Gisele Wulfsohn, Rest In Peace

http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/2011/12/31/obituary-gisele-wulfsohn-indomitable-spirit

Walmart, poverty and social capital

Walmart's merger with Massmart in South Africa has been opposed by the trade union movement on the basis that it is likely to lead to a net reduction in jobs and an increase in imports from abroad.

What has been highlighted less is research that shows that poverty increases as a result of Walmart's presence, and a study also indicates that Walmart has a negative impact on levels of social capital.

Do we need Walmart in South Africa?

The Geneva Convention

Article 13:

"Prisoners of war must at all times be humanely treated. ...no prisoner of war may be subjected to physical mutilation or to medical or scientific experiments of any kind which are not justified by the medical, dental or hospital treatment of the prisoner concerned and carried out in his interest.

Likewise, prisoners of war must at all times be protected, particularly against acts of violence or intimidation and against insults and public curiosity."

The Johannesburg Moment – “a fractious and turbulent set of social contestations”

At the recent Mail & Guardian Johannesburg Literary Festival Professor Karl Von Holdt presented an important paper on ‘The Johannesburg Moment’ – a concept for exploration and debate that he is working on and that will form an aspect of a forthcoming book.

What is the ‘Johannesburg moment’? The first idea is that Johannesburg, and indeed South Africa more broadly, can be viewed as a place, in time, that is characterised by a comprehensive contestation of ideas and power for influence and control – over spaces, organisations, institutions and sectors. The contestation can be defined in different ways, and manifests itself in many guises, and impacts on all our lives and forms of organisation in different ways. Perhaps the essence, however, is that previously accepted certainties do not prevail and every issue or idea, large or small, is open for debate, review or conflict.

This can be seen as a wonderful manifestation of a new democratic society, as well as being characterised by what Von Holdt refers to as “a historic rupture, the end of white political domination”. So may sacred cows are upended in such a moment – what are the new ways to organise and run a society as the old order comes to an end and a new one struggles to be born?

Von Holdt argues that the second aspect of the Johannesburg moment is an “intellectual and cultural project” to interrogate and reconstruct the Western lenses through which we understand and make meaning of our situation and context.

Bringing together these two ideas offers the opportunity to create new ideas about how we design and construct our spaces of engagement – not drawing on existing models and frameworks but creating new, socially connected and democratic spaces where work and art can co-exist, where politics and business become integral together to how we think and work, and where new conceptions of society and power can lead to a re-drawing of our idea of ‘organisation’ that can integrate ideas of productivity, learning and playfulness. Real progress.

Critical to this process will be the establishment of a shared sense of our history and identity as a people (a history that itself has been contested) and a new sense of where we want to go. In this sense the political changes that took place in the early 90s represent just a starting point, rather than an ending or a solution.

Exciting new Learning Workshops in Johannesburg

Together with my colleagues in Kessels & Smit, we have planned an exciting new series of learning workshops over the next couple of months. All the workshops will be facilitated with a participative and engaging methodology, in which participants will work with their questions and real issues pertaining to their work, and their professional growth and development. Workshops will be limited to 12 participants each. Each workshop will offer some theoretical perspectives (with reading material) as well as practical opportunities to work with and practice new approaches. The interactive nature of the workshops will attract participants who are open to trying new ideas and who are comfortable with ambiguity.

The workshops are 3 hours long and will take place on Thursdays (either afternoon or evening) at Unit 7, The Rosebank Fire Station, Bath Avenue, Rosebank. Afternoon workshops will start at 2pm (coffee and biscuits from 1.30pm), and evening workshops will start at 6pm (coffee and biscuits from 5.30pm). Bookings and payments can be made by contacting Kgomotso Ratswana at kratswana@kessels-smit.com or on 011 447 9898.

Details of the workshops are as follows:

1. Working with Appreciative and Integral Perspectives
Facilitator: Mark Turpin
Date: 4th August 2011
Time: 1:30 pm

This workshop will introduce the thinking behind ‘appreciative inquiry’ and ‘integral thinking’, drawn from the work of David Cooperrider and Ken Wilbur respectively. These perspectives will be contrasted with more common problem-centered and deficit-based approaches to working in organisations, and to how larger ‘wicked problems’ are addressed in society.

