A phenomenological study on leaders’ experiences of sustainability in the South African mining industry.

Abstract

The aim of this research was to investigate and explore leaders’ experiences of sustainability in the South African mining industry. Sustainability has emerged as an essential leadership concept due to the degradation of the environment and social impacts associated with mining. This study was conducted to gain an understanding of the experiences of sustainability leaders in the South African mining industry and their perceptions regarding what it means to be a sustainability leader. The experience of the challenges that sustainability leaders face as well as the approaches that they use to influence positive sustainability outcomes were also investigated.The study used a transcendental phenomenological qualitative study approach to identify leadership challenges associated with sustainability, highlight sustainability leadership successes as perceived and experienced by leaders within the SA mining industry, identify strategies leaders use to influence positive sustainability outcomes and explain the meaning of sustainability as experienced by sustainability leaders. A total of 12 executive leaders in sustainability from the South African mining industry across all commodities including gold, platinum, coal, manganese and diamonds were selected using purposive sampling to participate in the study. The views and experiences of sustainability leaders obtained through semi-structured interviews are described through individual structural descriptions. The study findings show that there are different meanings ascribed to sustainability leadership. However, the experience of the challenges pertaining to sustainability leadership amongst the leaders shows a level of commonality. These include the ability of sustainability leaders to influence positive environmental outcomes beyond their leadership roles as they deal with and rely on various stakeholders varying from mining technical teams to communities and government authorities responsible for enabling sustainable development. The experience of success from the sustainability leaders is linked to positive outcomes beyond themselves such as an improved understanding of environmental issues by the teams that they lead and community empowerment. The study is expected to make an industry contribution by advancing the understanding of sustainability and sustainable development. A sustainability leadership development framework was developed to enhance the role of leadership towards sustainable mining.