Strategic implementation effectiveness in the manufacturing sectors of South Africa

Abstract

The study investigated the achievement of strategy implementation effectiveness in the manufacturing sectors of South Africa amidst a background where many organisations in the manufacturing sector struggle to achieve strategy implementation effectiveness (de Oliveira et al., 2019). The study, which answered the call for future research by Tawse & Tabesh (2021), used a qualitative deductive analysis methodology with pattern matching to systematically assess the Tawse & Tabesh (2021) framework's performance and suitability to address strategy implementation effectiveness shortcomings of the manufacturing sector. The aim was to provide real-world evidence and insights into how well the framework met its intended goals and performed in a practical scenario (Cresswell, 2014). Ultimately, the study gave the framework a platform for concept augmentation and testing, without which the framework would have remained an untested collection of recommendations that are limited in contribution to developing comprehensive theory on strategy implementation processes. The extensive fleshing out of the framework’s propositions on 19 interviewees at different organisational levels confirmed that the framework’s aggregates adequately dealt with the 'how' of attaining strategy implementation effectiveness, further confirming the framework as comprehensive and practical. The availability of the results solved the lack of real-world evidence prohibiting the objective assessment of the Tawse & Tabesh (2021) framework's performance, effectiveness, and suitability to solve real-world strategy implementation problems. The high validity and trustworthiness of the evidence supplied gave insights into how well the framework met its intended goals and performed in the practical scenarios it was subjected to. The study has therefore substantiated the assertion by Tawse & Tabesh (2021), that their developed framework is a valid and practical tool that researchers and other users can rely on to make informed decisions on how to implement strategy and achieve effectiveness. Based on the findings, the Tawse & Tabesh framework is recommended as a suitable tool for solving the strategy implementation effectiveness challenges faced by organisations within the manufacturing space. The study recommends the framework for generalisability, accommodation, and consolidation into developed strategy implementation effectiveness theory.