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NEWSLETTER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY AND PEOPLE MANAGEMENT FEBRUARY 2017

Theo H Veldsman

CognoscentiTO KNOW OR NOT? FEASTING ON EDIBLE APPLES FROM THE KNOWLEDGE TREETheo H Veldsman

Knowledge is at the heart of our Knowledge Society. Critical in this society, also for People Professionals, is transforming Experiences into Information, Information into Knowledge, and Knowledge into Wisdom, and vice versa, on an ongoing basis. For the purpose of my article, Knowledge can be defined as the publically shared, truthful explanation and/or understanding of conditions (or states), entities, people, events and/or outcomes, based on verifiable evidence.

Widely shared agreement in our Knowledge Society on the nature, dynamics and evolution of the Knowledge Value Chain made up of Knowledge Generation, Dissemination and Utilisation will make or break our Knowledge Society, now and going into the future, also for us as People Professionals who are embedded in this society.

Currently, all of the key operative terms contained in the above given definition of knowledge is under threat, and being questioned, for example: Knowledge about what for whom and why? Who is controlling and doing the sharing of knowledge, and how? What is truth, and in whose eyes? What serves as verifiable evidence, and by and for whom? How does evidence get established by whom? Without any doubt, there is a growing crisis in our conventional understanding of Knowledge as reflected in these threats, inducing questions to Knowledge.

• TO KNOW OR NOT? FEASTING ON EDIBLE APPLES FROM THE KNOWLEDGE TREE

• FAREWELL PROF THEO VELDSMAN

• IN MEMORIAM: A SALUTE TO PROF IGNATIUS (NAAS) RAUBENHEIMER

• OBITUARY: PROF NAAS RAUBENHEIMER, ONE OF THE FATHERS OF INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY IN SOUTH AFRICA

• WE SALUTE THE RECIPIENTS OF OUR 2016 LIFELONG ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

• CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2016 TOP ACHIEVERS

• POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS: OUR PRIDE!

• FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT HONOURS POSTER COMPETITION

• NEW ON THE SHELVES FROM OUR ACADEMIC TEAM

• TEAM MEMBERS ON THE MOVE!

SOURCES OF THE GROWING CRISIS REGARDING KNOWLEDGE

At least three major sources of the growing crisis regarding knowledge can be discerned:

Firstly, the exponential knowledge explosion fuelled like a runaway veld fire by the Internet and social media, accessed and used by anyone. At present the sum total of human knowledge doubles every 2 to 3 years, and is soon expected to double every year. This ungoverned and non-quality assured explosion makes it hard, perhaps virtually impossible, for the Knowledge User to distinguish between robustly verified knowledge and truth, and mere unsubstantiated (individual) opinions and views, offering fiction as verified fact and evidence. Also, the increasing undermining of the upfront acceptance of the credibility and legitimacy of publically reported scientific findings because of, among others, the pressure of ‘Publish or Perish’ in academic circles, resulting in the falsification of research, bogus scientific papers, plagiarism and predatory journals.

The challenge is how to distinguish between on the one hand properly verified knowledge and truth, and on the other hand ‘non-knowledge’ (i.e. mere opinion and views) and falsehoods (see below).

Secondly, the growing cry from excluded, powerless, but not necessarily minority groups, for the equal recognition of indigenous and/or particularistic knowledge on par with and alongside mainstream knowledge. The revolt is against the global dominance and suppression by the Eurocentric (= Anglo-Saxon) knowledge paradigm of indigenous knowledge and the exclusion of knowledge reflective of diverse particularistic, stakeholder perspectives, for example, women, gays, ‘Have Nots’, blacks, disabled, and different, localised groupings of indigenous people. In the process, the marginalisation of the indigenous and particularistic takes place through the imperialistic imposition by the powerful of an ‘outsider’, unexamined framework on the powerless and oppressed, invoking in them a sense of internalised inferiority, and showing a blatant cultural insensitivity towards them.

But what is this unexamined framework? It is argued that knowledge as a process and outcome is framed by an underlying, typically unexamined, meta-theoretical framework that embodies a certain mythology and world view regarding knowledge. The framework consists of the taken for granted, uncritically and unexamined beliefs, assumptions and values about the world. This framework encompasses a way of looking at, interpreting and acting upon the world, the accepted lenses of looking at the world. It forms

the basis for and shapes the science and practice in a given discipline.

Such a framework becomes institutionalized and maintained by those who hold the power, and in the process of domination marginalise the disempowered and oppressed who had/ have no say in the conceptualization, generation and application of the framework. It is contended that current, mainstream knowledge in its underlying meta-framework is tainted and biased because it is the outcome of ideological power-driven and -based relations of domination in the existing world order’s social fabric infused by being (West)Eurocentric; white supremacist; colonial; hetero-patriarchal; Christo-normative; capitalist and anthropocentric (Melissa Steyn). The clarion call is for the ‘decolonization’, stakeholder perspective diversification, and indigenization of the knowledge value chain in its entirety from first principles.

The challenge is to conceive, craft and formulate a shared meta-theoretical framework(s) reflective of all stakeholders, able to accommodate in fair and equitable fashion their diverse interests, world views, perspectives, ideals and needs.

Thirdly, the emergence of a post-truth world driven by the art of lying and deception. The world is infected by the spreading, rampant virus of the opportunistic, deliberate distortion of truth in service of self-centred interests, ends and benefits. ‘Post-truth’ has been selected as the Oxford Dictionaries 2016 international word of the year. The use of the term has increased in 2016 by about 2 000% compared to 2015, inter alia triggered by events and dynamics related to the Brexit referendum vote and Donald Trump’s election as American President. Oxford Dictionaries President Casper Grathwohl predicts ‘post-truth’ may become one of the defining words of our time.

In a post-truth era, perceptions, thinking, decisions and actions are based on emotional appeal and personal beliefs disconnected from verifiable evidence that is seen as irrelevant: ‘Say and do anything, regardless, to gain the most attention’. Assertions are made and propagated that ‘feel true’ but have no basis in verified fact or substantiated evidence. Truth becomes secondary in the service and re-enforcement of prevailing biases, prejudices, stereotypes, conventions and interests. The appeal is to the emotional – anger, unmet expectations, frustrations, anxieties and fears – and not the rational (what is rational in any event?). Any form of a questioning, sceptical and critical attitude is de-rated, mocked and/or side-lined.

In a post-truth era, the borders blur between truth and lies, honesty and falsehood, fiction (= fantasy) and nonfiction (= the real), ethical and unethical, and common sense/opinion and evidence justified positions (Ralph

Keyes). The (deliberate) deception of others becomes an opportunity, a game, and ultimately a habit (ibid). Spin doctoring becomes the name of the game. The online media, and the growing distrust of facts dished up by the establishment, form significant, instant sources of post-truths.

Post-truths undermine trust, the very foundation of heathy institutions, communities, society and (professional) relationships. The undermining of trust through lies places these entities at a real risk in terms of their effective functioning. Lies make professions, institutions, communities and society dysfunctional. In turn, this dysfunctionality feeds alienation and mistrust in the aforesaid, making post-truth games and power abuse possible from word ‘Go’. “Cast adrift on an ocean of lies, the people … will have nothing to cling to. … the novelty of post-truth may lead back to old-fashioned oppression” (The Economist, 10 September 2016, p 11). The lie, and not knowledge, will be power as used by those in power to satisfy their own interests, aspirations and needs.

The challenge is how to reach agreement on how to establish, maintain and defend truth as a non-negotiable quality of knowledge in a Knowledge Society. ‘Pro-truth’ must be adopted as a non-negotiable stance and imperative. In adopting this departure point scientific evidence serves as a powerful enabler (The Economist, 10 September 2016). But now this knowledge itself is under threat as elucidated above. Hence the three threats to Knowledge are closely intertwined in the end, and may even be the multifaceted manifestation of the same phenomenon.

The growing crisis regarding Knowledge can be summarised in the search for an answer to the question: ‘To know or not?’. Put differently: ‘When do we know we know truly?’ Answering this question appropriately touches on the very DNA of our Knowledge Society.

THE PURPOSE OF MY ARTICLE

In my article, I wish to propose an approach to address the growing crisis regarding knowledge we, also as Professional Professionals, are facing at present. My intention is not to provide answers to resolve the crisis: ‘To know or not?’, but rather to suggest a dialogical (or conversational) space made up of an agenda of critical topics regarding knowing and knowledge to be addressed if we wish to deal with the crisis comprehensively and holistically.

As an aside to uncover the spirit of my article’s intention, I would like to deal with the etymology of the words ‘dialogue’ and ‘debate’. The word ‘dialogue’ stems from two Greek roots, ‘dia’ and ‘logos’, jointly suggesting the meaning of ‘meaning flowing through’. Dialogue stands in stark contrast to the word ‘debate’ (or even

‘discussion’), meaning in Greek ‘to break things up’. At present, debate instead of dialogue about knowing and knowledge in our society is in the driving seat, creating opposing camps of entrenched positions and being ferociously defended – the zealots, fanatics, fundamentalists – contrary to a common space within which participants can engage, openly, freely and equally.

The purpose of my article therefore is to initiate a dialogue on a possible agenda that can be used to inform our much needed dialogue about Knowledge, given the growing crisis. In other words, my article embraces a dialogue about an intended dialogue. It is about mapping an agenda for a suggested, shared process as a journey – a dialogue about the dialogue – rather than prescribing content as imposed, prescribed answers to the crisis – the intention of the dialogue proper.

For the dialogue about the dialogue to be value-adding, it has to take place at the meta-theoretical level of knowing and knowledge in order to provide the right frame of reference for the dialogue proper. (The critical issue of how to design this two-step dialogical process to be truly representative throughout with an equally weighting of all stakeholder voices is not addressed in my article). Examples from the People disciplines – Work (or Industrial) Psychology and People (or Human Resource) Management – will be used to illustrate points in the exposition below.

A METAPHOR TO FRAME THE DIALOGUE ABOUT KNOWLEDGE: THE APPLE KNOWLEDGE TREE

From times immemorial, across time, cultures and religions, the tree – and specifically the apple tree – has served as a metaphor for knowledge and life. Trees have been in existence for 370 million years; there are just over an estimated 3 trillion mature trees in the world; and the oldest living trees are several thousand years old. Trees have been revered throughout all ages linking lives and fortunes to individuals, community and societies, being awarded a sacred and deep meaning, like in the case of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Khoi-San, and Sioux.

The tree plays a key role in the world’s mythologies as a symbol of perpetual regeneration; of life constantly developing and ever-rising; of lofty ideals and aspirations; of life and death; of nourishment, healing and protection; of being the abode of spirits; of a place where to meditate in order to gain enlightenment and wisdom; of the place to receive oracles; of making choices between good and bad because of the knowledge imparted through its fruit.

In its structure of soil, roots, trunk, branches, leaves and fruit (including seeds and spores), the tree symbolises the synergistic bringing together of deep knowledge (= soil, roots); the earth (= trunk, branches); and heaven (= leaves, fruit) in a holistic, organic, life giving whole. The tree in its vertical height and upward growth progression symbolises the intimate relationship between earth and heaven as the upward path and ladder to (eternal) greatness. The tree symbolises both knowledge and life in a reciprocal, intimate relationship.

The apple, and by implication the apple tree – believed to be perhaps the earliest tree to be cultivated for human use – also carries a deep religious and mythological significance in many cultures, for example, in the Norse, German, Greek and Christian traditions. The apple tree is seen as an icon (or symbol) of miraculous youthfulness, immortality, fertility, nourishment, re-invention, re-invigorating rejuvenation, and love. It represents life changing choices between good and evil in the form of the forbidden fruit on the tree of knowledge, also standing for life and death.

The roundness of an apple in the form of a circle points to perfection; to an undivided, timeless completeness; to a state of being and becoming with no beginning or end; to totality and wholeness; to unchanging motion and movement; and to circular harmonisation. Cut breadthwise, the apple reveals a pentagram – the traditional symbol of knowledge – formed by the placement of the pips.

Apparently Merlin, the wizard at King Arthur’s court, taught under an apple tree. Isaac Newton arrived at his formulation of the Law of Gravity – sitting under an apple tree, ostensibly being hit by an apple on the head. Hence idiomatically, an apple a day, keeps ignorance away. Or positively put, an apple a day keeps one knowledgeable.

In my article, the metaphor of an apple tree will be used to craft a proposed dialogical space populated by a suggested agenda, to guide and direct our much needed dialogue about Knowledge, given the growing crisis regarding Knowledge in answering the question: ‘To know or not?’. In answering this question, our aspiration and ideal is one of ‘Feasting on edible Apples from the Knowledge Tree’. For the sake of brevity and readability, the term ‘Knowledge Tree’ instead of ‘Apple Knowledge Tree’ will be used in what follows.