Participants will be encouraged and supported to apply these new approaches to organisational issues that they face, and also to think about how these approaches can also be used in their personal lives, with the objective of uncovering new perspectives that can support personal empowerment and liberate new energy for solving problems and resolving conflict.

2. Designing Learning Processes: Exploring Different Paradigms on Learning
Facilitator: Paul Keursten
Date: 4th August 2011
Time: 5:30pm

Learning is of critical importance, and there are many ways to learn. But it’s not so easy to know which approach works for what and when. Over the past 50 years, various paradigms on learning have developed, each with its own strengths and pitfalls. Every paradigm has a different vision and definition of learning and how learning can be best supported. Every paradigm uses its own language. Understanding these paradigms and the language and approach that comes with it helps us to navigate the field of learning and development. It helps to understand the often implicit views of key stakeholders and why some discussions never get solved. Most importantly, it enriches the way we can create the powerful learning interventions that are so needed in organisations.

3. The Intelligent Conversation
Facilitator: Mark Turpin
Date: 11th August 2011
Time: 1:30 pm

This workshop introduces the idea of a productive and generative form of dialogue that can be utilised when important outcomes are desired and when a building conversation is needed. A number of simple rules are introduced that can easily be learned and internalised by groups and teams that need to work effectively together.

Participants are then encouraged to practice a real dialogue utilising these new ‘intelligent conversation’ rules and to hold each other accountable in using the rules. They are then given an opportunity to reflect on the experience and develop plans to use this new dialogue format in their day-to-day work.

4. Managing Complexity through Simple Rules
Facilitator: Andrea van der Merwe
Date: 11th August 2011
Time: 5:30 pm

This workshop will explore concepts of complex systems and the relevance and value of this frame for individuals and organisations today. Drawing on the work of amongst others Senge, Stacey and Snowden (Cynefin model), this workshop will explore some of the foundations of complexity thinking and useful frameworks for personal, business and organisations that can help us manage challenges in ways that create more simplicity and meaning, while creating results.

Participants will be encouraged to apply the frameworks and properties of complexity thinking to challenges they face, while creating their own ‘simple rules’ to manage and thrive in complex contexts.

5. The Brain at Work: Using the skill of Reframing to Increase your Effectiveness
Facilitator: Andrea van der Merwe
Date: 18th August 2011
Time: 1:30 pm

The savvy use of our most important tool, the brain, plays an important role in our success in the work and relationship environment. In his book, The Brain at Work, David Rock describes the skill of reframing or reappraisal as the brain’s ‘killer application’. Using this skill effectively can become one of your most important tools for social intelligence. Reframing is about changing your perception by understanding something in another or different way, and the ability to do this in highly charged or emotive situations can change the course of the situation and your ability to shape it. Being able to think about things in a variety of ways, builds a spectrum of understanding and responses for individuals and especially leaders.

Drawing on the growing field of neuroscience and behavioural psychology, participants will have the opportunity to learn how the brain can be used for reappraisal and have the opportunity to apply a number of practical methods on their own challenging situations or relationships as the start of a practice.

6. The Odyssey of the Young Professional
Facilitator: Neliswa Fente
Date: 18th August 2011
Time: 5:30 pm

This workshop is aimed at young professionals who have just entered into a new working environment - maybe you have moved to a new organisation or have just entered the cooperate world. The workshop will focus on the individual journey as well as how to incorporate this journey into that of the organisation. What makes this workshop special is that it is led by a young professional who understands the journey and has experience in both large and small corporates.

The workshop introduces the Heroic Journey framework, a way of understanding, describing and planning for processes of change at the personal, organisational or community level. It is an archetypal story of transformation found in cultures around the world – in myths, fairy tales, ancient stories, legends, books and movies. It is a way of understanding the lives of great leaders – such as Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. A successful journey is a transformative experience, where basic attitudes and assumptions are often challenged, and we are frequently different at the end from when we set out.

