Abstract
M.Phil.
With realization of one's own potential and self-confidence in one's ability, one can
build a better world (Dalai Lama).
In this study, I explored leadership development for built-environment professionals in South
Africa.
Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other (John F. Kennedy).
My overall aim in this study was to explore whether the concepts of leadership, leadership
development, protean career orientations and continuing professional development for builtenvironment
professionals in South Africa, can be integrated to form new knowledge.
Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much
greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat
(Mother Teresa).
I was motivated to carry out the study as a consequence of the disillusionment that I felt
working in the built-environment professions. I experienced that we tend to treat ourselves
and our colleagues poorly, and that this attitude contradicts our purpose and actions to uplift
the lives of the poor. I sought to soothe my distress in the works of experts and specialists on
leadership. However, I found an epistemic gap in scholarly knowledge, being the seemingly
limited integration of knowledge on leadership, leadership development, protean oriented
career management and continuing professional development.
If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten (Rudyard
Kipling).
As I progressed in the study, I grew in my understanding of qualitative research, and the
research approach and strategy became increasingly significant to me. What were the yarns
of thread that I selected for the research? My ontology, epistemology and theoretical
perspective in this study were biased towards positivism, especially during the writing of the
proposal and the initial stages.