A Leadership Pedagogy for Advanced Retail Curriculum Offerings at Public Higher Education Institutions
A four-phase qualitative inquiry into the leadership capability gap between South African higher education and the retail sector — and the pedagogy proposed to close it.
The study at a glance
- Degree
- PhD in Leadership
- Institution
- University of Johannesburg, College of Business and Economics
- Year completed
- 2025
- Supervisor
- Prof. L.M.M. (Magda) Hewitt
- Research context
- The South African retail sector and advanced retail programmes at public higher education institutions (PHEIs)
- Research aim
- To develop and propose a leadership pedagogy for the advanced retail curriculum offerings at public higher education institutions
- Ethical clearance
- IPPM-2022-692(D)
- Keywords
- Leadership development Retail sector PHEIs Industry 4.0 & 5.0 Curriculum design IPA Leadership pedagogy
In plain terms
Retail is one of South Africa's biggest employers — around 20% of national employment and 11.5% of GDP — yet the sector consistently struggles to find young leaders who are ready for the job. This study asked why.
The answer sits on both sides of the divide: retailers' own leadership development is immature and inconsistent, while university retail curricula emphasise academic content over the self-leadership, adaptability, interpersonal and practical skills the sector actually needs.
The thesis proposes a redesigned leadership pedagogy — with twelve innovative teaching approaches and a "retail-ready graduate" persona — that gives universities and employers a shared, evidence-based blueprint for developing future retail leaders.
Read the full academic abstract
The South African retail sector, a cornerstone of the national economy, is responsible for selling goods and services directly to consumers, contributing 20% to national employment and 11.5% to the gross domestic product (GDP). In 2023, the sector reported R1.153 trillion in sales, underscoring its economic significance despite recent downturns in trade activity. However, this sector faces significant challenges, particularly in leadership, as it contends with rapid technological advancements driven by Industry 4.0 and the imminent Industry 5.0. These technological shifts have intensified existing skills gaps, particularly in leadership roles such as retail manager, sales manager, and marketing manager, where competencies in self-leadership, adaptability, and people management are lacking. This skills deficit is deepened by the misalignment of current retail curricula and pedagogy at public higher education institutions (PHEIs) with the retail sector's need for leadership skills.
To address the leadership skills gap, the study adopted a qualitative, explorative research approach and used interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) to gain deep insights into the experiences and perceptions of key stakeholders across four sequential research phases. The study revealed that the South African retail sector experiences low leadership development process maturity, with critical gaps in self-leadership, adaptability, interpersonal skills, and practical skills — deficiencies mirrored in current advanced retail curricula.
The research proposes a curriculum framework for advanced retail education that leverages new technologies and pedagogical approaches in order to enhance leadership skills, preparing future leaders for a sustainable South African retail sector in the context of Industry 4.0 and 5.0. A key contribution is the development of the "retail-ready graduate" persona — a strategically designed composite framework that synthesises the critical attributes needed by future retail leaders. Methodologically, the study contributes through the application of the leadership development process maturity index (LDPMI) in a retail context and the integration of AI tools for preliminary data coding.
What the study asked
What are the key components of an effective leadership pedagogy for the advanced retail curriculum offerings at public higher education institutions?
What leadership skills are needed in future leaders in the South African retail sector, specifically among young adult retail employees entering leadership roles?
What is South African retailers' leadership development process maturity index?
What are the limitations of current advanced retail curricula and pedagogies at South African PHEIs regarding their effectiveness in preparing young adult graduates for leadership roles?
How do young adults in the South African retail sector feel about their readiness for leadership and about the skills and competencies they need in middle management?
What changes need to be made to the curriculum framework for advanced retail education — incorporating new technologies and pedagogical approaches — to effectively enhance the leadership skills of young adults and prepare them as future leaders in a sustainable South African retail sector in the context of Industry 4.0 and 5.0?
A structured, four-phase inquiry
Qualitative and explorative, using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) to understand the lived experience of the people closest to the problem.
Leadership maturity index
The leadership development process maturity index (LDPMI) applied with experienced HR specialists at large South African retailers (n=8) to assess leadership focus and training budget allocation.
HR specialist interviews
In-depth semi-structured interviews with retail HR specialists (n=12) exploring the specific leadership skills gaps experienced across the sector.
Curriculum analysis
Document analysis of Advanced Diploma retail curricula at five public higher education institutions (n=5), assessing how effectively they prepare graduates for leadership.
Graduate interviews
Semi-structured interviews with young adult graduates of Advanced Diploma retailing programmes (n=7) on their leadership readiness and the competencies they developed.
Philosophy & approach
Interpretivist; qualitative and explorative, using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA).
Analysis
Thematic analysis with AI-assisted preliminary coding — an innovation in qualitative practice — with researcher-led verification and persona development.
Ethics
Conducted under University of Johannesburg ethical clearance IPPM-2022-692(D).
What the research revealed
1 · The sector's critical capability gaps
Future retail leaders most need self-leadership, adaptability, interpersonal skills, resilience, innovation, leading teams and critical thinking — and these are precisely the capabilities found lacking among young adults entering leadership roles.
2 · Leadership development is immature
Measured on the LDPMI, retailers' leadership development sits at low maturity levels — sporadic and emerging. Efforts focus narrowly on fundamental skills for new hires, leaving the broader leadership spectrum underdeveloped.
3 · Curricula are misaligned
Advanced Diploma retail curricula emphasise academic and research-oriented content, with notable gaps in self-leadership, adaptability, interpersonal and practical skills — a mismatch with what the sector needs.
4 · Graduates feel the gap
Graduates felt theoretically well-prepared but practically underexposed, calling for more real-sector engagement and continuous leadership development throughout their programmes.
5 · The way forward: practice-based leadership development
The study recommends embedding self-leadership, adaptability, interpersonal and practical skills into curricula through self-reflection, teamwork interventions, sector engagement, simulations, virtual reality, mentorship and coaching — and notes these findings apply beyond retail, to business management, HR and accounting programmes too.
What the thesis adds
The study answers longstanding calls in the literature — from Pantano et al. (2020) to Collinson and Tourish (2014) — to realign higher-education curricula with the leadership demands of a rapidly evolving sector.
- To the literature
- Extends knowledge on dynamic capabilities, leadership skills and curriculum design; addresses the documented misalignment between university content and sector demand.
- To practice
- Identifies underdeveloped competencies and delivers the retail-ready graduate persona — a shared guide for universities and retailers.
- To method
- First application of the LDPMI in a retail context; innovative approaches to data saturation; AI-assisted preliminary coding with researcher verification.
- To education
- A leadership pedagogy and phased implementation roadmap for PHEIs, designed for real resource constraints and academic freedom.
Download & cite the thesis
The full thesis is available as an open PDF, and is catalogued in the University of Johannesburg institutional repository. The doctoral defence slide deck is also available below.
Official record: UJ Institutional Repository ↗
Connected profiles: ORCID · Google Scholar
Suggested citation (APA 7)
Frazer, M. (2025). A leadership pedagogy for advanced retail curriculum offerings at public higher education institutions [Doctoral thesis, University of Johannesburg].
BibTeX
@phdthesis{frazer2025leadership,
author = {Frazer, Mariette},
title = {A leadership pedagogy for advanced retail curriculum offerings at public higher education institutions},
school = {University of Johannesburg},
year = {2025}
}
Where the research has travelled
The thesis is the foundation of a growing body of publications, talks and public commentary.