Heavy Chef Magazine: The Education Edition

2. WWC Ad

Volume 4

Education

Editor’s Letter

A key observation was that there is no one right way to teach or learn, the reality is we all learn best in different ways.

The challenge we have as leaders is wading through all the options, noise and opinions and implementing training that will be truly effective for our teams – learning that makes a difference and effects real change.

You’ll find that this Education Edition of our Heavy Chef publication goes a long way in challenging some of the preconceived ideas around effective learning, offering you food for thought the next time you have to make choices around training. The issue has some heavy hitters from the world of digital education in Africa.

from the horse’s mouth (editor’s letter) I’ve been teaching or enabling learners throughout my career in one form or another, both formally and informally. I have a huge passion for it, which I believe was passed down to me by my mom.

She was a programmer back in the 60’s, when computers looked more like a rack of giant washing machines that beeped and whirled. The only problem was that as a female, she wasn’t actually allowed to code – that was down to the men.

But strangely enough she was allowed to teach the men how to code, and her career was born from there.

Growing up, I was fortunate to observe some of her methods, from creating online training to face-to-face workshops, consulting, coaching, facilitating, public speaking and mentoring. Sometimes her approach had huge success, sometimes it was just okay and sometimes it failed.

It’s jam packed with interviews from training suppliers like Sam Paddock from GetSmarter as well as those responsible for implementing digital change in large organisations, such as Ahmed Kajee, from Old Mutual. It contains articles by the likes of Sarah Blake, who gave us her insights on what’s next for digital education in South Africa, and yours truly on why change management is a key consideration for any learning program.

I hope you enjoy this edition. I know I’ve learnt a lot just being involved in the editing process.

Mike Perk, Managing Director, World Wide Creative

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The Team

the team

Editor-In-Chief

Mike Perk

{ } @mikeperk

Creative Director

Sammy-Jane Every

{ } @pleasewaterme

Senior Copy Editor

ReneĂŠ Fortune

{ } @reneejoyfortune

Senior Designer

Alna Kotze

{ } @Alna Kotze

Junior Designer

Philip Wassung

{ } @philwassung

Marketing Coordinator Charlotte Keuris { } @ckeuris

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Contributors

Contributors Heavy Chef Review | Volume 4 | Education

{Publisher}

{Contributors}

World Wide Creative

Mike Perk, World Wide Creative Emma Dicks, Code4CT Ahmed Kajee, Old Mutual Ryan McManus, NATIVE VML Sarah Blake, ThisIsBlakey Sean Riley, Ad Dynamo Craig Rodney, Cerebra Robyn Farah, KAT-O Chris Borain, African News Agency Louis Janse Van Rensburg, World Wide Creative William Makgaba, Vexospark Jacqui Boyd, Johnson & Johnson Rich Mulholland, Missing Link Keano Johnson, Santam Joanne Reid, World Wide Creative Deborah Whitlock, World Wide Creative Sue Cilliers, World Wide Creative Tarryn Knight, VW South Africa Glenn Gillis, Seamonster Roxanne Janse Van Rensburg, World Wide Creative Sam Paddock, GetSmarter

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Contents

Contents Effecting Social Change One Line Of Code At A Time

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An Interview With Emma Dicks, Founder & Director, Code4CT

Online Education Is Breaking New Ground For SA Professionals

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An Interview With Sam Paddock, CEO, GetSmarter

Changing The Paradigm: How To Thrive Within A Learning And Sharing Environment

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Roxanne Janse Van Rensburg, Account Manager, World Wide Creative

Learning And Sharing: How Does Your Company Measure Up?

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Louis Janse Van Rensburg, Director: Joburg, World Wide Creative

Seven Lessons On Staff Training

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Sean Riley, CEO, Ad Dynamo

From Paper To Pixels: News In The Digital Age

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An Interview With Chris Borain, CEO, African News Agency

Evolution And Adaptation: The Keys To Digital Integration In The Corporate World

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An Interview with Keano Johnson, Digital Marketing Sales Manager, Santam

The Five Simple Truths About Training “The Right Way”

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Sue Cilliers, Traffic Manager, World Wide Creative

Is The Tablet The Whiteboard Of The Future For Corporate Training?

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Glenn Gillis, MD, Sea Monster

The Future Of Education: Online, Part-Time?

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Published in partnership with UCT and GetSmarter, online education provider.

When Social Entrepreneurship Challenges The Digital Divide

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An Interview With William Makgaba, Digital Visionary & Founder, Vexospark

Educational Legacide Must Fall: A Fresh Perspective On Learning

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An Interview With Rich Mulholland, Founder, Missing Link

Real Change: The Hallmark Of An Effective Learning Program

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Mike Perk, MD & Head Of Digital Training, World Wide Creative

How To Turn Risky Employees Into Social Media Ambassadors

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Craig Rodney, MD, Cerebra

Knowledge Empowers – So Pay-It-Forward: A Case For Workplace Mentorship Ryan McManus, Executive Creative Director, NATIVE VML

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Thinking Digital: Change Management For Corporate Marketers

Contents

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An Interview with Ahmed Kajee, Head of Digital Marketing, Old Mutual Emerging Markets

Mentorship In Digital (Not Just Digital Training), Is Critical To Industry Transformation

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Sarah Blake, Digital Consultant & Author, ThisIsBlakey

Is Your Industry Changing Faster Than You Are?

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Published in partnership with UCT and GetSmarter, online education provider.

Forget B2B And B2C. Try The People-To-People Approach To Marketing.

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An Interview with Tarryn Knight, Marketing Communications Manager, VW South Africa

Effective Digital Education Begins With The Basics

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An Interview With Deborah Whitlock, Account Director, World Wide Creative

I Propose A Free Education Project For 2016

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Wesley Diphoko, Founder and Director, Kaya Labs

Knowledge Addiction. It’s Real.

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Robyn Farah, Founder, KAT-O, Arduino Cape Town & The Modern Alchemists

A Digital-First Approach To Marketing In South Africa

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Jacqui Boyd, Digital Marketing Manager, Johnson & Johnson

From Traditional To Digital: An Insider’s Perspective

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Joanne Reid, Head Of Client Service, World Wide Creative

Infographics

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Fig 1. At the core of every educational legacy is the “why” behind what we learn – the heart-driven desire to know more and to make that knowledge meaningful.

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Effecting Social Change One Line Of Code At A Time

An Interview With Emma Dicks, Founder & Director, Code4CT

Social entrepreneurship in the digital industry is proving to be one of the most powerful avenues for effecting sustainable social change. As a young, enthusiastic businesswoman Emma Dicks is at the forefront of this social change.

Her initiative, Code4CT introduces high-school girls to the world of coding, design thinking and the career possibilities that lie ahead in South Africa’s tech industry.

Her 18 month program is driven by practical education, promoting the development of all-important skills like problem-solving and effective communication. Her program provides young women with access to devices, connectivity and safe spaces for learning. Mentorship and a strong network of tutors who share Emma’s passion for education are the foundation of this life-changing program. We were excited to connect with this inspiring young leader.

{Q1} Tell us a little bit about your educational and professional background.

I have long wanted to play a role in education. In fact my original idea was to be able to teach entrepreneurship, which lead me to studying Business Science at UCT. This crude idea morphed and changed over the years – I’m now not so sure one can ‘teach’ entrepreneurship and am more interested in fostering an entrepreneurial mindset than entrepreneurs by the strict definition.

During my Business Science degree I took time off to intern at Mobenzi, a company that uses technology to support public health systems. This ignited my interest in the power of technology.

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During my final year I joined a group of friends running an innovation challenge for high school students. Once I graduated, myself and Stefan Louw decided to work on growing this initiative which grew into Innovate South Africa.

