HCMA Magazine 2020

A Spotlight on Matimba
Mbungela- Pg 27

Building A Pan-African Ask Iren
Business - Pg 7
CREDITS

Founder & CE
Editor – Fran
Graphic Desi
Website – Th
CarvinClay Pe

TABLE OF CONTENT

▪ Editor’s Note 3

▪ The Birth of a Novel HR Magazine 5

▪ The Changing Phase of HR Post COVID-19 17

▪ CarvinClay HR Academy 24

▪ Organisational Culture 25

▪ Three tips to understand your child’s learning Style 35

▪ Transforming Business for the Future 45

▪ Human Capital Development in East Africa 49

▪ CarvinClay One-Stop-Shop for all HR Services 51

▪ Redefining Workplace Mental Health and Wellbeing 61

▪ Carpe Diem- Seize the Moment 62

▪ A Chat with Josephine N. Mukumbya 69

▪ Performance Management 77

▪ The Lesser Evil- Why Workers Accept Furlough 81

▪ Freelancing: Overcoming Unemployment 85
Through freelancing

ne – Pg 38 ▪ Millenials; The Ideal Workforce For The New Workplace 90

▪ HR Mentoring Programme 94

▪ Career Guidance Tips with CarvinClay 101

▪ HR Network Africa 105

EO – Irene Asare Sales & Marketing SPECIAL THANKS
ncis Kokutse
igner – Scarlet Multimedia ([email protected]) Fred Swaniker
he Workspace Global Business Development – Emelia Quist Matimba Mbungela
eople Development Team Advertising – Richard Adonteng Funke Amobi
Enquiries- Papa Wilson Eddy Datubo
Photography – TwinsdntBeg Josephine Mukumbya
Yao Anani

3D

EDITOR’S

NOTES

Dear reader,
We bring to bed today, a new child, Human This maiden issue has set the tone with what must

Capital Magazine Africa (HCMA), borne out of be expected as we bring to you issues on HR and

the desire to bring to you Information on what is how it helps businesses to grow. It also provides a

happening in the field of Human Resources; window through which the reader can better

Explore new ideas on how Human Resources is understand major transformational issues that

being done elsewhere and above all Dig into the are affecting the practice.

achievements of those who have made a name For this reason, we lead the reader to get into the
in the field.
lives that those that we have featured from Ghana

HCMA as it is christened, is the child of through Uganda and South Africa. These people

CarvinClay People Development, an ultra- provide answers to nagging questions of what

modern Human Capital consulting organisation, brought them into the limelight and how they

which was founded with a vision to see African have been able to keep themselves going.

businesses, leaders and people grow beyond For the average man in the street, HCMA will
their expectations. For those who require the remain a collector’s item as it will serve as a
support and guidance in human resource reference source to get information on how to get
advisory, reach out to us at www.carvinclay.com
or at [email protected]. into HR, how it is practiced and how it is relevant
to society.

It has not been an easy journey. Getting the With the knowledge that we can only grow with
people to talk to, putting their thoughts together reader’s feedback, we entreat you not to only get
and collating all the information that had been informed, educated and entertained with this
gathered into a form that you will enjoy was
tedious but, guided by the policy that nothing is maiden issue, find time to tell us where we have
not been able to meet your expectations. This is
impossible,we were able to get it done.
the only way we can grow to serve you better. We

The HCMA has come to serve as link between the would also appreciate a little pat on the back if we

professional HR Practitioner and the general deserve that. Please use the feedback loop at the

public so that together, we can build an end of the magazine to reach out directly to me.

understanding into what Human Resources is.

Practitioners will find it a Bible, the lay person FRANCIS KOKUTSE

will get to understand more what HR is all about. EDITOR
We shall endeavour to make the magazine

become the must read professional magazine

because of the efforts we shall put into it.

5

THE BIRTH OF NOVELLE

MAGAZI NE

As CEO of CARVINCLAY I thought it was really important to have different sources of
information that as a professional HR practitioner, I can tap into and I’m pleased to say
there are few articles and magazines out there that I look to for different insights and
different perspectives on the practice of the profession. Through the Human Resource
Magazine Africa, we want to provide an alternative.
We want to provide a magazine that first of all, looks at organisational and people issues
from an African perspective. We also want to have a medium through which we can
talk about business transformation and its effect on people and look at it from that
angle. HR Africa magazine will also contain interesting interviews with respected
practitioners or CEOs that we don’t often hear from or see; that is quietly working in
the background and making a very big difference to our profession.
This got me thinking particularly because I like writing articles. Besides, I love to
comment on our profession and would like to be considered as a thought leader.
Furthermore, I am intrigued to find out the different perspectives of my colleagues -
what better way to record and place them in one place where you get the opportunity
to read about different topics from different countries, writers and contributors than a
magazine?

What’s interesting is that you know the concepts are generally interlinked, and people often
behave in the same way although their environment may make them act or think differently.

Often, magazines are printed, but we feel that with the COVID-19 pandemic, it makes sense
now to provide a magazine at the reader’s fingertips, so it is time to go digital. We want HR
practitioners to subscribe to this magazine because subsequent editions will have even more
exciting and insightful content. Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) HR professionals and the
general public will be educated on People Management, Organisational Development,
Recruitment processes, the impact of COVID-19 and, Well-being, Legal perspectives &
Business Transformation.

So we think this will be a very news-worthy and innovative product and its introduction to the
market is timely. To sum it up, the concept was birthed when we put our heads together and
agreed that this would be a great addition to the products that CARVINCLAY offers.

I think that the impact will be significant. It will provide industry professionals and associations
with an alternative news-worthy and thought leadership content. Subsequent editions will
provide different industry perspectives, a lot of data and benchmark information that will be
helpful to its readership and most importantly, it will position HR as a profession. This
magazine won’t be read-only by HR professionals; it will be read by leaders and entrepreneurs
who are looking for practical advice that makes sense for them; that can be implemented, and
hopefully, they will look to the Human Resource magazine to get the insight about how they
can do that. It will also re-orientate practitioners that HR is more encompassing than is
perceived. Indeed, there are many functional elements within the HR practice such as; Reward
and Recognition, Compensation, Job Evaluation, Performance Management, Employee
Engagement, Organisational Effectiveness, Talent Management and Learning Development.
It is so multi-faceted. The magazine projects the profession in a completely different light, and
readers will have a good appreciation of what is required to practice the profession. It will
help raise professional standards in relation to HR across Africa.

In the next edition expect more exciting interviews, thought-provoking articles and knowledge
and information sharing all across the continent: practical advice and support and some case
studies. It’s an exciting journey CarvinClay People Development is going on, and I look forward

to sharing it with you all. Remember, people are our greatest asset!