Figure 1 depicts an Apple Knowledge Tree made up of six, meta-theoretical, Knowledge Tree dialogical themes that will be addressed in the balance of my article: • Tree Location: Knowledge Context• Soil: Knowledge Community of

Practice • Roots: Foundational Concepts• Trunk: Knowledge Meta-framework • Branches, Leaves: Knowledge

Blueprint and Objects • Fruit (including Flowers, Seeds,

Spores): Knowledge Value-add

Tree Location: Knowledge Context

Fruit: Knowledge Value-add

Branches, Leaves: Knowledge Blueprint and Objects

Roots: Foundational Concepts

Soil: Knowledge Community of Practice

Trunk: Knowledge Meta-Framework

Figure 1 – Apple Knowledge Tree: Dialogical Themes

Source of graphic: <a href=”https://www.clipartsgram.com/”>clipartsgram.com</a>

Important to realise from Figure 1, that the apple tree and its context form a systemic, organic whole.

The golden thread running through the total dialogue regarding Knowledge is the central challenge of: ‘How do we create and sustain flourishing, growing Knowledge Trees producing edible apples, able to nourish the knowledge hungry?’. The dialogue about the dialogue is about the meta-theoretical framework required to answer this question in the affirmative.

LOCATION OF TREE: KNOWLEDGE CONTEXT

The Knowledge Tree germinates, grows and bears fruits in a certain context, space and time. The context is composed of ideological (or axiological) forces – politically, socio-culturally, economically and religiously – propagated, shaped and steered by those who hold the power within that context, and who are pursing certain parochial interests and ends. The ideological forces, representing ‘isms’,

are all about ultimate beliefs and value systems – most frequently opposing and competing – regarding the origin, make-up, functioning, dynamics, ultimate purpose (or meaning) and destination of the world and its inhabitants.

Here comes to mind the ideological battles currently raging in many emerging countries that are going through intense social transformation in terms of challenges to their foundational norms, values, beliefs, and assumptions – in short, their existing world views. These intense, even life threatening, social transformations give rise to intense ideological debates and fiercely defended divides. The transformation is typically accompanied by unstable power relationships and even rampant violence, with the commensurate risk of societal implosion. Some examples – intense debates, demonstrations, and agitations about a socialist vs a capitalist economic system; privatization vs nationalisation; the role of the state in the economy; a single, state-endorsed religious belief system

vs multiple religions; homogeneity vs heterogeneity; and the acceptance or not of the rule of law.

Disciplinary Knowledge Trees thus are never belief and value free (or neutral) because all of them without exception are implanted in a certain ideological context, ‘infecting’ the Disciplinary Knowledge Tree with an ‘ism(s)’. In turn, the ultimate beliefs and values active in a Discipline as its foundation, will affect how the Science and the Practice of the Discipline are framed, seen, approached and dealt with. The specific Ideological stance adopted and ascribed to in a Discipline can directly be attributed to the contextual forces that have impacted/impact on Knowledge Workers working in a Discipline, past, present and future.

These forces affect the likelihood of a Knowledge Tree of a Discipline (or Field of Study) germinating successfully and growing vigorously, as well as its nature, dynamics, evolution and fruit. Some of the fundamental, underlying choices informing the ‘isms’ are depicted in Figure 2 in the form of a choice map.

Figure 2 – Fundamental Ideological choices

In this case, the setting-up of a Knowledge dialogue about the dialogue proper would aim to identify a set of fundamental ideological choices similar to the choices given in Figure 2. The subsequent dialogue proper would aim to consider and craft possible ideological stances that would provide an enabling context, essential to produce a potentially flourishing Disciplinary Knowledge Tree. Also, to deconstruct the influences of past, present and future expected ideological forces and power distribution on the

Disciplinary Tree and its Knowledge Workers in all of its manifestation.

SOIL: KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE

Soil anchors the Knowledge Tree, and provides it with moisture and nutrients. Metaphorically, the soil represents the Knowledge Community of Practice made up of the Knowledge Workers

associated with the Disciplinary Knowledge Tree, its scientific and practice community of practice. The Community provides thinking and practice frameworks; modes of working with their associated standards; as well as the energy, creativity and innovation, drive and passion for the germination, growth, development, and fruit of the Disciplinary Knowledge Tree. The community is the custodian and architect of the DNA of the tree as reflected in the further discussion below.

In this case, the setting-up Knowledge dialogue about the dialogue proper would aim at the micro level to identify the elements making the profile of the Knowledge Workers at an individual level, who would constitute the (ideal) Knowledge Community for the Disciplinary Knowledge Tree concerned: his/her personal attributes; knowledge, skills, expertise, experience; world views, core values and attitudes; and conduct. True representatively across all stakeholders will be critical in generating a profile of the ideal Knowledge Worker for the Discipline concerned. The dialogue proper would aim to develop the actual profile(s). From an indigenous knowledge perceptive, the question can be asked: Are sages, elders and sangomas also Knowledge Workers, and must be awarded such status? In short, who are eligible and legitimate members of the ‘Knowledge Club’?

At a macro level, the setting-up Knowledge dialogue must consider the elements related to the leadership and governance philosophy, policies, standards, structures and processes, as well as who holds what power, how and why, in directing and guiding the make-up and functioning of the Knowledge Community of Practice. These topics

are to inform the dialogue proper. Again, critical is how to ensure that the dialogue around all of the preceding is representative of all stakeholders, both in terms of the dialogue about the dialogue and the dialogue proper.

ROOTS: FOUNDATIONAL CONCEPTS

The Knowledge Tree’s roots anchor it, and extract moisture and nutrients from the soil (i.e. the thinking, doing and actions of the Knowledge Community of Practice) for distribution throughout the tree. The roots of a Disciplinary Knowledge Tree is made up of its Foundational Concepts, as agreed upon by its Knowledge Community of Practice within a specific Knowledge Context with its active ideological forces and power relationships. In combination, these Foundational Concepts form the Disciplinary Framework – the roots of the Discipline - that pertains to the meta-theoretical convictions the Knowledge Community of Practice with its members holds regarding the Discipline.

As an example, in the case of Work (Industrial) Psychology (WP), it can be

posited that its reciprocally influencing Foundational Concepts, providing the roots of WP are: Society, Human, Human Psyche and Human Work. The critical questions that have to be answered regarding these roots are:• What is our view of Society of which

humans and work form part? • What is our view of being Human,

and Being Humane? • What is our view of the Human

Psyche? • What is our view of Human Work,

and Humane Work?

As an example of critical meta-theoretical choices that have to be taken with respect to WP’s Foundational Concepts, the Foundational Concept ‘Work’ will be used as illustration. Work stands centrally in the field of WP. The field is all about what the working person and work setting are and do. Figure 3 gives a choice map of possible critical meta-theoretical choices with respect to human work. These choices have to be identified during the dialogue about the dialogue proper. Similar choice maps have to be constructed for the other three Foundational Concepts of WP.

Figure 3 – Choice map of the critical meta-theoretical choices with respect to human work as WP

Table 1 provides an example of possible meta-theoretical stances that can be taken with respect to Work based on the choices contained in Figure 3. The critical question is which of the Human Work Stances will enable a potentially, flourishing WP Knowledge Tree.

Table 1 – Dominant Human Work Stances with their applications to WP’s Science and Practice

DISCIPLINARY FRAMEWORK: HUMAN WORK STANCES

META-THEORETICAL CHOICES

(see Figure 4)

APPLICATION TO THE SCIENCE AND PRACTICE OF WP

Human work is ...

Work as a curse/ drudgery

Externally imposed: Duty/Obligation; Individual centric; Person is a means of production; Survival/Existence; Extrinsic Value: Wealth creation for self; Own responsibility

a compulsory duty/obligation (self-) imposed on the individual to secure the necessary means to ensure her/his survival/existence.

Work as self-fulfilment

Self-imposed: Choice; Individual centric; Person is a value unlocker; Actualisation/ Growth; Extrinsic Value: Wealth creation for self AND Intrinsic Value: Pleasure; Own responsibility/Self made

an individual choice undertaken for the pleasure; it provides, and enables an individual to self-actualise him-/herself over time.

Work as service Self-imposed: Choice; Social centric; Person is a value unlocker; Actualisation/Growth; Extrinsic Value: Wealth creation for others AND Intrinsic Value: Pleasure; Entitled/ Guaranteed AND/OR Own responsibility/Self made

an individual choice undertaken for the pleasure it provides, and enables the individual to be of service to others and her/his community. The individual is either entitled to guaranteed work or must find/create her/his own work.

Work as exploitation

Externally imposed: Enforced; Social centric; Person is a means of production; Survival/ Existence; Extrinsic Value: Wealth creation for others; Own responsibility

performed by working persons as a collective – the working class – is merely a production factor, similar to raw materials and technology, ruthlessly exploited by the owners of the production factors – the capitalists – to enrich themselves at the expense of the working class who merely survives/ exists on a starving wage.

TRUNK: KNOWLEDGE META-THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

The trunk of a tree forms the connection (or way) between the roots and branches distributing water, nutrients and chemicals. In turn, the trunk distributes to all other parts of the tree, food and sap containing sugars produced by the leaves through photosynthesis. The trunk is made up of wood that gives structural strength to the tree, allowing the tree to reach the right size in order to reach the light; to carry branches and fruit; and therefore to survive, grow and thrive.

The Science and the Practice of a Discipline generate knowledge about a demarcated reality as given by its definition of its field – what is and can be – as demarcated by its Foundational Concepts (its roots) and have certain meta-theoretical convictions regarding that reality in general. For example, does the reality we wish to study exist independently from us or is it created subjectively by us; what is the source(s)

of knowledge: our senses and/or our mind; and what are the criteria for true knowledge: empirically verified facts or logical reasoning?

The Meta-theoretical Framework (Scientific, and Practice, if it is an applied field) of a Discipline therefore deals with the nature, make-up, dynamics and evolution of reality (or the world) in general as demarcated by its definitional boundaries and Foundational Concepts. It forms metaphorically the trunk of the Discipline connecting the roots and the branches, leaves and fruit of the Discipline, and providing structural strength and growth potential to the tree.

It is thus of critical importance that a Discipline has clarity about the Knowledge Meta-Framework it will use to frame knowledge generation about the reality it is going to engage within its Science and Practice.

The critical questions making up the Scientific Framework of a Discipline that have to be answered are: • What is our meta-theory of the

nature of our Disciplinary reality, its Ontology?

• What is our meta-theory of gaining

knowledge about our Disciplinary reality and what would be true knowledge thereof, its Epistemology?

• What is our meta-theory of the role and contributions of the knower in gaining true knowledge about our Disciplinary reality, its (Philosophical) Anthropology?

• In the case of an Applied Discipline, what is the meta-theory of practicing our Discipline, its Praxiology?

• What meta-ethics must direct and guide our Disciplinary thinking, decisions and actions, its Ethicology?

The above five questions with respect to the Meta-Framework of the Discipline form an interdependent, organic, whole. One’s answer with respect to one influences one’s answers to the other three.

Some of the fundamental choices that could inform an ontological stance are depicted in Figure 4. Similar choice maps have to be constructed for Epistemology, Anthropology, Praxiology and Ethicology to assist in developing these meta-theoretical stances. Space constraints restrict me to give examples of such possible maps.

In this case, the setting-up Knowledge dialogue about the dialogue proper would aim to identify a set of fundamental ontological, epistemologically, anthropological, praxiological and ethicological choices similar to the possible ontological choices given in Figure 3. The subsequent dialogue would be to consider and craft possible meta-theoretical stances that would provide an integrated Knowledge Meta-Framework that will enable a potentially flourishing Disciplinary Knowledge Tree because of its strength and reach it will that provide a trunk to the Disciplinary Knowledge Tree.

BRANCHES, LEAVES: KNOWLEDGE BLUEPRINT AND OBJECTS

The branches of a tree carry it leaves and fruit in a certain configuration, and link the latter with the trunk. The leaves capture light energy and convert it into sugars by photosynthesis, in this way providing food for the tree’s growth and development. The leaves are an important investment by a tree in its growth and development. Together, the branches and leaves form the crown of a tree.

Branches Metaphorically, the branches allude to how a Disciplinary Tree organises the content of its field with its components and interrelationships, its Structural Blueprint. The Structural Blueprint provides a ‘Google map’ of the field of Discipline by indicating what components make up the content of the field (its ‘towns’) and how they are interrelated (the ‘road network’ between ‘towns’).

The critical question to answer is: How do we organise (or structure) at a macro level the content of the field of

Figure 4 – An example of fundamental choices informing an ontological stance

Discipline into a coherent map? One or two approaches can be taken in answering this question to arrive at a Structural Blueprint for a Discipline: • Approach 1: Discipline Branches (or

Subfields) – organising the Discipline into specialist subfields; and/or

• Approach 2: An overarching Meta-conceptual Framework – organising the Discipline’s components in terms of a meta-conceptual framework, a ‘map’ of the ‘country’.