Code4CT was born out of Innovate South Africa. Across all of Innovate South Africa’s programs, we focus on creative problem solving and design thinking and aim to provide an educational environment where young people are given the space to move their ideas for positive change into tangible projects.

Code4CT particularly focuses on using technology to create solutions.

I’d like to see young women at the forefront of innovation in South Africa.

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{Q3} the Code4CT curriculum: Web Development; Design Thinking and Professional Communication?

I always say that at Code4CT we don’t code for the sake of code. That’s why we teach problem solving and design thinking alongside web development. In addition, we have a strong focus on communication skills so that girls can share their ideas with confidence. Self-efficacy is a strong driver of innovativeness in youth, so the program focuses on building confidence through creating and pitching projects of increasing complexity.

{Q4} Why is education in the IT industry so integral to South Africa’s development?

{Q2} Why were you inspired to start a business that is grounded in both IT and education?

I wanted to see young people being able to move their ideas for change into reality.

An understanding of how web and mobile technology is created, is a powerful tool give them. Also, Cape Town’s thriving IT industry presents plenty of opportunities for young people to enter this arena.

I’d like to see young women at the forefront of innovation in South Africa.

Code4CT’s goal is to equip girls, no matter where they end up in the work place, with an understanding of how technology is created. Someone with an understanding of technology has a more powerful voice in critical decision making, especially decisions driving innovation.

Tell us about the three parts of

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For the South African tech industry to realise its full potential to drive innovation in Africa, it needs skills. Education is the key to unlocking our potential.

{Q5} What has winning the Queen’s Young Leaders Award meant to you?

The QYL award has helped to elevate the agenda of Code4CT to a global stage and has increased the number of people who find out about our work and get involved.

Code4CT really is the collective effort of so many different people who all add their skills together.

For my girls in the program whom I am always encouraging to do big things, I hope my award inspires them to head out and tackle their dreams head on; to not be afraid of doing the things that scare them.

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As a young entrepreneur one often wonders, ‘what if I’m crazy to be trying this?’

And personally, as a young entrepreneur one often wonders, “What if I’m crazy to be trying this?” I guess the award helped to encourage me – at least other people are supporting me in achieving my big dreams for change in education.

Fig 1. Honoured: Queen Elizabeth presents Emma Dicks with the Queen’s Young Leaders Award at Buckingham Palace in June 2015.

Someone with an understanding of technology has a more powerful voice in critical decision making.

{Q6} Which principles do you believe are central to effective education and training?

I believe that the starting point to learning anything is establishing one’s motivation to do so. I often say that Code4CT is more about allowing girls to discover why they want to learn to code, than actually teaching coding.

In saying this I am not diminishing the importance of the teaching so much as elevating the importance of motivation.

{Q7} What impact has mentorship had on the lives and educational journeys of the girls from Code4CT? Mentorship is a really important element of the program.

We have Women in Tech sessions where women who represent the broad array of opportunities in tech-based careers share their professional journeys. These sessions help the girls form tangible ideas of what their options are.

The mentors’ stories weave together to paint a picture of how technology enables you to contribute to almost any field you are passionate about.

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Online Education Is Breaking New Ground For SA Professionals

An Interview With Sam Paddock, CEO, GetSmarter

{Q1} How effective is online learning proving to be within the South African context?

Online education is gaining in popularity throughout the world. There is now sufficient evidence to show that online education can deliver exceptional outcomes. South Africa is no different. The significant growth in demand for online courses that we have experienced, indicates that working professionals throughout South Africa believe in the value of online education and are willing to pay for it. All courses are designed with practical, relevant workplace-skills in mind.

{Q2} What misconceptions do you think people have about online learning?

People tend to group online learning into a catch-all description. In reality, there are many different flavours of online learning, as is the case with face-to-face learning.

It is often believed that online education is less expensive than contact-based education. This can be true for certain forms of online education. But our experience is that where providers take the opportunity to fully realise the potential of online education, with a specific focus on using online technologies to have more contact between teachers and students, then online education can be just as expensive, if not more, than contact-based education.

{Q3} Why is it important to foster a culture of learning within the workplace?

When we embrace learning, we arm ourselves with a powerful tool for navigating any change.

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A culture of learning is a necessary competency for companies that wish to survive and thrive in the modern economy. At GetSmarter we have six values that define the character of our team. One of these values is that, We Honour Learning. This is true because we are in the business of learning. And we are also growing very quickly, which leads to a lot of change internally. When we embrace learning, we arm ourselves with a powerful tool for navigating any change that comes our way.

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{Q4} Which trends have you noticed in online learning and in GetSmarter particularly?

{1} Universities are experimenting more and more with online education.

{2} Increased personalisation of the learning experience. Predictive analytics, where software uses behaviour and demographics to flag at-risk learners, is driving this personalisation.

{Q5} Tell us a bit about GetSmarter students and how your education model works for them.

We serve working professionals who wish to learn in order to advance their careers.

The typical age group is between 25 and 45 years old, and they live in South Africa as well as several other African countries.

Our students are busy people. Most of them have full-time jobs, a family, and a busy social schedule. And yet they are hungry to learn. Our online courses allow them to fit their study – which can be more than 15 hours per week – into these busy schedules. And they receive proactive, personalised support from their teaching team, including a dedicated coach, to help them get through. Based on our unique approach to online education, we are proud to have 94% completion rates. This stands out in stark contrast from other online education models.

{Q6} Many may argue that online learning is somewhat impersonal and generalised rather than suited to the individual needs of students. How does GetSmarter ensure that the needs of individual learners are catered to?

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Look what the cellphone, WhatsApp and Facebook has done for relationships.

People are now able to be in more contact with the people they care about.

The same explosion in opportunities for connection between people applies to online education. And when compared with large lecture halls where a lecturer can’t tell how engaged their students in the back row really are, online education allows for an unprecedented degree of personalisation based on students behavioural data that is simply impossible without the use of technology.

Online education has a very exciting future. We feel privileged to be part of this rapidly growing industry.

About GetSmarter GetSmarter partners with top-tier Universities to present career-focused online short courses, postgraduate programmes, and professional accounting programmes. Our Virtual Learning Environment – an immersive platform designed to replicate, and even enhance, the very best elements of a traditional classroom – facilitates a collaborative, student-centric learning experience.

Our unique competence is based on our people-driven approach to online learning, coupled with our ability to offer a full-service, turnkey online education solution for our University partners.

This model has resulted in an average course completion rate of 94.7% across a portfolio of over 60 university-certified short courses, over 6 years.

We would argue the opposite. Online technologies open up the opportunity for more connections between people, not less. And more personalisation, not less.

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Changing The Paradigm: How To Thrive Within A Learning And Sharing Environment Roxanne Janse Van Rensburg, Account Manager, World Wide Creative

“Ouch, that was actually quite hurtful.”

“Well, only if you take it personally,” she said.

“Take it personally? How could I not!” I thought, trying my best to reverse the traitor tears swelling up in my eyes and replace them with a look of cool, calm and obviously not collected.

Fast forward a few years and I find myself saying those exact same words to a lip quivering, little lamb who, I am pretty sure, will continue giving me death stares for the next week and offering me ‘sugar free’ biscuits with my tea just to see me gain back those dastardly few kg’s and not know why.

What paradigm are you using to validate yourself and your colleagues?

Surely, there must be a less painful, more efficient way to change the way we are naturally hard-wired to think, act and learn that doesn’t require years of hard knocks and bruised ego rants.

Enter the wondrous learning & sharing culture – a place where talent is no longer treacherous, and the inconceivable “I don’t know” has a sunken spot on the couch. But how does a hardened, corporate ladder climbing junkie thrive in such an inconceivably nurturing environment?

