms to translate environmental initiatives into improved environmental and organisational performance. The research was grounded in an interpretivist paradigm and employed a multi-case study design, drawing on six semi-structured interviews with senior managers and content analysis of five publicly available environmental reports. Key themes identified include green investment, innovation and digital technology, carbon capture and offset, waste elimination, and nature-based solutions, all of which are critical drivers of environmental performance. The triangulation of managerial insights and secondary data enhanced the validity of the findings, revealing nuanced strategies firms use to navigate regulatory pressures and stakeholder expectations. Ethical rigour was maintained through anonymisation and secure data handling, with purposive sampling ensuring rich contextual insights. This research contributes to understanding corporate sustainability practices in high-emission sectors within emerging economies and informs policy and managerial decisions aimed at fostering sustainable organisational growth.
Exploring sustainability-related cognitive competencies of strategic leaders in South Africa
Zimu, Dean (University of Pretoria, 2025)
Strategic leadership discipline, anchored on the Upper Echelons Theory, is evolving and expanding, more strategic leadership styles are identified and added to the strategic leadership discourse. The rise in prominence of ESG and sustainability globally, stakeholders are increasingly demanding organisations to respond to the social pressures and the climate emergency. Responsible strategic leadership style, and its associated sustainability-related cognitive competencies, and shared value creation have emerged in response to these pressing societal issues. This study explored the adequacy of sustainability-related strategic leadership competencies to drive shared value creation in emerging markets, with South Africa as the chosen setting. The study sought to qualitatively explore the perceptions that professionally trained strategic leaders have of sustainability-related competencies required for shared value creation in the South African context. To achieve this, 16 strategic leaders drawn across different industries were interviewed to collect experiential data on shared value creation in South Africa. A thematic analysis was conducted on the data collected and evaluated against extant literature on responsible leadership as a driver of shared value creation. The results indicate an apparent lag in extent of shared value created in emerging markets compared to developed markets, however, strategic leaders in South Africa perceived the cognitive sustainability-related strategic leadership competencies of emerging markets strategic leaders to be on par with their counterparts in developed markets.
The role of financial slack in enhancing ESG and organisations’ financial performance in the financial services sector
Tshabalala, Tshepo (University of Pretoria, 2025)
This research examined the moderating role of financial slack in the complex relationship between Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance and financial performance within South Africa's financial services sector. As ESG considerations increasingly shape corporate strategy, companies must navigate the balance between ESG initiatives and profitability. Existing research presents contradictory findings on whether ESG investments enhance or hinder financial performance, particularly in emerging economies where regulatory frameworks and institutional trust remain inconsistent. Grounded in the Resource-Based View (RBV) theory, this research bridges a crucial gap by investigating the moderating role of financial slack in the relationship between ESG performance and financial performance. This research leveraged a Generalized Linear Model (GLM), incorporating ESG ratings and financial data from 21 publicly listed financial services companies on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) over the period 2017 to 2024. This research proved that ESG performance is detrimental to financial performance of financial services companies in South Africa. Additionally, financial slack moderates the relationship between ESG performance and Tobin’s Q but not Return-on-Assets. The insights derived from this research holds profound implications for corporate leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders invested in financial sustainability. By unveiling the potential of financial slack as a catalyst for ESG success, companies can strategically align their sustainability efforts with profitability, driving informed financial resource allocation and policy development.
Exploring the top management team’s attributes that influence organisational resilience when navigating disruptions in the logistics sector
Thobejane, Kenneth (University of Pretoria, 2025)
The logistics sector is inherently vulnerable to disruptions that can adversely affect the supply chain and the broader economy if not properly managed. These challenges, while potentially threatening an organisation’s viability, also present growth opportunities, depending on the effectiveness of response strategies. This dual nature of disruptions necessitates an investigation into the characteristics of the top management team (TMT) during such periods. The TMT serves as the highest decision-making body influencing the organisation’s growth trajectory under various business conditions. Their role is essential for guiding the organisation through challenges, as expected by the board of directors and shareholders. This study aimed to explore the roles and attributes of the TMT that inform the organisation’s resilience strategies, enabling it to capitalise on opportunities and enhance performance during and after disruptions. This study involved 17 participants in semi-structured interviews, including senior executives and decision-makers in the logistics sector. Thematic analysis highlighted the importance of collaboration and humble leadership within the top management team for fostering resilience. The research underscores how proactive change initiatives from leaders can transform organisations into learning entities, enhancing their resilience for optimal performance amid disruptions.