The dialogue about the dialogue is what variables must be considered in discerning the branches of the Disciplinary Knowledge Tree. Important as in all cases, is who are to be included as stakeholders to craft a Structural Blueprint for a Discipline because it represents the relative importance, focus and weighting of the respective components of the Discipline: what will be regarded as important and must

receive attention?

Leaves The leaves pertain to the Knowledge Objects (including Knowledge Types) into which the knowledge of the Discipline is ‘packaged’ in order to be regarded as legitimate and valid knowledge in the Discipline. The critical questions that have to be answered here are: • What categories (or types) of

knowledge can be distinguished? • What set of knowledge objects exist? • How are they interrelated?• What are their respective quality

criteria?• What are credible, legitimate

channels for their distribution and sourcing?

By way of illustration, Figure 5 provides an overview of knowledge categories.

Figure 5 – Knowledge categories

Adapted from Arthur, Claman & DeFillipi (1996); Paris (1996)

Figure 6 – A set of typical knowledge objects making up the leaves of the WP Knowledge Tree

Figure 7 – Possible contributions by a Discipline

their research. No or a weak link exists between what academics research and the satisfying of societal needs. The dialogue about the dialogue is about the criteria for identifying and engaging with Disciplinary beneficiaries.

In response to the second question, Figure 7 depicts the possible contributions a Discipline can make, also to be determined through the dialogue about the dialogue.

For example, according to Figure 7, the People Disciplines can potentially make four contributions. Historically, the field, until most recently, defined its contribution exclusively as Status Quo Reinforcement and Enhancement such that these Disciplines have been accused of being the servants of power, i.e. serving management and capitalism to the detriment of workers, the community and society.

The criticism has been levelled, especially from the quarters of the trade unions and Critical Theory (or Neo-Marxists) (e.g., T.W. Adorne, M. Alvesson, H. Marcuse, J. Habermas, M. Horkheimer), who have rallied against the abuses and excesses of capitalism and exploitation of the workers by management and the owners of businesses. Also, the ruthless, short-term and self-centred exploitation of the environment. In view of this critique, the contribution by the People Disciplines has in recent years been extended to also include Status Quo Critique and Emancipation.

Through the contribution of the People Disciplines, its Knowledge Workers should aspire to leave something of lasting value and worth behind for current and upcoming beneficiaries – a lasting, worthy legacy, the third question. The People Professional as Knowledge Worker must be driven by a burning passion and desire to make the world a better place than what he/she found it. A possible lasting, worthy legacy of People Disciplines can be made up of the triple bottom line of: • High Performance Organisations that

create significant wealth for all of their stakeholders;

• High Authentic Organisations that nurture and care for all of their people; and

• High Responsibility Organisations that act as trusted stewards of society’s assets entrusted to them in order to leave the world a better place for future generations.

CONCLUSION

Threats to Knowing and Knowledge in our Knowledge Society are growing in a significant and rapid manner as manifested in the knowledge explosion; the calls for the decolonisation, particularisation and indigenisation of knowledge; and the spreading, rampant virus of post-truth. The need for a zero-based, from first principles, dialogue about Knowledge has become critical.

My article is an attempt to demarcate a suggested, meta-theoretical dialogical space for consideration, made up of an agenda of critical topics regarding knowing and knowledge, necessary to

Figure 6 depicts the possible set of typical knowledge objects that could make up the leaves of the WP Knowledge Tree. This is a conventional Anglo-Saxon view of knowledge packing. However, from an indigenous knowledge perspective, the question can be posed: What is the truth standing of indigenous knowledge that comes packed inter alia in the form of myths, legends, traditions, customs, dreams/visions and rituals?

In the dialogue about the dialogue, the criteria to discern acceptable knowledge categories and objects must be considered. A proper dialogue would aim interalia to build these categories and objects with their respective quality criteria.

FRUIT: KNOWLEDGE VALUE-ADD

In the end, a tree produces a ‘product’ of some kind for beneficiaries; in short, what I have called above ‘fruit’, includes for brevity sake, the fruit itself

but also flowers, seeds and spores. Metaphorically, the fruit of the tree represents the Disciplinary value-adding difference that the Knowledge worker intends making and aspires to make through his/her actions within and through the Discipline’s Science and Practice.

The critical questions in search of answers are: • Who are believed to be the

beneficiaries of the Discipline? • What is believed to be the Discipline’s

contribution as science and practice to its beneficiaries?

• What lasting, worthy legacy does the Discipline aspire to leave behind for current and upcoming generations of beneficiaries?

The first question requires a beneficiary analysis: who is a beneficiary, why, and to what end? A major criticism against many Disciplines is that they have become virtually totally, internally focused and self-serving: academics only serving themselves and promoting their narrow (career) interests through

be addressed in order to deal with the crisis comprehensively and holistically. The overarching outcome of the upfront dialogue would be to set up the enabling thought conditions for the dialogue proper, aimed at creating and sustaining flourishing, growing Knowledge Trees, producing edible apples, able to nourish the knowledge hungry.

I believe without this dialogue about the dialogue, the chances of the latter being successful are slim. We would be doomed to endless Knowledge content debates leveraged from different meta-theoretical frameworks.

AcknowledgementsThe above discussion draws inter alia from the following sources, of which complete references can be supplied upon request:

Chevalier, J. & Gheerbrant, A. (1996) A dictionary of symbols; Forde, F. (2016) Nigerian Nobel laureate’s novel idea for tackling hatred, Business Day, 5 December 2016; Hart, M.A. (2010) Indigenous worldviews, knowledge and research: the development of an indigenous research paradigm; Jenvey, N. (2016) Towards a vision for growing and sharing knowledge, UniversityWorldnews, 10 October

2016; Jordaan, W. (2016) Die idee van ‘n universiteit, Beeld, 30 September 2016; Kleyn, N. (2016) Business must create a new narrative that builds trust and bridges the divide, Business Day, 5 December 2016; Ndlovu, S.J. & Benyera, E. (2016) Studente-smeltkroes, Beeld, 28 September 2016; Steyn, M. (2016) Decoloniality. A generational Challenge? (Presentation); Wikipedia: Tree, Apple, Trees in Mythology; Wootton, D. (2015) The invention of science. A new history of the scientific revolution; The Economist (10 September 2016) The art of the lie; The post-truth world; Veldsman, T.H. (2016) Workshop on finding a Personal Stance as a Work Psychologist.

GOOD BYE AND THANK YOUThis is my last issue of the Cognoscenti in my capacity as Head of Department of our passionate, dedicated, ‘Can do’, and most professional Department.

Having been HOD for just over eight years, it has indeed been a privilege and pleasure not only to lead our Department into the future, but also to share as Managing Editor in our bi-annual Cognoscenti on behalf of the team and my own thinking about our field, present and future; our achievements as a Department, our high profile visitors, our masters and doctoral graduates, and personalia regarding our team.

Thank you for the invaluable appreciation, feedback and comments

on our respective issues over so many years. It was heartwarming. A warm word of sincere appreciation to Rochelle Niemand who was the Technical Editor of the Cognoscenti over these many years. She made it happen, and ensured a technically excellent, and visually attractive newsletter. Her commitment to make it happen is unrivalled.

My sincere parting wish is for each of our readers: go and make a lasting, worthy difference as a People Professional wherever you are. We need your contribution to make our world a better, sustainable place, especially since the world of tomorrow is going be all about people: their expertise, creativity and innovation. It is not going to be about resources, but people unlocking the value contained in resources, in this way creating sustainable wealth for all.

FAREWELL PROF THEO VELDSMANWe had to say ‘Goodbye’ to Theo at the Departmental Year-End Lunch. Theo, as Department, we want to thank you for your leadership, incredible energy, and absolute dedication in the role of HOD for the past eight years.

Theo, you have left behind a legacy to be proud of and we are privileged to have shared a chapter of your life journey with you. A leader’s journey always ends with storytelling – This, we know, is not the end for you, it is the ending of a specific chapter in the ultimate story of your life.

As Peter Drucker so powerfully put is – “If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old”. We are looking forward with huge admiration to the next chapter in your life… We hope you enjoy your retirement and all of the best for the future. You will be sorely missed in the Department.

IN MEMORIAM: A SALUTE TO PROF IGNATIUS (NAAS) RAUBENHEIMER

It is with great sadness that we have to inform all that Prof Naas Raubenheimer passed away on 8 September 2016 after a long illness.

Prof Naas was one of the pioneers in establishing Industrial Psychology as an academic discipline in South Africa. He founded three IP Departments at SA universities, among others, our Department of which he was HOD for many years. He was also Dean of the Faculty of Management. We also awarded him a Life Long Achievement award two years ago at our annual Top Achievers Function. We are so pleased that we could recognise him in such a way timeously.

To all of us, he was an esteemed colleague. To his students, a beloved teacher and mentor. But even more so, a loving, caring, warm-hearted and passionate friend. He will be sorely missed. May we all be blessed with and live up to his inspiring legacy.

Obituary: Prof Naas Raubenheimer, one of the fathers of Industrial Psychology in South Africa A tribute by Prof Freddie Crous

At age 29, Prof Raubenheimer returned to South Africa from the United States with a PhD from Purdue University, soon to establish the Department of Industrial Psychology at the University of South Africa. He established and chaired two more such departments – one at the University of Stellenbosch and the other at the Rand Afrikaans University, now the University of Johannesburg. In 1975, he founded the journal Perspectives in Industrial Psychology/Perspektiewe in die Bedryfsielkunde and served as editor-in-chief. In 1985, the journal was accredited as Journal of Industrial Psychology/Tydskrif vir Bedryfsielkunde (now known as the SA Journal of Industrial Psychology/SA Tydskrif vir Bedryfsielkunde), which he continued to edit until 1995.

As a student of his, I was particularly inspired by his sharp mind, insight, wisdom and scholarship. By age 40, he had produced a meta-theory of human behaviour that gave birth to numerous master’s and doctoral studies.

As Head of Department he was a pillar of strength – he instilled in us a sense of confidence and he nurtured independent and original thinking. He had the ability to be in touch with the demands of industry and to align the Department almost effortlessly with these. Other heads of Industrial/Organisational Psychology Departments looked up to him for academic and professional guidance, and he was often and widely consulted by both the public and the private sectors.

With Prof Raubenheimer as Dean, our Faculty flourished. He aptly demonstrated that an Industrial Psychologist could also be a great manager and leader within a greater system.

We honour him for his contribution to the discipline and profession of Industrial Psychology, and for his mentorship of us as individuals.

Because of Prof Raubenheimer, Industrial Psychology, in particular, and People Management, in general, are firmly established in South Africa.

WE SALUTE THE RECIPIENTS OF OUR 2016 LIFELONG ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS At our 2016 Top Achievers Function, Lifelong Achievement Awards were made for the fourth time. Lifelong Achievers are retired academics who, over their careers, have consistently made significant contributions to our field, nationally and/or internationally, and have left behind a worthy legacy. The citation on the Award Certificate reads: “In public recognition of the invaluable, significant contributions you have made to our field over the whole span of your professional career. The worthy, lasting legacy you have left behind is gratefully acknowledged by all past, present and upcoming professional colleagues, students, clients and other stakeholders in our field. We are a better science and profession because of you.”

This year’s award recipients were Prof Joha Louw-Potgieter and Ms Italia Boninelli. Their respective tributes are given below.

Prof Joha Louw-Potgieter: A Tribute by Prof Theo Veldsman

It is indeed a great privilege to introduce Prof Joha Louw-Potgieter as one of recipients of our Lifelong Achievement Awards tonight. As you know, this Award is given to persons who have made a real difference over their academic career, and consequently have left the world a better place through their legacy.

Resources entrusted to others as stewards thereof have to be deployed with accountability, transparency, responsibility and wisely in order to have the intended outcome and impact. Not only in developed countries, but even more so in emerging countries where resources are not only scarce but needs are vast, and the vying among stakeholder to have their needs satisfied - driven by the desire for a ‘better life’, usually as soon as possible - is furious, frequently arising out of life threating desperation.

The imperative to assess the effective, efficient and responsible deployment of entrusted resources relative to the intended desired outcome and impact, or not, in satisfying needs in an impartial, objective way is thus mission critical, not only for the intended direct beneficiaries, but also for the parties owning and making the resources available. Especially in emerging counties being in the throes of fundamental, rapid social transformation where resources, and their deployment, relative to the overwhelming vastness of needs are at a premium.

The evaluation of the effectiveness and efficiency of resource deployment centres around the assessment of the need for a programme; its design, logic, and theoretical base; how it is being implemented/has been implemented; an assessment of the programme’s outcome or impact, positive/negative, intended/unintended; and its cost and efficiency. In short, it is about the evaluation of context, input, process and product in judging a programme’s value. The discipline embracing all of the aforesaid is Programme Evaluation (PE).