IRENE ASARE

CEO/FOUNDER CARVINCLAY

HOW

CAN BE TRANSFORMED THROUGH LEAD

FRED SW

DERSHIP

WANIKER

As leadership development cannot be I worked, I realised that the lack of leadership was
common,” Mr Swaniker said.
underestimated in any venture, it is important
for every thriving business with a clear focus on In all this, one thing that became clear to him was
specific demography, to make leadership that the continent was confronted with many
become a major enabler in stimulating growth problems that had its root causes in leadership.
and sustainability. Mr Fred Swaniker, Founder
and President of the African Leadership Group, The other aspect of his background, he credited to
is one person who is thriving by using his his family, whom he said, had been involved in
organisation to develop a new crop of African starting educational institutions for a couple of
Leaders with a mission to transform the generations. “My grandfather and grandmother
continent. started schools, and my mother started a school
in Botswana. So, one can say, human capital
Mr Swaniker describes himself as “A Child of development, in a way, is in my blood and
Africa”, who is passionate about the continent something I saw as a potential,” Mr Swaniker
and believes the key to “our future lies in added.
developing our human capital and our
leadership. So, I have decided to dedicate my He describes himself as an entrepreneur and
life’s work to that cause and to unlocking the notes that “most great entrepreneurs are driven
potential of our human capital so we can solve not so much by a desire to make money, but by a
our own problems and not be dependent on the desire to solve problems, and in some cases that
rest of the world.” lead to building a business which can make them
wealthy. But that is not the core driver of
Providing an insight into his journey to what he entrepreneurship
has become today, he said, “my family left
Ghana when I was only four years old, and we For him, the money is only a by-product,
lived in The Gambia, Botswana and South Africa, explaining that, what drives entrepreneurship is
so that gave me a very pan-African perspective.” frustration with what one sees as pain-points in
society
“With that pan-African identity, I started
thinking about the issues that were different “In my case, the frustration I saw was our inability
but also similar among all the people with to achieve our potential as Africans. We have so
whom l interacted in different countries. I many natural resources, a large population, and
worked with McKinsey & Company initially in every reason to be one of the wealthiest
South Africa but also in Nigeria and Tanzania. continents in the world; and not the backward
Everywhere I went, and everywhere people disrespected by the rest of the world
today,” Mr Swaniker said.

10

We see leadership as the pathway to that
transformation, hence our mission. We believe
leaders are problem solvers. We want to develop a
critical mass of leaders who can solve the
continent’s problems,”

So much has been done to treat the symptoms of bad leadership but not enough to
create better leaders for Africa in the first place, he said, adding that, the problem he
saw was really the lack of good leadership and human capital development and
realised that, if that was not tackled head-on, the continent would remain the poor,
third world, dark and all the derogatory names others use to describe Africa.

It was the desire to bring about the change in Africa’s human capital that set him off
on his journey. Then the group was born with a mission “to transform Africa by
developing its future leaders”.

“We see leadership as the pathway to that transformation, hence our mission. We
believe leaders are problem solvers. We want to develop a critical mass of leaders who
can solve the continent’s problems,” Mr Swaniker said, adding that, “Africa is projected
to reach 40% of the world’s population by the end of the century. This will either be a
massive crisis for the world or a great opportunity, depending on leadership .” He said
the problem the African Leadership Group is trying to solve requires synergy among
the different initiatives to select exceptional people with leadership potential, develop
and connect them to each other and to opportunities for impact”.

Noting, that is the model – Select, Develop and Connect - with the African Leadership
Academy, which is a high school that selects high potential young people across Africa
from age 7 for development.

“We also have the African Leadership University which is doing a similar concept but
at the tertiary level and which houses the business school as well,”.

Pointing out that, there is a third part of the group, which is the African Leadership
Network which brings senior government, business and social sector executives
together to collaborate to solve pan-African problems.

11

The fourth and final leg is ALX which is a lifelong Yet universities continue to offer a menu of
learning institution that works with young mid- academic disciplines for students to choose;
career professionals, to bring ‘just-in-time’ who most likely end up in careers that have
learning that allows continuous leadership nothing to do with what they studied and might
development. It’s an innovative talent change their mind or interest,” he said.
development model that is being explored, with
the collective ambition to develop 3 million Mr Swaniker said “we give students a menu of
leaders for Africa by 2035. challenges called the seven grand challenges of
Africa and the seven great opportunities.
Such a dream does come with challenges, he Instead of our students declaring an academic
said, listing one of his challenges as finding major, we say declare a mission. Pick one of
people who understand the standards they those challenges that you want to solve and
aspire to and are willing to put in the effort, be curate your own learning experience around
innovative and unconventional in the same way that problem,” which he said, “is completely
that the group is trying to be. unconventional and so getting parents and
regulators to understand this way of learning
He said funding has also been a challenge, has been difficult.”
explaining that, he had in the last 15 years raised
about 700 million dollars, out of which only 3% He said, because they are doing things that
has come from Africa with all the wealthy people have never been done, they need people who
that live on the continent. are willing to dare boldly into unchartered
areas which means ensuring that, they have
Another challenge has been the difficulty in the right leadership team.
working with regulators on the continent,
Swaniker said, stating that, the institutions they “Sadly, many people don’t necessarily have the
are trying to build are quite unconventional. courage, resilience and imagination to do the
These are very different from academic things that we are trying to do,” Mr Swaniker
institutions that are built around professor- said, adding that, “making sure that I grow
driven, major-centred learning. The institutions myself as a leader but also surrounding myself
that they are trying to build are ones where with very capable people who are better than I
learning is student-driven and mission-centred. am in different ways and building the culture of
the organisation has been my preoccupation.”
“Research shows that about eighty to ninety He said the group also believes that only 10%
percent of the jobs of tomorrow have not been of effective skill development happens in the
created yet, and many end up with careers that classroom.
have nothing to do with what the students
studied in college.

Twenty percent comes from developmental relationships with mentors, peers and
coaches, and 70% of learning comes from doing projects, and work experience..
Unfortunately, most education places focus on only that ten percent; which means
unlocking just 10% of the human potential.

Mr Swaniker said the 70-20-10 learning models could help address the seven grand
challenges and the seven great opportunities, explaining that “every challenge is an
opportunity and every opportunity is a challenge. But we differentiate the seven
challenges from the seven opportunities by looking at the challenges as problems in which
Africa is not necessarily starting in a very good place.”

He said, these are problems that have kept the continent very far behind and are going to
be very difficult to solve, mentioning “challenges like urbanisation, where we must
contend with about 800 million people moving into African cities in the next 40 years, and
others like healthcare, education, governance, youth unemployment, infrastructure;
these are big problems.”

Mr Swanker said, “We value not just the classroom learning, but the project-based
learning and the network that our training provides are not understood by Regulators.

