TOP 3 // Leadership
The best cases on leadership from the Case Writing Centre
The demands on today’s business leaders go beyond strategic decision-making, sound people management, and shrewd cost management. Faced with an increasingly ambiguous and volatile operating environment, the modern-day leader is expected to command a vast array of skillsets that will unlock organisational agility and innovation. Leaders must be tech-savvy, collaborative, empathetic and reflective, talent spotters and possess a sound business acumen, but also become effective at delegating.
It’s a tall order for the aspiring leaders of today (and tomorrow), but fortunately case studies offer one avenue for them to develop their skills and behaviour. At the GSB Case Writing Centre, we have cases that tackle leadership from different angles: individual leadership styles, executive decision-making, and how employees engage with their leaders. Here are our top 3 cases that take on these different facets of leadership:
1. “The South African Broadcast Association (SABC): Powerless but accountable leadership for former GCEO”
by Maijang Mpherwane, Professor Kurt April, Claire Barnardo
SABC is South Africa's public television and radio broadcaster, and one of the country's largest state-owned enterprises (SOEs). After the end of apartheid, the SABC emerged as one of the most vital sources of independent information in the new democracy. But like many SOEs, SABC struggled with responsible management in the 2010s, with accusations of poor governance, increased politicisation, and biased coverage and censorship. This case gives an insider view of the complex challenges for SABC's senior leadership during a particularly tumultuous period between 2012 and 2014. GCEO Lulama Mokhobo, who aimed to course-correct the organisation and made significant strides during her tenure, reflects on the obstacles she faced at the organisation. With a detailed examination of the organisational and interpersonal dynamics that eventually led her to resign in 2014, the case shows the relationship between organisational culture and leader (dis)empowerment.
2. “Namib Mills: Managing talent in a Namibian food production business”
by Dr Christina Swart-Opperman, Claire Barnardo, Sarah Boyd
Namib Mills Group is an agro-processing company based in Namibia that was initially founded as a maize mill. By 2019, the time of the case, Namib Mills had become one of the leading suppliers of staple foods in Namibia, using their innovative culture to expand into poultry and animal feed. In this case, CEO Ian Collard realises that continued growth will depend on maintaining a culture of innovation. To empower each business unit to uncover new opportunities for innovation, he has recently transformed the company structure from a traditional hierarchy into a flat structure. However, future success also depends on retaining and continually developing their young cohort of talented employees, and challenges arising due to the different cultures across the business units are creating concerns about growth opportunities for young team members under the new flat structure. This case exposes a central dilemma faced by business leaders of fast-growing organisations: how much organisational change can be successfully implemented while also increasing production to meet the growing market? And how will these changes impact the future leadership of the company?
3. “Leadership challenges at Fritz Publishing”
by Dr Linda Ronnie
Fritz Publishing is a fictional South African publisher that produces scholarly and professional content for clients throughout Africa. The company was founded with customer service at its core and therefore prioritised offering their services at reasonable prices. Historically, they achieved this by leveraging technology to offer fair pricing and superior quality. Nick Fritz, the founder of Fritz Publishing, had instilled a culture where employees – which had decades of experience and a deep understanding of their customers – had autonomy and the power to make decisions. However, in this case, the sale of the company to the Prys Group, a German-based company looking to expand into South Africa, brings about some unsettling changes that are affecting employee morale. In response, some employees, who are not accustomed to being left out of the decision-making process, choose to leave the company. Those who remain are left to figure out how they can voice concerns to their new leadership. The case draws attention to toxic leadership and how it can be managed.
Read the cases
You can find these and more cases on leadership from the GSB Case Writing Centre at Emerald and The Case Centre.