I suggest this can be achieved by implementing a change in personal pattern – one that enables individuals to embrace education in an organisation and thrive within a learning culture to his/her own personal benefit and that of the company.

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{1} Identify The Paradigms You Are Referencing At Work In the darling classic, 7 Habits of Highly Successful People by Steven Covey, the author uses an analogy of a man driving in a new city with the wrong map. Irrespective of the man’s intention to change his behaviour or attitude, he stays lost. By following the advice of his manager to ‘stay positive and try harder,’ all that changes for the lost traveller is that he gets lost twice as fast and is very enthused about it.

What paradigm are you using to validate yourself and your colleagues? In other words are you pre-judging yourself and others based on an external expectation formed by the societal norms we accept?

The client is king and should be treated better than a peer. A manager will be right and an intern always wrong or an accountant could not possibly teach the marketer about selling an idea. If you change the pattern by which you assign roles and expectations, you will take the first step towards a new way of thinking and engaging with others.

{2} Make The Transition From Independent To Interdependent Ah – independence; something we learn is the epitome of our classification of success from the time we tie our own laces to the time we realise someone has to pay for the shoes those laces tie. No longer dependent, but independent. I see my inner tyrannous toddler stomping two tiny feet and yelling: I-CAN-DO-IT-MYSELF!

See how your talent and ability can be used to achieve a greater whole.

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Of course it is important to make the transition from dependent to independent and to appreciate the work and effort it took to get there. But once you have patted yourself on the back for long enough, see how your talent and ability can be used to achieve a greater whole.

Become interdependent. Your true value and honest prosperity comes from achieving something bigger, with people that know better than you.

Lou Gerstner, legendary CEO of IBM, hit the nail on the head when he said that, “in the end an organisation is nothing more than the collective capacity of its people to create value.”

{3} Cultivate Your Security With Enduring Principles Does your validation still come from outward factors, for example the car you drive and the title you hold? I really believe the reason so many of us fear rejection, are afraid of public speaking, and even to the other extreme, overcompensate with brash statements and audacious assaults, is because our delicate, self-preserving sense of security is based on the external affirmation of those around us.

If you have the courage to become vulnerable on the surface of your life because you are invulnerable at your core, you will find that: It no longer hurts and, It is no longer personal.

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Fig 2. Study and you will gain knowledge.

Follow in the footsteps of those who have gone before you, and you will gain wisdom.

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Learning and Sharing: How Does Your Company Measure Up?

Louis Janse Van Rensburg, Director: Johannesburg, World Wide Creative

Every day I meet with leaders in business, marketing and technology. Every day I play an active role in helping them define and make an impact on their business. This is a privilege, I know.

As an entrepreneur within the digital space, being exposed to a variety of approaches to running a profitable business and creating value in the digital era is a big part of my personal growth and ambitions. And by a “variety of approaches” I mean witnessing the ‘best of the breed’ – but also not the best.

An internal learning and sharing philosophy makes a distinct impact on revenue, reputation, collaboration and level of innovation.

In working with some of the world’s most well-known brands over the course of 11 years and seeing their handling of digital’s impact on their organisations, I can categorically state that there is a direct and very measurable correlation between fostering a learning and sharing culture within a business and its level of digital maturity. An internal learning and sharing philosophy makes a distinct impact on revenue, reputation, collaboration and level of innovation.

The evidence (empirical, theoretical and anecdotal) is undeniable: organisations who embrace a learning and sharing philosophy, are able to consistently sustain their mastery of digital compared to the erratic nature of their competitors’ digital activities.

Digitally mature companies are on average, 26% more profitable – regardless of industry.

(MIT Center for Digital Business, 2013)

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Fig 1. The Four Quadrants Of The Learn-Share Health-Check Model

{1} Stagnation (Share: LOW; Learn: LOW): Culture: Organisations that have very low levels of learning and sharing that take place are typically categorised by a high degree of cynicism within their ranks.

A culture where too often ideas and the execution thereof are a result of impulsive brain farts by a select few extrovert personalities.

Digital Approach: The definition of a digital strategy for these brands is nothing more than an impulsive set of ideas, executed in a noticeably uncoordinated way.

Financial Impact: The financial performance of these companies more often than not resembles that of a lifestyle business – the lack of growth is dependent on macro-environment factors such as interest rates and industry cycles i.e. factors out of your control.

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{2} Casual (Share: HIGH; Learn: LOW): Culture: An emailing-culture is evident where anything that resembles something that can be seen as useful is “shared” to an undefined group of others within that organisation. These organisations are often seen as “talk-shops,” where a high volume and variety of opinions manifests itself, but with little action. Sharing thus has no context and no real influence on decision-making.

Digital Approach: Organisations that have a high degree of sharing, without it being based on a set of learnings are typically categorised by a lack of impact.

They have a hard working digital team, but an all-too-often absent ROI. Financial Impact: The financial performance of these companies often smacks of inconsistency.

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{3} Isolation (Share: LOW; Learn: HIGH): Culture: Big, bureaucratic organisations frequently fall within this quadrant, where individuals are hard-working and exposed to a lot of information. They attend conferences, sit in workshops and have a very active RSS and social feed from all the major marketing news sites. Learning however is a tick-of-the-box situation.

Thus, the sharing of these learnings with others is kept at a minimal.

Digital Approach: The digital strategies of “Isolation” organisations are often very good – on paper. When presented to others, it makes sense – however the lack of collaboration with internal and external partners often results in a very mechanical roll-out of digital programs – also too often on a campaign by campaign basis.

Financial Impact: The financial performance of these companies is “safe,” displaying steady and incremental growth with no real down-turns or on the flip-side, bursts of growth.

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Financial Impact: The financial performance of these companies shows healthy long-term growth but – like a coiled-spring – also displays bursts of growth sparked by intentional investment and good ROI. There are some very strong psychological drivers that underpin the value of learning and sharing. There is the immediate rush of dopamine that comes with seeing/ experiencing something new, and when that experience proves to be meaningful it continues to provide happiness, through memories, long after the eureka moment.

Similarly, the effects of giving are linked to happiness, health, social belonging and self-confidence. The effects are contagious. Learning and sharing fuels learning and sharing.

It’s been proven that when the novelty centres within your brain are stimulated, with each new stimuli you are given a little rush of motivation to explore further and further. And the cycle continues.

Digitally mature companies are on average, 26% more profitable.

{4} Meaningful (Share: HIGH; Learn: HIGH): Culture: A culture of moving forward and very intentional decision-making. A healthy sense of the organisation’s brand values and sense of control over its destiny. They show intent in a) their pursuit of knowledge and why they are pursuing it and b) the way they distribute, use and monitor the impact of that knowledge.

Digital Approach: The digital strategy has inherent value in it – for the brand and its community. The approach consists of a strong “always-on” foundation combined with very intentional bursts in digital activities.

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Seven Lessons On Staff Training

Sean Riley, CEO, Ad Dynamo

Not all training ends with a diploma.

Our business has been fortunate to have experienced significant growth over the past two years. Remote offices in Africa have also introduced a new challenge. Ensuring that our team members are all aligned with the business and up to speed with new products has been a big focus during 2015. I’d like to share a few insights from the experience.

{1} Training Doesn’t Always Need To Be Formalised Some of our most valuable ‘training’ sessions have been impromptu get-togethers around the office, addressing a subject that has shown itself up as an area for development. Not all training ends with a diploma. I’ve always been surprised by how many employees don’t consider ad hoc teaching, skills transfer or knowledge sharing as training. It is, and it’s extremely valuable.

{2} Telling Is Not Training Giving someone information isn’t training. If it was, universities would all be out of business and we’d all be able to ‘read a new degree’ without any instruction. The best kind of training is through doing rather than telling.

Instruction through demonstration is far more powerful than sharing academic information, and it makes the information practically relevant.