13

So, it’s been a challenge getting to be understood Following this, is the need for strong
and moving away from the status quo because governance which means having a board,
people just like the safe pathway - the traditional and systems in place with people who
method. But we will not achieve our full potential understand the long-term vision of the
in Africa by doing things the traditional way.” institution and can carry on, ensuring that
the management team is living up to the
He said, Africa is very good at starting projects, but ideals of the founder.
not creating institutions, explaining that, projects
are short-lived and very dependent on individuals. There must also be a robust financial engine,
“They either die or fizzle out with the loss of which is the economic model that supports
interest or passing of the individual who started it” the business for the long haul. “Over the last
15 years, we’ve been focused on these
For Mr Swaniker, institutions, are independent things, and that’s also where we have had
and can last for decades, even centuries if they are most of our challenges,” Mr Swaniker said.
built well, stating that, there are very few
institutions in Africa, whether as countries or On recruitments, Mr Swaniker said, they use
companies. “Africa is littered with so many a combination of mindsets, skills and values
projects that have failed or have crumbled. What in the recruitment of students or staff. “I
we need are institutions, and that’s what I am have found that sometimes, you find
passionately trying to do with the African someone who has the skills to do the job, but
Leadership Group; create institutions that will live they don’t have the same beliefs, aspirations
long beyond me as the founder,” he added. and values as you do,” adding that, “there is
often conflict because we want to be bold,
He explained that there are four things that one disruptive and unconventional, but most
needs to build an institution and the first of these candidates want to be safe and traditional.”
is the codification of the values, vision, purpose
and all the things that push the founder as the “We look for people who will fit into the
head. These must be properly documented to be culture, and such people don’t, and have also
understood by others and serve as the blueprint found that interviews are terrible ways to
for what is being built as well as enable others to hire people, explaining that, some people
continue beyond the founder. will tell you what you want to hear, get the
job and they don’t succeed.
In addition, Mr Swaniker said there is the need for
strong leadership in various aspects of an Therefore, the group leverages a lot on
organisation independent of the founder with a project work as part of their selection
team that can be coached to form the next process
generation of leaders

, and that gives them a sense of the skills We used the time and the collective
against the job seekers just saying what intelligence of all 90 ALX staff to think,
they can do. reflect, listen and to try to imagine the
world post-COVID-19,” Mr Swaniker
The whole journey so far at the African said. He said, “We came up with a new
Leadership Group, Mr Swaniker said, has strategy to thrive, not just survive post-
been one of trial and error using the 70- COVID-19. We understood the
20-10 rule, pointing out that, no textbook importance of looking beyond the crisis
could have prepared them. “We learn by and thinking about the opportunities
doing, we try things, we fail, and we keep arising to reposition ourselves to
growing. We did not have a clear emerge even stronger. What normally
roadmap or blueprint; we’ve been takes companies a year or six months
figuring things out along the way. I tell my to do, we did in eight weeks.”
staff the only thing I can guarantee them
is change, that’s the only constant,” he According to Mr Swaniker, the strategy
said. was based on three main pillars, with
the first being going digital with their
On dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, work so that, they can remain a remote
he said, as an entrepreneur, there was company globally cancelling the leases
the need to be constantly challenged on their spaces, as well as delivering
explaining that, the pandemic is just one learning, but not from physical spaces.
of many challenges they have had to face Also, they intend to push a lot more
over the last 15 years. into training software engineers, User
Experience and User Interface
“We have learned to be agile and not to Designers (UXUI designers),
give up. What makes successful
entrepreneurs are simply the fact that cybersecurity, digital marketing, and
they don’t give up; it’s the resilience, those skills that will become necessary
perseverance and the courage to keep in the future. They will also focus on
going. This moment is yet another entrepreneurship, because of the
opportunity to be resilient, and those realisation that with the global
who make it through this time are the economic recession, there is likely to be
ones to succeed. In our case, when fewer jobs in Africa.
COVID-19 happened, I stopped the entire
ALX organisation for eight weeks.

15

Mr Swaniker said, one trend emerging from mean continuing to educate people and
COVID-19 is that companies are going to be sharing perspective, admitting however
more open to remote talent which is that, it might not be right, “but we believe
different from what they used to do before that the world will become more digital, so
the pandemic, where they placed their you need the ability to learn leadership in
talents, whether entrepreneurs or software the digital age and learn to build digitally-
engineers, only in African companies. enabled businesses.”

“Now, we can think of placing them with “We could afford to operate as a business
global companies but without the brain before COVID-19 without being digitally
drain. Because you can have an engineer fluent but post COVID-19, that’s a recipe
sitting in Kenya working for Siemens in for disaster. Leading in a digital age will be
Germany or you can now have a designer crucial and require a lot of change
from Ghana or Nigeria working for Zara in management.
Spain and a software engineer in South
Africa working for Google and Facebook. I Governments will need to digitise their
think it's a unique opportunity to export services. Countries could leapfrog to
African talents without the brain-drain,” he develop world-class healthcare and
said. For Africa, Mr Swaniker said, this will education systems by plugging into global
digital training systems.

But that requires visionary leadership . Then there are some things that are
from governments to make those different, so the culture in one country
investments in broadband and other might be different from another, so we
infrastructure for that purpose,” he said. need some contextualisation. Good
leadership is good leadership -
In the area of infrastructure, Mr Swanker leadership with integrity,” he said.
said, the continent needs more public-
private partnership investments in the For someone who has been successful in
sector. In addition, the public sector what he has been doing so far, he
must create the policies and the expressed some regrets and said, “I
framework to deregulate itself, and then probably wasn’t more ruthless in cutting
invite the private partners to build ties with talents that were not
facilities, saying, “many of these performing to standards I needed. Of
decisions don’t cost money. They just course, you need to invest in mentoring
require critical thinking and action.” and coaching to get them to scratch, but
“There are some things that are at some point, you realise the need to let
common across the continent. We all go, especially for those who don’t have
lack good infrastructure, good the right values and mindset. You can
healthcare and education - common coach and develop someone’s skills but
problems that require common it’s very hard to change their attitudes.”
solutions





19

Oluwafunke Amobi is HCMA: Let’s talk about HR pre-covid19. HR has
been described differently in different
the Country Head, Human Capital for Stanbic IBTC
Holdings Plc. (A member of the Standard Bank organisations at various times. I’m sure you’ve
Group). Standard Bank Group (SBG) is Africa’s come through a lot of HR transitions. How

largest Banking Group ranked by assets and would you describe HR pre-Covid19?

earnings. SBG is Headquartered in South Africa Funke: Well, the evolution of HR has been indeed
with operations in 18 African countries and 13 quite revolutionary over the years and I will touch on
outside Africa including key financial centers in what has happened right until not just 2020. The
Europe, United States and Asia.
evolution of HR started as personnel management,

As Country Head of Human Capital, Funke has the which was to “hire and fire “, so we simply had the

responsibility for leading, defining and managing responsibility to get people hired, salaries paid,

the Nigeria Human Capital strategy and the performance appraisals completed, people trained

delivery of HC services, policies and programs and indeed get people fired if the need arose for

across the Nigerian business. She is known for disciplinary reasons. However, over the years, HR

astutely aligning the Human Capital strategy to the began to feature in the strategic construct of the

Business strategy as well as shaping and driving organization. People became increasingly

organizational culture and employee engagement indispensable asset for businesses success and that

to improve business performance. Under her meant the HR function began to take on a strategic

