The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on AFEBI Management and Business Review at:
https://journal.
org/index.
php/ambr/article/view/707 EMPOWERING WOMEN IN GAUTENGAoS CONSTRUCTION
INDUSTRY: UNVEILING PERCEIVED BENEFITS AND RELEVANCE
OF AN ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
Elona Ndlovu* Patrick Ebong Ebewo Department of Management and Entrepreneurship.
Tshwane University of Technology.
Pretoria.
South Africa Abstract This study investigates the perceived benefits of entrepreneurial coaching for women in a construction accelerator programme in Gauteng.
South Africa.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 women entrepreneurs, and thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data.
The findings demonstrate that entrepreneurial coaching sessions positively impacted women entrepreneurs and their businesses by enhancing self-efficacy, building relationships, and fostering shifts in vision and entrepreneurial mindset.
The programme outcomes for women entrepreneurs included improved technical and innovative building skills, enhanced proficiency in sales, finance, marketing, legal compliance, and overall business growth.
The study suggests that programmes supporting women entrepreneurs should prioritise transferring specific skills, such as innovative business modelling, relationship building, visionary capacity development, resilience, and self-efficacy to facilitate business growth.
Future research could explore additional areas for entrepreneurial skill development and further investigate the long-term effects of coaching programmes on women entrepreneurs in the construction industry and post-programme support for the participants.
Empowering Women in GautengAos Construction Industry: Unveiling Perceived Benefits and Relevance of an Entrepreneurial Development Programme Received May 22nd 2023 Review September 15th 2023 Publish December 31st 2023 Keywords: Entrepreneurial Coaching.
Construction Industry.
Women Entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneur development.
South Africa.
AFEBI Management and Business Review
(AMBR)
*Corresponding author.
Email address: hlatshwayoE@tut.
P-ISSN 2548- 530X
E-ISSN 2548-5318
AMBR
INTRODUCTION
Entrepreneurship has been identified as reducing poverty and unemployment by creating jobs.
However, there is an alarmingly high failure rate among small and medium enterprises (SME.
in South Africa, particularly in the first three years of operation (Msimango-Galawe & Hlatshwayo, 2021.
van der Spuy, 2.
Therefore, the development of entrepreneurs is a national priority as it aids in addressing the sustainable development of The National Development Plan (NDP) 2030 targets include creating 11 million jobs, 90% of which are through SMMEs (Botha.
Smulders.
Combrink & Meiring, 2021.
Bushe, 2019.
Msimango-Galawe & Hlatshwayo, 2.
In addition to existing entrepreneurial obstacles, women entrepreneurs face additional hurdles when operating in classically male-dominated industries, such as discrimination, hostility, and limited opportunities for work-life balance and advancement (Lekchiri & Kamm, 2020.
Norberg & Johansson, 2.
addition to assisting women in the construction industry, the South African government and its business development agencies have prioritised assisting women entrepreneurs, including the Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment .
EE) initiative, which encourages enterprises to empower women-owned businesses (SEDA.
The development of women business owners is in line with the National Development Plan 2030 of South Africa.
The South African government has developed policies and business development support agencies to support SMEs and reduce the failure rate (Msimango-Galawe & Hlatshwayo, 2.
Despite efforts to increase the representation of women in the construction industry in South Africa, women remain significantly underrepresented in the sector, particularly in entrepreneurship (STATS SA, 2022.
Akinlolu & Haupt, 2.
The total proportion of employed women is 15.
7%, and women reportedly own 48% of businesses in the construction industry (Aneke et al.
, 2.
The lack of representation is attributed to various barriers, including gender stereotypes, discrimination, and limited access to resources and networks (Ndweni & Ozumba, 2.
Coaching programmes effectively support the development of entrepreneurship skills, particularly among women (Nicholls-Nixon & Maxheimer, 2.
Despite the importance of coaching interventions (Pandolfi, 2020.
Kotte et al.
, 2.
, little is known about the experiences of coached women in such programmes.
Understanding the perceived experiences of coached women can help identify the factors contributing to the success or failure of coaching interventions for women entrepreneurs in the construction industry in Gauteng.
South Africa.
This can contribute to the development of more effective coaching programmes that address the unique challenges faced by women in the construction Therefore, this study aims to explore the experiences of coached women in a Gauteng-based Construction Entrepreneurship Development Programme.
Specifically, the study examines the benefits of entrepreneurial coaching for women and the programme outcomes for female entrepreneurs in the accelerator programme.