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{3} Test All The Time This has been an important lesson for us. Giving someone information without discussion, review and testing is of little value. Training should allow learners the opportunity to apply new information and fail in a safe environment. Not all team members have the courage to highlight a knowledge deficiency. Testing is the only way to ensure that your team are all up to speed. We regularly get our team to pick random questions from a hat and answer them in front of colleagues.

I never fail to learn from my peers – everyone communicates the same piece of information differently and this gives you great perspective.

{4} Self Learning Is A Valuable Life Skill As a developer, I appreciate the significance of self-learning. All good developers have a strong self-learning ethic since it’s critical to remain relevant in a fast moving industry. Whilst some information needs to be taught, lots of information and skills can be self-taught. If you’re dependent on others to raise your knowledge set, you’re limiting yourself.

{5} The Magic 2 Months

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{6} Review All The Time Regular, bite sized feedback is much easier to process than a 2 day training session. Review every customer meeting, observing what you did well or what you could improve on. Reviews are a great platform to gauge an individual’s opinion of their own performance – it’s always healthy when team members are able to acknowledge areas for development themselves.

Regular, bite sized feedback is much easier to process.

{7} Embrace Feedback You get two types of people: those who love and embrace feedback about their performance and those who find it threatening. I’ve found that I gravitate towards those who embrace feedback: when an individual is willing to hear what you think, they are more rewarding to work with. Likewise, receiving feedback is a positive experience that I enjoy: there is always room to grow. Those who are threatened by feedback will leave our business in a few years, no better than the day they joined.

The first 2 months is critical to successfully integrating a new team member. It’s the window of opportunity to ask ‘stupid’ questions and develop core knowledge about the business. After this period, it can be intimidating for anyone to ask questions that they might be expected to know the answers to.

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From Paper To Pixels: News In The Digital Age

An Interview With Chris Borain, CEO, African News Agency

The African News Agency is the continent’s first news syndication service covering current affairs, politics, business, lifestyle and sport. The agency is backed by a number of African businessmen including Ladislas Agbesi, the executive chairman of the Pan African Business Forum and Dr Iqbal Survé, executive chairman of Sekunjalo Investment Holdings. Chris Borain, former CEO of Primedia Online and head of business development for BBC Worldwide Australasia, is the founding CEO of ANA. The syndication of news content is driven by world-class technology, tailor-made to suit this ever-evolving, frenetic media landscape. We met with Chris to find out more about delivering news online.

{Q1} It’s been almost a year since the launch of the African News Agency, how are things looking?

ANA was officially launched on April 1 2015, which still feels like an April Fool’s joke. We had just over a month to launch the service after learning that SAPA’s shareholders were “pulling the plug” and efforts to work with other media owners were going nowhere.

Within a week of ANA’s launch, two other NewsWire services also launched (one of which has subsequently closed down) – so it’s been a frenetic 9 months to say the least. Competition for NewsWire staff was at a premium, and we were extremely fortunate to have a great mix of experienced and enthusiastic junior journalists join us at the outset – and we’ve continued to build a great team, both in South Africa and into Africa.

A number of SA’s leading media houses are clients, which has given us a steady revenue base to work from as we expand and improve the offering.

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It has also been an honour to be recognised as SA’s leading News Agency by the news agencies of the other BRICS countries – and we were invited to attend and present at BRICS Media Forums in Russia and China towards the end of last year. Ultimately, our goal is to be Africa’s News Agency – telling the African story, to Africa and the world.

{Q2} ANA has been positioned as a digital content-generation and syndication service. How has digital given it the competitive edge?

Because we were starting from scratch, we were fortunate to be able to imagine, design and create a news service for the future without having to rely on outdated tech, equipment and operating methods.

And because we will be operating across the continent – the ability to digitally create, edit and syndicate content is of critical importance.

We partnered with the guys at Afrozaar (a home-grown digital publishing company led by Richard Cheary) to use the Baobab Suite to power ANA. The digital newsroom requires a variety of content forms (text, audio, picture and video) and the Baobab Suite enables us to upload content from anywhere, edit on the fly and distribute to our clients instantly.

{Q3} Does writing for digital require a shift in mindset?

Moving to “digital-first” requires a massive shift, both in terms of mindset as well as technology. Journalists are now able to see whether their story has resonance with the reading public, how much of the article is read, and which other forms of digital story-telling are required to make the story complete.

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The story needs to be different depending on the platform. A news story is first broken on Twitter – with its character limitations – and then on a digital device (mobile-phone, tablet, laptop/PC) before reaching traditional media platforms (print, TV and radio).

As a NewsWire we need to provide content to our customers that enables them to utilise all their distribution channels as speedily as possible. Digital makes this possible.

{Q4} What challenges has ANA had to overcome in terms of delivering content and how have you managed to carve a niche for the agency in the current online economy?

The shift to digital has resulted in a number of challenges:

{•} The reduction of print revenues and the shrinking of the newsrooms has meant that NewsWires are required to provide more content than previously. {•} Digital audiences require content on an immediate basis – there can no longer be long lead times in which to deliver breaking news stories. {•} From the outset, ANA was established to enable our content to be published on our platform(s) – and hence to be presented to our clients – immediately. We are able to file from the field, in a number of different formats, to enable our clients to break the news in their chosen format and time.

The big challenge was ensuring that the Baobab Suite was able to handle this requirement, and that we equipped our journalists with the right tools.

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Because of, and thanks to the proliferation of new digital publications, both in South Africa and throughout the rest of the continent, as well as the requirements of existing traditional media outlets, there will always be a need for breaking news and information.

A NewsWire provides this service, as well as aggregating other news and information sources at a fraction of what it would cost each individual newsroom. So, there will always be a requirement for the service that we provide.

We were fortunate to be able to imagine, design and create a news service for the future without having to rely on outdated tech, equipment and operating methods.

{Q5} What do you predict lies ahead for digital-first media agencies in the South African context?

Thanks to the proliferation of smartphones, and cheap data (hopefully soon), South Africa and Africa is on the threshold of a media and content explosion.

ANA, as well as our technical and design partners (Afrozaar and World Wide Creative) are uniquely positioned to take advantage of the explosion by providing content and technical know-how to the next wave of digital-first businesses.

However, further fragmentation of the digital landscape by local and international entrants, as well as the loss of (advertising) revenues across traditional media platforms is always a threat to a content provider such as ourselves.

Providing fast, accurate and credible news across multiple platforms, will ensure that we are able to take advantage of the digital boom.

{Q6} With the upsurge in citizen journalism, how do you as an agency remain relevant and cutting-edge in terms of quality content delivery?

Thanks to the pervasiveness of Twitter / Facebook / Instagram, citizen journalism will play an important part in the identification and breaking of news stories.

The credibility of news is just as important though.

Particularly as a NewsWire – our clients rely on our news being credible and accurate in order for them to break the news to their audience.

So while news can be broken on social media, it is important that a credible voice adds a stamp of authenticity to it – that’s where ANA comes in.

Fig 3. The educational stature of a nation will determine its weight-bearing ability – its strength, its capacity for endurance, its ability to stand tall.

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Evolution and Adaptation Are The Keys To Greater Digital Integration In The Corporate World An Interview with Keano Johnson, Digital Marketing Sales Manager, Santam

To reach a wider audience with digital in South Africa, you have to go mobile.

As the digital marketing sales manager for insurance giant, Santam, Keano Johnson is responsible for facilitating the delicate balancing act between traditional and digital channels in order to meet commercial objectives. His introduction to digital began with a diploma from the Vega School of Brand Leadership. His experience spans a number of managerial positions which preceded his appointment to a digital-centered role at one of the most ubiquitous insurance brands in the country.

