STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION AND LEADERSHIP AGILITY IN PUBLIC TERTIARY EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS: CRITICAL INSIGHTS ENGAGED

Abstract

This article seeks to suggest a framework for strategy implementation through leadership agility in tertiary education institutions so that they can attain their national mandate. A desktop study was conducted which included the search of the theoretical and empirical literature, as well as a documentation review. The search identified only a handful of studies exploring both strategy implementation performance and leadership agility in the public sector context, a gap this article seeks to fulfil. The review of documentation focused on the Government of Zimbabwe (GoZ) documents relating to the National Development Strategy and the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education Innovation Science and Technology Development (MoHTEISTD) Strategic Plans. The framework integrates six variables of leadership agility; strategy direction, stakeholder engagement, innovation, ICTs, leader focus and the ability to deal with bureaucracy and political interference. Evidence from the private sector currently indicates a positive impact of leadership agility on strategy implementation. The results indicate that leadership agility has a positive effect on strategy implementation.