The impact of value systems on the development of effective leadership.

Abstract

This study was conducted in an organisation in the motor industry, where the senior leadership take the values of the organisation seriously whilst facing the challenge of ensuring that the agreed service levels are met, which may contradict with the way in which the leaders do things. The nature of business demands the leaders of various departments be strict towards their subordinates, as they have a mandate given by senior leadership to meet quality standards as requested by the organisation’s clients. This raises a lot of challenges in the organisation because the employees feel that their leaders are not living up to the company’s values, while the leaders themselves face the challenge of not knowing how to live the values of the organisation and still meet the organisation’s targets. The leaders of the organisation struggle to effectively lead their teams guided by their own personal values, because they cannot identify how value systems have an impact on their subordinates and their performance. The objective of this study is thus to emphasize that value systems are the core foundation of leadership and that they have a profound influence on leaders and organisations. A qualitative research approach and purposive sampling was employed, which included leaders in various departments of the company under study. Data was collected through fifteen semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis was used for analysing the data. A key finding of the study indicated that the organisation has a challenge whereby its leaders are not sufficiently developed to lead effectively, guided by their values and those of the organisation. Another key finding revealed that value systems are the foundation that guides leaders to make decisions that are moral and ethical in their daily operations, as they rely on their value systems when making a decision that will affect others and the organisation. The findings of the study revealed that value systems have an impact on how a leader deals with problems in the different situations that arise within the day-to-day operations of the organisation. The recommendations that can be used by senior leadership are interventions such as better communication relating to the values of the organisation, as well as the expectations the company have for leaders within the organisation. There is a gap that exists within the organisation that challenges senior leadership to provide leadership development programmes such as change management sessions and life coaching programmes to entrench personal values in leaders as individuals for their personal development.