The enterprise architecture leadership styles of a South African telecommunications company
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Date
2020
Authors
Mokhobo, Lemphane
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
Purpose: Enterprise Architecture is a holistic practice used in management which covers business and information technology in order to manage organisational complexities and aid strategic decision-making. Successful implementation of Enterprise Architecture is reliant on a leader who can handle the pressure that comes with the job. Although many Enterprise Architecture leaders are highly qualified and technically skilled individuals, challenges such as communication, stakeholder buy-in and governance issues are often the core hindrances to successful Enterprise Architecture. Previous research shows that Enterprise Architecture initiatives often fail due to substantial challenges demonstrated by enterprise architects' lack of authority and leadership. Due to the technical nature of Enterprise Architecture, its relationship with soft skills like leadership is often overlooked. In this, an opportunity to research the leadership styles that exist in Enterprise Architecture avails itself. The purpose of the research is to analyse the leadership styles of a telecommunications organisation in South Africa. Research design: This research design was a qualitative non-probability purposive study with semi-structured interviews. The research sample size consisted of twelve (12) participants who are actively functioning in the Enterprise Architecture domain. The sampling strategy used was a purposive sampling strategy. The research was conducted in the Telkom Group and its subsidiaries. Each participant was asked a set of demographic questions and ten (10) predefined questions in the form of semi-structured interviews. Findings: The findings showed that the most prominent leadership styles were democratic, affiliative and pacesetting leadership styles; the most common one being the affiliative style. Each leadership style was accompanied by a communication style, the most common one being assertive communication. The findings also highlighted that the participants believed that the Telkom Group had a Level 2 Enterprise Architecture maturity level and that Telkom had not fully adopted the Enterprise Architecture mindset. The participants expressed their biggest challenges as being communication, stakeholder buy-in, leadership and vision of Enterprise Architecture. Conclusion: The enterprise architects displayed strong leadership and communication styles that have a positive impact on the environment; however, due to their limited influence, they are facing challenges that require the intervention of senior leadership. The leadership styles present in the Enterprise Architecture domain are sufficient and appropriate to deal with the challenges that come with a Level 2 Enterprise Architecture maturity; however, in order to leverage the existing leadership styles, the organisation must increase the scope of influence for the enterprise architects. The use and implementation of positive leadership and communication styles will assist in dealing with the challenges and improve the Enterprise Architecture maturity level of the organisation.
Description
Dissertation (MBA (Business Administration))--University of the Free State, 2020
Keywords
Enterprise architecture, leadership, communication, enterprise architecture maturity