The relationship between strategic leadership and strategic alignment in 
                 high-performing companies in South Africa 
                             
                             
                            by 
                      LORRAINE WENDY LEAR 
                             
                 submitted in accordance with the requirements 
                        for the degree of  
                             
                             
                  DOCTOR OF BUSINESS LEADERSHIP 
                             
                           at the 
                             
                    UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA 
                             
               GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS LEADERSHIP 
                             
                             
                         PROMOTER 
                    PROFESSOR ERNST NEULAND 
                             
                             
                             
                         FEBRUARY 2012 
          
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                                          Declarations 
                
                
                
                
               Student number:  638-969-4 
                
                
               I declare that ”THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP 
               AND STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT IN HIGH-PERFORMING COMPANIES IN 
               SOUTH AFRICA” is my own work and that all sources that I have quoted have 
               been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references. 
                
                
                
                
                
                
               ________________________         _______________________ 
               Signature                        Date 
               (Ms L.W. Lear)
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           Abstract 
            
           In the global economy of the 21st century, competition is complex, challenging 
           and fraught with competitive opportunities and threats. Strategic leadership is 
           increasingly becoming the main focus for business and academics alike and is 
           the  key  issue  facing  contemporary  organisations.  Without  effective  strategic 
           leadership,  the  capability  of  a  company  to  achieve  or  sustain  a  competitive 
           advantage is greatly constrained.  
            
           More than 30 years of Harvard Business School research have shown that 
           aligned  and  integrated  companies  outperform  their  nearest  competitors  by 
           every  major  financial  measure.  The  organisational  effectiveness  emanating 
           from alignment is a significant competitive advantage. Alignment is that optimal 
           state  in  which  strategy,  employees,  customers  and  key  processes  work  in 
           concert  to  propel  growth  and  profits.  Aligned  organisations  enjoy  greater 
           customer and employee satisfaction and produce superior results. 
            
           Can leadership make a difference? Some leaders do, some do not - and many 
           more could.  
            
           Effective strategic leadership can thus help organisations enhance performance 
           while competing in turbulent and unpredictable environments. However, there 
           has been little empirical evidence of the effects of strategic level leadership on 
           organisational processes that have distinctive strategic significance. 
            
           A greater understanding of the criteria that influence success in organisations 
           will enable organisations to take positive action to become more successful.  
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           This study examines the importance of critical leadership criteria and the degree 
           of alignment in high-performing organisations.  A quantitative research design 
           was used in this study to assess the impact of strategic leadership on strategic 
           alignment of business organisations in South Africa.  The research instruments 
           to  test  the  research  questions  comprised  two  questionnaires.  The first  was 
           used to establish the value top leadership place on selected critical leadership 
           criteria, and the second to establish the level of alignment in the organisations 
           under investigation.  The population selected for this study consisted of the 
           companies included in the 200 top-performing organisations which appeared in 
           the 2007 Financial Mail.  Six companies participated in the research.   
            
           The data was electronically collated into a database and the results were then 
           analysed  using  the  statistical  inferential  techniques  of  correlation  and  linear 
           regression analysis. 
            
           The study proposes that strategic leadership will positively influence strategic 
           alignment  which,  in  turn,  will  have  a  beneficial  effect  on  organisational 
           performance.  
            
            
           Keywords:  strategic  leadership,  strategic  alignment,  critical  criteria, 
           organisational  performance,  strategic  direction,  core  competencies,  human 
           capital, corporate culture, ethical practices 
            
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