Page 16 - KZN Business Sense - Vol4 No1 - eBook

HR POST SONA AND IN THE NEW POLITICAL LANDSCAPE

Peter Streng, Founder & Enough of that! Let’s roll up our of the hibernation of inertia! regrettably this compliance mind- devil’s advocates and the business
Director RUBIQ sleeve and get down to disruption set permeates to strategic HR partners (not silent partners!).
. . . err ..., I mean, business! The Now Business and HR thinking and the myriad other HR
would changing of the guard within the Practitioners need to get their challenges and practices. Therefore, us ‘People Engineers’
like to ruling party and both the context collective rears into gear: if must become influencers and drive
I think that, and content of the SONA presents … and that is the big IF, if the Let’s cut to the chase! So, for the these agendas with our respective
although a business in general, and the new political leadership and sake of this narrative, assuming management teams. For the sake
product of Human Resource (HR) fraternity government administration the Government walks the SONA of our future, and of those that
Apartheid, in particular, with real golden is serious about the proposed talk (extremely ambitious as it is) come after us! This is Business’
and by that I opportunities to meaningfully outcomes addressed in SONA in the months and years to come and HR’s Rubicon! – lets cross it
mean, born impact their worlds in the post- and is hell bent on making the and if one assumes that President courageously and confidently!
in that era Zuma era. country work again (with all that Ramaphosa’s ‘New Dawn’ is not Just as former President Nelson
and carving it implies), then the new realpolitik a false dawn, I will deal with how Mandela pointedly remarked after
a career If Business (and I exclude the of doing business in SA, demands Business and HR can positively the first ever inclusive general
through the June ’76 riots and SoEs) and foreign direct investors that Business and HR fill the stage, and decisively respond to the elections in 1994; “The party is over,
its aftermath, during the various were reluctant to invest in SA, take charge, take ownership, take massive challenges (e.g. the triple now it is time to work”, we, HR
State of Emergencies in the 1980s, for good reason, during the pre- responsibility, take initiative, challenges of unemployment, Professionals must now say, “The
the infamous PW Botha Rubicon Ramaphosa period and if the engage (with all Stakeholders poverty and inequality) facing SA, nightmare and end of an error is
speech, the People’s War of the late private sector, with its various meaningfully) - it is simply the mentioned in the SONA, in the over, now it’s time to work!” 
80s and early 90s and of course Chambers, were in general right thing to do! next edition
the birth of our new democracy (exceptions excluded) decidedly For too long, have Business, and In the midst of all the above, like
in 1994, I am decidedly not a distant and disengaged (and silent particularly our HR profession, a spider in a web, sits (operative Tel +27 (31)767 0608
‘pale male’ in either the political for that matter!!) as regards being been silent and obsequious. word!) the HR Practitioners!, nay! Cell: +27 (0)76 413 4575
peter@rubiq.co.za
or business sense. Pale I am, part of the solution (… and hence Rocking the boat is simply and we must lurk like the alert spider, www.rubiq.co.za
male I am, but my conscious, by default (inactivity), perhaps part tragically not in the DNA of the ready to respond to every vibration
my world view, my philosophy of the problem!) to what happened HR Practitioner. Compliance in both the internal and external
and take on Business and HR is, in, and, to SA Inc. during the last to labour laws, statutory environment. HR Practitioners
well, probably more in tune with eight years or so – again with good requirements and payrolls is are supposedly the soul and
Magda Wierzycka than most – an reason – now! is the time to awake ingrained, and rightly so, but conscience of organisations, the
unashamedly disruptor I am! from that slumber and bullet out

