This study sought to understand the influence of various business incubator
mentorship strategies on creating sustainable, successful, and ethical SMMEs. The
study was conducted within business incubators in the eThekwini metropolitan region.
Mentorship forms a vital part of the business incubation process, serving to make a
positive impact on the success, sustainability, and ethical business practices of
SMMEs. Despite the efforts made by business incubators, the failure rate of SMMEs
remains very high, hence the need for this manner of exploratory study. The study was
qualitative in nature and made use of semi-structured face-to-face interviews with
mentees within a business incubator setting, management of business incubators, and
government officials to gain deep insight about their lived experiences of business
incubator mentorship. The information gathered from the interviews was analysed
through thematic analysis using Atlas.ti software.
In the main, the study revealed inconsistencies and challenges in the implementation
of mentorship strategies in business incubators. There is a need for mentorship to be
customised, based on the specific needs of certain categories such as women, youth,
and rural entrepreneurs, therefore, entrepreneurs do not prefer a “one-size-fits-all”
approach. There is greater need for the alignment of mentorship programmes to the
needs of the entrepreneurs. In addition, participants believed that programmes ought
to be structured and relevant and should offer a formal and informal (practical)
component, so as to ensure balance. There is a great need for a suitable mentor
reward system linked to mentee performance, to ensure that mentors remain
committed, and that they remain in mentorship programmes for longer. More
commitment is required from both mentees and mentors. Accessibility to business
incubators was cited as a challenge. A conceptual framework illustrating the
interconnectedness between the different variables is illustrated in chapter 5. There
are some key recommendations for various stakeholders involved in business
mentorship and if applied correctly, it could greatly assist in dealing with some of the
challenges and ultimately contribute to lowering the failure rate of SMMEs.
Hierdie studie probeer om die invloed van verskillende inkubator mentorskapstrategieë in die sakewêreld te verstaan ten einde volhoubare, suksesvolle
en etiese KMMO’s te vestig. Die studie is onderneem in sake-inkubators in die
eThekwini- metropolitaanse streek. Mentorskap maak ’n belangrike deel uit van die
sake-inkubasieproses, wat bydra om ’n positiewe impak op die sukses,
volhoubaarheid en etiese sakepraktyke van KMMO’s te hê. Ondanks pogings deur
sake-inkubators bly die mislukkingskoers van KMMO’s baie hoog; daarom bestaan
die behoefte aan hierdie soort verkennende studie. Die studie was kwalitatief van aard
en het gebruik gemaak van semigestruktureerde onderhoude van aangesig tot
aangesig met mentees in ’n sake-inkubator-omgewing, bestuur van sake-inkubators,
en staatsdiensamptenare om insig te verwerf in hul geleefde ervarings van sake inkubatormentorskap. Die inligting wat uit die onderhoude ingesamel is, is tematies
ontleed deur gebruikmaking van Atlas.ti-sagteware.
Die studie het oor die algemeen inkonsekwenthede en uitdagings in die
implementering van mentorskapstrategieë in sake-inkubators blootgelê. Die behoefte
bestaan dat mentorskap doelgemaak moet word op grond van die spesifieke
behoeftes van sekere kategorieë soos vroue, die jeug, en landelike entrepreneurs.
Gevolglik verkies entrepreneurs nie ’n “een-grootte-pas-almal”-benadering nie. Daar
is ’n groter behoefte aan die instelling van mentorskapprogramme volgens die
entrepreneurs se behoeftes. Daarbenewens glo deelnemers dat programme
gestruktureer moet word en relevant moet wees, en ’n formele en informele (praktiese)
komponent moet bied om balans te verseker. Daar bestaan ’n groot behoefte aan ’n
geskikte mentorbeloningstelsel wat aan mentee-werkverrigting gekoppel is, om te
verseker dat mentors toegewyd bly, en dat hulle langer by mentorskapprogramme
betrokke bly. Groter toewyding word van sowel mentees as mentors vereis.
