Monthly Archives: April 2016

This post was originally published by the Association of Commonwealth Universities on 22nd April 2015 (link). 'Even a spoonful of narrative is worth more than oceans of opinion' - Cynthia Kurtz (2014) This blog post will discuss how a Participatory Narrative Inquiry (PNI) approach was used in the evaluation of the Sasol Inzalo Foundation's bursary programme in South Africa. As part of the evaluation process, students were encouraged to record their experiences using self-quantified narratives, with the aim of using the insights [...]

Small talk at recent client meetings has revolved around the now infamous CellC CEO’s, Jose Dos Santos, statements around women in the workplace. He made himself quite unpopular in a radio interview by drawing on a caveman mindset, candidly referring to the role of pretty woman in the workplace (men suddenly shave when they work with beautiful woman) and how women have a “bitch switch” that turns on when they are competing for promotions. It’s a storm in a teacup, some have [...]

What are we to do when our efforts to embed the corporate values are failing? Are they compelling enough to inspire an authentic culture? Do they make enough sense on the ground to guide everyday decision-making? A series of client conversations has got me wondering about the state of organisational values. I really thought that we had matured enough in our understanding of HR, organisational development and leadership to not be stuck in the same old trap of trying to [...]