7. The Logical Levels Framework
Facilitator: Mark Turpin
Date: 25th August 2011
Time: 1:30 pm

This workshop introduces the thinking framework of Bateson & Dilts as a structured way of developing effective responses to complex social problems and individual/societal relationships. The framework can be used for problem-solving and conflict resolution, as well as for finding purpose.

Participants will be supported in applying the framework to particular questions or problems that they are concerned with as a logical and systemic way of developing effective strategies. The framework will create clarity and insight on issues of purpose, identity and values as tools for guiding thinking and decision-making that is aligned with what is desired.

8. Social Capital and Learning
Facilitator: Mark Turpin
Date: 1st September 2011
Time: 5:30 pm

The idea of ‘social capital’ has recently been popularised by Robert Putnam though his book ‘Bowling Alone’, which deplores the decline of social and collective activities in American society. This workshop examines the idea of social capital as a very real form of capital that can brings returns to individuals and society. Social capital in the workplace can also be seen as the basis for powerful learning that can unleash innovation and creativity, as well as stimulating happiness. Participants will be encouraged to explore their own social capital and how it can be developed and exploited.

9. Learning to Innovate: Facilitating Breakthroughs
Facilitator: Paul Keursten
Date: 8th September 2011
Time: 5:30 pm

Innovation and learning are strongly linked: without learning there is no innovation. But it requires a special kind of learning: learning that creates new knowledge, that results in answers and practices we did not know before, that creates a breakthrough in thinking and in doing. How do you organise this kind of learning processes? What are some ways to create such breakthroughs? These fascinating questions prompted us to start a research programme in 2002, in which we investigate many innovative practices to uncover principles and methods that work.

Participants will gain access to the main outcomes of this research and are invited to link these to their own practices. We will focus on finding ways to deal with issues and challenges where more of the same is not enough and breakthroughs are needed.

10. Learning to change: Exploring Paradigms on Change
Facilitator: Paul Keursten
Date: 15th September 2011
Time: 5:30 pm

As the saying goes: change is the only constant. But change is such a broad concept and there are so many visions on change. Ask people ‘what is needed to create change’, and you will hear many different answers - often rooted in strong beliefs. In many companies there are heated debates on how to achieve the desired change. De Caluwé and Vermaak conducted extensive research into various approaches to change and discovered five basic worldviews on change. Their conclusion is that the best chance to achieve change is to balance these five views and include elements of all five.

Participants will explore these five different worlds of change. Through a self-assessment participants will learn their own view on change in thinking and in practice.

11. Leadership for Learning
Facilitator: Amanda Barnes
Date: 22nd September 2011
Time: 1:30 pm

It is said that organisations that have developed the capacity to learn are more able to adapt to the fast rate of change. Too often in organizations, the responsibility for learning is limited to the learning and development manager.

Drawing on the work of authors such as Peter Senge and Michael Fullan, this workshop will explore how organisations can develop a learning culture that permeates the organisation and the leadership required at various levels of the organisation to sustain such a learning culture.

12. Performance Management as a Learning and Progressive Process
Facilitator: Kholiswa Menemene
Date: 22nd September 2011
Time: 5:30 pm

Most articles on employee performance management deal with the basics of the process. They provide managers with guidance on how to: measure and track performance; give feedback effectively; conduct a performance appraisal meeting; and coach to sustain performance throughout the year.
However, there are a number of other highly effective and sustainable practices that can enhance your process but often get overlooked. At this workshop we will go beyond the basics by looking at:
• helping employees improve and succeed with Development Plans;
• aligning the individual goals with the organisational goals;
• conducting self assessments to get the individual’s perspective.


We plan that this series of workshops will become a continuing rolling programme, and also to offer workshops by other professionals in different fields. Watch this space...

Kader Asmal RIP

I was most fortunate to have Professor Kader Asmal as one of my lecturers at Trinity College Dublin some years ago. His love for his students, and brilliant mind, combined to ensure some of the most stimulating lectures one could have attend. And he was in a faculty that also included other brilliant minds – such as Professor RFV Heuston (a great constitutional lawyer of the old school), and Mary Robinson (a leading campaigner for womens’ rights and subsequently President of Ireland).

