Research Methodology

We take great pride in presenting this showcase of the very best in South African leadership talent. We believe that this, the 7th edition of South Africa’s Leading Managers, provides a wealth of insights into the leadership approaches that have helped to drive South Africa’s most successful companies forward.

We follow a considered process in order to ensure that only companies of the highest calibre are profiled within the book. To this end, The CRF Institute teams with a panel of experts, including leading thinkers within the business community, academics, journalists and fund managers. This panel draws on its combined knowledge, experience and understanding of the local business environment to identify 150 companies which best epitomise outstanding leadership in South Africa.

The next step involves an independent, objective research interview with a member of The CRF Institute's highly skilled journalist team. Around 16% of the short-listed companies agree to participate in this interview, during which the journalist aims to extract information regarding the impact of the leader and his or her philosophies on the company’s performance.

The interview is therefore structured in order to elicit responses that reveal the company’s reaction to topical business challenges. Participants are asked to engage with questions based on the events of the previous year, and with an eye to forecasting changes in the economy. This approach ensures that the interview yields provides a meaningful snapshot of the company during the past year, specifically detailing how it has answered challenges and shedding light on its future strategy. The final outcome is an enlightening read sharing the leaders’ thoughts on current business trends and, in so doing, explains the reasons behind the company’s success and longevity.

Information obtained during the interview is moderated by The CRF Institute and then compiled into a feature, which is profiled in the next edition of Leading Managers.

Process and criteria

The entire process for selecting and profiling South Africa’s leading managers is as follows:
1. South Africans leaders who have proved themselves to show greatest foresight and steered their organisations towards optimal effectiveness are approached by The CRF Institute to participate in the annual Leading Managers project.
2. The strategies and policies of participating leaders are probed in an in-depth interview with a CRF Institute journalist. Interviews are held with CEOs, MDs, selected executive managers or the entire leadership team.
3. The CRF Institute moderates the information supplied by the journalist. This critical step ensures that the companies to be profiled do, indeed, meet the qualifying criteria.
4. The CRF Institute's expert panel is requested to give input regarding the featured companies’ responses to a range of research areas, outlined below. A score is provided for each area.

The Publisher’s Choice Top 10 is selected according to the final score tallies.

Areas of research

Macro
The following macro criteria are considered in identifying the leaders selected to participate in the annual project:
• Leaders of listed companies, unlisted (private) enterprise, state-owned enterprises, government agencies and parastatals
• Individual CEOs/MDs
• Executive management teams, including the CEO/MD
• If the leader (CEO or MD) is a new appointment, that leader can be nominated for inclusion. However, the leader must have a demonstrable track record of success in his or her previous position.
• Individual leaders (CEOs/MDs) may not nominate themselves for inclusion in the project. However, they may be put forward by their teams, any staff members or any other individual who wishes to do so.
• Individual executive teams are excluded from nominating themselves. However, they may be put forward by the CEO if he or she prefers to profile the team rather than themselves; by other members of staff, peers or suppliers who have worked with the team.
• Nominations for individual teams is capped at 10 members.
• The company profile should be one with a good reputation in the market, a history of profitability (and should currently be profitable) and can be of any sector in the SA economy.
Exclusion
• Non-executive leaders are excluded from participation unless they hold executive positions for which they receive a nomination.

Micro
The CRF Institute's team of journalists use the interview as a platform to uncover information about various micro-areas of the company, including:
• The vision of management (CEO) or executive team the execution of this vision within the organisation
(the mobiliation of people around the vision).
• The management of the organisation during the recent economy recession:
– Financial and market management and success
– Human capital management
– Communication and leadership