Abstract:
The researcher has observed that employees at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in
Southern Africa are aware of the importance of strategic planning, hence the formulation
of strategic plans, but the concern arises at the implementation thereof. Therefore, the
paper assesses the extent to which HEIs in Southern Africa utilise strategic
communication for engagement of employees for implementation of their institutional
strategy.
Purposive sampling was used to identify HEIs in Southern Africa. In addition to this, an
exploratory research design was used to establish if the strategic plan existed in each
institution, and to find out strategies used to implement the strategic plan. The researcher
used the explorative study because of the curiosity and desire to understand the influence
strategic communication has on the implementation of the strategy.
Strategic plans for the HEIs under study were assessed in order to find out if they indicate
engagement of the employees and whether there are particular strategic measures
proposed to solicit input of the employees in both the development and implementation
of the strategic plan. Strategic plans were analysed to assess the degree to which
strategies are implemented in the institutions.
The study not only indicates the drivers, best practices and lessons of a communication
strategy, but also suggests that when the organisation takes a strategic approach to
communication, communication becomes integral to the formulation and
implementation of strategy. It further suggests best ways to implement strategic plan
using a communication strategy
