This was an exploratory study on the meaning, construction, and practice of leadership at South African higher education institutions. Three main questions were central to this investigation: (1) What does leadership mean to selected leaders of post-apartheid South African higher education institutions? (2) What influences the post-apartheid South African higher education leaders' construction of the meaning of leadership? (3) How have these understandings affected the leaders' practice of leadership?
The constructivist grounded theory provided a theoretical framework for this research. Semi-structured interviews (Miles & Huberman, 1994) were conducted with 39 higher education leaders across several universities and technikons (post-secondary institutions dedicated to technical education) in South Africa. Follow-up interviews were conducted, as needed, to seek clarification of the meanings and contradictions in the data. Data collected were subjected to interpretations informed by the constructivist grounded theory. Data were analyzed simultaneously with the data-collection process (Merriam, 1998). Cross-case analysis (Denzin, 2000) was used to look for themes that cut across cases and for institutional differences.
Findings on the meaning of leadership suggest that leadership entails leading by example, serving humanity, and having a vision. Leaders' construction of meaning about leadership was influenced by race, gender, training, religion, politics, and family. The practice of leadership was a product of the leaders' value system shaped by the institutional cultures and the challenges faced by higher education leaders in South Africa.