Our team sat down with him for a chat about doing digital in the corporate world.

{Q1} In your opinion, how does South Africa compare to the rest of the world in terms of digital competence?

I would say that 10 – 15 years ago there was a significant gap in terms of our technical competence and innovation.

Today that gap has narrowed considerably with more focus on digital as a feasible distribution channel.

Also, a more digitally-savvy and digitally dependent audience has been a catalyst for major development and constant innovation in this field/industry. We’ve seen some very creative and technically driven work executed by companies/agencies in this industry over the last 10 years.

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It’s become commonly accepted that to reach a wider audience with digital in South Africa, you have to go mobile.

With 1.5 mobile devices in use per South African, the bulk of good B2C communications is going to continue to be backed by strong mobile strategies and marketing initiatives. This is not unique to South Africa but it’s still an important distinction that will continue to play out over the next few years.

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townships with WiFi in the near future.

The benefits to this will be enormous in terms of growing audiences, markets and of course the educational benefits that come with information that is readily accessible to all South Africans.

{Q3} How important is digital to your organisation’s marketing strategy?

{Q2} What are the greatest challenges to digital in South Africa?

Skills and infrastructure. Skills in the sense that there is a high demand for technically competent digital marketers all over the world. With very attractive salaries abroad and greater internal mobility within South Africa, it means that employers have to work hard to attract and retain digital experts who have the right blend of creativity and development abilities.

Infrastructure impacts on the ability to reach audiences. The access and cost of fixed-line internet connections is still lagging, while mobile data is prohibitively expensive. Luckily there are some very switched-on organisations out there who are working hard to bring connectivity to developing communities.

As far as I am aware there are currently several initiatives to supply earmarked

We’ve seen a significant increase in return year-on-year from our digital marketing efforts. Conversely there has been an annual decrease of ROI from traditional marketing channels.

Digital is obviously very important to us but it’s now becoming a far more significant component for reaching our audiences. Numbers don’t lie and the forecasts for proportionality between traditional channels vs digital channels is not a difficult one to predict.

That’s not to say that traditional channels for marketing will disappear, they will simply have more of a weighted role in relation to digital.

We’ve seen a significant increase in return year-on-year from our digital marketing efforts.

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{Q4} Which challenges do large organisations face with integrating digital into their internal systems?

The digital space is constantly evolving. It may require brands to learn how to use different platforms rapidly.

What may have worked previously may not work in the future. Evolution and adaptation are key here.

Digital requires an agile approach, and large organisations tend to take a long-term view on things, which digital may not be able reciprocate. An example of this is an organisation’s decision to enter into the social media arena. They allocate budgets at the beginning of the financial year, with a 2 to 3 year view on developing these channels.

If you consider that Twitter and Facebook were the main focus for social media channels two years ago, while today we see an exponential growth in Instagram and Whatsapp (with Twitter being less of a focus) – it’s easy to see the demand for an agile approach. Having the ability to anticipate this and being able to adapt to changes in the digital environment, requires a giant to be able to move with agility and speed.

The division between creatives and technology experts is going to blur exponentially.

Another challenge is internal communication across different teams, departments and products to align clear outcomes and expectations. This is particularly true when it comes to closing the gap between creative and technical strategy. To a degree it’s now a prerequisite for creatives to have a better understanding of technical parameters and opportunities in order for their work to have the greatest impact.

The division between creatives and technology experts is going to blur exponentially as further specialisation takes place. Until then, there is gap that large organisations need to be resourceful in bridging in order to meet their targets.

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The Five Simple Truths About Training “The Right Way”

Sue Cilliers, Traffic Manager World Wide Creative

The delivery is just as important as the content.

In an era where maximum speed, efficiency and competency plays a bigger role than ever before, the optimisation of companies to meet these standards, is imperative. One of the biggest challenges in pursuit of this, is connected to the fact that company processes may span a number of different systems. When these systems are not in sync with each other, effort is duplicated, the workload is doubled and data is mismatched.

To further complicate the situation, product updates arrive almost as quickly as newer products are designed. The digital marketing industry is increasingly awash with new techniques and tools. Within this rather tumultuous digital environment, two schools of thought on the necessity of training, have emerged amongst managers and team leaders. One group believes that regular team training is imperative. The other believes that the rate of change renders training (at least in the conventional sense) utterly useless.

But imagine what would become of a business in the digital space if management did not make provision for training. Granted, not many companies can afford to send their staff on training on an ongoing basis but “on the job training” is already in place and being tailor-made to meet the needs of individual employees.

According to Steve Jobs: “Technique develops over time and concentration must be put on form first, no matter what you are training to do. You are going to get far more out of training the right way, than you will by throwing stuff together without learning the techniques or having a smart gameplan. Take the time to learn, to ask questions, to study others, to hire a coach, and to get a personalised program.” That will then, in turn, enable people who can take appropriate decisive action to meet customer expectations.

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Gordon Beherman, Karina Olivas and Amit Dar reached the same conclusions after their 2004 study on labour market adjustment efforts for the World Bank.

Training the “right way” and ensuring actual knowledge retention, relies on understanding the following five truths:

{1} ‘Spoon-Feeding’ Courses Are Counterproductive: These courses simply enable those who are prone to expect all the ‘thinking’ to be done for them, while taking little initiative to develop progressively and consistently.

Effective training includes an application/ execution component.

{2} Different Personalities Respond Differently To Training: Some employees might be easily overwhelmed by the content while others may automatically take the lead during sessions. In each case, a different approach to sustainable learning is required. Most times, it’s a juggling act between confidence and competence.

{3} Most People Don’t Voluntarily Do Training: They just don’t. Yes there are eager beavers on every team but it’s counterproductive for a handful of people to increase their skills and capabilities while the rest lag behind. Find a fun way to integrate training into the work day.

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{4} Different People Prefer Different Teaching Methods: This is true for both teachers and students. Mike Perk, MD of World Wide Creative calls his favourite technique, the “bludgeoning effect.” According to Perk, 10% of the people in the ring will learn something – and of the initial 10%, only 10% will really be able to action anything once they leave the classroom.

It’s therefore very important to establish upfront if a person learns best by hearing, speaking or reading material and then conduct the training accordingly.

{5} People Are Diverse, With A Diverse Range Of Skills: Employees may be involved in the same processes from day to day but may work in different departments or have little to no direct communication with other departments. Avoiding miscommunication, unnecessary delays, inefficiency and poor performance is a matter of negotiating these diversities and considering each department’s individual requirements.

Effective training is entertaining, interactive, custom-made (or at least ‘made to measure’) as well as informative.

The delivery is just as important as the content. Outmoded, annual group training with cluttered Powerpoint presentations and the promise of a few mini muffins and coffee, is just not going to cut it.

As the Italian philosopher Antonio Gramsci said, “The old is dying. Don’t get buried with it.”

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Is The Tablet The Whiteboard Of The Future For Corporate Training?

Glenn Gillis, MD, Sea Monster

No-one would dispute that corporate training is a necessary process for all organisations. Some might even say training is now more important than it has ever been.

Good customer service training for example, can enable staff to better deliver experiences in line with brand promises, thus minimising the incidence of inconsistencies and an imminent social media onslaught.

Yet training is often met with resistance from employees (and even their managers) who consider it to be boring, time-consuming, and maybe even unnecessary.

Traditional class-room style training can even come across as being condescending – taking the employee back to their school days when they were awarded less autonomy and more rules!

{1} The Logistics Challenge Another big challenge with corporate training is the logistics of planning and delivering a training program to a large number of employees at the same time.

The practicality of getting everyone in one room is a mammoth task in itself, and this is especially the case with companies that have different branches across South Africa or Africa. For companies that are trying to reduce their carbon footprint, the environmental cost of transporting employees to their training destination is also a contentious issue.

