Page 16 - KZN Business Sense 3.5

KZN

KwaZulu-Natal
Business Chambers Council
FLEXIBILITY IN LEADING AND MANAGING

Musa Makhunga, resulted in rigidity. But again, this hierarchy: that of who controls the past’s roots makes it dicult for physically although expecting to
Managing Director - was ne in the recent past, which means of production, meaning most to move away from rigidity. be kept in the loop at all times.
HR Matters (Pty) Ltd is still rooted in the present, where who owned the resources e exible, shape-tting
knowledge (strategies, plans, necessary to produce what people Interestingly, the criminal organisations call for dierent sets
schedules, designs) resided in the needed to survive, controlled their economy is quick to adapt to of leadership and management
top oce behind heavy-duty door destiny. Digitisation has put the changing circumstances. ey skills, which are less rigid whilst
strong rooms and with the top means of production in the hands operate with less certainty but decisive, inclusive and emphatic in
guy. Typical job titles of this era of everyone who cares to produce more with clarity of purpose. ey approach.
were and still are chief executive what other people need to survive are about fullling the clearly
ocer, general manager, and thrive. Individuals now own stated mission, which is constantly As alluded to above, everyone
superintendent, ocer (HR the means of production as in shape tted to the prevailing appreciates that indeed we are
ocer, marketing ocer, PR their expertise and the tools in the circumstances. is is what makes living in a dierent and ever-
ocer, etc.) and workers. And form of technology digitisation. it dicult for the military changing world, yet it is dicult to
there was nothing wrong with is means that the means of establishments of nation states to adapt, as we are yet to develop the
this as you found the same production are no longer the conquer the modern warfare literacy and the right language to
A RAPIDLY CHANGING pecking order in hospitals, police preserve of the chief and the organised in loose and virtually eectively deal with the ever-
interconnected cells that are
changing nature of the shape
stations and dare I say even in
generals. In fact, it gets even better
WORLD CALLS FOR homes. is structure dened or because in the democratic world, harder to pinpoint and annihilate. shiing organisation structures. In
FLEXIBILITY IN APPROACH still does dene the top down the lowest level person could even fact, the question I get oen in the
TO LEADING AND communication ow that is provide input in the decision to ere are some fundamental leadership and management
MANAGING. typically rigid in form and appoint the chief. Empowerment things we could learn from these sessions we facilitate is, are
I t is a fact that we are living in function. Whilst the world has of the individual, both in terms of operations. e ever-changing organisations expected to do away
changed a lot in function, some
environment we nd ourselves in
technological advancement and
with hierarchy? Not really, as there
a rapidly changing world and
organisations are still battling to
individual rights owing from the
is still a place for it, particularly as
requires less certainty, but more
there is nowhere else where
this is palpable than in break away from rigid hierarchical democratic dispensation, demands clarity of purpose, and that we regards execution where you still
structures to create form, which
exibility in thought and
should have delivery processes
expect people to approve and
workplaces. In the recent past, supports function, resulting in application. e ownership of the and systems that are exible others to action decisions. But,
which is still deeply rooted in the confusion, uncertainty and stress. means of production, which now enough to be adapted to t the where you need ideation, you need
present, everything was clearly resides with individuals, has tasks at hand. is adaptation has no rigid structure as this may shut
laid out including reporting Coincidentally, with the now changed the game plan so much far reaching implications for such people up and out. It becomes
structures, decision-making, job scrambled seasons, changing that individuals are able to have seemingly simple processes as job important to know when to shape
titles and rigid job descriptions. geopolitical systems, and the much more impact than descriptions. In a rigid world, job t a structure that suits or ts the
All of these workplace elements growth of the democratic world, corporations. ese individuals description rules the roost but in a task at hand, meaning structures
presented people with certainty. we have digitisation, which has are everywhere, in our homes, digitised ever-changing world, need to be set on a project by
achieved what Karl Max and teams, rms, communities, next adaptable and broad outlines of project basis in order to ensure