The studyAos findings can provide insights into the factors that facilitate or hinder entrepreneurship skills development among women in the construction industry and inform policy and practice for developing effective coaching The studyAos main objectives are as follows:
Objective 1: To explore the perceived benefits of entrepreneurial coaching for women in the Gauteng construction Objective 2: To explore the perceptions of women entrepreneurs in the Gauteng construction industry regarding the relevance and effectiveness of the entrepreneur development programme in fostering the development of their entrepreneurship skills LITERATURE STUDY Women in the Construction Industry Women have been underrepresented in the construction industry, which has long been perceived as maledominated.
Gender stereotypes, social norms, and discriminatory practices have made it difficult for women to enter and advance in the industry (Navarro-Astor et al.
, 2.
Extensive research has revealed the barriers and challenges women face when pursuing careers in construction (Hasan et al.
, 2.
According to studies, women face biases and prejudices that limit their access to opportunities, promotions, and leadership roles (Muthambi & Agumba, 2.
Furthermore, women entrepreneurs in the construction industry face unique challenges regarding work-life balance, occupational health and safety, and the physically demanding nature of the job (Nalitolela et , 2020.
Navarro-Astor et al.
, 2.
Several factors explain this huge gender gap, including unconscious gender bias and a lack of work-life balance (Holden & Sunindijo, 2.
Additionally, this includes lack of training and negative perceptions of women working in construction (Ndweni & Ozumba, 2.
Despite these obstacles, there is a growing understanding of womenAos value in the construction industry.
According to research, women can contribute to improved team performance, increased innovation, and better project outcomes.
Efforts to promote gender diversity and inclusion in the construction industry have resulted in initiatives and policies to attract and retain women.
These are examples of accelerator programmes, diversity training, and targeted recruitment strategies.
More research is needed, however, to understand the specific experiences of women entrepreneurs in construction in developing countries, specifically.
South Africa (Hasan et Empowering , 2021.
Muthambi & Agumba, 2.
Women in Entrepreneurship Development Programmes GautengAos Business support organisations that provide training, development, and related services to entrepreneurs Construction are commonly known as business incubators or accelerators (Karim, 2.
The terms Aubusiness incubatorAy and Industry: Unveiling AuacceleratorAy are often used interchangeably in general (Msimango-Galawe & Hlatshwayo, 2.
However, the definition of accelerators can be challenging due to the evolving nature of the model.
Some scholars consider Perceived Benefits accelerators innovative business incubators with distinct characteristics (Crioan et al.
, 2.
Conversely, expertsand Relevance of an Entrepreneurial highlight differences between accelerators and traditional business incubators, such as programme duration and Development target business stage.
accelerators typically offer shorter programmes to support the growth of existing businesses Programme (Hausberg & Korreck, 2.
Coaching, mentoring, and technical training are all examples of entrepreneurial support from acceleration However, it is important to note that the composition of accelerator programmes varies greatly across the ecosystem (Chan.
Patel, & Phan, 2.
There are differences in the activities covered and the intentional exclusion of other support programmes, such as co-working spaces.
There are differences between accelerators in their mission, specialisation, and financial structure (Karim, 2017.
Lange & Johnston, 2.
For this study, the enterprise development programme is an accelerator format, which is a time-limited entrepreneurial development programme designed to facilitate business learning and growth through engagement with coaches, trainers, mentors, programme directors, market access, and peers (Hallen.
Cohen, & Bingham, 2.
Entrepreneurial Coaching Among the reasons for the high failure rates of SMMEs in South Africa is the lack of skills and business support (Msimango-Galawe & Hlatshwayo, 2.
In addressing this need, many entrepreneurial development programmes have a coaching, training, and mentoring component (Kotte.
Diermann.
Rosing, & Myller, 2021.
Coller-Peter & Cronjy, 2.
One effective and promising way to help businesses is through entrepreneurial however, little is known about entrepreneurship coaching and what entrepreneurs benefit from the coaching (Hosseinloo & Azizi, 2.
The overarching goal of entrepreneurial coaching is to provide the entrepreneur with individualised help to strengthen their entrepreneurial attitude, abilities, and entity (Amamou & Ali, 2.
Saadaoui and Affess .
argue that successful entrepreneurial coaching results in entrepreneurs improving their business skills and increasing their entrepreneurial self-efficacy.
Entrepreneurs gain business clarity, confidence, and the right mindset from coaching engagements.
Entrepreneurs must have the right mindset as it allows them to learn new skills and grow their businesses (Hunt et al.
, 2019.
Saadaoui & Affess, 2.
Understanding the benefits of entrepreneurial coaching is critical for aligning programme development and design to the needs of women entrepreneurs.
Nicholls-Nixon and Maxheimer .
discovered a gender difference in the benefits and outcomes of coaching.