Significant relationships are, undisputedly, the basis for significant learning.

These logistical challenges, along with the increasing prevalence of smart devices, have prompted many companies to integrate digital learning materials into their training programs. Instead of having everyone in one room, now training material can easily be sent directly to the employee’s desktop, smart phone or tablet, so that they can go through the material at their convenience.

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Across Africa, access to the internet is becoming ubiquitous in companies of any size, making digital training more and more of a realistic and beneficial alternative.

{2} Making Use Of Emergent Content Delivery Methods Generally, companies have already developed their training programs over the years, and have established the message and content they wish to deliver to their staff. With corporate training budgets also always being under pressure, companies are reluctant to do an overhaul of their established programs and are doubtful of the return value. So let’s accept for now, that the content itself exists in most companies, albeit in traditional forms (PowerPoint, lesson plans and so on).

We are really still at the beginning stages of the so-called e-learning revolution.

Is it enough then for companies simply to tweak their training programs to take advantage of the emergent content delivery methods? We are really still at the beginning stages of the so-called e-learning revolution, with a lot of functionality and learning potential being overlooked or dismissed before its value is really felt.

Remember when the internet first became globally accessible? At first, companies keen to take advantage of this new platform would eagerly scan in their existing brochures, price lists and

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flyers and upload them onto a single web page. This method would be considered outrageous today – why would anyone use a website simply as a viewing mechanism for their paper flyers? It is missing the point entirely, oblivious to the advantages that we have come to take for granted on modern websites.

In the same way, companies should be careful not to simply push their current content onto new digital platforms.

Uploading existing presentations, PowerPoint presentations and other training material could simply be a matter of putting “paper behind glass.” Without context, and a trainer delivering them, much of the content could be meaningless and confusing.

Companies should not miss a significant opportunity to take full advantage of the capabilities that e-learning platforms and smart devices provide. Imagine having your best trainer at work all the time, delivering the best learning experience consistently? Using all the skills that great trainers have, e-learning material should be story-driven, visual, fun and interactive.

Words we don’t often associate with PowerPoint, unfortunately.

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{3} Understanding Staff Needs People are expecting bite-sized pieces of information on-demand – why should training be different?

Companies should also be making an effort to understand how their staff’s demands are evolving, and adapting their training material to incorporate these changes.

Understanding the audience and finding ways to engage them is vital. People are expecting bite-sized pieces of information on-demand – why should training be different?

In an African context, differing cultures, literacy levels and language can be a barrier that can be overcome with cleverly designed e-learning content. For example animation, interactivity and games can cut across these divides to drive home key ideas and truly drive changes in staff behaviour.

Clearly people also learn at different rates, and have different inherent knowledge and experiences that traditional teaching has difficulty dealing with. Smart devices allow uniquely customised learning pathways for each staff member. People can go through modules that are problematic several times at their own pace without the pressure that comes from class-room style learning.

And gamification, or the application of game theory to how people learn, interact and explore materials, is a proven way to drive engagement and return on training investment.

So in summary – little will ever replace great face-to-face training, customised to each person’s unique needs.

Increasingly though this has become expensive, timeconsuming and isn’t without an environmental impact.

Simply trying to replicate traditional learning onto smart devices would miss a significant opportunity to create new and cost-effective training interactions. Keep it byte-sized.

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Fig 4. The power of observation was an invaluable tool in the hands of history’s greatest inventors. Watch and learn.

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The Future Of Education: Online, Part-Time?

Published in partnership with UCT and GetSmarter, online education provider.

Significant relationships are, undisputedly, the basis for significant learning.

Various local events as well as global trends have been asking some serious questions about the state of higher education of late. Whether it be lack of access to the majority, or the relevance of institutionalised and sometimes outdated knowledge in an increasingly globalised and shifting economy, the way in which education is conducted has come under its fair share of scrutiny. Against this backdrop, we ask: how might online learning influence education, both locally and abroad, for the better?

The best indicators can be found in the roots of what traditional educators seek to provide for students: access to relevant knowledge through an engaging learning environment.

{a} Access Accessible is defined as “able to be reached” and therefore includes considerations like location and admissions limits. The downfall of a physical university campus is that it limits access to those who live far away, and puts a cap on the number of students it can accommodate.

Online learning answers both of these considerations as students from anywhere in the world are able to participate, as long as they have a reliable internet connection.

There is already evidence of this shift locally in South Africa, with internationally respected institutions, such as the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business, pushing the boundaries of access by allowing for executive education to be engaged with online and part-time.

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{b} Relevant Knowledge Although many will rightly argue that a primary education from a recognised school and a tertiary education from a prestigious university will continue to hold some weight, at least for the foreseeable future, it’s hard to deny the fact that people want relevant, practical and immediately applicable knowledge – a desire not often fulfilled through traditional education.

Consider the amount of learning that is still a necessity for most as soon as they enter the workplace, even if their studies were focused on the field they entered.

An efficient education programme would make this a seamless transition, leaving further education up to the employee’s desire for career advancement, and not up to necessity.

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As structured and supported online learning (no, we’re not talking about MOOCs) gains momentum in SA, here are four noteworthy ways tech is being used to replicate those elements of the traditional classroom experience:

{1} The Didactic Tradition: Lectures.

The Tech Solution: Video.

Videos produced for the sole purpose of distance-based online education offer opportunities to take it up a notch.

Here, the learning experience is purposefully enriched through the use of graphics and animation; turned into an interactive quiz or branching scenario using platforms like Interlude; or designed to encourage collaboration with sharing tools such as Movenote.

{c} Learning Environment Maybe the biggest challenge facing online education is the simulation of the benefit that students derive from physical interaction and interpersonal discussions in classrooms and lecture halls, as well as the traditional ‘university experience’.

Technology is moving education out of the classroom and disrupting established models of contact-based learning, which, traditionally, consists of the following four components:

{1} Didactic instruction (content delivery) {2} Facilitation (instructors and advisors guiding and supporting the learning process)

{3} Collaboration (students working with each other)

{4} Assessment (including exams, homework, assignments, reflective exercises, etc.)

{2} The Facilitation Tradition: Tutors, student advisors.

The Tech Solution: Predictive analytics.

Much like the marketing industry is leveraging the shift to digital in order to target, measure, and optimise their campaigns in ways never before possible, online learning providers are now utilising the latest tech to build custom learning analytics platforms.

It’s this access to real-time analytics from students’ online learning activities that’s given rise to the role of the Performance Coach: a studies-focused support structure empowered with the information needed to identify students who are at risk of falling behind with their studies, and proactively intervene to keep them on track.

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Significant relationships are, undisputedly, the basis for significant learning.

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{3} The Collaborative Tradition: Tutorial groups, project teams.

The Tech Solution: Predictive analytics Significant relationships are, undisputedly, the basis for significant learning.

While online, distance-based education can’t quite replicate the atmosphere of students sitting in the sun on UCT’s Jammie Stairs, for example, online communitybuilding tools (like Adobe Connect) are successfully recreating the collaboration and interaction required for meaningful learning.

{4} The Assessment Tradition: Supervised exams.

The Tech Solution: Webcams Online exam proctoring platforms like ProctorU, Respondus, and Tegrity are fast rendering old-school invigilators obsolete.

An added bonus? Plagiarism detection tools are, of course, built into most LMS platforms and have therefore become an automatic extension of the assessment process.

In more ways than one, online learning providers like GetSmarter are taking steps to mimic the experience of face-to-face education through engaging learning material, discussion forums, dedicated course instructors and continued support throughout the online learning journey.

Rob Paddock, Chief of Education at GetSmarter, noted the importance of these factors when he said, “Support of this nature ensures that learners remain motivated throughout their online learning journey.”