Leadership of the HR function, Stanbic IBTC has identity and became a partner helping the business

been consistently recognized with multiple awards manage change, drive employee engagement,

for HR best practices in Nigeria; most notably the ensuring that people are at their best and bringing

CIPM Best Practice Award for two consecutive their extra mile effort to the table. So, the journey

years 2016 & 2017 as well as the HR Magazine and evolution of HR particularly in this part of the

Outstanding Employee Engagement Strategy world has been a revolutionary one that has meant

Award for three consecutive years 2016, 2017 & different things for the practice and different things

2018. N2growth Africa also recently recognized for the practitioner. Down to 2020 which is pre-

Stanbic IBTC Holdings as winner for the 2019 All covid-19, I would say the focus of HR, for most

Africa Customer and Employee Experience Award Organizations, was how to keep employees engaged

and 2019 All Africa Major Corporate Engagement to deliver value. Some organizations had started to

Company of the Year Award get into the awareness of the future of work and

what it meant. My organisation for instance, was
We caught up with her to appreciate her thoughts already at the cutting edge of the object where the
on the changing phase/face of Human Resources digital agenda had become big, so HR had started
management, following the occurrence of the thinking around a digital people agenda right about
covid-19 pandemic.
the year 2020.

“ People became increasingly Thus, with covid-19 and lockdown came
indispensable asset for remote working; no longer optional, it
businesses success and that became compulsory.
meant the HR function
began to take on a strategic Organizations realised they were compelled to
identity ”
immediately think of everyone’s needs to work
HCMA: And then covid-19 happened and
suddenly everything changed…? from anywhere called “home” and work needed

Funke: Enter covid-19 and in my view the to continue. So of course, the conversations

landscape changed dramatically, in two ways. within the HR space changed. It changed to
Firstly, the language of business changed. Post-
covid-19, the language of the average business remote working and the policy requirements to
in the private sector, was business continuity
management; how do you keep your business back such changes. It changed to how do we
running in the wake of a lock down? That’s
exactly the phraseology to use. In the face of a begin to ensure that we pay attention to the
lock down how do you keep your business a
going concern? So, the immediate response for wellbeing of our staff members. Remember it is
the average business was business continuity
management and at the heart of that was a pandemic, so the wellbeing, the wellness of the
people; how do you ensure people are still
productive and the organization is able to staff became big on the agenda, and it became
remain relevant? Remember, just before I
started talking about covid-19 I said to you that important to understand how we want to
the future was already fizzling in? People were
either in denial, meaning they were reactive, or organize performance management.
people were accepting and responding. That
meant that people were at different levels of Productivity, wellness, employee engagement
readiness for what had come.
and people risk management all became big. So,

the conversation changed to a tactical

management of post covid-19 essentials and

realities.

I like to say we had new realities jump at us. That
meant that you needed to have your HR
processes enabled by technology, to run digital
on all platforms otherwise you would have to
shut down your HR function and this is where
organizations pre covid-19 that were future
ready to the extent they had embraced the
future of work as a reality and commenced the
preparation of their workforce for the future,
were somewhat able to transit more seamlessly
to post covid-19 reality. It meant continuing
essential processes, performance management,
training and development by leveraging digital
platforms and technology.

21

“So exciting times for HR as a profession This tells you that technology enablement for us
because in my view one of the big core is a default mode and that is exactly why it was
function of HR in any organization is near seamless for us to transit post covid-19. Our

change management; ensuring that you key critical HR processes run on stable platforms.

support the organization to navigate Accordingly, I mean I wouldn’t say that there was

through change seamlessly, and here we anything we were unable to do to be honest,

are with the biggest…” there was nothing we were unable to do. We

…change to hit any organization. I think that this continue to run the entire HR value chain by
is a call for the profession to be the change technology with no gap. The future of work is
managers that we are. upon us now!

HCMA: You touched on how organizations can It landed in such an accelerating manner that, in
and should prepare to take advantage of the my view also brought attention to the subject of
change happening. What technologies have you digital capability. I believe that organizations
adapted and how have they changed policies must focus on not just people risk management,
significantly? but also building digital capabilities. Again,
thankfully, Stanbic IBTC had been mindful of that
Funke: At Stanbic IBTC prior to now, interestingly and had committed to the agenda of building
we had been very committed to technology capabilities a couple of years back. Now more
enablement. We had been committed to digital than ever, it is no longer optional but compelling
agenda. We have always been committed - A for organizations to build digital capabilities
couple of years ago we were named the digital because in post covid-19, clearly organization
bank, we were named the winner of a digital must embrace digital platform to remain
banks in the banking awards. So, we have been relevant.
very embracing of technology and all our HR
processes have always drawn on technology. It HCMA: With all this change comes a heightened
means that even in our covid-19 response it was level stress. How in terms of policy are you
easy for us to ensure our HR strategic response addressing this? And how do you think
was aligned and enabled by technology. For a organizations should be positioned to address
start at standard bank group, a covid-19 app was this bearing in mind that by and large it comes
rolled out, enabling communication to flow down to affect the bottom-line productivity.

seamlessly, allowing employees to receive vital Funke: You know employee wellness needs to
information on the subject, through logging their be at the front runner of employee engagement
own details and movements and interacting with and covid19 being a health pandemic, clearly
management and their line managers. speaks to stress-related concern for most

employees.

Also, in some countries, the Government has
arranged for psychologist to supports those
who contract covid-19.

So, the first concern is will I get the virus? Maybe a You know, any employee across industries
family member gets the virus, or someone gets the could take advantage of it but what we do for
virus so there is the underlying potential for mental our employees is leverage our already existing
stress because this is a pandemic. Secondly because employee assistance program and that went a
we must now do remote working, that also brings long way to help. We ran seminars for our
with it, related stresses. Organizations should pay women specifically on parenting during
attention to the deliberate management of the covid19 at the same time working remotely and
well-being and mental wellness of their employees. we brought in coaches so that they could have
At Stanbic IBTC, we launched an employee coaching services to support them simply to
assistance program which is a platform where manage this stress level effectively.
employees can access psychologists on a strict
confidential basis. HCMA: Fantastic! Through these we imagine
there are still some learning that you are picking
Now this had always been standard in the from all the problems you are solving. What would
organization so employees already knew or had you highlight as your top 3 learnings from this
already been taking advantage to deal with any time?
form of mental stress. We therefore needed to re-
communicate and continue to bring it to the front Funke: I think for me a big learning has been
banner. We ran a series of that in the first few weeks ensuring that people risks are appropriately
which was hugely well attended; oversubscribed all profiled and mitigated in a proactive manner
the time. So, the deliberate management is the because if you do not appropriately profile these
medical support through access to a mental risks, it becomes difficult to outline your mitigants
wellness and ensuring that employees can be and you could find yourself paying for that. There
catered for will be a consequence as far as risk management is
concerned.