This is the space in which the pioneering contribution of Joha comes in. She was a pioneer in the field of IO Psychology in establishing PE as a formal, postgraduate academic discipline in South Africa. She first became involved in PE in 1992 through the World Food Programme based in Rome at that time, when she was requested as a consultant to conduct a PE of a training programme they had developed for the World Food Programme. This consulting assignment

convinced her of and converted her to the need for the formal evaluation of intervention programmes for the sake of social accountability and involvement. Also of the criticality of social advocacy and conscience roles.

After being appointed as Professor in 2003 at the University of Cape Town, she took the brave step to set up the Institute for Monitoring and Evaluation, and under its auspices the development and implementation with international academic partnering of a one-year master’s and doctoral programme in PE in 2007, the first time ever in SA. At that time, only the University of Stellenbosch offered a qualification in PE, but it was only a postgraduate diploma. A formal research component was missing in the latter. Under the auspices of the Institute, she set up short courses in PE and also offered a PE contract research done.

This postgraduate programme in PE is all about bridging seamlessly the gap between theory and practice, and making a real, lasting difference where research needs to matter: in organisations, communities, and society. For example, the master’s mini-dissertation entails the evaluation of real life programmes requiring students to work full time in the organisations whose programme are being assessed. Some of the PE research to date has covered the assessment of the effectiveness of child literacy programmes; the effectiveness of sport in child development; the effectiveness of universities’ extended academic programmes; nursery school Grade R effectiveness; and the effectiveness of upcoming farmers support programmes.

Students come from all sorts of disciplines such as psychology, social work, Economics and Accountancy from South Africa and the rest of Africa. To date 70 master’s and 1 PhD students have graduated from the academic programme. Graduates are working in NGOs, the public sector, and donor organisation. Over this time, PE as a formal organisational portfolio and discipline as an accepted way of doing things has become firmly established in SA, especially in the public sector and in NGOs. For example, a number of years ago, a Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation was set up in the SA Presidency.

The general acceptance of PE as a mission critical activity in an emerging economy like SA, I would like to venture that it can in no small way be attributed to the pioneering work that Joha undertook over so many years. As a true academic leader, she showed courage, passion, perseverance and future foresight. She has triggered and nourished the social consciousness for the need for an ongoing PE narrative in order to ensure that our scare resources are deployed effectively and efficiently in order to satisfy real stakeholder needs sustainably.

Joha, it is indeed an honour and privilege to bestow, this evening, on you the Lifelong Achievement Award of the Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management. You have left a worthy, lasting legacy which leaves us and upcoming generations in a better place. We salute you!!

Ms Italia Boninelli: A Tribute by Prof Anita BoschThis evening, I have the honour of presenting Italia Boninelli to you as a recipient of our Department’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Born to parents who immigrated to South Africa from Bergamo in Northern Italy, Italia learnt many leadership lessons from her parents early in life. Her mother came from a family of 10 children and had to earn an income for the family straight after completing high school. Her father started working as a potato peeler at the age of 11 and was not able to complete high school due to his family’s economic needs. Despite these seeming limitations, her parents became successful hoteliers and always made a plan. ‘Making plans’ was instilled in their children. Italia and her three siblings all earned university degrees and have progressed in life making their parents very proud.

In naming Italia, which means Italy, her father not only paid homage to his beloved country, but created a unique name that is now globally recognised throughout the Human Resource Management and I/O Psychology fraternity.

Her career spans 38 years of which she took a two-year break to have her son, Marco and daughter, Daniella. Her husband, Renato, realised that he could not keep Italia reigned in, and their relationship is testimony to a partnership of equals.

Returning to her career, she has served in executive roles in Marketing, Communications and Strategy in addition to Human Resource Management. She has also served as director to numerous listed companies. Dave Ulrich could use her career trajectory as an example of business

partnering. With the combination of expert HR practitioner skills and business acumen, Italia is a sought after executive who has served in her previous formal role as the Executive Vice-President, People and Organisational Development for Anglogold Ashanti, a gold-mining company with 21 operations on 4 continents and which employs more than 63 000 people. Her other role in the gold mining sector was with Goldfields where she was responsible for leading the full HR function for 50 000+ permanent employees in South Africa, Ghana, Australia, Venezuela, Peru and geology exploration staff in sixteen other countries. Other companies where she served as a leader include Smithkline-Beecham, Anglovaal Limited, Sappi SA, Standard Bank OF South Africa and Netcare. To place her ascent into these executive roles into context, she forms part of the 29% of women who hold executive level positions in South Africa and one of a marginal number of women in executive positions in mining.

Another key characteristic of Italia’s career is the number of industries in which she has held executive positions globally, including mining, healthcare, financial services, pulp and paper, pharmaceutical and fast moving consumer goods, electricity supply and educational research. By all accounts she is an executive who is able to deal with pressure and paradox at the most senior levels of global organisations. Her efforts have also been recognised by esteemed institutions, and I highlight a few:

In July 2015, she received the South African Hall of Fame Award (Lifetime Achievement Award) from Future of HR and Careers24.

In November 2012, she was awarded the SABPP Lifetime Achievement

Award from the South African Board for People Practices.

In July 2009, she received the award of SA Most Influential Woman in Business and Government for the Mining Sector, by the CEO Magazine together with the Wits Business School.

And in November 2008, Italia received the HR Director of the Year Award, by the Institute of People Management of South Africa.

Which brings us to the other dimensions of Italia’s contributions to Human Resource Management. I’m sure you’ve heard this saying before:

Non bisogna fare le cose a metà.

“If a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing well”.

Ask Italia to contribute to something and she is the first one to make her input. She works tirelessly for the HR profession through the professional board, conference presentations, radio interviews and input to research and policy in the field. She is also actively involved in HR education at various institutions of higher learning and serves on advisory boards at the University of Johannesburg and the University of Cape Town. In addition to this, she has been an active author of five books, one case study (Netcare case study used for university teaching), and ten scholarly articles, most recently in the SABPP Women’s Report.

She is passionate in her support for women’s leadership development and is the Patron of WIMSA (Women in Mining in South Africa). Italia’s life experience makes her a credible author on topics relating to women’s careers – she certainly is a role model to many of us.

Presenting a person’s career and life in five minutes certainly does not do

justice to the depth and richness that one could display over a glass of wine. Her focus, compassion, passion and dedication will always stand out in a crowd. In summary:

La famiglia e tutto, e , A chi vuole, non mancano modi, rappresenta la vita di Italia.

Italia’s life is represented by the sayings: Family is everything, and, where there is a will, there is a way.

We salute you Italia

Esteemed Colleague Award to Prof Theo Veldsman: A Tribute by Dr Aletta OdendaalI have the absolute honour and it is indeed my pleasure to introduce Professor Theo Veldsman as recipient of our Department’s Esteemed Colleague Award.

The award is made in recognition of a colleague who, through his thinking, talking and actions, has served as a visible and inspiring role model of what we as a Department stand for, believe in, and aspire to.

In preparation for this presentation, I pondered deeply on how best to share an illustrious career that spans several areas from industry involvement, professional leadership, consulting and academia. I recently saw a bumper sticker, I subsequently verified as a quote from Ryszard Kapuściñski, that really informed my thinking:

“A journey, after all, neither begins in the instant we set out, nor ends when we have reached our door step once again. It starts much earlier and is really never over.”

I therefore would like to use this

opportunity to provide a collective view and share experiences of different colleagues who have travelled this journey with Theo.

I first met Theo in 1994 as a new member to the then Society of Industrial Psychology, with Theo in the capacity as Chairperson. I quickly became aware of his standing in the professional community and the significant role he played in uniting the different psychological groupings in South Africa. It was only in 2002 that I had the privilege to really experience Theo’s incredible wisdom and commitment to what he believes in and stand for. I was the then Chairperson of the Society and we experienced challenging times that ended in litigation. I remember how Theo and I signed affidavits at one o’clock in the morning at Sandton police station. It was during this time that I experienced what is, in my view, one of Theo’s key strengths: his incredible passion for the growth of others, the IOP profession and the broader community that he participates in. To today, Theo still plays an active role in the profession and his strategic guidance and scholarship is well respected and honoured.

Theo is indeed a deserving recipient of this award. He has extensive research and development, as well as consulting experience over the past 35 years. He has done in the order of 100 consulting assignments at senior management and executive levels for many leading companies, both locally and internationally. Theo is regarded as a thought leader in South Africa with respect to people management and the psychology of work and we regularly hear him on radio shows talking about different perspectives on leadership and implications for business and the broader society. He further informs opinion and challenges thinking while

inspiring us to turn new ideas into reality.

To illustrate the impact that Theo has made both in science and practice, I would like to highlight the following: Theo authored about 200 reports/articles and has supervised numerous PhD and Master’s students. For his distinguished and meritorious service to the profession of Industrial Psychology and Human Resource Management he received an award for Lifelong Achievement by the SA Board of People Practices and a Fellowship from SIOPSA.

Not all of us will be aware that Theo has also left a deep footprint in the community where he lives. He has transformed, over a five-year period, a struggling Afrikaans medium primary school in the Johannesburg South region into a thriving, parallel medium school, at present the fastest growing primary school in the region.

Theo’s involvement within our Department goes back to 2001, but he officially joined our Department in 2003 as Visiting Professor, specifically to bring theory and practice together in the postgraduate research programme – or as Theo will put it, to seamlessly integrate theory and practice. He became a full-time member of our team when he was appointed Head of Department on 1 September 2008 and he is now in his third term as HOD. During his term of office, he was instrumental in the strategic repositioning and redirection of our Department and under his leadership we crafted our strategic thrust to “Be the Best”.

The cherry on the cake of an illustrious career is indeed the magisterial leadership book he co-edited with Andrew Johnson with the foreword by Adv. Thuli Madonsela. “With over 80 contributors, the book provides fresh, evidence-based perspectives on leadership, drawing on robust scholarly works, diverse and critical leadership commentators, and rich insights from front-line leaders in action.”

On all accounts, Theo has served as a visible and inspiring role model and is truly deserving of this award. I would now like to share recognitions and appreciations received from my colleagues in this Department, in industry and the broader profession:

“Prof Theo Veldsman as founding member of the Society of Industrial and Organisational Psychology (SIOPSA) played a pivotal role in conceptualising and shaping the Society to what it is today. Prof Theo has made various outstanding contributions to the science, practice and organisation of Industrial or Organisational Psychology over many years and across the fields of practice, research, teaching and service. Prof Theo is a dear friend of the Society and continues to serve both the Society and ultimately our Profession”.

“Theo is the South African polymath in our field. No other person in South Africa moves with such great ease and sophistication between the domains of

HRM, I/O Psychology, and Leadership.”

“When I think about Theo, what comes readily to mind is the scholarly ease with which he moves between being a specialist and being a generalist – guiding his students towards finding their own voice and place as budding industrial psychologists; borrowing extensively from other disciplines; always observant of emerging patterns; and discovering simplicity beyond complexity. And he attains this with the passion and style of a modern Socrates – giving life to the metaphor of the “midwife” bringing forth, among his students, the “birth of new ideas.”

“Theo’s work ethics and high volume of work with extraordinary professional and academic quality. He is indeed a deep original thinker with a tremendous legacy in building and developing the industrial psychology, HR and leadership fraternity.”

“Theo, a thought leader in the broader fields of work psychology, is also a warm and humble person that very few had had trouble relating to. My interaction with Theo over the span of being a fellow professional, as a doctoral student and co-traveller on the leadership book journey, has truly been enlightening! We shall miss your colourful graphics – Theo Hamba kahle!”

“One word, RESPECT: remarkable intellect, emotional wisdom, subject matter expertise, professionalism, consistency in values and trusting others.”

“Theo knows how to inspire and lead people whilst at the same time demanding of them to go the extra mile, all of which happens with a smile on his face – and then you somehow want to rise to the occasion. He took the Department from a low to a lively and exciting place to work.”

“Thank you Theo for truly being a great example of a visionary leader. I have experienced how our Department has transformed from when you became its Chairperson! We have achieved much! Thank you for your wisdom and your understanding and caring nature and especially to help me develop.”

“I would like to thank you for always revitalising my confidence every time I needed a source of inspiration. Thank you for your selfless leadership and go well.”

“Theo’s innumerable contributions to the store of leadership research, knowledge and practice, will continue to benefit and inspire generations to come. His legacy is not only one of seemingly infinite wisdom, but one of light-heartedness, great humanity and empathy. That his sense of humour was legendary, and his jokes, although sometimes repeated more than thrice at a particular stretch of time, never really sounded stale, for his smile was indeed infectious! I shall miss his friendship more than I can say!”

“Theo’s fine sense of humour is another aspect that will always stay by me, irrespective of the seriousness of a

situation he will always bring in a light side before we attend to the situation at hand.”