Online educators have put measures in place to equal, and even improve upon, traditional learning practices, but only time will tell if these measures are effective enough to shape the future of education.

From the looks of it, they just might be.

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When Social Entrepreneurship Challenges The Digital Divide

An Interview With William Makgaba, Digital Visionary & Founder, Vexospark

Fellow students laughed because I didn’t know how to open or use Microsoft Word.

William Makgaba is a digital, social entrepreneur who identified a need for basic technology and internet access within Limpopo’s rural communities. His story is of a visionary who started a fully-fledged community technology centre with one computer and seven educators. Basic computer skills has been a way out of poverty for at least 60% of those who complete the program at William’s initiative, Vexospark. Access to Vexospark’s programs has no age limit. Where there’s a need that can be met using ICT – Makgaba has found a technologically driven way to meet it. We were honoured to have the opportunity to chat to William about his professional journey into the ICT field and his vision for online education.

{Q1} “From Gardener to Internet Entrepreneur,” is how one writer has described your journey. Can you tell us a little bit about your background and how you became a social entrepreneur?

I’m William Lesetja Makgaba from Mmadiga Ga-Dikgale (Limpopo, Polokwane). I’m the 4th child of a single parent who recently passed away. I started working as a gardener after matriculating in 2003. It was a blessing for to be a gardener because my employer (I used to call her Ou Miessies) helped me to obtain an A+ Certificate in 2004 and supported me financially in 2006 when I registered with UNISA. In 2006, fellow students laughed because I didn’t know how to open or use Microsoft Word. That laughter was an eye opener and motivation for me. I realised that many people from rural communities will struggle after matriculation because of lack of access to ICT. In 2008 before she (Ou Miesies) passed away, she gave me one PC (System Unit) without a keyboard, mouse or screen. Her last words to me were, “William, go and

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have a better future.” Then the principal at Kgohlo Primary gave me a keyboard, mouse, computer screen and some computer lessons. That was the beginning of Vexospark.

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{•} Through the She Will Connect Project, woman in rural areas can connect to each other and the world via the internet. This program offers online wildlife courses like anti-poaching, wildlife photography and game ranging.

{•} Our centres allow UNISA learners to {Q2} What is Vexospark?

Vexospark is made up of two words: “Vexo” meaning “shake” and “Spark” as in “light.” I looked at the scarcity of computer literacy in rural communities and saw Vexospark as a way of shaking things up and bringing ICT to those communities.

{Q3} Tell us more about the challenges faced by rural communities and how Vexospark is playing a part in tackling those challenges.

The main challenges include the fact that the use of ICT is limited to urban/ rich people. The evolution of ICT and the slow implementation and roll-out of ICT’s are also very real challenges. People in marginalised communities are being left out of processes which affect their lives due to this lack of access.

Solutions:

{•} Vexospark is using ICT’s to develop marginalised communities into socially participating societies that have access to opportunities and information.

access the internet free of charge.

The future of Vexospark is very simple: Quality and Equal Education.

{Q4} You were recently awarded the 2014 Youth Emerging Social Entrepreneur Award by the University of Johannesburg. What has that award meant to you in terms of what you hope to achieve?

YESEA was the best achievement for me and Vexospark. It showed me that Vexospark is indeed making a stand against rural poverty through Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

It’s also derived benefits for the rural communities we work with. The University of Johannesburg is now offering a SocioEconomic Development Online course for some NGOs and NPOs in Limpopo.

The future of Vexospark is very simple: Quality and Equal Education. The only way to achieve this is through ICT. Online Education (education programs, online courses etc) is the only way out of poverty.

{•} We have a program called Edustation to help learners in the foundation phase to learn maths, life skills, numeracy and literature using computers.

{•} The Mindset Learn program for Grade 10 – 12 learners provides access to all learning areas, using computers.

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Fig 1. A Fresh Start: The Ikageng IT Centre in a remote rural school in Blouberg, Limpopo.

A Vexospark establishment.

{Q5} What are the most important

Fig 2. Empowered: Participants in the She Will Connect project – an initiative that aims to bridge the gender divide in IT. In partnership with Intel®.

{• }

Poverty reduction due to greater access to information and opportunities.

{• }

The enhancement of e-learning and m-learning (Quality and Equal Education).

{• }

The ability to participate in the community and beyond.

{• }

The ability of individuals to share their own stories and those of their communities.

characteristics of a successful and effective computer training centre?

Success is determined by the centre’s ability to close the internet gender gap. It’s about connecting women to each other as well as to economic opportunities. By changing the lives of women, we also benefit families. That is the reason why Vexospark is working with Intel on the “She Will Connect Project.”

{Q6} What predictions do you have for the future of digital and digital education in South Africa?

{•} More communities getting connected to

{Q4} Any other comments?

opportunities and information.

{•} Skills development. {•} Greater social inclusion. More communities being able to engage with business and government.

Digital Education is changing lives across the planet. It will boost rural communities’ education standards and potential, increase students’ sense of empowerment and contribute to greater GDP and market opportunities.

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Educational Legacide Must Fall.

A Fresh Perspective On Learning From A Guy Who Wrote A Book On It An Interview with Rich Mulholland, Founder, Missing Link

Rich Mulholland is the founder of South Africa’s largest presentation firm, Missing Link and the co-founder of the country’s first “perspective lab,” 21Tanks. He is also a guest lecturer for The Cape Graduate School of Business and the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS).

In addition to these impressive credentials, he is also a blogger and columnist for Longevity and Destiny Man magazines.

On 03 November 2015, Rich enlightened the Heavy Chef audience on how to master the fine art of presenting. But his expertise extends beyond how not to suck in front of a crowd. Mulholland is the author of Legacide – a book about how the “legacy” approach to learning is the silent killer of innovation. We were eager to find out more.

{Q1}

Your book introduces the concept of legacide, which you also addressed in your talk at TEDx Cape Town. Tell us a bit about the concept of educational legacide.

The core idea of educational legacide is that we hang onto certain inherited legacies that are nonsensical in today’s day and age eg. the longer you study the smarter you are.

{Q2}

“Information for knowledge’s sake, not for certification’s sake” – is what you advocated for in your talk at Tedx Cape Town. Tell us why ongoing learning is critical?

Because, relevance. We study for longer at the start of our career, which may have made sense in my dad’s time, but certainly doesn’t in my son’s. The world is changing fast, and those changes are coming faster and faster. The old model for studying – learn at the beginning of your life and use it for the rest of it, is simply outdated. If people want to stay relevant and thus hireable, they need to adopt the mentality of lifelong learning.

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{Q3} One of your most recognisable mantras is: “It’s not about doing something new, it’s about how to stop doing something old.” Can you expand a bit more on this?

Sure, when we started consulting on innovation, we fully expected to be coming up with new ideas – hell that’s exactly what we wanted to do! Unfortunately, logic had other plans, and more often than not we simply ended up stopping an old and outdated process that was put in place to solve a problem that hadn’t existed for ages. This opened the floodgates of innovation.

{Q4} How can people change the “legacy mindset” and be more innovative?

They can start by realising that saying something is wrong now, is not the same as admitting that it was wrong then (our brain’s dont like admitting that they made mistakes).

You don’t have to justify an idea’s existence – simply its ongoing use. Take a critical look at your business and ask yourself if it’s finely tuned for the world we live in today, or the world we lived in five years ago. In most cases, my money’s on the latter.

Reclaim yourself, question everything.

Curiosity is the aphrodisiac of education.

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{Q5} What has your most pivotal educational experience been in your career?

I’m not sure that there has been one, but there has been a pivotal mantra, and that’s “reclaim yourself, question everything.” It’s tattooed on my body and printed in my book. It can sometimes make me appear like a douche, but mostly it just keeps me curious, and curiosity is the aphrodisiac of education.

