Exploring the relationship between leadership styles and quality culture in selected South African manufacturing companies

Abstract

This study explored the critical relationship between leadership styles and establishing a quality culture within the South African manufacturing sector. Amid heightened global competition and internal challenges, the research aimed to determine how transactional, transformational, and servant leadership styles influenced the development and sustainability of a quality-centric organisational culture. Employing a quantitative methodology, data was gathered from 500 participants across various manufacturing companies in the Gauteng region. The empirical findings challenged prevalent leadership theories by revealing that transactional leadership, characterised by structure, rewards, and clear expectations, was the most effective in fostering and sustaining a strong quality culture. This contrasted with transformational and servant leadership, which, while valuable in promoting innovation and employee engagement, played a lesser role in achieving consistent quality outcomes. The study concluded that a strategic blend of transactional leadership's stability and accountability, supplemented by elements of transformational leadership, could most effectively support the long-term competitiveness and operational excellence of manufacturing organisations. These findings contributed to the growing body of literature on leadership and quality management, offering valuable insights for industry leaders within the South African context.