Original Research

Small and medium business transformational leadership and supply chain management

Irvine Langton, Chengedzai Mafini
The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa | Vol 19, No 1 | a1347 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/td.v19i1.1347 | © 2023 Irvine Langton, Chengedzai Mafini | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 26 February 2023 | Published: 30 October 2023

About the author(s)

Irvine Langton, Department of Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Faculty of Management Sciences, Vaal University of Technology, Vanderbijlpark, South Africa
Chengedzai Mafini, Department of Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Faculty of Management Sciences, Vaal University of Technology, Vanderbijlpark, South Africa

Abstract

The performance-related problems facing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa are well known. Efforts to find lasting solutions are ongoing and include empirical research focusing on various business practices and models. Applying leadership practices and supply chain management to SMEs provides fertile ground for groundbreaking solutions. This study tested the relationship between transformational leadership, supply chain execution and supply chain performance in manufacturing SMEs in South Africa. The study uses structural equation modelling to examine this empirical connection using data collected from 411 professional employees drawn from SMEs in three South African provinces. The study found that idealised influence and intellectual stimulation exert a positive impact on supply chain execution. Supply chain execution is positively linked to four supply chain performance factors, namely agility, reliability, cost optimisation and responsiveness.

Transdisciplinary contribution: The study connects transformational leadership, which is an organisational behaviour construct to supply chain management, the latter of which is an emerging business discipline. The study recognises that business strategy is implemented by people whose conduct and practices are pivotal to strategic success. In addition, the study has an entrepreneurship orientation as it addresses the challenges facing manufacturing SMEs in South Africa.


Keywords

transformational leadership; supply chain execution; supply chain performance; manufacturing sector; SMEs.

JEL Codes

M10: General

Sustainable Development Goal

Goal 4: Quality education

Metrics

Total abstract views: 1661
Total article views: 1468

 

Crossref Citations

1. Overcoming Barriers to Supply Chain Integration: Prioritization of Solutions via a Multicriteria Decision Support Method
Fábio H. L. Aguiar, Juliana K. Sagawa, Lauro Osiro
IEEE Access  vol: 12  first page: 156588  year: 2024  
doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3482710