Developing better strategy leaders

A new programme, Strategic Leadership Coaching launched this month by the Graduate School of Business (GSB) will help executives improve their strategic leadership capacity. The course marries two disciplines - coaching and strategy - to solve a common problem in business: the gap between strategy and implementation.

According to Janine Everson, academic director at the Centre for Coaching at the GSB and facilitator for the course, many executives agree that while strategic planning often receives an organisation's full attention - normally with input from expensive consultants - when it comes to implementation something goes wrong, leaving the organisation unchanged.

The course will expose senior executives responsible for strategic implementation to focussed one-on-one coaching aimed at developing their own personal leadership competencies and an approach to leadership will help them become effective catalysts and drivers of change.

The course will run from May 29 to June 2.

Contact Shireen Brown at the GSB on (021) 406 1370 or go to www.gsb.uct.ac.za/strategicleadership

MBA report now a white paper policy document

The research report Driving the Creative Industries in the Western Cape by MBA students Sean Kristafor and Meshal Budhram in 2002/03, has made a dramatic impact on Western Cape leaders and is set to underpin real policy and strategic interventions in the province.

Last year Kristafor was invited by Andrew Boraine, CEO Cape Town Partnership, and Mariëtte du Toit, general manager Cape Town Tourism, to discuss the report with various stakeholders, and explore creative collaborations that will strengthen Cape Town as a creativity and innovation destination.

More recently, the report was key to a study commissioned by the Department of Economic Development and Tourism in the Western Cape to assess the potential impact of the creative industries on the provincial economy (Cultural Industries, Arts, Culture and Creative Arts First Paper), with a view to making policy and strategic interventions and resulting in the province becoming the centre of creative industries in the country.

Creative industries normally include advertising, design, film and video, music, performing arts, fashion design, new media, publishing, radio and television, industrial design, visual art, architecture and crafts.

The GSB MBA pair's research included a mapping study, which was conducted to understand the opportunities and characteristics of the individual industries and to provide an overview of the combined sub-set of creative industries.

An economic impact assessment calculated the impact that the creative industries have on the South African economy, and the report concluded with evidence to support the development of specific industries in the creative industries sub-set.

New course helps young businesses grow sustainably

A new course, Growth Strategies for Existing SMMEs has been launched to equip small, medium and micro enterprise owners and managers with the skills and knowledge to grow their businesses sustainably and avoid costly pitfalls.

It is designed to help these business owners and managers break out of the crisis management mode.