These differences included that women need more guidance than men on improving their social capital through networking, building relationships, and emotional support.
Moreover, it has been reported that women entrepreneurs lack access to professional coaches and mentors (Nicholls-Nixon & Maxheimer, 2.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This study focused on women entrepreneurs in a construction industry entrepreneur development programme in Gauteng.
South Africa.
The research adopted a descriptive phenomenological approach to explore and analyse the participants' lived experiences (Creswell & Creswell, 2.
Qualitative methodology was employed to gain deeper insights and understand participantsAo experiences (Saunders et al.
, 2019.
Schindler, 2.
The qualitative nature of the interviews facilitated direct interaction and engagement between the researcher and the participants (Nowell et al.
, 2017.
Sebele-Mpofu, 2.
The setting for this research is a construction entrepreneur development programme in Gauteng.
South Africa.
The study focuses on 15 female entrepreneurs in the programmeAos 2022 cohort.
This research design allows for investigating women entrepreneursAo perceived experiences and perspectives within the context of the Gautengbased construction entrepreneur development programme.
Purposive sampling was used to select participants with diverse construction industry experiences and backgrounds.
To gather rich and in-depth insights from the participants, semi-structured interviews were conducted, using the online platform.
Zoom.
The concept of saturation was used in determining the sample size.
Saturation was reached at fifteen participants (Nowell et al.
Sebele-Mpofu, 2.
The study employed an inductive data analysis procedure guided by the research objectives (Creswell & Creswell, 2.
Following Braun and ClarkeAos .
six-step analysis process, thematic analysis was used.
This involved familiarising the data, creating initial codes, establishing categories, exploring potential themes, naming and defining themes, and generating reports.
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
Objective one of this study aimed to explore the perceived benefits of entrepreneurial coaching among women entrepreneurs in the construction industry participating in an accelerator programme at TUT in Gauteng.
South Africa.
Participants were asked to describe the benefits they experienced from the coaching.
The analysis AMBR revealed two sub-themes: business benefits and personal benefits, indicating that women derived advantages in both their business ventures and personal growth through entrepreneurial coaching.
Figure 1:
Objective 1: The perceived benefits of Entrepreneurial coaching for the women on the Source: ResearchersAo Data analysis output Regarding the benefits of entrepreneurial coaching, the study differentiated between the personal and business benefits of coaching.
The following sections describe the themes from Objective 1, as depicted in Figure Regarding the benefits of entrepreneurial coaching, most participants alluded to increased belief in themselves as women in a male-dominated industry, including budding entrepreneurs.
The following comments from participants support this finding:
Participant 4 noted that:
AuThe programme influenced me a lot.
as I said.
IAom new to construction, but it influenced me a lot because even though IAom a starter.
I see myself as a woman in construction.
After all.
IAom telling you that IAom a very practical I like using my hands and knowledge.
IAom more than ready to conquerAy.
Participant 4 mentioned that it improved her self-efficacy and her perception of her position in the industry when asked about the programmeAos benefits for herself as a participant.
This is similar to Participant 1, who stated that she feels more empowered to do her job.
Similarly, participant 7 stated that the programme benefited her personally and that she better understood her business and how to run it.
Participant 1 commented:
AuSo now, the personal development part helped me greatly because I can do everything by myselfAy.
Participant 7 responded:
AuTheyAove helped me a lot as a person.
IAove gained so much.
I understand how to run my business properly as a person going forward.
There will be few or no mistakesAy.
Participants 11 and 5 reported a transformative shift in their vision because of entrepreneurial coaching.
This finding aligns with previous literature, including Renko et al.
and Mamabolo and Myres .
, which emphasises the importance of vision as a critical skill for entrepreneurial success.
Nimbodiya and Totala .
noted that being visionary is a key characteristic of a successful entrepreneur.
Participant 11 said:
AuAs I said, my vision.
I didnAot see myself anymore in construction, so IAove learned that still in construction, you can manufacture and even do construction.
What IAove gained from the programme even if IAom not doing construction.
I can be able to manufactureAy.
Participant 5 indicated that:
AuSo, it just enhanced, because itAos something that weAove always wanted to do, just we didnAot know how and maybe Empowering because we were not exposed to what the industryAos about, which is understandingAwith what our strategy Women in speaks to.
Ay GautengAos Participants 1, 3, and 11 indicated improved self-efficacy due to entrepreneurial coaching.
They reflected Construction on their initial perception of self-efficacy before joining the programme and noted a positive change towards the end of the programme.
These findings are consistent with previous research by Hunt.
Fielden, and Woolnough Industry: Unveiling .
and Saadaoui and Affess .