Also, a big point for me has been ensuring that your
HR community is equipped with change
management skills. Because as I said earlier, this is
massive unprecedented change; so, we must not
assume that is something we did, we picked it up
and we dealt it. This was a key learning and we
immediately run up-skilling workshop and seminar
for the entire.

23

HR community that is big in supporting the the HR function would have to ensure that the
business through this change. Bringing change people base of the organization is configured in
management capabilities to the table in a the manner that enables the business to recover.
deliberate manner at this time has been a very big
learning point and something we’ve played catch What does that mean? HR would have to focus
up to. I think another big spot for me, is ensuring on productivity and performance, employee
that our management team that is in charge is engagement, talents - on winning the war for
responsive and agile enough digital talents, building digital capabilities, and
enabling the organization build new capabilities
I don’t know if I should call it a learning now, but as it responds in the marketplace.
because Covid-19 is constantly evolving, it’s
nothing that has happened before so no one will HR would have to focus on enabling the
say they know it all. The importance of agility is my organization to continue to manage the change
third learning point; being responsive and agile i.e. change management. I’ve rapped it up,
enough. As it evolves, I’ve realized that you have change management, employee engagement,
to ensure that you’re open and agile enough to building digital capabilities, enabling the
constantly revise your plans, so you’re responding organization to build new organizations and
as the need arises and that means knowing the capabilities, winning the war for digital talents
ways of working post-Covid-19 has changed in and finally running a digitally enabled HR process
many ways. and function.

To constantly be agile and nimble enough to HCMA: Thank you very much Funke. Change has
respond means you have to have the infrastructure come to stay, and adaptation or adaptability is
in place to respond. Technically that means having key going forward so you couldn’t have said it
a crisis management team in place, to respond at any better - HR will be digitally focused.
every point in time.
Funke: Thank you very much. I have to say, as
HCMA: Having said all these, what will HR look country head for Human Capital for Stanbic IBTC
like post Covid? holdings, I’ve got the responsibility of managing
the delivery of the HR human capital strategy
Funke: HR post-Covid-19; that brings a smile to my across the holding company and across all of its
face. HR post-Covid-19 is going to be digitally eleven subsidiary companies which brings me to
enabled and digitally delivered. HR as a function is a workforce of about five thousand people. I love
going to be focused on the strategic elements of what I do; the people, the complexity, the
the business, enabling the business to recover, organisation. It’s that great employer experience
because we’ve built resilience and now we’re that gives me satisfaction as a Country Head of
attempting to recover so, HR.



AS A LEADER IN AN
ORGANISATION, CULTURE
MUST BE OF PRIMARY
CONCERN TO YOU!!!

We are seeing unprecedented environmental Organisational culture defines the energy, creativity
changes which emphasises the need for positive and spirit of the organisation. Culture can be
culture, as employers face a world defined by considered elusive although it has a huge impact on
volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity organisational productivity. We can visualise culture
(VUCA). Culture almost always become a focus in as an iceberg. The visible part above water represents
times of change, either external or internal. the behaviours and attitudes employees exhibit and
the major part below water represent the
For example, during mergers when there is a assumptions, perceptions and core beliefs in
major culture clash or during rapid growth when organizational culture. The submerged intangible and
the old culture doesn’t fit anymore, change can pervasive part of the iceberg, is what we do not see.
be greatly affected. And culture can cause low
morale, high staff turnover, etc. - all resulting in “The way we do things around here” Culture tells
poor productivity. Research has shown that employees what to do when the CEO is not in the
organizations with agile and adaptive cultures room. An organisation’s culture is also influenced
find it easier to respond effectively to a changing either by the society in which it operates e.g., an
environment. Resilience, agility, innovation and international company operating in Ghana, seeing
creative thinking are key capabilities required to similar cultural behaviours of the wider society or best
drive rapid problem solving and decision making. practices from other leading organisations.

Leadership is crucial in developing and Employees that are aligned and engaged,
maintaining a positive cultural mindset. The understand the problems of the organisation,
executive and middle management must make it and exhibit innovation and creativity that
a core focus and cascade this to the rest of the results in improved productivity and efficiency,
organisation. because they bring their whole self to work
ready to add value. Why is all this important?
Peter Drucker a leading business guru quotes An organisation’s success is measured by its
“Culture eats strategy for Breakfast”. This means productivity and efficiency in its resource
strong leadership builds culture and delivers management. Productivity is not simply
strong strategy. A practical way to include working harder. It is incremental change – so
employees in building culture and strong values, is doing the same work but doing it more
to encourage speaking up especially when they do efficiently. Culture drives behaviour, and
not agree with the company’s actions without fear behaviour is the key to shaping organisational
of punishment. For employees to feel engaged outcomes and productivity. Organisations that
and involved in solving problems, leaders must lack the right culture can at worst become
focus on building a culture the allows speaking up "obsolete".
and enables innovative solutions to problems.
Creating a culture where employees can take on To summarise, you cannot build a high-
projects to improve the organisation builds an
empowered workforce. An organisation that performing organisation with mediocre
recognises and celebrates its workforce in real
time only succeeds in getting them to repeat high culture. Negative experiences in the
performance. As the saying goes, “what gets
recognised, gets repeated” workplace undermines a company’s ability to

Understanding that cultural dynamics of an recruit and retain talent, affects employee
organisation is linked to performance is very
necessary at this time. Organisations with a engagement hence productivity.
positive culture also have a defined purpose and
mission, systems and processes that form the Organisations with strong positive culture also
basis and structure of the organization
have highly motivated and committed

employee. For sustainability and resilience in a

fast-changing world, organisations must

involve employees in designing a people-

centered culture.

“HR plays a critical role in developing AFUA YEBOAH
workplace culture that contributes to
the bottom line of organisations. HR HR/OD consultant
also plays a key role in agile
organisations and what they do to

maintain their agility.”

MSPOTLIGHT ON
ATIMBA
BUNGELA

Chief HR Officer, VODACOM Gro
Limited

A

oup

29

What is immediately evident when you meet Matimba Mbungela is that he’s down to earth

and without any airs and graces. The Chief Human Resource Officer of Vodacom Group, Africa’s
largest Telco, still considers himself a deep rural boy, despite having had opportunities to live
and grow in different countries and now works in the city.

“I was born and raised in one of the smallest villages in South Africa, with literally nothing much
going. I grew up as a villager with very little in front of us, herding goats as a youngster and going
to fetch water from the river – all those things that rural people do,” he says.

Matimba is quick to add that he has been somewhat fortunate in the sense that his mother was
a primary school teacher and that was an enabler to achieving better things in life through a
deliberate investment in education.

Growing up, he looked up to his two elder brothers and especially his mother, who tried to open
a range of opportunities for the family under challenging circumstances and made sure her
children focused on education to secure a better future.

“Both parents have passed on now, but my family was seen as a success story in the village with
my dad having been a bus driver and my mother as a teacher. This meant that whilst things were
difficult and that we lived in poverty, we were relatively okay compared to many other families,”
he said.