“What I appreciate most of Theo, is his ability to put you at ease irrespective of how dire the issue is he must take up with you, which he does without fear or favour. You never feel threatened, defensive or apprehended, when asked to come see him. He treated all of us with respect and as equal, gave recognition and praise where it is due. He instils a calmness and work towards a collective solution to address the challenge”.

In conclusion…Theo always speaks with great appreciation of the support of his wife Annie as well as his two children, Talita and Dieter. I therefore want to conclude with the most important appreciation a person can receive, that of his family – a message from his wife Annie, his daughter Talita and his son Dieter:

“When other people think about our dad they see the successful professor and business man that has made a big impact on the profession of IO psychology in various domains.

Even though he is all of these things that have been mentioned so kindly today, as a family we view him in a slightly different light. To us, our dad is like the famous character Don Quixote. A knight whose religion is decency, who cares and fights for people from all walks of life, regardless of the odds, and stands by his beliefs and principles regardless of the adversary that he has to face. He dreams big and at times chases windmills that turn into 2 000-page books, an initiative focused on helping disadvantaged youths find their voice through music or sometimes a little hideaway on the South Coast where he pretends to do whale watching with his eyes closed.

To us, he has the wisdom of a thousand lifetimes, a heart that always has room for others to come and occupy, the humbleness to be able to relate to all people from different walks of life and a sense of humour that makes us both cringe and laugh at the same time.

When he is honoured today through this award, we would like to believe that it is not just honouring him as esteemed colleague, but that it also honours the example he has been to us, the loving father and husband that has taught us to live life to the fullest and the kind soul that has changed the world for so many people.

We want to conclude with a final thought from Harper Lee in her book “To Kill a Mockingbird” which we believe honours the man that Theo is. The scene occurs when the main character Atticus Finch leaves the court room after losing an impossible case that he fought on behalf of the people of Alabama. The court room balcony slowly gets to their feet as he leaves the room for the very last time and his eight-year old daughter asks Revered Sykes: “Why are you getting to your feet?” To which he replies, “It is

out of respect Miss Scout, because your father, a real man, he is passing.”

Theo, you have left behind a legacy to be proud of and we are privileged to have shared a chapter of your life journey with you. A leader’s journey always ends with storytelling – This, we know is not the end for you, it is the ending of a specific Chapter in the ultimate story of your life.

As Peter Drucker so powerfully put is –

“If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old.”

We are looking forward with huge admiration to the next chapter in your life…

It is my absolute pleasure to present this Award, on behalf of all my colleagues to a true leader, but also to a person that inspires us to “Be the Best” – Professor Theo Veldsman.

Esteemed Colleague Award to Prof Anita Bosch: A Tribute by Renjini JosephI am here before you representing the Human Resource Management Programme within the IPPM Department. About three weeks ago, we received the news that one of our most esteemed colleagues, Prof Anita Bosch, would be leaving the department to join the Stellenbosch Business School. It was a bittersweet moment for all of us, as we tried to come to terms with the news. As a Programme, we decided that we would like to convey to her our farewell messages and what a better occasion than this lovely evening to do so. In fact, many of our colleagues were unable to be with us tonight. Therefore, please allow me the opportunity to read out the messages to Anita from her colleagues.

Dr Roslyn De Braine - Anita, it has been a great 11 years working with you. You played a very important role in my development as an academic. Thanks for always being someone who displayed exceptional leadership and mentoring ability. I will miss you greatly!

Nelesh Dhanpat - Professor Anita Bosch – in our department it’s a name that reverberates a strong leader, a passionate academic, an esteemed colleague, a dynamic woman…I could go on, it has truly been an honour and privilege to work alongside you...let us celebrate your success…All the best.. Nelesh

Praneschen Govender - It has been an honour getting to work with you, if only for a short time.

As a young academic, you have been a role model to me upon my joining UJ.

It has been a great learning experience to watch you lead the team with your immense strength, grace and positive outlook. Stellenbosch Business School is very lucky to have you, you will be sorely missed.

Mpho Magau - Anita, your eminent departure came unexpected when I was still expecting to learn a lot from you. You’ve been such an inspiration to me in so many ways during the past 4 years. Thank you for all the fruitful engagements we’ve had and also for showing confidence in my leadership capability. Farewell, Mpho

Prof Adele Thomas - You have played diverse leadership roles in our department and in the University, and have excelled in all of them. As a leader you have the energy that sparks energy in others; you have the ability to take and carry through on tough calls; you empathise with others while you encourage them; you inspire vision and the aspiration to achieve along with role modelling of “getting in there and doing it” – all diverse abilities orchestrated in your leadership. Your integrity is evident in all your decisions and you’ve balanced what is good for individuals with what is good for the institution. You have also played a pioneering academic leadership role and, with your passion and focus on Women in the Workplace, have risen to be the national expert in this field. Your move to Stellenbosch Business School is our tremendous loss – both for our department and for the University as a whole. However, I wish you so much success in this new opportunity and have no doubt that you will ignite the

same passion and inspiration there, as you have done at UJ. You will be missed.

Amanda Ferreira - Thank you for the support you’ve given me throughout our UJ journey, sometimes in laughter and sometimes in tears, but always in a loving, understanding, wise and professional manner. All the best with your new journey at the Stellenbosch Business School

Dr Cookie Govender - May you use your wings to fly high, soaring above to reach and exceed our current limited ceilings, providing us with democratic, inclusive leadership; enabling us to co-create socially just societies, curriculum and economies for globalised wellness.

Prof Rene van Wyk - I met Anita the first day I started in March 2013, it was a pleasant warm welcome, where Anita really made me feel at home. Anita remained the professional that I met the first day, always presenting herself as a skilful individual. I have a high regard for Anita’s knowledge and passion on her niche topic: “Women in the Workplace”. I do believe that Anita will grow in making her mark in international forums. Anita – I wish you the best in having a bright, bright future! Warm wishes. René van Wyk.

Renjini Mary Joseph - After all the above messages, one would think there

is very little left to say. But it is not that tough to commend a person like you. Anita, you have been an authentic role model to me. I have always wanted to listen to you speak, just so that I could experience a fragment of your wisdom. I have wondered what goes in your head, when you come up with words that are both intelligent and caring at the same time. I have identified with you, as you tried to handle many a problem with dignity and ethical standing. I have watched you, carrying yourself with elegance and grace at all times. I have tried to emulate you, by putting in the dedication and hard work that you seem to put into everything. In fact, I am proud to say that the best compliment I have received recently is that I am a beginner version of Anita. So, as you seek new opportunities, I wish you well and thank you, Anita, for being a stellar example of what a researcher, a teacher, an HR practitioner and a woman should be. Wishing you all the very best in your future career and looking forward to watching you soar from success to success.

On behalf of our entire Department, it is our tremendous loss to watch you go. But we wish you all the very best, knowing that you have greater frontiers to reach and cross. Thank you.

THE WICKED CHALLENGES, ISSUES AND PROBLEMS OF THE HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR – SA AND BEYOND – WITH POSSIBLE FUTURE-FIT REQUIREMENTS FOR TOMORROW’S ACADEMICS Article based on a presentation and discussion facilitated by Prof Daneel van Lill, Executive Dean, Faculty of Management, UJ at the 2016 IPPM Departmental Strategic Indaba on 15 November 2016, attended by all members of the Department

(Written up by Theo H Veldsman)

Mapping the global conversation space with its composite narrative themes In surfacing the wicked challenges, issues and problems of the Higher Education (HE) Sector – SA and globally – with possible future-fit

requirements and responses, one first has to map as a departure point the global conversation space of the HE Sector with the narrative themes populating this space. Figure 1 depicts my take as Executive Dean on this space with its composite narrative themes.

Figure 1 – The global conversational space with its composite narrative themes as applicable to Higher Education: SA and beyond

A high level drill down into the narrative themes makes up the global HE conversational space. With reference to the global conversational space plotted in Figure 1, I would like to point out a number of key trends and dynamics regarding the narrative themes making up this space.

Narrative 1: Universities The problem with public universities is that they are irresponsive to demand because they have become huge bureaucratic systems in order to sustain themselves. In the process, they have lost track of who their stakeholders are, and how to respond to them quickly. Generally speaking, public universities have lost sight of three key success factors: (1) responsiveness; (2) understanding critical networks; and (3) what their intangible value-add need to be. • Four trends are apparent: • The state of African HE leads to

unprepared students who are mismatched to the emergence of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Of the 26 SA universities, only six are functional, one of which is UJ.

• In their desperation to gain access to HE, the poor is prepared to pay for bad education. Sixty per cent of UJ students are first generation students. This means their parents did not have access to HE.

• The HE is used as a means for social re-engineering to transform societies.

• One of the expected, major negative side-effects of Post-Brexit is intellectual fragmentation: the sacrifice of intellectual diversity because of the expected loss of the free movement of academics across borders.

• In the case of private universities, we are seeing a rapid expansion, offering a real and substantive risk to public universities. They are growing at 15% per year. Over the last year, nine universities were opened in Sub-Saharan African of which seven were private. Most of the private universities are owned by religious groups, and hence are strongly value-driven.

Narrative 2: Education Education is central to economic and social development. If SA has skilled people, it will be able not only to implement the National Development Plan but also to build a solid middle class, crucial to the stability of and progress in our society.

Narrative 3: Economic Development Key factors to consider in sustainable future economic development are:

ensuring organisational justice: reward/outcome justice, procedural justice, interactional justice in order to ensure fairness and equity;

accommodating country-specific (= “Nationalisation”) variables and circumstances;

the Knowledge Economy and the emergence of the Fourth Industrial

Revolution. More specifically, (i) Information Technology becoming an inherent and essential way of life; (ii) Big Data: who generates, owns and manages data?; (iii) Robotics: what work will the machines and human beings do respectively?; (iv) Skills: What are the required knowledge, skills and expertise going forward?

Narrative 4: Government The funding by the government of SA HE is rapidly destabilising. The government is a major source of HE income. Five years ago, the HE funding from government subsidies was 60% and 40% from tuition fees. Now it is exactly the opposite: 40% government subsidies and 60% tuition fees.

All SA universities run at significant annual deficits. This financial situation has a significant effect on the affordability of staff and access for students, and student numbers. SA universities have become resources and cost constrained.

Possible future-fit HE requirements and responses: Conversational themes emerging out of the discussion by IPPM members of the HE global conversational space.

Narrative 5: Research Research is essential in building National Human Capital, and being able to contribute to and participate in the sharing of ideas, the currency of the Knowledge Economy. But the cost of research has increased significantly. Finding the much needed funds for research has become mission critical for universities.

Research findings must flow through into our teaching and learning; enable us to have a strong and wide African Footprint as a university; and be value sensitive and informed, like the call for the decolonisation of knowledge.

What will be the demands, challenges and requirements for future-fit academics going forward, considering the emerging HE global space sketched above: • As future-fit academics, we will need

to have a deep understanding of the new world of work and the jobs we have to prepare our students for, in the process taking calculated guesses about what that future world and jobs will look like.

We will have to give our students not only knowledge and skills, but even more importantly the abilities not only to survive but thrive in this world. These are abilities like adaptability, creativity, teaming and team work, and networking. • As future-fit academics, we will need

to understand who our students are and the context and circumstances they come from. We will have to meet them where they are, and not where we are as academics. Then only will the magic of excellent,

impactful learning, teaching and study supervision happen.

• As future-fit academics, we will have to be context sensitive at a much deeper values level, taking account of value-laden matters such as diversity, social justice, africanisation, and decolonisation. We will have to incorporate them openly, consciously and deliberately into our learning, teaching and research.

• As future-fit academics, we will have to understand who and what we are, what we believe in, and our aspirations. In all of this we will have to be absolute true to who we are, and wish to be. It is very difficult to engage with others, if one does not know who one is as an individual. If one does not have peace in one’s own soul, in one’s own mind and in one’s own heart, it is unlikely that one will be able to move ahead and constructively engage with others, especially in the emerging world of tomorrow. One therefore will have to be spiritually intelligent by seeking meaning and purpose in all one does.

• As future-fit academics, we will have to emerge ourselves constantly and deeply into the hyper-turbulent and hyper-fluid context in order to be able to re-invent ourselves continuously by continuous learning, unlearning, and relearning, also through the mistakes and failures made because of the need to experiment, innovate and be creative. This will require being future-centric: thinking about the future all the time, and making that future happen in the present; resilience: the ability to bounce back regardless of our bad knocks; agility; responsiveness; and adaptability.

• In this uncertain and unpredictable emerging world, as future-fit academics we will have to trust our gut and intuition; and demonstrate perseverance, commitment, and courage; and be outrageously optimistic, passionate and enthusiastic about our calling as an academic.

• As future-fit academics we will have to realise that we cannot do it on our own as individuals. We will have to engage with our peers constantly, and surround ourselves with people who know more than what we do. Continuous teaming, partnering and networking, locally and globally, will be the name of the game in order to stay ahead of the game.

