Leading through multiple disruptions in a printing organisation in Durban, South Africa.

Abstract

The past few years in South Africa has been both economically and psychologically challenging for many South Africans and organisations in the country. The country has faced multiple disruptions and many social and economic challenges. Through these disruptions, organisations were required to be consistently knowledgeable and innovative to rise above the competition as the world of business is changing and growing at a rapid pace. Operating in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous (VUCA) business environment requires strong and effective leadership to guide and lead the organisation forward toward growth and success. Leading through the multiple disruptions has become increasingly challenging for many leaders and organisations, however, this study has been restricted to a printing organisation in Durban which is the InsideData Group. The study aimed to identify the multiple disruptions affecting the printing organisation in Durban, to understand the leadership response to the multiple disruptions, and to identify what leadership practices should be implemented to effectively deal with the multiple disruptions in the future. This study focused on gaining a leadership perspective on the challenges of being an effective leader while managing the multiple disruptions in the organisation. The research was conducted by applying a qualitative research approach. The data was collected by conducting semi-structured interviews with 10 senior-level leaders in the organisation. A non-probability sampling method was conducted to select the participants which was purposive sampling. The data analysis was conducted using the thematic data analysis approach. The findings of the study highlighted the identification of the recent multiple disruptions, their impact on the organisation, the challenges that leaders encountered during these disruptions, the leadership response to the disruptions, the different leadership styles used in the organisation, how leaders managed organisational performance, and the methods of business improvement to be implemented to manage the multiple disruptions. The study offers recommendations to leaders on leadership practices to consider when faced with future disruptions such as implementing leadership training programs, developing a network of teams, maintaining communication and transparency, and instilling effective leadership styles and traits in current leaders or new recruits. The study also provides recommendations for further research which is to gain an employee perspective on the multiple disruptions and their leadership expectations. This study can also be extended by incorporating leaders in different printing organisations.