STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP AND STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION IN COMMERCIAL BANKS IN SOUTH SUDAN: THE ROLE OF ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

Abstract

The main objective of the study was to establish the role of organizational structure on the relationship
between strategic leadership and strategy implementation in commercial banks in South Sudan. The
subsequent hypothesis was that there is no significant moderating effect of organizational structure on the
relationship between strategic leadership and strategy implementation. The research was anchored on the
Upper Echelon theory, institutional theory and Dynamic Capabilities Theory. The study applied positivism
philosophy and cross-sectional research design. The population of the study was all the thirty (30)
commercial banks in South Sudan and therefore census survey was utilized. Primary data was collected
using semi-structured questionnaires. Data was analyzed using hierarchical regression analysis for the
moderating effect. The findings of the study showed that organizational structure significantly moderate
the relationship between strategic leadership and strategy implementation. The study is expected to enrich
local knowledge on strategic leadership, organizational structure and strategy implementation concepts.
The research provides an opportunity for researchers to investigate the effectiveness of the strategic
leadership models adopted by commercial banks in South Sudan. Thus, policymakers and stakeholders
operating in the banking industry should take advantage of the findings of this research and benefit from
the implementation of the right kind of strategies like strategic leadership together with putting in place the
right organizational structure to maximize on their implementation.
Key words: Strategic leadership, organizational structure, strategy implementation, commercial banks in
South Sudan.