• In a rapidly and fundamentally changing world, as future-fit academics we may need to reconsider our conventional verification research paradigm in which it takes us many years to come up with verified findings, which then would take another many years to be implemented. The new world is moving too rapidly for that. Another option is possibly the falsification research paradigm as proposed by Karl Popper in which one would formulate a theory and believe it is true until proven otherwise through counter-evidence arising from the theory’s implementation.

• As future-fit academics, we will have

to take charge of our own careers, and manage it ourselves, given one’s personal ambitions, aspirations and goals relative to one’s strengths and weaknesses. Our line managers must not manage our careers on our behalf. Those days are gone.

• As future-fit academics, we will to have to agitate for, propagate, and contribute to re-inventing and recreating a more responsive, agile and adaptable (SA public) HE system,

better matched to the emerging new order. In this way, we can remain not only at the forefront, but be true thought leaders and trend setters.

• In the end, all of the above require outstanding leadership by each and every academic at all times and in all places if we truly want to make a real, lasting difference. We need authentic leaders demonstrating unquestionable integrity.

IIn conclusion…Without doubt, the future of the academic world will look radically different. We need to become future-fit as academics not only to survive but to thrive. We have to create pro-actively the future we wish and desire.

We celebrate the great achievements of our class of 2016!

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2016 TOP ACHIEVERSRecently, our Department recognised the outstanding work and performance of the Class of 2016 at a dinner evening. This prestigious event is the highlight on the Department’s annual calendar, and took place at the Johannesburg Country Club on 28 October 2016.

Apart from the top achievers, Prof Daneel van Lill (Executive Dean, Faculty of Management), Prof Jane Spowart (Vice-Dean Academic, Faculty of Management), Prof Gert Roodt (Vice-Dean Research, Faculty of Management), Marius Meyer who was invited as guest speaker, doctoral graduandi, various special guests as well as academic and administrative staff were present at the function. Altogether the function was attended by about 100 people.

Only students who have obtained distinctions in their respective qualifications can be considered for a Top Achievers Award. The following

students were recipients of the Best Student Awards in the following categories. • Best Student of the National Diploma

in HRM: Oda Monyai & Nonhlanhla Joji

• Best Student of the BCom (HRM): Bianca Fisher & Talia Fisher

• Best Student of the BCom IP: Mulanga Matshidze

• Best Student of the BTech (HRM) Programme: Lerato Ramotsho

• Best Student of the Honours Programme in HRM: Rodene Bazley & Nicole Lourenco

• Best Student of the Honours Programme in IP: Busisiwe Mahlobo

• Best Student of the Master’s Programme in IP (coursework master’s): Sergio Luis Peral

• Best Student Master’s Programmes by Dissertation in HRM: Varaidzo Wekwete

• Best Student of the Master’s Programme in LPC: Alison Palmer

• Congratulations to our Doctoral Graduandi: Dr Kathy Bennett; Dr Barbara Ferreira; Dr Christel Fourie; Dr Thandiwe Gama; Dr Marius Joubert; Dr Suzette le Roux; Dr Johan Nel & Dr Paul Vorster

• The SABPP IPPM Student Awards: Nothando Amelia Shabangu (APK); Kgopotso Basadi Maimane (APB) and Dominick Zwane (SWC)

• The Top Student in HRM in South Africa Award (award sponsored by HR Universities Forum and SABPP): Refilwe Riba

• MTN Case Study Award: Masechaba Letsela

• The Professor Johann Schepers JvR Award: Dr Paul Vorster

We celebrate the great achievements of our class of 2016!

Ferreira, Barbara (PhD)Barbara is a leadership coach and has an academic career covering socio-cultural anthropology, clinical psychology, leadership development and leadership coaching. She holds an MA (Professional Coaching) from Middlesex University, United Kingdom.

Globalisation has increased cross-cultural engagements within the workplace which, in turn, leads to challenges in contemporary leadership. In order to manage multinational subsidiaries, global projects, and a culturally diverse workforce, among other things, business leaders need to demonstrate intercultural competence. Attempting to address the gap in evidence-based leadership coaching for the development of intercultural competence, this study aimed to explore, describe and understand

the development of intercultural competence, utilising leadership coaching as a developmental approach. Applying a qualitative research approach combining case study, ethnography, narrative research and thematic analysis, Barbara integrated theoretical concepts with the concrete experiences of seven African business leaders who participated in a 12-month cross-cultural leadership coaching programme. From this she developed a leadership coaching model for intercultural competence. The conceptual model contributes to the field of leadership development, cross-cultural management, coaching and the development of intercultural competence. The model should be considered by organisations wishing to expand their business into the African continent.

Supervisor: Prof WJ Schurink Co-Supervisor: Dr A Odendaal

POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS: OUR PRIDE!Receiving a doctoral degree is certainly a milestone in anyone’s academic or research career, but it is also the pride and joy of any academic department. Endowed with a dedicated and motivated team and students of a calibre that allow the Department to face the future with confidence, the IPPM Department has reason to be proud of the doctoral degrees that were conferred on our postgraduates at our September 2016 graduation ceremonies. This is but a partial reflection of the significant research output contribution that our Department is making in keeping our body of knowledge at the forefront. Since postgraduate research is seen as a critical activity of the Department, here follows a short overview of the research by our doctoral students who graduated at these graduations.

Nel, Cornelius Johannes (PhD)Johan Nel holds a University of Johannesburg Master’s degree in Industrial Psychology (cum laude). His expertise includes talent management, leadership and learning, and talent acquisition assessments in the finance and banking sector.

The changing world of work necessitated the development of several new career models. This study aimed to develop and empirically examine a career model called the Career Orientation Meta-Competencies and Career Outcomes (COMCO) model. The main findings include that when career agents display high levels of a boundaryless career orientation they tend to display their strengths optimally to others, which in turn can lead to greater levels of employability. On the other hand, when career agents display high levels of a protean career orientation they tend to take control of their careers, which in turn can lead to greater levels of work engagement. It was noted by all the examiners that the study contributed uniquely to the career-related body of knowledge.

Supervisor: Prof GP de Bruin

Vorster, Paul Petrus (PhD)Paul Vorster holds a Master’s degree in Industrial Psychology (cum laude). His expertise includes quantitative and qualitative research methodology, applied research, psychometric validation, adaptation, and evaluation.

Improved computer technology has made the development of computer adaptive tests of personality a possibility. As computer adaptive testing holds numerous advantages both psychometrically and practically, the development of such inventories may further advance personality

testing. This study aimed to address the lack of progress in this field by adapting a hierarchical personality inventory, namely the Basic Traits Inventory (BTI), for computer adaptive test simulation. A sample of 1 962 South African adults completed the BTI and their personality data were used to construct a simulated computer adaptive inventory. Results indicated that the computer adaptive version of the BTI administered on average half of the original items of the non-computer adaptive inventory, while accurately estimating individuals’ standings on personality constructs.

Supervisor: Prof GP de Bruin

LEADERSHIP COACHING: STATE OF AND TRENDS REGARDING THE FIELD Aletta Odendaal

Given the complexity of challenges and uncertainties experienced by organisations globally combined with an increased multicultural and diverse operating context, it is not surprising that CEOs across the globe identified human capital challenges as fundamental for future growth and sustainability. The development of effective leaders and leadership behaviour on all levels within the organisation is therefore more critical than ever before.

In the past decade, leadership and executive coaching has emerged as a significant strategy and most widely used intervention for

leadership development. Evidence is starting to emerge linking coaching in organisations to individual performance; subsequent skill development; enhanced well-being and coping; as well as attitudes and self-regulation.

Leadership coaching is, however, a qualitatively different approach compared to other leadership development initiatives that must be taken into account when implementing it within an organisation. The typical leadership development mix suggested is 10% class room or formal training, 20% coaching and 70% experiential or stretched activities and assignments.

Recent surveys further show that 72% of participating organisations used coaching as leadership development activity of which 80% of organisations that conduct leadership development activities, listed coaching as the most effective intervention.

Notwithstanding the high demand for leadership coaching as strategy for leadership development, there is still a shortage of evidence linking the process of leadership coaching to coaching outcomes as well as leadership research with coaching research.

MASTER’S GRADUATES WITH THE TITLES OF THEIR MINOR DISSERTATIONS

Name of student Supervisor Degree completed Title of minor dissertation

September 2016

Jones, CJ Dr B Morgan MCOM(IP) Burnout, Type A Personality and locus of control in university students

Mageza, ME Dr M Geldenhuys

Prof A Bosch

MCOM(IP) The impact of sex roles on psychological availability

Ntsikwe, Y Dr A Odendaal MCOM(IP) The role of self-reflective practice in personal goal attainment

Palmer, A Prof A Bosch MCOM(IP) Features that contribute to senior female representation at an organisation

Plint, KJ Dr L Fourie MCOM(IP) Generation Y knowledge workers’ experience of work demands

Roberts, DS Prof R van Wyk

Mr N Dhanpat

MCOM(IP) Validation of the Thomson, Perry and Miller collaboration instrument

Samuel, AN Ms L Sekaja MCOM(IP) A class act: impression management strategies employed by South African educators

Victor, JA Dr C Hoole MCOM(IP) The influence of organisational rewards on workplace trust and work engagement

Callakoppen, LR Prof MHR Bussin MPHIL (HRM) The impact of rewards on motivation of staff at a medical services company

Malope, T Prof C Landsberg MPHIL (LEC) A stakeholder model to African Leadership 1989-2008

Mwansa, MM Dr LMM Hewitt

Prof K Kondlo

MPHIL (LEC) In pursuit of ethical leadership in business: a case study of NAFCOC

Noor-Mohamed, N Dr RC Viljoen

Prof C Landsberg

MPHIL (LEC) Thabo Mbeki’s African agenda: political leadership style and ideas for global reform

Roberts, V Dr LMM Hewitt MPHIL (PPL) Locus of control and the achievement if short-term career goals

Recurring themes that emerge from viewing different definitions of coaching are the emphasis on:• unlocking of potential to maximise

and enhance performance, • the conversation is collaborative and

goal-directed, • ultimately aimed at personal,

professional and organisational effectiveness,

• utilising appropriate strategies, tools and techniques for the benefit of the client and all stakeholders involved.

Coaching, in general, is therefore strongly informed by a common set of principles, namely collaboration, accountability, awareness raising, responsibility, commitment, action planning and ultimately action. The terms leadership and executive coaching are often used interchangeably notwithstanding some differences in content to be addressed and outcomes to be achieved.

The unique features of leadership coaching as a strategy for leadership development are listed in Table 1.

Table 1 – Unique features of leadership Coaching

Figure 1 – Vertical and Horizontal Leadership Development

Source: Integrates Bersin & Associates, 2009, 2013; Jaques, 2008; Kegan & Lahey, 2009; andPetrie, 2013 (CCL)

As illustrated in Figure 1, people progress through different stages of development. The three most common stages of development are from dependence to independence to interdependence. The leadership coach must therefore be cognisant that people in each stage will construct meaning of situations, persons, events and interactions differently. A plateau can also be reached and therefore adults have to work consistently to keep growing – the focus on continuous vertical development. While leaders think strategically about change, it is important to emphasise that organisational change must also include a strong focus on individual change. To be effective, the leader’s way of thinking and acting must therefore be equal or superior to the complexity of the environment (indicated as levels of work). Furthermore, emerging practice in leadership development is to align developmental strategies to four proposed levels of organisational maturity, with leadership coaching increasingly used as intervention on Level 3 and 4.

What are the critical success factors for effective leadership coaching outcomes?Figure 2 illustrates the critical elements for effective leadership coaching outcomes. All the elements are equally important and must be in place for a successful coaching outcome to be achieved.

Defining coaching, leadership and executive coaching

Given the current challenges in a complex working context, research and practice clearly indicate that leadership behaviour associated with historical results may not be the behaviour required to achieve future success. It is further apparent that organisations have grown skilled at developing individual leader competencies but have not been equally skilled at transforming the leader’s mind-set from one level to the next.

A clear trend in leadership development is the transition from horizontal development approaches: knowledge, skills and competencies, to vertical leadership development: construct meaning from experiences and transformation of consciousness. Leadership and executive coaching has emerged as a popular strategy employed by organisations for vertical leadership development. Vertical development changes the way that leaders conceptualise meaning of their world, they think and process information differently. Figure 1 depicts the transition from horizontal to vertical development.

• A formal one-on-one relationship that extends to the team and organisational level.

• Places a strong emphasis on how the individual leader exercises interpersonal influence towards the attainment of organisational goals.

• Often informed by use of psychometric and competency assessment and feedback tools towards personal reflection on preferences, challenges and ethical dilemmas.

• Emphasis on the transition from management to leadership.• Recognition of the importance of deeper-level transformations associated

with leader identity formation.• Acceleration of leadership development through coaching.