But that all changed when his father died when he was only eight years old. “I suppose I became
an adult at the age of eight because we had to wake up to the realities of having to dig deep to
survive in many ways. So, that’s a little bit about my history, and as a result, I’m self-reliant in
many things. It’s toughened me up in life,” he said.

Matimba acknowledges his mother as the source of his entrepreneurial spirit because for them
to survive, she had to set up a “shebeen” which was an illegal establishment to sell alcohol in
those days. “Our shebeen was the centre of some vibe at our village. Even though we used a
paraffin powered fridge to store the beer, we were selling; this proved to be a very successful
venture because through this set up our mom managed to generate some money to get us
through high school.”

His mother, whose main focus was on education, decided to “ship” her children to what was
then a “excellent boarding school”- Kheto Nxumayo High School in Giyani - about three hundred
kilometres away from their village home. Although it was during apartheid South Africa, that
school had some of the brightest kids in what is now known as Limpopo. “Attending boarding
school shaped my life a lot because I was at a place where most of the other students were ahead
of me

Suddenly I found myself at the bottom of the pyramid, largely because of things like the meagre
pocket money I had. Tough as it was, I managed to complete high school at the age of fifteen.”

Although Matimba’s initial love was for medicine, he did not excel in some of the related subjects
so he changed course and ended up enrolling for a Bachelor of Administration at a “small
university” called the University of Venda. At the time, he had no idea that he had a real phobia
for blood, he says, attributing his situation in part to the lack of career coaching and guidance.

“Mom had just enough money to take me to the first year of varsity from the shebeen business
because my other brother was already studying law at the same university. Whilst being the first
kids in our village to go to university was a significant accolade then, she didn’t have enough
money to fully fund both of us and had just enough saved for my first year.

Without any additional financial support, he would have had to drop out and "wait for my other
brother to finish his degree first”.

But the 16-year-old boy would not succumb to a dire situation; he was determined to work hard
to get a scholarship and a bursary.

31

Happily, his efforts yielded fruitful results as at the end of the academic year; he obtained
exceptional results, including three distinctions, which earned him a government bursary.

“In a way, that’s how I managed to get into HR because Government was offering bursaries for
top BA students and I happened to be one of them." Having obtained his first degree at the
age of eighteen, he was then plunged into work in order to repay the bursary.“When I started
working in 1991, I was placed in the HR department – then called the Personnel Department -
so that’s where I got my first taste of HR," Matimba added.

He worked for two years in
Government but decided to return
to school to pursue a Post-
graduate Diploma in HR at the
University of Cape Town (UCT)
once he started “getting bored”.

“I finished in 1993, which was the
time when massive change was
happening in the country,
transitioning from apartheid to
democracy. In 1994, I secured a
project to work in Government
again, but left to join the private
sector after about six months.”

His first job in the private sector was with a paper company. He says he felt like he was part of
an experiment as he was the first graduate in that particular factory.

"Firstly, they didn’t respect my capabilities, and secondly, they just didn’t know what to do with
me. So I was given an employee relations role, which was interesting as it meant I had to deal
with the union. I decided to use a different engagement strategy in terms of being able to help
shape and guide my thinking and then put my views on the table to help improve the
relationship with the union. It meant working very differently to how these relationships had
been managed before,” Mr Mbungela adds. This meant that he had run-ins with the
management at that time who did not appreciate these different engagement approaches,
even though he was meant to be an integral part of the management team. Matimba was,
however, liked by the union because he had brought a fresh perspective on how to engage
productively in a way that shaped the organisation.

“Those were particularly challenging times," he says, "and where I worked was in a very
conservative town. Needless to say, I didn’t enjoy my stay there”

“It was during that time when I saw an advert from a search agency in the newspaper calling
for Graduate trainees. When I contacted them they said 'yes, you’re the kind of person we’re
looking for, someone young with limited experience'. Unilever’s graduate programme at the
time only recruited graduates directly from university, but I think they wanted to grow their
impact by also getting people with some work experience. Ultimately this enhanced my journey
through Unilever and ending up with my first job in management.”

“I worked for Unilever for close on five years, but I think I did my bit by making some significant
impact in the business,” he says.

Having worked for Unilever for close on five years and during which he made a significant
impact on the business, Matimba moved on to BMW in search of greener pastures. It was
another role that required a great deal of union engagement at a time when management and
union relationships in South Africa were largely combative in nature. It was also a stage when
workers increasingly wanted to be heard.

"I had been quite active in student politics when I was doing my junior degree, so in a way, I
understood where the union movement came from. Remember that the union movement in
South Africa was fundamental in driving change in the country as one of the key pillars of the
anti-apartheid struggle. I had a deep understanding of what the impact of civil society was in
driving that change and why you couldn’t discount the union as a partner in effecting change
at the workplace,” Matimba adds.

It was this approach that led to Matimba securing a settlement with the paper industry union
in record time when he chaired an annual wage negotiation for his previous employer.

"If you want to succeed, you must build a successful partnership in the workplace with unions,
engaging robustly but with the understanding that they have a meaningful input to make on
how to move a business successfully,” according to Matimba.

He said, “even now when I deal with employees, I have a strong interest that says it is important
to know that we are all partners in this journey and all of us are in here to succeed on our own
individually, but also collectively succeeding as a business. So that really shaped me a lot, and
it was quite instrumental in shaping the success of my career in many ways.”

33

"It is very important - irrespective of what role you are in - to treat people as you want to be
treated. It doesn’t mean you don’t disagree. You disagree but do so with humility and lots of
sympathy as well, whilst being robust on the issue at hand,” Matimba said.

He reckons the role of Human Resources has seen widespread changes from the time he
started the field. “I come from the world wherein my first job with the government we used to
have a room full of just filing cabinets with everything on paper.

"There was a system in place but mostly paper-based,” Matimba said, adding that, “I
remember there was something called a Cadex, small cards which held a person’s leave history.
People used to enter leave on a leave form which was then mailed to Head Office where I had
to literally make sure that is filled in accurately and then reconcile the leave of the individual."

He explains that one of the reasons he is in favour of transforming the HR function is that he
has lived through, seen and worked on systems that were clearly in need of improvement.

"One of the things that used to worry me,” states
Matimba, “was when people would phone head
office or send letters complaining about their leave
reconciliation. I come from that era and, therefore,
my team knows that I’m very much pro-
transforming the employee experience and how to
make sure that HR is a partner in the business.”

He said transformation in the HR sector and the
transformation that the COVID-19 pandemic
brought, was “delivered on us. One of the things
that helped, at Vodacom for example, is that we
were already advanced in positioning our
organisation in terms of the future of work.

In a way, we are able to leapfrog into today’s reality, albeit forced by circumstances, we had to
make sure we have the right platforms and tools in place”.

