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The ever-evolving and often higher education system, full of internal and external turbulences within the context of South Africa in the Western Cape provinces, necessitates a strategic leadership process that has resilience, agility and adaptive improvisation in navigating demanding socio-economic, geo-political, and institutional challenges. This study examines the influence of strategic leadership on expediting the executive problem-solving impetus and concomitant decision-making within the pedagogical and academic fraternity, within the higher education institution as a unit of analysis. The study is inspired by the increasing complexities confronting the critical role of higher educational institutions in the broader higher learning ecosystem and stakeholder situational analysis with inclusion, legitimacy, and relevance while navigating through transformation, transition and a paradigmatic shift within the era of breathless speed of technological advancement, innovation, and sustainability. The study is to explore how strategic leadership influences the speed, integrity, and efficiency of organisational decision-making processes. A qualitative semi-structured and open interview utilising a purposive sampling was pursued. Thematic analysis was used to categorize main and sub-themes in the study. The findings illuminate the significance of strategic leadership application within the broader consultative decision-making that is inclusive and participatory, as the key attribute for staff performance and organisational productivity.  

The formulation of student leadership development has been a focal point and a product of shaping student leaders who occupy positions of leadership in the higher education sector. The persisting challenges of the society find a discomfort in wasted opportunity for any leadership initiative which is not aligned with the policy narrative of African development and nation building. This notion led to a situational response in student leadership development that missed an opportunity to fashion student leadership development that addresses the complex challenges of society. This study intends to pen down the experience of transitioning student leadership towards activating agency for social transformation. It also intends to address how student development must be perceived as an integral part of social innovation and a catalyst for reimagining the future of South Africa for the attainment of a sustainable future. One of the key shortfalls of the transactional approach to student leadership development is how the notion of leadership development in higher education is mismatched from the quadruple helix framework model which demonstrates failure for being futuristic in nature tends to be problematic. In this instance, the study used a quadruple helix framework to justify the transition that map the intention of Nelson Mandela University’s establishment of Madibaz YouthLab. The study is a qualitative conceptual framework using a literature review to argue this important transition. The study conclusion and recommendation are postured to add to the discourse on the reformulation of student leadership development in higher education shifting towards adding value to sustainable development.

The role of strategic leadership in ensuring organisational survival and success has attracted much attention among researchers worldwide. However, more research needs to be conducted on the practice of university strategic leadership in Zimbabwe, especially in times of environmental turbulence. This conceptual paper examines extant literature on strategic leadership to propose a situated strategic leadership framework for research and practice in universities in Zimbabwe. A background literature review on models and frameworks of strategic leadership was conducted in several peer-reviewed journals to identify the dimensions and significance of the higher education institutions (HEIs) in Zimbabwe. The findings show that university strategic leadership requires individual and organisational capabilities, collective sense-making processes, and inclusive envisioning of the future in turbulent times. Three competencies of leading self as a university strategic leader involve strategic thinking, building personal social capital, and ethical competence. Additionally, five organisational-level capabilities include (1) setting and pursuing direction, (2) leading to drive strategy and results, (3) agility in leading strategic change, (4) building and using human capital, (5) and promoting an entrepreneurial and resilient culture. Based on the above components, an integrative framework of strategic leadership is proposed, which hinges on a holistic and systemic balance of the needs of multiple stakeholders, collective sense-making and inclusive envisioning of the future of a university. The paper concludes that university strategic leadership in turbulent times is complex and multi-dimensional and integrates individual and organisational capabilities and processes to reshape Direction, Alignment and Commitment (DAC).