THE DYNAMICS DRIVING YOUR TEAM’S BEHAVIOUR

Trevor Clark, Business alignment process using the – the high ‘C’ or compliance
and Executive Coach, DISC behavioural assessment profile.
Reserved plus people oriented
Professional Speaker. tool as the learning framework. ■ – the high ‘S’ or steadiness profile.
As we have found, once people
H ow many are aware of their own strengths each personality type:
Note some typical trends from
and weaknesses, it is far easier
limitations of one’s co-workers.
organisations to recognise the strengths and THE HIGH D TEAM MEMBER
do you By removing the blind spots
encounter that typically cripple positive ■ Strengths – Direct and to the
that have it communication, work on proper point, a results-oriented,
all – funding, strategy and implementation forward looking, bottom-line
infrastructure, could follow. organiser.
a clear, Essentially people all score against ■ Possible weaknesses – Sets
deliverable business plan and four primary ‘states’ that drive many goals, usually high risk
a team loaded with A-Grade behaviour: and not written down.
resumes; but still not getting runs ■ Outgoing – the ‘extroverts’; Impatient, may tend to break
on the board? people that are happy being in a rules as he/she loves change.
The reality of business is that large group and dealing with ■ Ideal environment – Freedom to
companies are run by people first, diverse activities/situations. act, non-routine work, a
systems second and strategy third. ■ Reserved – your more futuristic environment with Compliant towards authority, prefers not to verbalize feelings.
Picture the below, a ‘classic’ client introverted team members; challenge and opportunity. patient, empathetic and full of Cautious and conservative.
case study that we are regularly happier in a small group ■ Core emotion – Anger and a common sense. ■ Ideal environment – Specialised
called in to support: (or alone) and at their least short fuse ■ Possible weaknesses – Resists or technical work and
■ The owner and managing comfortable if ever the centre THE HIGH I TEAM MEMBER change, can hold a grudge procedures. Ideally a
director – a highly driven, big of attention. and sensitive to criticism. Battle private work area or office.
picture thinker who wants the ■ Task-orientation – the ■ Strengths – Your enthusiastic, establishing priorities, may ■ Core emotion – Fear
team to follow procedures but colleagues solely focused on creative, problem solver. Great appear openly agreeable but
does not do so himself. the task at hand or ‘getting at motivating others to achieve, inwardly unyielding or hesitant Wow – so throw all these people
■ The marketing director – highly things done’. a positive sense of humour and to share feedback. around a boardroom table and we
networked, seldom in office, ■ People-orientation – those that good at negotiating conflict. ■ Ideal environment – Stability wonder why the plan is incomplete,
easily distracted. are more focused on others and ■ Possible weaknesses – More and a team atmosphere with few why we don’t achieve 100% buy-in,
■ The operations director – slow building relationships first and concerned with popularity conflicts and arguments. and why strategy implementation
to change, methodical and keen foremost. than tangible results, loses and results don’t follow either.
to maintain the status-quo. So, while there are thousands of concentration, inattentive to ■ Core emotion – Non-emotional Each of these people need to
■ The finance director – highly risk permutations of how high or low detail and often a poor listener. THE HIGH C TEAM MEMBER be managed a different way,
averse, perceived as aloof (even any person scores on these four ■ Ideal environment – Freedom ■ Strengths – Highly accurate, incentivised differently and,
cold), keeps the conversation to metrics, the primary styles play from controls and details, a analytical and conscientious. importantly, spoken to in the style
budget and facts only. out as follows: forum to express ideas, group A fact-finder – precise, most like his or her own. 
While the senior team worked ■ Outgoing plus task oriented activities in professional and systematic and high standards.
social environments.
together well to the casual observer, – the high ‘D’ or dominance ■ Possible weaknesses – Needs To find out about behavioural assessments
it was behind the scenes, where the profile. ■ Core emotion – Optimism clear-cut boundaries for and training for your team, get in touch on:
cracks were showing. ■ Outgoing plus people oriented THE HIGH S TEAM MEMBER relationships, risk averse and Tel: 031 266 2258
The initial intervention we – the high ‘I’ or influencer profile. ■ Strengths – A good listener and bound by procedures. Gets durban@actioncoach.com
performed was a leadership ■ Reserved plus task oriented steady, dependable team player. bogged down in details and www.mastery.co.za

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