Original Research

Developing leaders by supporting their transitions into senior positions

Nicky H.D. Terblanche, Ruth M. Albertyn, Salome Van Coller-Peter
South African Journal of Business Management | Vol 49, No 1 | a12 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/sajbm.v49i1.12 | © 2018 Nicky Terblanche | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 05 March 2018 | Published: 29 March 2018

About the author(s)

Nicky H.D. Terblanche, University of Stellenbosch Business School, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
Ruth M. Albertyn, Centre for Higher and Adult Education, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
Salome Van Coller-Peter, University of Stellenbosch Business School, Stellenbosch University, South Africa

Abstract

The need for social transformation in South Africa is intrinsically linked to the transformation of corporate South Africa. Strong senior leadership is required to ensure that organisations remain sustainable during this transformation. There is, however, a shortage of skilled senior leaders, hence the need for leadership development. When leaders transition into senior positions, they face a plethora of personal and systemic challenges. Many fail with resulting disastrous effects on individual (micro) and organisational (macro) levels. This research investigates the challenges faced by newly promoted senior leaders in order to lay the groundwork for designing support strategies for individuals and organisations. The qualitative findings suggest that leadership transitions present unexpected challenges on a personal and systemic level to such individuals and that they do not receive adequate support from their organisations. For transformation to be successful and sustainable on macro level, concurrent and appropriate micro-level support and development are essential.

Keywords

career transitions; leadership development; management derailment; organisational support; senior management; transformation

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