is scenario was in line with Engels, as proponents of radical door and just about everywhere task/s at hand is all that is optimal decision making and
the rest of society where seasons socialist thought, observed and they choose to be. If we are to required. performance. erefore, the
owed smoothly from one to the sought to challenge – that who provide eective leadership and notion that the rapidly changing
next, society was also packed in owned the means of production ecient management, we need to Physical proximity is another world calls for exibility in
an orderly fashion along xed controlled the lives of those who be exible in our approach. mental construct that the world of approach to leading and
structures. In fact workplaces are worked for wages. Bethany work has to make peace with managing.
modelled along military lines. Johnson writes that according to A lot of people and ditching or doing without. It is a
erefore, the hierarchical Marx, there was one social organisations are aware of the reality now that leaders, managers, T: 083 2516704
structures with strong command element that would determine need to be exible, however the customers, clients, and other key musa@hrmatters.co.za
and control reporting lines, which where one ts in the social class depth of the penetration of the publics cannot be interacted with www.hrmatters.co.za
HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE
then as Natal School Project. And an achievement that cannot be provide every school with the ourselves in a very specic niche
Suzanne Edmunds, CEO -
Project Build because of the success of the rst overstated.” He says too that “e physical infrastructure and an as an NGO, in building
classrooms.
buildings, we are welcomed with
environment that inspires learners
KwaZulu-Natal Department of
W e have a saying at open arms, it is a true celebration Education is eternally grateful and to want to come to school and We invite you to talk to us, to
when Project Build arrives.
learn and for teachers to teach.”
needs to continue the relationship
Project Build, that “we
get up in the morning to
make signicant inroads in the
dierence literally to the future
build schools”. is is our passion; But here’s the thing, we cannot with Project Build if it wishes to He adds, “Project Build’s sustained partner with us to help make a
contribution to education is
our lives revolve around it. do it alone, we need our social abovementioned backlogs”. especially commendable as the of our country. It is a social
investment partners, our donors number of classrooms stands at investment that will bear fruit and
Fortunately, we live in a society to join us. e value of brick and e Hon. MEC for Education, over 6000. at there is a of which you will be proud for
which recognises that the mortar classrooms in schools is Mr Mthandeni Dlungwana, relationship between the physical decades to come.
government cannot provide well recorded. ere is growing continues this theme in his environment where learners are
education without the material evidence of a correlation between message of support, which appears taught and the eectiveness of T: 031 307 5322
suzanne@projectbuild.org.za
assistance of private donors and the adequacy of a school facility in our 40th Anniversary Review. I teaching cannot be doubted.” www.projectbuild.org.za
social investors. e education and student behaviour and quote, “An important goal of the
sector of the donor environment performance. National Development Plan is to So, we at Project Build nd
in South Africa is massive, well in
the order of R8 billion per year! Mr Hugh Bulcock Senior
Manager Infrastructure Planning
Project Build has been – Dept of Education KZN, in an
developing school infrastructure article he wrote in the Project
for 40 years and would like to do Build 2015 Review said:
this for many years to come. In “Pre 1994, resourceful rural
these years we have built close to communities, out of desperation,
6000 classrooms benetting resorted to building schools with
hundreds of thousands of young rudimentary facilities, with
people and educators. My reason meagre means at their disposal.
for extrapolating this into such a Amidst this background of
vast number of beneciaries is the deprivation, communities have
second point I want to make in for the past 38 years looked
this article that for the social beyond the connes of the
investors making this type of establishment for assistance and
investment is a true legacy and a have found a willing partner in
blessing for many years ahead for their endeavours through Project
the school involved. We visit Build and its forebears, the Urban
schools for our second, third or Foundation and Natal Schools
fourth intervention and see Project. e contribution of
buildings that we built perhaps 20 Project Build in providing in
or so years ago, when we still excess of 5300 classrooms in
traded as Urban Foundation and KwaZulu-Natal over this period is

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