A mark of his brilliance was that he taught us the whole International Law course using only one source text – namely the judgements of the International Court of Justice on South Africa’s illegal occupation of Namibia. And all his lectures were imbued with his strong sense of natural justice (or what one of my fellow students said was “justice according to one’s conscience” – a very Protestant concept in holy Catholic Ireland in the 1970s!). Natural justice – or what was known in Ireland as ‘constitutional justice’ – infers rights on the basis of the underlying ideas and intentions in a country’s Constitution. So one could infer, for example, that overt controls on the media, even if technically legal (or consistent in a narrow sense with the Constitution) or compliant with the rights of the legislature, could impinge on ideas of constitutional justice in South Africa as they are not consistent with the Constitutional intent behind Article 16 – that freedom of expression supports an idea of freedom for the media that may be stronger than the actual article itself. (Experts on constitutional law can please advise me if my understanding of natural or constitutional justice is flawed in some way…)

Perhaps one of the greatest tributes to the life of Kader Asmal would be the clear establishment of a significant concept of ‘constitutional justice’ in the South African legal system (without undermining at all, and indeed building on, some of the wonderful judgements of our Constitutional Court in recent years). But I am straying into territory that I am insufficiently qualified to comment on!

Of course, Kader and his wife Louise, were always focused on the struggle against apartheid, and Kader quickly recruited South Africans in Dublin into the Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement (IAAM). Run from their kitchen in Beechpark Road in Foxrock, the IAAM Executive brought together a range of disparate individuals – student activists, Labour party members, religious people, poets, musicians, communists and so on. Joan Burton was very prominent as a Labour Party member (she is currently the Irish Minister for Social Protection). We were involved in a wide range of activities – campaigning against John Robbie (then a fellow student of mine) from participating in the British Lions rugby tour of South Africa in 1980, lobbying for a complete boycott of South African goods and services, raising awareness of what was happening in South Africa etc.

Perhaps most inspiring was the faith and conviction that the Asmals always displayed, even in the very worst moments of apartheid repression, that South Africa would one day be free, and that it would happen in our lifetimes. I recall many discussions, often over the whiskey that was always available after the meetings were concluded, as to who would be the future Presidents of South Africa. The news of resistance in South Africa was always spoken of, even when these were but small chinks in the monolith, as further evidence that the regime was crumbling.

And of course, as well as working with politicians and trade unionists, Kader always understood the importance of the artists, musicians and poets in articulating the struggles of people. Regular art auctions were held to raise funds, with pictures donated by well-known Irish artists such as Michael Farrell. And we organised a major Dollar Brand (Abdullah Ibrahim) concert in Dublin’s Liberty Hall, where he was supported by Rock Fox and his Famous Orchestra. We arranged interviews for the great South African musician (then living in exile), including a wonderful moment in Kader’s office in Trinity when a London-based journalist pitched up from the Cape Times and asked him when he was coming to play in South Africa. Without blinking, Abdullah assured her that he would be returning to play at a victory concert in Johannesburg. She had the naiveté to ask him if a date had been scheduled for the concert. He told her that it would be ‘soon’. End of embarrassing interview.

Kader’s rich contribution to public life in Ireland meant that his obituary notices in South Africa were mirrored by different obituary notices in the Irish media, recalling his significant work there, including his establishment of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and his support for human rights throughout the island of Ireland. He knew well that human rights are indivisible.

His concern for the people of South Africa as a whole also extended to the young exiled South Africans that found their way at a tender age to the freezing wet climes of Ireland. He supported them, often out of his own pocket and ensured that they would never be homeless or on the street, even if it meant camping on the floor in sleeping bags. Years later it has been good to reconnect with Zukile Nomvete and others from those days.

There is no need for me to repeat what has been recorded in the various obituaries to Kader. Enough to say that here was a giant of a man with a brilliant mind - someone who stood for substance over form, who tolerated no puffery, and who had no truck with the arrogance that sometimes comes with power. Widely cultured and literate, humorous and sensitive, he was, as the Irish say, ‘a gentleman, a scholar, and a fine judge of whiskey’.