"Today’s HR function is one that delivers an employee experience virtually, seamlessly and
makes sure that the employee feels they’re actually well cared for. Not just in terms of having
their work or job secured, because companies are going through difficult times, but also in
terms of how they interface with the employer,” Matimba said. “One of the things my team
has invested in is the digital transformation of the employee experience, and we proudly talk
about one of the apps

“Today’s HR function is one that delivers an employee experience
virtually, seamlessly and makes sure that the employee feels
they’re actually well cared for. Not just in terms of having their
work or job secured, because companies are going through
difficult times, but also in terms of how they interface with the
employer,”

we designed for engagement with our staff which is now being developed, white-labelled and
sold off to other companies so that their employees can interface digitally,” he adds

“We’ve had new employees join our business during the lockdown, yet it has been a seamless
journey for them because of the platforms that we’ve designed before - without knowing that we
were going to be in this situation."

On what motivates him, Matimba says “without doubt, my single most important motivating
factor goes back to employee experience. It’s often about 'how do I enable employees to continue
to feel the value of being part of the Vodacom family', and that is enabled through the employee
experience that we deliver. When I reflect at the end of the day, I ask myself: what positive
employee experiences have we built for our staff? How have they become fulfilled by being part
of the Vodacom family? It is really fulfilling and exciting to get feedback on how we have made a
difference.”

“For example, our past surveys showed that employees complained about not having the right
setups to work from home. We decided, with the help of our CEO Shameel Joosub, to launch a
“take your chair home” campaign. That is the employee experience I’m talking about. You enable
employees to get fulfilled in their day-to-day lives in a different set up in very challenging
situations. So, what keeps me motivated as an individual, as an HR professional, is enabling an
employee experience that matters, that makes people or Vodacom employees fulfilled and happy
to be part of this journey in this company,” Matimba concludes.

For Matimba Mbungela, the Chief Human Resource Officer of VODACOM Group, the single most
important reason he does what he is currently engaged in, is employee experience. Employees
are for him; critical internal clients and employers have a responsibility to create an exceptional
employee experience.

TIPS TO UNDERSTAND YOUR

3 CHILD'S LEARNING STYLE
Elaine Cunningham-Walker

Elaine C Walker is the Founder and CEO of Everythings Education, an educational
consultancy which specializes in bespoke educational frameworks as well as
family-oriented strategies that guarantee placements in top US and UK
boarding schools. She is a Forbes-featured, Multi-Award-winning Educational
Strategist, honored by HRH Prince of Wales and also a mother to two children who
were part of the top 20 brightest in the UK and endorsed by MENSA- the largest and
oldest high Intelligent Quotient (IQ) society based in England.

Elaine has a passion for helping parents around the world to strategize to get the
right opportunities for their children. She also offers support and guidance to
parents on various child learning development initiatives and ways to create an
enabling environment so that children can maximize their capabilities to the fullest.

She provides insight into the different types of learners amongst children; Auditory, Visionary and
Kinesthetic and her top three tips parents need, to understand their child’s learning style in order to ensure
that they are best helping their children to be effective learners. These are as follows:

These learners learn best when they hear things. So, one w ay to get
children excited about facts and stories and numbers is to have games that
involve listening. Instead of having a book in front of them, maybe
purchase an audiobook. They are more likely to be engaged in this.

These learners learn best and retain information when they see it. It could
be a drawing of a concept. They remember with images. If your child
learns this way, any other way of delivering information may leave them
lost and thinking that they are not smart. We always want to establish an
environment that boots our children's self-esteem.

These children learn best when they are either carrying out activities or
doing something. The lesson resonates more with them when they are
applying what they are learning. These are the children who sometimes
slip through the net. But they are simply amazing to interact with

Clearly. Everythings Education deals with the child as a whole. They put together a Strength,
Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis on the child and match them with the right
school and university. Assistance with bursary and scholarship application, online testing and
interview preparation are all part of the package offered by Everythings Education. You can benefit
from more of such valued knowledge and educational support for your child by contacting Elaine and her
team directly through; www.everythingseducation.com or www.elainecunninghamwalker.com
Alternatively, you can send an email to her on [email protected]



Every Edition CEO
from CarvinClay will

answer your most
popular questions…

39
THE CULTURE SHOCK AND DEALING WITH IT

As the world becomes smaller, one area that most people should think about when they climb
up the ladder in their chosen career, is inter-cultural communication. This is especially so for
those who work with multinational organisations; moving from country to country for work in
the face of the cultural shocks that come along with it. For a high-flier like Irene Asare, it was
just the normal transfer from one place to another when she had to move from Ghana to South
Africa, although she grew up in London (UK) she sensed that this assignment might be different.

“My assignment turned out to be more than I expected. I realised quite quickly that moving into
a different country as an expatriate and having to build relationships with other colleagues in
different environments, while pushing a change agenda, was more difficult than I actually
imagined,” Asare said.

It might have been heartbreaking for her because she said, “I felt like that would be the first
time in my career that I would fail to deliver the change required. There were certainly times
when I was strong-willed, and I recognised that pushing the agenda without bringing people
along was quite a challenge.”

Asare said, being away from other friends and extended family, although she had her nuclear
family, it was quite difficult. “I felt the pressure and it was quite overwhelming,” but was quick
to add that, “my boss at the time had a heart to heart chat with me, that was a defining moment.
So, I stopped and took time to reflect.”

That was the time she knew that she had to do things differently, adding that, “I had to find a
different approach; I had to build bridges. I recognised that this was the moment I needed to
humble myself and involve people around me to get things done.

Asare must have drawn from her past experiences to face her role in South Africa. This could be
due to the fact that, she was guided by her own personal work ethic. Though she has always
expected her teams and colleagues to work to her standards, she knows it is “important to
recognise people's capacity and deal with them accordingly. It was sometimes a challenge for
me to get the best out of people in a way that allowed them to work at their pace and capacity.”

CREATED FOR HR AND HR ONLY

From all she says and does, it looks like her whole life is HR and she admits that it is her dream
job because she saw HR as a profession that enables one to get to know everything about
people- it is a people job.

40

41

“I relate well with people and it comes naturally to me. So I enjoy the people management and
the interaction. Over time, I have realised that HR advocates a lot for management but ensures
a great balance between doing that and being an employee champion. It is important to
perform this role in a way that is harmonious and beneficial to both parties,” Asare said.

She has also grown to love the profession more and more because she enjoyed managing talent
and developing people, adding that, “it's lovely to see someone grow and develop to become
that leader that you know they can be, with some interventions that we have done.”THE
FEMALE LEADER

Unlike most women, Asare says gender has not affected her in any way, “I think it's been more
about me as an individual,” Asare said, adding that, she never encountered any male
discrimination. “If there has been any discrimination from my male counterparts, I never even
noticed it. I've always felt that my male colleagues especially, have been super supportive of
my journey and my agenda. I've led a team with mainly males as well and I've always had a lot
of support, so I'm very thankful for that,” Asare said.

She was candid that, being a woman did also not have any effect on her career, marriage,
children, friends and business. “I am married, I have children, I have friends, I had a career and
I've decided to be an entrepreneur. That said, it is tough. At certain points in my life I had to
make a sacrifice. It is very difficult to strike that balance, but it can be achieved,” Asare said.