Figure 2 – Critical elements for successful coaching outcomes

Client Needs: Why do clients seek coaching?From a leadership coaching perspective, I position the client as not only the individual leader (= client) but also the team and broader organisation that are formally involved in the coaching process. In an attempt to find answers to the question why organisations want their leaders to be coached, Pavur identified the following categories of clients’ perceived needs for coaching: training and development; self-actualisation and well-being; and adaptation and resilience. Four primary coaching needs of an executive are: to learn a new skill; to perform better in current role; to prepare for a future role; and to execute the executive agenda.

While clients may seek coaching to address a specific need, organisations too have an organisational agenda that is aligned to retention strategies, performance management, change management, succession planning and career management, which require seamless integration within the talent management architecture of the organisation.

The Leadership Coach: Leadership coaching requires unique behaviour, knowledge and skillsA leadership coach can be described as a: Professionally trained and qualified individual that may or may not be credentialed by voluntary professional associations, that provides

coaching services to leaders, executives and senior managers with the purpose of improving their leadership effectiveness.

The question regarding who is best qualified to be a leadership or executive coach remains a contentious issue. There are currently two dominant and competing views:

1. Some argue that psychologists are most qualified due to their particular training in psychological approaches and adult development, use of psychological theory and assessment and skills in building and maintaining confidential and trusting relationships.

2. The opposing view, however, is that coaches must be knowledgeable about the business context in which they operate with an understanding of leadership, management principles, and organisational culture and politics.

It is important to emphasise that depending the specific role profile and type of coaching applied, supporting competencies may be quite different and may indeed extend generic competencies generally listed such as: listening, questioning, providing feedback and building relationships. Additional sets of competence required may be: ability to operate on a specific level of complexity; communicate on all levels; ability to work in multicultural context supported by intercultural competence; engage with client at the level of beliefs, emotions, values and meta-cognitive patterns; and address the personal when coaching for the

professional and business related issues.

Coaching relationship From a practice perspective the quality and strength of the coaching relationship is intuitively perceived as important, highlighting the interdependence between coach and client. The opposite is also evident in that 65 percent of cases where coaching were terminated, ineffective coach-client relationships were cited as the reason.

The strength of the coaching relationship, also referred to as the working alliance between client and coach, is seen as the best predictor of successful coaching outcomes. The coaching relationship characterised by challenge and support is further a partnership build on rapport, collaboration, commitment, trust and confidentiality.

Contextual influences impacting coaching effectivenessThere are ample references in coaching literature illustrating the importance of understanding the context of coaching and specifically for coaching within organisations. Notwithstanding the recognition of importance of contextual influences, there is a lack of evidence-based approaches to understanding and even integrating contextual considerations into the design and delivery of coaching interventions.

It is important to be aware of not only the immediate business context, but

Based on Lane and Corrie, 2009

also how macro conditions external to the organisation influence the following micro external and internal condition:

Macro contextual complexities, such as the global financial crisis and the influx of refugees across country borders due to unstable political environments, have a direct impact on organisations that operate globally.

The different strategies employed by organisations to address leadership development challenges are not only influenced by macro contextual conditions, but also by micro influences such as regional and national politics, socio-economic challenges and legislation as well as the immediate business environment.

The increasing complexity and changing demands of organisations’ operating context therefore create challenges for the coach and client organisation that influence coaching outcomes.

Of specific importance to leadership coaching is the dynamic interplay between the leader, leadership and culture, specifically culture on national, organisational and individual level and the combined influence on organisational effectiveness. Given increased recognition of the importance of the leader-culture interaction and the highly diverse and complex South African society, is it imperative for leadership coaches to include a cultural mind-set into the practice of coaching and to focus on the development of intercultural competence.

Understanding purpose, perspectives and process for successful coaching outcomesAny method of information gathering, tools or techniques utilised in the coaching cycle must not only support the purpose but also be aligned to preferred models and theories as well as the knowledge base and experience of both the coach and client. The perspectives we operate from help us to understand the purpose of the engagements and determine the process to follow.

Coaching can be viewed as process in search of patterns. In the complex world of human experiences, there are indeed many possible patterns and different approaches or perspectives that can be employed to assist the client to make meaning out of experiences. However, the patterns we detect as leadership coaches depend on the theories, models and assumptions we bring to the coaching context.

Therefore, perspectives of both the coach and client can be viewed as metaphorical lenses we use to filter what is important from what is less

important within the specific coaching context. Perspectives are strongly informed by personal values, beliefs about knowledge and understanding of what we do well in relation to that knowledge as well as the limits of our competence.

It is further important to acknowledge that a coaching cycle typically consists of different steps taken to reach the outcomes of the intervention such as: coach-matching, contracting, relationship building, assessment, coaching intervention, reflection and evaluation. There are indeed different step-based frameworks available in literature, ranging from two to ten steps that provide a series of questions to structure the coaching conversation. A popular questioning framework is the GROW model that provides specific questions regarding the goal, current reality, different options and way forward that was extended to GROWTH with the inclusion of questions regarding tactics and habits.

Areas of knowledge relevant to leadership coachingAgainst the preceding discussion of the interrelatedness between purpose, perspective and process, it is imperative for coaching practitioners to be able to describe to the buyers of coaching services as well as to their clients which theories and models shape their coaching practice. This is not easy as coaching as applied discipline is strongly informed by several theories from psychology, adult and experiential learning, organisation development and systems theory to name a few.

In addition, coaches also enter the coaching industry from a diversity of prior backgrounds such as psychology, human resources, training, education, consulting and management. A wide range of methodological approaches and educational disciplines therefore inform coaching practices indicating that coaching is indeed multidisciplinary in nature.

Current societal changes further require stronger focus on values, identify formation and meaning-making with a movement away from the focus on goals and problem solving. In this regard, Stelter refers to three generations of coaching, where the dialogue in each generation is defined by a different basic perspective.

1. First generation coaching: Skills and performance coaching, with a strong focus on goals.

2. Second generation coaching: Solutions focused. Here the emphasis is on where the client is now to build a bridge towards future aspirations strongly informed by positive psychology and strength-based approaches.

3. Third generation also referred to as narrative collaborative coaching: the focus is on values and identity work where the coach and client are working together towards personal and social meaning-making. From this perspective, meaning-making is when we understand how we and others think, feel and act.

Third generation coaching grounded in the social-constructionist paradigm provides a deep and reflective re-connection to a more human and relational way of being. The African concept of Ubuntu anchored in a value system that prioritises relationships is particularly well suited as framework for third generation coaching.

The evaluation of leadership coachingDespite the popularity and increased use of leadership coaching as strategy for leadership development, the biggest complaint remains that coaching interventions and outcomes are not regularly evaluated. Evaluation refers specifically to the collection of information to assist different stakeholders to make decisions regarding the value and usefulness as well as to adjustments of training and development activities. There are, however, no universal accepted criteria for what constitutes a successful leadership coaching outcome.

Return on investment (ROI) is often presented as the ultimate measure of the benefit of coaching. The biggest critique against the use of ROI measures is the fact that input costs may vary (e.g. amount charged by the coach) and that not all variables are controlled (e.g. contextual influence, team input etc.). It is furthermore quite difficult to show a specific causal relationship between a coaching intervention and improvements in organisational outcomes.

The focus then shifts to measuring the nonmonetary benefits of coaching such as generic coaching outcomes, utilising engagement frameworks as well as return on expectations (ROE) measurements. Measures of ROE are typically on self-evaluations of ability to achieve goals such as increasing self-confidence or improving interpersonal relationships. Due to the intrinsic value that coaching may have for different people, organisations are also starting to use less complicated measures, such as asking clients if they felt the coaching was worth their time, whether it made a positive change and if they would recommend it to a colleague.

Conclusion My article positioned leadership coaching as strategy for vertical development in organisations by placing a strong emphasis on leadership identity development, where the leader moves from an individual to a more relational

approach to leadership. I argued that sufficient knowledge of the theory and approaches that inform coaching practice as well as applied skills, and an integration of knowledge with own expertise in practice, in both coaching and leadership, are essential for effective leadership coaching outcomes.

Leadership coaching can make a significant contribution to the further development of leaders, leadership and leadership culture in an operating context characterised by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.

* This article is an extract from a chapter entitled “Leadership Coaching” by Aletta Odendaal in T.H. Veldsman, &

A.J. Johnson. (2016) (Eds.) Leadership. Perspectives from the Front Line. Johannesburg: KnowRes.

A CHANGING SELF IN A CHANGING WORLDBECOMING A ‘MASTER’ IN (WORK) INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGYRob Jardine

It goes without saying that I have ended my time in the master’s programme as a completely different person to the one that entered it two years ago, hopefully a better version. I have grown both personally and professionally and have learnt significantly about myself, the profession of work psychology and the human condition. I believe now that I am closer than I have ever been before to truly realising who I am, and what I would like to give back to this world as a contribution of my profession as an aspiring Work Psychologist. If you had asked me at the beginning of the course, however, I would have said I wanted a master’s degree to become a psychologist.

The two years of the course have been characterised by challenges, hardships and triumphs along my growth towards becoming a professional. As I near

the ‘end point’ of this journey, I have realised this journey will never come to a true ‘end’. I believe we are all constant iterations of ourselves as a result of trying to make sense of our changing selves in a changing world. This realisation only became apparent to me after the experiences and learnings I attained while in the course. More now so than ever we need to start developing work psychologists that will be able to flourish in the new world of work. I believe my time in the programme offered by the University of Johannesburg and the University of Valencia was instrumental in this development.

I began my time in the UJ programme in January 2015. I joined the programme after graduating with my honours at a different university and after working for a few years. After my honours, I felt like a dog

BE A HEROA MANIFESTO FOR THE CURRENT VICCAS WORLD OF INCREASING VARIETY, INTERDEPENDENCY, COMPLEXITY, CHANGE, AMBIGUITY, SEAMLESSNESS AND SUSTAINABILITYTheo H Veldsman

• INTEGRITY: Be good, wholesome, trustworthy • DREAM: Imagine a desirable future for the common good • COURAGE: Be brave, daring • ACTION: Be a doer with a learning attitude • ENERGY: Be driven • PASSION: Love what you do • PERSEVERANCE: Never give up • ACCOUNTABLE: Own up to one’s actions with their outcomes • COMPASSIONATE: Nurture, care • RESPECT: Treat others with dignity

without any bite. During my few years of work experience, I felt that I was not adequately prepared for the type of work that I wanted to do in the workplace, and by wider extension, how I wanted to help and serve people in the work context. After attending the Industrial Psychology & People Management Open Day the year before, I decided to target my efforts towards getting into the Industrial Psychology Master’s programme. My parents thought I simply missed the student life, but I can assure you that the novelty of cheap wine and noodles wears off rather quickly. After strategically adding everything, and the kitchen sink, into my application, I managed to make it through to the interview round and was granted a place in the tightly contested programme for 2015.

We were warned from the outset that this would be one of the biggest challenges of our lives and we should not expect an easy path. We were told that although this year would challenge us in ways that no other challenge had previously prepared us for, it would also be a year of immense growth. I suppose this is to be expected from one of the only, if not only, one-year master’s programme offered in South Africa. Most Masters’ in IP offer the same amount of work, but over two years.

We were surprisingly questioned about our support base and emotional network in the interviews more than I had previously experienced before. However, during the challenging course, it became apparent why this support base was needed. We were also repeatedly warned of relationship break-ups that had occurred in previous years during the course because of the high workload. I did not believe I needed to worry my girlfriend about this foreboding warning at the time. We broke up three months later into my studies.

The course at UJ covered all of the areas of advantaged Industrial Psychology required by the Health Professions Council of South Africa in order to complete an internship and write the subsequent board exam. We were privileged to have some of the best and most interesting lecturers from South Africa and internationally to facilitate the course. The training of a professional and credible psychologist was centred at the heart of the programme at all times throughout the year. We were provided with our own exclusive venue and spent most of our time on campus (in-between sleepless nights, handing in assignments and asking for extensions). In discussion with colleagues, now in the field, I believe that UJ offers one of the most practical programmes currently on offer. UJ students, as a result, are believed to be sought after assets in the

Fellow co-learners and I sharing a lighter moment during the UJ course in 2015)

UJ Master’s Class of 2015 displaying their competitive side in a ‘friendly sprint’ challenge at the Nike Soweto Football Academy while on a class excursion)

industry.

We were exposed to almost every major psychometric test in use, both locally and internationally, implemented our own Industrial Psychology interventions in the field personally and had the opportunity to meet internship providers first hand nearing the end of the course (a service not every university provides and that is greatly appreciated in such a tough internship market). In particular, some, but not all, assignments forced us to challenge our own thinking and worldview regarding our purpose and understanding of life. If I had known this was the case, I would have paid more attention in my philosophy course in undergrad. However, I believe that it is only through such reflection that one matures and may truly say that one has come of age, both as a person and as a professional. I felt that the old toothless dog that I felt like after my honours, was finally finding his teeth.

