Network analysis of strategic planning’s influence on performance outcomes in South African universities

Abstract The study aimed at mapping collaborative networks within and across institutions, identifying configurations linking strategic planning components to institutional performance, and addressing gaps in strategic incorporation between academic, research, and operational significances. An exploratory methodology was employed where data was collected through semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 12 to 15 senior managers, comprising department heads, deans, directors, and deputy vice-chancellors, along with institutional documents. Networkx, a Python library for network analysis, was used to visualize and analyze collaborative networks. It helped calculate key metrics such as centrality, density, and clustering coefficients to identify influential departments and collaboration patterns within the strategic planning process. Results show critical paths through which strategic planning influences performance outcomes. Executive management serves as the central hub, ensuring strategic alignment but risks bottlenecking due to over-centralization. IT services emerge as a connectivity hub, facilitating data-driven decisions and collaboration across departments. However, weak linkages between academic planning and research and innovation inhibit cohesive strategies that align teaching, learning, and research. Silos in operational clusters reduce institutional adaptability and coherence. A lack of robust performance monitoring systems hinders the alignment of goals with measurable outcomes. The research proposes decentralizing decision-making to empower mid-level roles, establishing the link between academic planning and research, and leveraging IT services as a central hub for collaboration.