South African public sector managers’ perceptions of the use of strategy tools
Tabe, Katiso (University of Pretoria, 2025)
Strategic planning remains the preferred approach in public sector organisations globally, yet there is a significant gap in understanding how public sector managers perceive strategy tools in non-market contexts. This qualitative study aimed to explore the perceptions of senior and middle managers in the South African public sector regarding the usefulness and relevance of strategy tools and the influence of those perceptions on their strategising. Adopting a Strategy-as-Practice (S-a-P) lens, the research employed semi-structured interviews with 13 senior and middle managers across various public sector institutions. The S-a-P framework provided the conceptual guide for the analysis, focusing on the dynamic interplay between managers (practitioners), strategy tools (practices) and the strategising process (praxis). The study identified a reliance and active use of a hybrid set of strategy tools, notably PESTEL, SWOT, Balanced Scorecard (BSC), OKRs and mandatory public sector artifacts (DPME Framework, Strategic Plans). Crucially, the findings established a clear empirical validation of the contextual contingency, evidenced by the systematic rejection of marketcentric strategy tools (e.g. Porter’s Five Forces) deemed irrelevant to the public sector’s public value mandate. Furthermore, the research revealed practitioner knowledgeability deficit, leading to the ceremonial use of tools, thereby impeding effective utilisation of tools and consequently strategic execution. This study contributes to S-a-P scholarship by empirically establishing the conditions for a contextually contingent strategising praxis in a non-market setting. It advances the theory by demonstrating that the effectiveness of strategising (praxis) is severely constrained by the practitioner’s lack of capability, linking the competency deficit directly to organisational outcomes and providing actionable implications for training and policy reform in the public sector.
ESG integration in pre-investment decision-making: a private equity perspective from South Africa’s manufacturing sector
Maelane, Khomotso (University of Pretoria, 2025)
This study investigates how private equity (PE) firms in South Africa interpret, prioritise, and integrate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors during the pre-investment phase, with a focus on the manufacturing sector. Drawing on qualitative interviews with PE professionals, it examines the mechanisms, drivers, sector-specific dynamics, barriers, and trade-offs that shape ESG decision-making. The findings reveal a hybrid integration model, where global standards are adapted through local governance norms, firm-level tools, intuitive heuristics, and pragmatic judgement. ESG integration is primarily driven by legitimacy demands from limited partners (LPs), particularly development finance institutions (DFIs), as well as regulators, and is frequently prioritised as a condition for capital access. Key barriers include limited internal capacity and portfolio-level gaps in ESG awareness, skills, and expertise, as well as inadequate infrastructure to collect and interpret ESG data. These constraints are compounded by the ongoing tension between ESG priorities and financial return expectations, particularly in the manufacturing sector, where firms must navigate sector-specific materiality under internal capacity limitations. While the financial value of ESG integration has not yet been fully realised at exit, firms anticipate firms anticipate that it will generate longterm financial benefits. The study contributes to literature by framing ESG integration as a strategic, interpretive process shaped by stakeholder expectations, institutional norms, and contextual realities in emerging markets.
The influence of artificial intelligence on decision-making in deal selection in private equity
Mabuza, Mangwane (University of Pretoria, 2025)
This study examines the integration and influence of artificial intelligence (AI) in deal selection processes within South African private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) firms. Using theoretical frameworks including Information Processing Theory and Principal-Agent Theory, the research explores how AI enhances decision quality, speed, and uniformity while balancing human intuition and contextual judgment. Findings reveal that AI is primarily used as a supportive analytical tool, aiding in data synthesis, regulatory scanning, and due diligence rather than replacing human decision-making. Although AI has improved efficiency and transparency, challenges such as data scarcity, confidentiality concerns, regulatory limitations, and lack of local contextualization persist. Human discretion remains central, especially in evaluating qualitative factors such as founder integrity and cultural fit. The research emphasizes that AI’s current value lies in process improvement rather than financial outcomes. Responsible and context-aware adoption is essential, requiring robust governance frameworks, localized models, and ethical deployment. The study concludes that collaboration among regulators, firms, and industry bodies is vital to build a sustainable AI ecosystem in South Africa’s investment landscape.
Impact of data analytics capabilities on customer-centric approaches in South African retail banks
Ramatlo, Khauhelo (University of Pretoria, 2025)
In recent years, the banking sector has undergone a significant transformation due to rapid digital advancement and shifting customer expectations and needs. Many banks, however, are failing to achieve customer-centric outcomes because they struggle to translate their data analytics capabilities into a value-creating customer experience. The main objective of this qualitative study is to explore how data analytics capabilities impact customer-centric strategies in the South African retail banking sector. Qualitative exploratory methodology was used to guide the study, following an interpretivism philosophy, which employed a non-probability purposive sampling method. The study used in-depth semi-structured interviews with industry professionals and inductive thematic analysis guided by dynamic capabilities theory. The findings reveal that analytics significantly impacts how banks understand their customers, their engagement strategies, and their responses to customers' changing needs, although maturity remains uneven. The findings of the study show that the data analytics capabilities have the ability to enhance personalization, satisfaction, trust, loyalty, and competitive advantage. To realize this potential, banks require a holistic organizational transformation that includes capability activation, governance, cross-functional collaboration, leadership alignment, and outcomes measurement. South African retail banks, therefore, need to move beyond infrastructure investment toward institution-wide analytical enablement to realize genuine customer-centric value.