Toeganklikheid tot sake-inkubators word as ’n uitdaging beskou. ’n Konseptuele
raamwerk wat die onderlinge verband tussen die verskillende veranderlikes illustreer,
word in hoofstuk 5 gegee. Daar is enkele kernaanbevelings vir verskillende
belanghebbendes wat by sakementorskap betrokke is en, indien dit korrek toegepas
word, kan dit grootliks bydra tot die hantering van sommige uitdagings en uiteindelik
die mislukkingskoers van KMMO’s help verlaag.
Lolu cwaningo lufune ukuqonda umthelela wamasu okwelulekwa ahlukene
wokufukanyelwa kwebhizinisi ekudaleni ama-SMME esimeme, aphumelelayo,
nanesimilo. Ucwaningo lwenziwe ngaphakathi kokufukanyelwa kwamabhizinisi
esifundeni seTheku. Umthelela nezeluleko ezinikwa ngumeluleki ziyingxenye
ebalulekile yenqubo yokufukanyelwa kwebhizinisi, usiza ukwenza umthelela omuhle
empumelelweni, ekusimameni, nasezinkambisweni zebhizinisi elinesimilo zama SMME. Naphezu kwemizamo eyenziwa ngokufukanyelwa kwebhizinisi, izinga
lokuhluleka kwama-SMME lisalokhu liphezulu kakhulu, yingakho kunesidingo salolu
hlobo locwaningo lokuhlola. Lolu cwaningo belusezingeni eliphezulu ngokwendalo
futhi lwasebenzisa izingxoxo zobuso nobuso ezingahlelekile nezenziwe endaweni
yokwelulekwa kokufukanyelwa kwebhizinisi, ukuphathwa kokufukanyelwa
kwebhizinisi, kanye nezikhulu zikahulumeni ukuze zithole ukuqonda okujulile
mayelana nempilo yazo ekwelulekweni kokufukanyelwa kwebhizinisi. Ulwazi
oluqoqwe ezingxoxweni lwahlaziywa ngendlela yokuhlaziya imininingwane esizingeni
eliphezulu kusetshenziswa uhlelo lwekhompyutha i-Atlas.ti.
Ngokuyinhloko, ucwaningo luveze ukungahambisani nezinselelo ekusetshenzisweni
kwamasu okwelulekwa ekufukanyelweni kwebhizinisi. Kunesidingo sokuthi
ukwelulekwa kwenziwe ngendlela efanele, kuncike ezidingweni ezithile zezigaba
ezithile njengabesifazane, intsha, nosomabhizinisi basemakhaya, ngakho-ke,
osomabhizinisi abakhethi indlela “yokulingana konke”. Kunesidingo esikhulu
sokuhambisana kwezinhlelo zokwelulekwa ngokwezidingo zosomabhizinisi.
Ukwengeza, ababambiqhaza babekholelwa ukuthi izinhlelo kufanele zakhiwe futhi
zifaneleke futhi kufanele zinikeze ingxenye esemthethweni nengakahleleki
(esebenzayo), ukuze kuqinisekiswe ukulingana. Kunesidingo esikhulu sohlelo olufanele lokuklomelisa umeluleki oluxhumene
nokusebenza kwabaqeqeshi, ukuze kuqinisekiswe ukuthi abeluleki bahlala bezinikele,
nokuthi bahlala ezinhlelweni zokweluleka isikhathi eside. Ukuzinikela okwengeziwe
kuyadingeka kubo bobabili abeluleki nabalulekwayo. Ukufinyeleleka kokufukanyelwa
kwebhizinisi kuchazwe njengenselele. Uhlaka lomqondo olukhombisa ukuxhumana phakathi kwezinhlobonhlobo ezahlukene luyakhonjiswa esahlukweni 5.
Kuneziphakamiso ezithile ezibalulekile kubabambiqhaza abahlukene ababambe
iqhaza ekuqeqesheni ibhizinisi futhi uma zisetshenziswa ngendlela efanele, zingasiza
kakhulu ekubhekaneni nezinye zezinselele futhi ekugcineni zibe negalelo ekwehliseni
izinga lokwehluleka kwama-SMMEs