The curriculum encouraged the development of ourselves as reputable work psychology professionals and involved a fair amount of presentations and a limited amount of group work. I believe this stoked the flames of the competitive nature of our class and led to most of our relationships remaining quite professional within the classroom. I felt that the classroom resembled much the same characteristics as the corporate environment, including the office politics. I cannot say the same for my time in Spain, however.

During the year, I applied for a scholarship and was fortunate enough to receive one to study in Valencia, Spain. In particular, I was afforded the opportunity to enter one of the most prestigious work psychology programmes in Europe: the Work, Organisational and Personal Psychology (WOP-P) Master’s. This course is hosted by the University of Valencia and is in partnership

with seven other tertiary institutions, including University of Barcelona (Spain), University of Bologna (Italy), University of Brasilia (Brazil), University of Coimbra (Portugal), University of Guelph (Canada), and University of Paris Descartes (France).

The course is a two-year programme that involves a mobility semester between one of the partner universities, an internship semester and a two-week business school where students work collaboratively on-site and in virtual teams.

The goal of the programme is to produce unsupervised practitioners of Work, Organisational and Personnel Psychology in accordance with the regulatory bodies of Europe. The scientist practitioner model is at the heart of the two-year programme, which uses the first year to cover theoretical components and the second year to refine practical outcomes of the programme. A further emphasis is placed on the international demographic of the class and the transfer of knowledge between co-learners.

After being awarded the scholarship, I began a discussion with Prof Jose-Maria Peiro, who is the coordinator of the course and an internationally acclaimed academic, author and practitioner. He reviewed the work I had covered during my time at UJ and deemed me fit to enter the second year of the WOP-P programme without any exposure to the first year of the course. I believe he was correct in his assessment, as the programme

at UJ adequately prepared me for the demands of the second practical year of the WOP-P. This year was characterised by mostly group work assignments and learner-guided sessions that focused on interventions and practical application of theory in a framework, affectionately called learn-by-doing-under-supervision.

We were tasked with practising our skill-sets as trainers and practitioners in the field of Work Psychology by co-facilitating training and intervention sessions and presenting our proposals of consultant work based on the diagnosis of client needs and psycho-social risks. Most of the work was group work that required us to interact with our co-learners on a more personal level.

Furthermore, the demands of the course did not allow for a great deal of other activities outside of university work, so most of us ended up socialising with our class mates. Almost all of the class were not native to Valencia or Spain, so we also tended to hold onto our friendship group that was formed in class after hours. This was by no means a negative outcome of the course, as it allowed us to form some of our closet friendships during my time there. Furthermore, we continue to keep in touch through the alumni programme and in our own networks. It also never hurts to have close friends in the industry dispersed throughout the world.

The candidates of WOP-P (Woppies) came from as far afield as USA, China, Germany, Tunisia, England,

Christmas dinner at my place in Valencia, December 2015. In this picture representatives from South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Turkey, Montenegro, Germany, Thailand and USA.)

Sweden, Columbia, Slovenia, Thailand, Montenegro and even South Africa (I used to think South Africa was diverse until then). They also came from relatively varied backgrounds, work experiences and specialisations. As a result, some found the work more challenging than others, although I believe we all graduated on the same level by the end.

However, I found some of the best learning exercises came from working with these truly diverse people during our group assignments. In a few instances, I learnt more from my co-learners themselves than from some of the theories we were applying in our practical assignments. The course was structured in such a way that we were able to practise and implement training offerings and intervention proposals under the guidance and support of the lecturers.

The two-week business school was one of the further highlights of the course that involved our 20-person class

Don’t lose sight of Game Plan A – #FirstNeverFollows

~ Adidas Global Headquarters, Herzogenaurach Germany – September 2016

Graduating Business School February 2016 in Gandia, Spain

being split up to work collaboratively in five-person work teams made up of a composition of the other learners from the rest of the six universities within the consortium of the WOP-P. We worked on specific assignments virtually for a period of two months before finally meeting in person for the two-week business school in a small coastal town near Valencia.

We used various technologies to enable the work activities that saw our particular group working virtually with individuals from Spain, Italy and Canada. We completed assignments relating to contextualising different areas of the world relevant to work psychology and focusing on organisational diagnosis, change and intervention management. This particular work prepared us to become practitioners with a truly global mind-set. This prepared me well for the last step in my journey: a six-month internship at the Adidas Group in Germany.

The last semester required us to complete an internship anywhere in the world and compile a report of our time there to demonstrate the practical application of work psychology theories and knowledge according to the European Association of Work

and Organisational Psychologists (EAWOP). The internship market is not a regulated and structured landscape as it is in South Africa. This possesses both its advantages and disadvantages as it allows for a much broader range of experiences but also may make it difficult to meet the needs of the competencies that need to be demonstrated according to the EAWOP model.

I was fortunate to be involved in the performance management redesign of the Adidas Group for 55 000 employees in both corporate and retail. This allowed me to practise and redefine many competencies related to the EAWOP model, such as needs assessment, performance management, organisational culture and change management. However, with only six months and such a specific project I was not able to cover every competency. This was not a full requirement of the internship and I believe most of my colleagues were in a similar position.

On completion of my internship at Adidas and my coursework in Valencia, I returned to South Africa to finish up the remainder of my assignments (including a smaller one called a thesis) and begin my HPCSA

recognised internship. Despite my varied experiences, I still believe there is a great deal I can learn, and I look forward to, in my internship year. I look forward to refining and focusing on specific skills I would like to bolster within my arsenal as a Work Psychologist.

I am particularly passionate about assessing the viability of trusted solutions in the workplace based on the scientist-practitioner model. I believe that as Work Psychologists we possess one of the most important responsibilities in the modern workplace. We are trusted with shaping the behaviours, processes and systems that influence how employees engage, perform and identify with work every day. The profession has the influence to change lives in ways that reach beyond the boundaries of the traditional workday and this is something I am proud to be a part of.

FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT HONOURS POSTER COMPETITIONThe Faculty Honours Poster Competition took place on 10 November 2016. Out of the first three places, our Department took first and second prizes, respectively wor th R10 000 and R7 000 to the winners. Winner(s) of the first prize, if they carry on with a masters, will be fully funded by our Faculty to attend an overseas conference.

The winning team, supervised by Prof Rene van Wyk, consisted of Simphiwe Mkhwanazi, Hemisha Naik, Neo Ntehelang, and Oarabile Tshegofatso Malatse. Their research project dealt with “The prediction of team altruism by means of psychological capital”.

The team who came second, also supervised by Prof Rene van Wyk, was made up of Mary Zondi, Ilze Botes, Makhuthwana Debrah Ramurundo, Mmadithame Rachel Monama and Patience Mologadi Kodibona with a research project entitled ‘Psychological contract breach: “A predictor of Psychological Capital”.

The HRM Programme had their internal Honours Poster Competition Function in the evening. It was attended by close on 70 people. Twenty posters of high calibre research were displayed. The posters were independently rated by an external panel. The team that came first at the Faculty competition in the

morning came second in the evening; the second team in the morning took the first price in the evening. The prizes were sponsored by Hennie van Graan’s company, WHM Labour Law Advisors.

Congratulations to our HRM Programme who has really lifted the level of research in their honours qualification. Well done!! Congratulations on our Department’s student achievements, winner and shared first runners-up. Congratulations and thank you for all the devotion and hard work to develop our future-fit leaders.

NEW ON THE SHELVES FROM OUR ACADEMIC TEAMLeadership: Perspectives from the Front Line

Editors: Veldsman, TH Publisher: Knowledge Resources, Johannesburg and Johnson, A (Publisher: Knowledge Resources, Johannesburg)

Two internationally recognised thought-leaders on leadership, Prof Theo Veldsman (Head of Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management at UJ) and Andrew Johnson (Chief Learning Officer, Eskom), teamed up with over dozens of highly acclaimed experts to produce the most comprehensive and “biggest” business leadership book ever published in South Africa.

With 89 contributors, 56 chapters, 1 000+ pages and featuring a foreword from Advocate Thuli Madonsela, Leadership: Perspectives from the Front Line addresses leadership from every possible angle.

Here are just some of the 56 chapters the book covers, featuring numerous academics and alumni from UJ:

THE WORLD OF TOMORROW: LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES, DEMANDS, AND REQUIREMENTS – Prof Theo H Veldsman.

APPRECIATIVE LEADERSHIP – Prof Freddie Crous, Professor of Industrial Psychology at the University of Johannesburg.

LEADERSHIP COACHING – Aletta Odendaal, at time Qualification Leader for the MPhil in Leadership Coaching at UJ. Now Professor and Head of Department, Department of Industrial Psychology, University of Stellenbosch.

LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE MEASUREMENT – Anton Verwey, Steven Teasdale, Marzanne de Klerk and Francois du Plessis.

ETHICAL LEADERSHIP – Leon van Vuuren, Executive Director: Professional and Business Ethics at the Ethics Institute. Prior to joining the Institute in July 2014, he was Professor in Industrial Psychology in the Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management (IPPM) at the University of Johannesburg.

Other notable contributors and chapters include:• Business leadership by

Hixonia Nyasulu• Leading professional firms by Jenny

Greyling in association with Ajen Sita• Leadership psychodynamics by Pieter

Koortzen• Neuroscience in leadership by Ingra

du Buisson-Narsai and Dan Radecki• Leadership excellence across cultural

settings by Lize Booysen• Mindful leadership by

Errol Nembhard• African leadership by Vusi Vilakati• Women in leadership by Mmasekgoa

Masire-Mwamba• Diversity leadership by Nene Molefi• Leadership talent for an uncertain

future by David Conradie

Leadership: Perspectives from the Front Line also contains powerful stories from leaders such as Cheryl Carolus, Herman Mashabe and more!

TEAM MEMBERS ON THE MOVE!Achievements

Dr Rica ViljoenDr Rica Viljoen, one of our Senior Research Associates, was awarded the MSR Outstanding Reviewer Award from the Academy of Management for her outstanding reviews of the papers submitted to the MSR Scholarly Program.

Resignations

Prof Anita BoschAnita has resigned from IPPM at the end of December 2016. After 19 years at UJ, Anita wanted to spread her wings in terms of a new academic context and exposure.

Anita has made invaluable contributions to our Department, Faculty and University in so many spheres over such a long period, not only in enhancing the existing but also in bringing the new into being: in teaching, supervision, research, leadership and CEP. Her dedication, passion, professionalism and collegiality have served – and will still serve – as a concrete example to all of us to aspire to.

Her input will be sorely missed. But we will miss her in the first instance as a true colleague and person. May we wish her everything of the very best going forward. May her new work setting at US Business School prove to be everything she wishes it to be.

Dr Roslyn de Braine has been promoted to Senior Lecturer. Roslyn facilitates learning to both undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as Continuing Education in corporates. Her lecturer evaluations are consistently above 3.2. She takes a keen interest in the lives of her students, and has seen many of them mature from undergraduate to master’s level. Since 2004, she has designed and taught various modules and has been extensively involved in industry as a developer, designer and facilitator in the leadership programmes run by the Academy@Work, the CEP section in her department.

Her teaching and passion for people development have also been shown by the development of the T.E.A.C.H. Lecturer Competency Model and Development Checklist for the Young Academics in our Department. This model will be placed on Blackboard in the second semester. The model should also be useful to the larger UJ community. Her main aim as a lecturer is to help others unlock their personal potential through the process of learning and exploring.

Her research capabilities centre on the Work Identity, having contributed

to three chapters of an international book. Consequently, most of her students are conducting research in this area. She has also now become part of a research project on Positive Organisational Behaviour with three of her colleagues, one being a PhD student in her department. This research project is jointly run by Distinguished Visiting Prof Arnold Bakker (Erasmus University) and Distinguished Visiting Prof Eva Demerouti (Utrecht University, The Netherlands). Her Google Scholar profile reflects 46 citations and an h-index of 4.

Over the years, she has also taken up a number of leadership roles, such as the Qualification Leader for the PhD and Master’s Programmes (HRM, HRD, LPC). Her enthusiasm for the growth of younger people has been particularly demonstrated in her previous role as the BA/BCom HRM Qualification Leader. She has also run the Young Academics (YA) programme since 2011, in which she initiated a number of company visits introducing students to hands-on HR and industrial psychology practices within industry.

Promotions

Dr Roslyn de Braine

Personal Snippets

Congratulations to Lusanda on the birth of their baby boy. Tokoloho Lizo Mohafa Sekaja was born on 18 October and is a healthy baby at 3.26 kg. May he bring you lots of joy and happiness. Our best wishes accompany the family into the future.

We believe that our publication makes a unique contribution to our readers and we would like to invite you to participate. Please write to us and let us know what you would like to see in our newsletter. Send all contributions for consideration to Rochelle Niemand, Department

of Industrial Psychology and People Management, PO Box 524, Auckland Park, 2006 or email her at: [email protected].

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