, which highlights coaching as an effective means for developing self- Perceived Benefits and Relevance of an efficacy in entrepreneurs.
Participant 1 noted that: AuSelf-confidence, the first few weeks of the programme were not so good.
there was a time I doubted myself because of the workload and everything.
Then towards the end of the programme.
IAom just on another level.
I feel like my business is going somewhereAy.
Even though some workshops were designed for the entity, participant 12 reported personal benefits from the technical workshops.
She discovered that the business financial management module also helped her manage her personal finances.
Entrepreneurial Development Programme Objective two of this study was to explore the perceptions of women entrepreneurs in the Gauteng construction industry regarding the relevance and effectiveness of the entrepreneur development programme in fostering the development of their entrepreneurship skills.
The research participants were asked to describe what they considered to be the main outcomes they got from the entrepreneur development programme.
In terms of the outcomes of the programme, the participants provided five sub-themes that overlap with objective 1.
However.
Objective 2 examines the programme, while Figure 2:
Objective 1 focuses only on Entrepreneurial Coaching.
The following sections describe the themes from Objective Programme 2, as depicted in Figure 2.
outcomes for female entrepreneurs in the Source: ResearchersAo Data Analysis Output from Atlas ti The participants alluded to building collaborative and beneficial relationships within the programme and how this was a good outcome.
This aligns with literature stating that Aobuilding relationshipsAo is a key skill for entrepreneurs in South Africa and that lacking this skill could lead to the businessAos demise (Xesha et al.
, 2014.
Hartono et al.
, 2.
Statements from research participants support these results.
For example.
AMBR Participant 5 noted that:
AuI think what we also found was the fact that thereAos also room to collaborate, to work together, and I think those are some of the things that we were able to learn, that itAos not always just competition, but thereAos room to engage and work with one another.
When you need assistance, people are there to assist you because you guys are in the same field, so some people have gone through what youAore going through, and people can just assist and helpAy.
Participant 10 noted that:
AuI think, as I said.
I had to rethink our values and the importance of relationships, and how important it is not just to do business but also to try and understand and build the relationship with the client, in the sense where you can go for coffee, and you just discuss things other than business, and thatAos how you get to know one another, and thatAos where the trust also gets built, so it has helped me tremendously, positively, not just myself but our employees as wellAy.
Participant 12 commented that:
AuSo, with me, in terms of networking and building relationships, as I said, thereAos a small group that weAove networked where we are exchanging services between us, weAore exchanging information, and I believe that bigger networks will be built after we have qualified.
Ay Participant 14 mentioned that:
AuIt influenced that also in a positive way.
The reason I say that is the way they planned out the programme.
it was so smart because the first time we were in a workshop, that also helped us build relationships.
One of the topics we had there was also how to build impactful relationships and how we should also network with each other.
So, starting the programme in that energy helped me, and it helped my business.
I know for sure that now I will be able to build good sustainable relationships.
Ay Participant 3 noted that:
AuThe beautiful thing about our interaction with the coach was that it was never like a teacher-student relationship.
Most of the time, he allowed us to share our relationships and learn from them our own experiences.
So, it was a very interesting session with the coachAy.
The above participantsAo insights aligned with Galvo and Pinheiro .
They asserted that coaching business owners enable them to become more self-aware and comprehend different personality types, which makes it easier for them to network, collaborate and establish relationships with important stakeholders and The participants further expressed value in the programmeAos technical aspects when asked from which of the workshops they benefitted most.
The content of the entrepreneur development programmeAos technical skills that the participants cited as important outcomes were aligned with Mamabolo and MyresAos .
Aos list of essential skills for entrepreneurs in South Africa.
This entrepreneurial skills framework by Mamabolo and Myres .
included the following broad categories - entrepreneurial .
tart-up skill.
, technical skills, financial management, human capital management, marketing, business management, personal, social, and leadership The following statements from participants support these results:
Participants 4, 5, and 13 drew from the technical skills category, which focused on innovative building technology and reflected that the following was a key outcome:
Participant 4:
AuKnowing how to set up your business, accept customers, and run the business smoothly and professionally.
IAom saying, we did a lot of theory on the building site, but as a new person.
IAom a person whoAos more into practicalAy.
Participant 5 mentioned that:
AuWe covered financials, human resources, legalities part of the business, and project management.
IAoll just put it like that because most of the things we were doing had to do a lot with project management and quantity surveyingAy.
Participant 13 indicated that:
AuFinancial management, introduction to construction and construction management, law and legalities, so everything, joint venture, contracts, the importance of contracts and agreement, as well as marketing, social media marketing, the importance of branding, my corporate identity, how, do people identify me, how do I walk and talk my business, how do I become one with itAy.
