Abstract
D. Phil. (Leadership in Performance and Change)
The business environment is constantly changing. This appears to be the only certainty in the business world. Since the business environment has a bearing on the performance of organisations it is important to study such change influences. In the fast-changing business environment it would be beneficial to know what enables organisational growth and success. As with each living organism, it
is postulated that organisations possess a Genetic Code that is shaped by many factors and held
together by organisation's architecture. It is generally' believed that the development of a Genetic
Business Code for growth will assist in understanding the problem of change and will dispel the
cloud of confusion of what makes an organisation successful. The first aim of this study was to
identify a Genetic Business Code for Growth. Based on scientific beliefs related to both positivist
and humanistic philosophical assumptions, the second aim was to develop an appropriate
methodology to built a Business Code. The third aim was to use the results of this study as a
departure point to explore the possibility of developing an assessment tool to assess organisations,
determine their current "Code", and identify gaps for renewal interventions.
A quantitative methodological framework, supplemented by a qualitative approach, was used in this
study. The Repertory Grid technique was used to interview 22 Chief Executive Officers and
Executive Managers in the Transport Industry. In this data collection process a total of 231
constructs were developed. Through a developed data-analysis process these constructs were
reduced to 89 constructs in an integrated profile of first- and second-order constructs with opposite
poles. Deductive and inductive strategies were applied in the classification of constructs.
The result ofthis study was the identification of a Genetic Business Code for Growth. The Genetic
Code for all known organisms has two strands and is therefore referred to as the "double helix".
However, the Genetic Business Code for Growth consists of three "Strands", namely Leadership,
Organisational Architecture and Internal Orientation. Based on this information an integrated model
was developed with the Internal Orientation Strand in the center of the "triple helix". The study's
conclusions confirmed the value of identifying a Genetic Business Code for growth in the Transport
Industry.