Dynamic capabilities in project-based firms operating across sub-Saharan Africa
Prior, Grant (University of Pretoria, 2025)
This qualitative study investigates the dynamic capabilities (DCs) that enable project-based firms to maintain operations across sub-Saharan Africa, a region characterised by institutional voids and complexity. Since existing DC frameworks are mainly developed for stable institutional contexts, little is known about how volatile environments influence DC development, especially for project-based firms operating through temporary, fragmented operations. Using an interpretivist philosophy and an exploratory approach, semi-structured interviews were carried out with key decision-makers from successful project-based firms working across multiple sub-Saharan African countries. Inductive thematic analysis identified four interconnected DCs crucial for sustained operations: relational intelligence capability, strategic partnership management, adaptive human capital systems, and decentralised operations and learning structures. The results challenge traditional DC classifications, indicating that capabilities deemed dynamic and vital for competitive advantage in stable markets are simply necessary for survival in sub-Saharan Africa. The study shows that project-based firms resolve the temporary-permanent dilemma by embedding knowledge within mobile core staff instead of rigid structures and by utilising flat organisational hierarchies with short feedback loops. This research contributes to DC theory by offering context-specific insights for institutionally complex environments and provides practical guidance for project-based firms aiming to establish sustainable operations in sub-Saharan Africa.
Balancing profit and purpose: how impact investors in Africa navigate competing logics
Pratt, Matthew (University of Pretoria, 2025)
This study investigated how impact investors that operate with an Africa mandate can practically navigate the competing logics of profit maximisation and social development. The researcher draws primarily on hybridity theory to help explain why these tensions exist and how hybrid firms, such as impact investors, can easily manage these tensions so as to avoid mission drift and retain mission alignment. The researcher employed a qualitative research design, where 12 semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior practitioners in the field and other stakeholders who are closely related to the field. The findings were then analysed using Atlas.ti, with data saturation being reached after nine of twelve interviews. The findings show that Impact investors in Africa manage the tension between the logics of profit and development by incorporating a sequenced design process to assess the various impact and profitability metrics. This is achieved by combining an impact-first pre-screening with a commercial viability assessment, and it is this commercial viability assessment that acts as a signal of impact durability. Furthermore, impact investors institutionalise hybridity through these design choices, which then embed both logics into everyday decisions.
Beyond the double bind: female leaders' experience in corporate South Africa
Pinto, Laura (University of Pretoria, 2025)
This research investigated how women in senior leadership roles in corporate South Africa, experience and navigate the double bind in their careers, guided by role congruity theory. Furthermore, it investigated how women leaders are developing their leadership styles given these contradictory expectations, to provide insights beyond gender and into the evolution of an understanding of leadership. Data was collected via 18 semi-structured interviews with senior women, currently sitting on the executive committee of their respective organisation, or reporting to a member of the executive committee. Qualitative narrative inquiry via induction was employed to understand their lived experiences of the double bind. Reflexive thematic analysis found that senior women leaders in South Africa, are actively reframing the tightrope of the double bind, viewing it as more than a personal dilemma, but as a clear indicator of an outdated leadership model. Their navigation strategies are underpinned by a decision to focus on authenticity as the anchor. This authenticity is a contextual intelligence tool, empowering them beyond the binary conundrum (agency vs. communion), toward a fluid, relational and effective leadership spectrum. This research contributes to challenging the notion of the double bind and how women view it, implying that they see as perpetuating the underdeveloped definition of leadership, rather than as a barrier that limits their personal effectiveness. Systemic support for women and a deeper understanding of the role of culture on women leaders’ success and integration, remains relevant, with an emphasis on the need to include women in the leadership of cultural transformation programs. Furthermore, identity work can empower women to operate authentically beyond the double bind. Similar studies amongst younger female leaders and at lower levels in organisations, would detail how the double bind is experienced at more junior levels. An emphasis on intersectionality and the relationship between race, culture, age and gender in the double bind experience, would close the gap in this study. The research did not consider the complexity of sex and gender, nor did it consider transgender or non-binary identities.

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