Strategy practices and praxis: a case of selected South African Business School alumni

Abstract

This integrated study examined the nexus between the theory and the practice of strategy. Given the nature of modern-day public and private business enterprises in South Africa and the rest of the world, management education should equip practitioners with knowledge and skills suitable for complex, dynamic, eclectic, and uncertain practice contexts. That is, management education should be playing a critical role in shaping and guiding the business community in the ‘management’ and ‘administration’ of business in the country. However, criticisms in management literature suggest that management education is not relevant to practice. Despite such criticisms, there is relatively little empirical evidence in the country on practitioners’ experiences with the relevance to practice of their management education in general and strategy education in particular. To this end, this study set out to develop a better understanding of the dynamic and nuanced interplay between strategy theory and strategy practice through a survey and interviews with selected business school alumni in professional practice. Statistical analyses were performed on quantitative data, while thematic analysis was performed on qualitative data. The survey findings of the study reveal a positive and significant relationship between academic rigour and practical relevance of strategy theory, while phenomenological findings reveal that practical relevance of strategy theory is largely constructed by practitioners according to their contextual demands. Strategic management appears to rest on the dynamic interplay between strategy theory and strategy practice within a complex and eclectic management environment.

In hierdie geïntegreerde studie is die verband tussen strategieteorie en -praktyk ondersoek. Bestuursopleiding moet praktisyns toerus met die kennis en vaardighede wat die komplekse, dinamiese, eklektiese en wisselvallige omgewing in openbare en private maatskappye in Suid-Afrika en elders in die wêreld vereis. Met ander woorde, bestuursopleiding moet leiding gee in die bestuur en administrasie van maatskappye in die land. In die literatuur word aangevoer dat bestuursopleiding irrelevant is. Daar is egter min empiriese bewys dat bestuursopleiding, en strategieopleiding in die besonder, ontoepaslik is. Om hierdie rede is ‘n studie van die dinamiese en genuanseerde wisselwerking tussen strategieteorie en -praktyk onderneem. Onderhoude is gevoer met en ‘n opname is gedoen onder sakeskoolalumni wat in die praktyk staan. ‘n Statistiese ontleding is van die kwantitatiewe data en ‘n tematiese ontleding is van die kwalitatiewe data gedoen. Volgens die opnamebevindings is daar ‘n positiewe en beduidende verband tussen akademiese stiptheid en die praktiese relevansie van strategieteorie. Uit die fenomenologiese bevindings blyk dat die praktiese relevansie van strategieteorie grotendeels deur praktisyns volgens die eise van hulle konteks bepaal word. Blykbaar berus strategiese bestuur op die dinamiese wisselwerking tussen strategieteorie en strategiepraktyk in ‘n komplekse en eklektiese bestuursomgewing.

Lolu cwaningo oludidiyelwe, lwacubungula futhi lwabukisisa ukuxhumana okukhona phakathi kwethiyori yeqhingasu kanye nenkambiso yokwenziwa nokufezekiswa kweqhingasu ngendlela ephathekayo nebonakalayo. Uma kubhekwa uhlobo nobunjalo bamabhizinisi, ezikhathi zanamuhla, angaphansi kwesandla sikahulumeni kanye nalawo asezandleni zabantu abazimele eNingizimu Afrika kanye nasemhlabeni wonke jikelele, imfundo yezokuphatha kumele ihlomise ongoti bomsebenzi ngolwazi namakhono adingekayo ezimweni zokusebenza ezinobunkimbinkimbi, ezinomdlandla, eziyingxubevange futhi ezinokungaqiniseki kanye nongabazane. Okusho ukuthi imfundo yezokuphatha kumele idlale indima esemqoka ekubumbeni nasekuholeni umphakathi wabamabhizinisi ekuphathweni nasekulawulweni kwamabhizinisi ezweni. Kodwa-ke, ukugxekwa okuvelayo emibhalweni yezokuphatha kubonisa ukuthi imfundo yezokuphatha, ikakhulukazi imfundo yamaqhingasu, ayinakho ukufanelana nokuhambelana nenqubo-nkambiso yokwenziwa komsebenzi ngendlela ebonakalayo nephathekayo. Lolu cwaningo luhlose ukuthuthukisa nokwakha ukuqonda okungcono maqondana nobuhlobo nokuxhumana okunomdlandla kepha okufihlakele okuphakathi kwethiyori yeqhingasu kanye nenkambiso yokwenziwa nokufezekiswa kweqhingasu ngendlela ephathekayo nebonakalayo, ngokusebenzisa inhlolovo kanye nama-inthaviyu (izingxoxo) nabantu abakhethiweyo abafunde bagogoda ezikoleni zebhizinisi abenza umsebenzi wobungoti. Kwenziwe uhlaziyo lwemininingo egxile ebuningini (quantitative data), kanti futhi kusenjalo kwenziwe nohlaziyo-ngqikithi lwemininingo egxile kukhwalithi (qualitative data). Imiphumela eyatholwa kwinhlolovo yocwaningo ibonisa ubukhona bobudlelwane obuhle futhi obuphawulekayo impela phakathi kwamazinga-bunyoninco ezemfundo kanye nokufaneleka okuphathekayo nokubonakalayo kwethiyori yeqhingasu, kanti futhi ngakolunye uhlangothi imiphumela yocwaningo ephathelene nezigameko nezimo abadlule kuzona ongoti bomsebenzi ibonisa ukuthi ukufaneleka okuphathekayo nokubonakalayo kwethiyori yeqhingasu kuyinto eyakhiwa ikakhulukazi ngongoti bomsebenzi ngokususela ezidingweni eziphathelene nesimo esithile. Ukuphatha ngokusebenzisa amaqhinga namasu athile kubonakala kuncike ekuxhumaneni okunomdlandla phakathi kwethiyori yeqhingasu kanye nenkambiso yokwenziwa nokufezekiswa kweqhingasu ngendlela ephathekayo nebonakalayo ngaphansi kwesimo sokuphatha esiyinkimbinkimbi futhi esiyingxubevange.