The Challenge to Incorporate Teamwork as a Managerial Competency: The Case of Mainstream South African Newsrooms

Abstract

This article outlines dimensions of teamwork as a managerial competency in South Africa’s transitional mainstream media newsrooms. It highlights differences on perceptions of the importance and implementation of this competency among respondents from reporter and first-line newsroom manager tiers, given media management transformation in a post-apartheid society. Moderately and practically significant effect sizes were calculated between the two respondent groups on all dimensions of the teamwork competency. Results emphasized the need to improve first-line newsroom managers’ teamwork abilities in efforts to improve professional newsroom operations.

Key Words:

• managerial competency
• teamwork
• newsroom management
• South Africa