Unit 7, Rosebank Fire Station

As posted previously, we have created an exciting working and learning space for our company at Unit 7 in the Rosebank Fire Station. The units at the fire station (it is still a working fire station!) were originally built as accommodation for the firemen and women, but about 10 years ago were converted into office units.

As well as providing a space for ourselves we have created a flexible working and learning space for other consultants and small businesses. By creating a beautiful and energetic space we have been able to stimulate creativity and networking, as well as building important connections.

The people and organisations who currently share our space include Ivan Ginsberg, who runs Computer Experts Personnel - an IT recruitment agency; architect Pietman Lategan who creates beautiful living spaces (Virtual Architecture); Refiloe Seseane (18twenty8 – an NGO that supports the professional development of young women); the partners of Sarraounia Trust, that focuses on capacity building in the health sector (Nancy Coulson, Cheryl Goldstone and Nirvana Pillay); and Wendy Ovens – a local government specialist. And we also have an exciting connection with the SeeTrust - established by my colleague Paul Keursten - which seeks to promote social entrepreneurship and networking in communities, building on the work done by some incredibly committed people to address social issues.

Kessels & Smit The Learning Company

Kessels & Smit The Learning Company has been my professional home for the past 4 years. This has been one of the most rewarding times for me – both personally and professionally. Working as part of this increasingly global learning network (we are now active in Holland, Belgium, Germany and the UK as well as in South Africa, with a wider network in eastern Europe, southern Africa, Asia and the US) means we have access to ideas and innovative practices that support and sustain learning and change in a wide range of organisations and communities. And we are also our own ‘laboratory’, as we work with our own internal changes and growing processes.

As an organisation without traditional structures, job descriptions or formal reporting lines, and without human resource policies, we find new and exciting ways to connect, provide feedback and support each other in our own learning. Kessels & Smit has recently been nominated as one of the top 10 innovative companies in the world!

In South Africa we are now a growing team, consisting of myself, Andrea van der Merwe, Mandy Barnes, Paul Keursten and Neliswa Fente, and we will soon by joined by Elsona van Huyssteen. Our work is very varied, taking us to universities, companies, NGOs and research institutes, as well as individual mentoring and coaching. We have been particularly excited to work closely over the past year with the University of the Free State, which is going through a major transformation process.

The opportunity to work with both large and small organisations from different sectors provides real richness and learning for us. In addition, we work increasingly on international projects and assignments, in which we work with our international colleagues to create innovative processes in areas such as HIV, corporate responsibility, democracy building and environmental sustainability. Our colleague Neliswa Fente is focusing a lot of her time and energy in thinking about the challenges and opportunities for young professionals in South Africa and globally.

In Johannesburg we have created an exciting ‘learning space’ at the Rosebank Fire Station, which we share with a range of other consultants and specialists – people working in the fields of health, local government, IT, architecture and so on. One of the people that works alongside us is Refiloe Seseane, who runs a dynamic organisation called 18Twenty8. 18Twenty8 supports the professional and personal growth and development of young women from disadvantaged communities, and has won a number of awards for its work. We will be finding ways to develop a close relationship between our company and the work Refiloe is doing.

Viva the great people of Egypt viva!

Apologies for the long silence in this blog! The last few months have been a busy time. I have been experimenting a bit with Twitter, where I have tweeted on a variety of topics, usually in quite a random way – experimenting with the medium. You can follow me on Twitter.

For the last few days I have been impressed by the resolution and determination of the people of Egypt. By holding firm, they have achieved their singular objective of ending the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak. They know well that the hard part lies ahead – building a new democratic system. It is hard not to see the coincidence between the birth of a new Egypt on 11th February and the release of Nelson Mandela 21 years ago to the day.

The change in Egypt raises much hope for wider change in the Middle East. At the time of writing, there is an upswell of protest also in Yemen, Algeria and Jordon. For too long the region has been ruled by kings, dictators and sheiks without regard for the will of the people. This lack of democracy in neighbouring countries has enabled Israel to avoid finding a lasting and peaceful solution to its relationship with the Palestinian people. A more democratic region will inevitably put pressure on Israel to find a new accommodation.