In the technical or business management category, the legal skills were taught to the women entrepreneurs, and participants 15 and 11 reflected on the key learnings from the legal workshops.
They highlighted how this would assist them in their businesses and how they had already started implementing the skills learned, even during the programme.
This was interesting as Participant 15 shared that she had a legal background and still found the workshops enlightening as they were specific to the construction industry.
Empowering Women in GautengAos Construction Industry: Unveiling Perceived Benefits Participant 15 said:
Relevance of an AuThe coaching sessions were legal.
under legal, we went through things like whatAos important in a contract and Entrepreneurial just the compliance side of things.
Then there was another coaching session that covered financial project Development It has to do with the logistics and finances of running a project, and then there was another one:
Programme business models, which paved a new way.
We were just taught how a model is more helpful and flexible than a business plan.
Then we also covered.
I think it was marketing and project managementAy.
Participant 11 highlighted that:
AuAs I said, legalities, especially because I had another contract, somebody wanted me to subcontract without a contract, weAod done it verbally but when after those sessions, then I went back and asked these things because I had so much equipment, the person just wanted to subcontract to my company without any papers or any deal that sort of should be signed, so thatAos why I said I learned.
So now I know what must be done, where to go when things like this need to happen.
Ay Participants 8 and 14 found value in the sales coaching and highlighted how it improved how they approached this important aspect of their businesses.
This is critical as sales growth is one of the key indicators of business growth, which aligns with the main goals of entrepreneur development programmes, growing the beneficiariesAo businesses (Schutte & Direng, 2019.
Karim, 2.
Participant 8 commented:
AuYes, thereAos a good impact on sales because they helped me do proper presentations, how to presentAAy Participant 14 observed that:
AuOn sales, yes, a bit, because I changed my approach, my marketing approach and I was not going to be this goodAy.
PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The first objective of this study was to identify the benefits of entrepreneurial coaching for women entrepreneurs participating in the entrepreneur development programme.
The findings of this study revealed several valuable outcomes of entrepreneurial coaching, including enhanced self-efficacy, a transformative shift in vision, the development of meaningful relationships, and increased resilience for both the entrepreneurs and their business ventures.
These findings highlight the significance of entrepreneurial coaching as a crucial support intervention in fostering the acquisition of these essential entrepreneurial skills.
Consequently, programme managers of similar initiatives should recognise the value of entrepreneurial coaching and intentionally focus on developing the entrepreneurial mindset .
ision and attitud.
, self-efficacy, and relationship-building skills, as these factors play a fundamental role in entrepreneurial success.
The studyAos second objective was to examine the perceptions of women entrepreneurs in the Gauteng construction industry regarding the relevance and effectiveness of the entrepreneur development programme in fostering the development of their entrepreneurship skills.
It emerged from this study that the entrepreneurial coaches, trainers, and advisors are intentional about transferring skills, for example, innovative solutions such as the innovative building technology skills taught in this programme, empower the women entrepreneurs to be able to market their businesses, be legally compliant as pertains the industry standards to which they need to adhere.
Additionally, entrepreneur development programme managers should consider a programme design that combines the beneficiariesAo developing technical skills and an entrepreneurial mindset.
Furthermore, the programme design should provide support, such as intentionally providing for peer support and collaboration, programme support for the women to address the problems, such as work-life balance, and intentional ways to empower women who face various challenges working in this male-dominated industry.
CONCLUSION
The main aim of this study was to explore the benefits of entrepreneurial coaching for women in a construction industry accelerator programme and the programme outcomes for them.
The research results indicated that women entrepreneurs improved their self-efficacy, had a shift in their vision for their business, and learned how to position and market their businesses while operating within the relevant regulatory frameworks.
Furthermore, they found the technical and innovative building training to be beneficial.
They also benefitted from the practical and soft skills transferred to them.
This study recommends that entrepreneur development AMBR programmes intentionally balance support for business entities and women entrepreneurs to maximise women entrepreneursAo development.
Opportunities for further research include quantitative research on self-efficacy, developing visionary capacity and resilience, and building relationships to identify which subscales of the constructs are most critical for developing entrepreneurs in the South African context.
This would benefit programme development in structuring entrepreneurial coaching methodology and positioning entrepreneur development programmes that offer entrepreneurial coaching.
Furthermore, because there is limited evidence on post-programme efficacy, a longitudinal study to determine how long the entrepreneurial coaching and programme outcomes would linger among women entrepreneurs and what can be done to preserve them would be recommended.
Reference