“Sometimes I sacrificed family and friends and other external activities because I was very
dedicated and focused on the outcomes of my work; often risking key relationships because I
was very focused on the job at hand,” Asare said.

In her opinion, “it takes discipline and an extremely supportive partner, which I am lucky to
have. … I've spent a lot of time in the office when I should have been at home, I've travelled
across various countries when I should've been with my family. It is possible if you have a
supportive family and you make the time at home, work and stay focused.”

THE NEXT PHASE OF IRENE’S LEGACY

On the defining moment that pushed her into becoming an entrepreneur and the CarvinClay
story, she said, there was no exact time that determined her move, . “I have known for many
years that I want to impact people and Africa through the work that I do. I have yearned for the
opportunity to chart my own path and make an impact in human resource management across
the continent.”

For her, the only way she could really be able to achieve her dreams was through
establishing her own organisation where she could define her own vision, values,
standards and goals.

“So, over the last couple of years, I thought more intensely about becoming an
entrepreneur. I therefore decided to pursue an executive MBA to give me that further
insight to be able to transition from being a business executive to owning a business. I
believe strongly that it's not only about having your own business- it's about problem-
solving,” Asare added.

She defines success in her own way,”for me, success is all about how the work I do helps
others. Coaching and mentoring professionals and the next generation of leaders to really
achieve their goals is my ultimate objective,” adding that, she wants to be known as the
renowned coach and mentor who really made impact.

In the same way, she said, “success for CARVINCLAY, means enhanced standards in HR
management practice across Ghana and the rest of Africa. I would like HR management
practitioners to have the requisite professional qualifications to occupy their positions
with pride, thus being chartered. CARVINCLAY also wishes to train HR management
practitioners who provide the right support and advice to businesses to impact the
bottom line.”

“There is no doubt that without a strong foundation in HR management, organisations
will not function well. They will not have the right employee engagement levels, hence
not be a great place to work. I want organisations to be good places to work and be
financially viable. I believe strongly that this can be achieved by having the right people
in place and the right organisational structures,” Asare added.

“Sometimes I sacrificed family and friends and other external
activities because I was very dedicated and focused on the
outcomes of my work; often risking key relationships because
I was very focused on the job at hand,”

“My assignment turned out to be more than I expected. I realised
quite quickly that moving into a different country as an
expatriate and having to build relationships with other
colleagues in different environments, while pushing a change
agenda, was more difficult than I actually imagined”

She has a word of advice for those who want to transition from the corporate world to run their
own business, “there are certainly some pluses; you're your own boss, you make your own
decisions and decide the direction of the company. I think there is another side that doesn't get
talked about often; it can be an extremely lonely journey.”

“As the decision maker, whatever you decide is what will happen and therefore if you don't have
the right advisory support you can make some critical mistakes. I would suggest having good
advisory support to help you realise it when you are wrong and need to change direction. I
would say if you're passionate about it, you should go for it. I think there's probably nothing
more rewarding than transitioning to entrepreneurship, but I think it's important to understand
the motivation for what you're doing.,” she added. For young people, she said, “have passion
for what you want to do and understand the motivation for what you're doing.”

44

“Organisations were already

waking to a future where work as we
knew it, would look different because

CHANGE IS INEVITABLE”

The future of work is changing, partly due to the impact of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19)
and the recent need for businesses to operate remotely, but mostly due to technological and
global advancement. The work environment was already on the change path. Covid-19
merely accelerated that development Organisations were already waking to a future where
work as we knew it, would look different because change is inevitable.
Society continues to demand more from us each day. This leads businesses and individuals to
stretch their imagination and competencies to deliver at a higher level of capability. People
grow, mindsets change and businesses transform. The barrier for what is achievable gets
stretched in line with future needs and expectations. New innovations emerge, targets are
exceeded and records get broken, furthering the belief that nothing is impossible.

TRANSFORMING

BUSINESSES FOR

THE FUTURE

HOW BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION WILL

INFLUENCE THE FUTURE OF WORK

- EDDY DATUBO

Macro and micro-economic pressures create the need for organisations and individuals alike
to change the way they do business. Every 5 – 10 years, we experience recessions or downturns
at a macro or industry level which forces us to think about how we deliver business more
efficiently. A key difference in today’s workplace is that the drive for efficiency is not just limited
to downturns. Businesses are engaged in a constant push for efficiency and transformation.
What do organisations need to adapt to this push for constant growth and transformation? The
first step is to understand the broader industry and economic context that your business is
operating in. This will help set the focus for your transformation. If the economy or industry is
in a downturn then the focus is likely to be savings and efficiency. On the other hand, if the
economy or industry is buoyant, then the focus would be growth, investment or creativity.

Next, define a transformation vision that aligns with your organisation’s mission and values. This
helps clarify the purpose behind the transformation initiatives. Understanding your company’s
mission will enable you define appropriate transformational activities in line with the mission.
Data analytics has become another vital tool in the delivery of transformation. This provides useful
insights into your business value chain and areas to focus on to drive efficiency.

Once your context, vision and purpose are clearly defined, the next step is to chart a course for
change. One mistake people make, is to think every transformation initiative needs to be a big
bang delivery. Actually, transformation can be delivered in small incremental changes. One of the
most successful examples of transformation in global sports was by the British Cycling team (Team
Sky) under the leadership of Sir Dave Brailsford, using the theory of marginal gains. Mathew Syed
in his book Black Box Thinking quotes Brailsford saying, “the approach comes from the idea that
if you break down a big goal into small parts and then improve on each of them, you will deliver
huge increase when you put them all together”. This approach enabled Brailsford to take the
British Olympic team from one gold medal in 2000 to eight gold medals in 2008 and again in 2012.
He went on to establish a road cycling team that saw Sir Bradley Wiggins become the first ever
British winner of the Tour de France in 2012. Brailsford achieved major transformation in the
cycling world through marginal gains in bicycle, helmet and clothing designs, making tweaks
backed by data which when put together created massive change. The same approach applies to
business.

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Finally, the most significant impact on transformation and the future of work is technology and
innovation. Organisations that lead in digital transformation and innovation are bound to stay
ahead of competition. One reason companies like Apple and Google have been so successful
is their ability to deliver innovative technology products. The successful companies through
this downturn are those who have stayed in touch with their client base, mostly through
technology. Amazon, for instance has used its digital competitive advantage to further
strengthen its hold on the consumer marketplace. Technology is at a rapid pace of
development, extending horizons beyond what is imaginable. This will continue to be the
source of transformation for many companies in years to come. Organisations will look to
create innovative channels and delivery capabilities for the future. This presents unique
opportunities for those with transformational experience and capabilities.

In summary, societal change, whether sudden or gradual, will continue to create an
opportunity for transformation and a future of work that will be different from what we have
always known. Covid-19 has been a great catalyst for change. We can expect more to follow…

Eddy Datubo is a Global Leader in Business Transformation and Strategic Change.
Head of Strategy and Transformation for Neptune Energy, based in the UK.