Building a sustainable retail future: Evidence-based strategies for transforming leadership education in South Africa

Abstract

Orientation: South Africa’s retail sector, the nation’s second-largest employer, faces a leadership skills gap threatening competitiveness in the Industry 4.0–5.0 era.
Research purpose: This study investigates misalignment between retail education at Public Higher Education Institutions and retail sector leadership competency demands, proposing evidence-based curriculum strategies.
Motivation for the study: Retail leaders require technical proficiency, adaptability and customer-centric skills for sustainable transformation, academic programmes prioritise theoretical knowledge over practical competencies. This disconnect limits graduate employability and threatens sectoral sustainability, necessitating curriculum reform.
Research design, approach and method: Qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis employed sequential multi-methods data collection through semi-structured interviews with 12 human resources (HR) specialists from major retailers and content analysis of curriculum documents from Public Higher Education Institutions offering Advanced Diplomas in retail. ATLAS.ti facilitated data analysis.
Main findings: Significant competency gaps exist between retail priorities (self-leadership, adaptability, communication and customer centricity) and academic focus (theoretical knowledge and analytical skills). Two contrasting personas, Cindy (industry ideal) and Gwen (academic product), illustrate this gap, underscoring balanced practical-theoretical curricula.
Practical/managerial implications: Recommendations address self-leadership development, customer-centric approaches and experiential learning while maintaining academic rigour. Industry-academia partnerships can bridge skills gaps and enhance graduate readiness.
Contribution/value-add: This research advances curriculum theory by integrating theoretical foundations with industry competencies. Evidence-based personas offer novel frameworks for understanding academic-industry divergence, contributing implementable solutions for skills shortages.