Fig 5. Master the art of listening and you will learn not by amassing information but by understanding the complexity of the human experience.

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Real Change: The Hallmark Of An Effective Learning Program

Mike Perk, MD & Head Of Digital Training, World Wide Creative

Consider this scenario: you’ve attended a lecture or workshop and have come away feeling hugely motivated by what you learnt. On the drive home you start to formulate how you will start to take what you’ve learnt and implement it in your workplace. Your notebook is jam packed with useful tit bits that are going to make a huge difference to your work or career. You even bought the book to accompany the training folder you were given, both of which will take pride of place on your desk as you work through your action plan.

You arrive at work the next day, still hyped and raring to go. But first you need to catch up on the work you missed yesterday. I mean, you were out for a whole day and if you don’t get on top of that first, everything will grind to a halt. By the end of the week you’ve finally managed to catch up and the weekend beckons, but you’re ready to hit the ground running with your new approach on Monday morning. Press restart.

You step into work on Monday only to face a barrage of emails and telephone calls. This cycle continues – days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months. The action plan quietly drops down towards the bottom of your to-do list and those notes, folder and book finally get moved to the shelf behind your desk and eventually stored deep in a drawer or at the back of a storage cabinet somewhere.

I know you’ve been there.

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This is a sad story I hear over and over again from people at all levels in business, from CEO to intern. I call it the bludgeoning approach to training.

Get people in a room, either lecture or workshop key learning points. Keep reenforcing it throughout the day with the hope that bludgeoning it home will have an effect. Yes everyone may come away feeling positive, but ask them a month down the line if the session made a longlasting impact on the way they work and only 10% will answer yes (if you’re lucky).

The problem is that we keep putting training budget towards this type of learning with little real measurement other than a feedback form directly after the session that asks us for our favourite part of the day, whether the facilitator was good and if the food was okay at lunchtime.

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{1} Start With The End In Mind.

All skills development needs to be aligned with business strategy. This informs the skills, knowledge and competencies required. If the skills being learnt haven’t been aligned with an opportunity to fulfill your business strategy, then it’s never going to relate back to the work you really do. Make sure you answer these questions first:

Strategy:

{•} What is the current strategy? {•} What are the business drivers?

Environment: The real questions that should be asked, should be asked a month or so later: “How did the training impact you or your business?”

“Was that impact a positive one?

“What has changed since then?”

In my opinion the change question is critical to any successful learning program. If you don’t consider it in your planning, execution and measurement, you’re just throwing your money and time away. If money and time isn’t important to you, then keep doing what you’re doing and stop reading here.

If it is important (which I’m sure it is), here are my three key tips to ensure that change management is integrated successfully into your learning program.

{•} What are the current business {•}

challenges?

What issues in our current environment could have an impact on learning and application?

Competencies:

{•} What are the critical competencies

{•}

required to meet the above challenges from a personal, interpersonal and technical perspective?

What knowledge, skills and attributes are required to deliver on the required outcomes and strategy?

All skills development needs to be aligned with business strategy.

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{2} Confidence Is Built In The Classroom But Competence Is Gained In The Workplace.

Learners build confidence in their knowledge on a particular subject matter through experiential learning in a classroom, lecture hall or online. But they only build real competence through application and implementation in the workplace. To ensure that this happens, you have to clearly define the projects or work-flows that the learning needs to be applied to, with a clear understanding of how that change will be measured.

When designing a development program with change in mind, you have to consider the following key questions:

{• }

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{3} Understand How You And Your Team Learn Best.

Everyone learns in different ways.

Some prefer self-study, some prefer conversation and collaboration, and believe it or not some really do prefer role playing. We also learn best at different times of the day and week, depending on our energy levels or deadlines. It’s important to find the optimum combination of styles and times that will achieve optimum results.

There are three questions you need to ask the learners before you design or choose a development program:

{•} How do you feel you learn best (solo, workshops, online, etc)?

How do learners apply/demonstrate these competencies?

{•} What can they do differently as a result of attending training?

{•} How does the learning program support this process beyond the workshop?

{•} What time of the day do you feel at the most optimum to learn new things?

{•} Do you have any example of where learning has worked for you, and when it hasn’t?

{•} How do we measure application in the short and long term?

{•} How do we measure ROI (Return

on Investment) and ROE (Return on Expectation)?

In conclusion, effective learning has to combine knowledge with clear intention and objectives. These objectives are gained by conducting purposeful conversations with your team. The learning program itself needs to be tailored to help achieve those objectives.

Combining knowledge transfer with clearly defined, practical application brings about positive, long-lasting change.

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The Employed Media Opportunity: How To Turn Risky Employees Into Social Media Ambassadors Craig Rodney, MD,Cerebra

There isn’t a business owner or HR manager who doesn’t get cold sweats just thinking about what their employees do, say, and share on social media. The scale of the business risk is tough to stomach, but there’s a golden marketing opportunity just waiting to be unlocked.

Employees own their personal social profiles, but that doesn’t mean they’re free to publish anything they want.

What they publish can, and does, have a direct impact on their employer, no matter how fancy the disclaimer in their bio.

Employees are the biggest media asset that is currently being completely ignored.

In fact, employees are the biggest media asset that is currently being completely ignored. By ignoring the risk (which most businesses do), you’re ignoring an opportunity to convert your employees into social brand advocates who collectively, have both reach and influence.

Mitigating the risk and unlocking the opportunity can be achieved together through the correct training.

As soon as you recognise the potential of the “employed media opportunity,” you will start to understand that mitigating the risk and unlocking the opportunity can be achieved together through the correct training.

Social savvy employees, empowered with the knowledge and tools to represent the brand, overflowing with great content to share and be proud of, will contribute more to your online brand conversations than almost any other demographic. So why do we ignore them?

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Truth is, we don’t trust our employees. This lack of trust means that most employees are deliberately excluded from information until it’s officially in the public domain.

The moment you exclude an employee from the process, they’ll exclude you from their social channels. And rightly so.

By identifying those employees who would best serve as brand advocates, we can actively involve them in the content production process so they feel ownership and pride in the content the company is publishing. By training and educating our employees we can trust them with information and bring them in on the news before it goes public. It’s also their news after all.

It all starts with training, which is why Cerebra built an online social media academy with the specific purpose of educating corporate employees on successful social media use, to help companies identify the best brand advocate candidates, and to build and run an employed media asset that both mitigates the risks and consistently delivers value back to the business. Cerebra’s Employed Media Opportunity eBook covers this topic extensively.

Your social media policy will not save you. Education is your best option.

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If you don’t invest in training then your only option is to wait until it’s your turn to go through the social media wringer over something an employee said. Or worse, fall foul of corporate governance or legislative guidelines because of an uneducated employee’s online behavior.

Sadly, your social media policy will not save you.

Education is your best option.

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Knowledge Empowers – So Pay-It-Forward: A Case For Workplace Mentorship

Ryan McManus, Executive Creative Director, NATIVE VML

Education in South Africa is a tricky topic. Matric pass rates. Undelivered text books. #FeesMustFall. Where do we begin?

Writing about education seems a little pointless. Another opinion. Another tweet. Another online debate. I think the time for talk is over. We all have to do our part. And that applies to the workspace more than ever before. It’s a nationwide problem that is not industry specific.

I remember one of my student jobs behind a bar in a popular Cape Town restaurant. I knew how to work in a bar. I knew how to mix a cocktail, pour a beer, make a G&T. Easy. But when the rush for post dinner espressomacchiato and cappuccinos came in, it got ugly. The angry, little machine printing the slips was relentless.

Everyone was demanding their post dinner caffeine fix at exactly the same time. My response was to send milk frothing everywhere – all over the bar, waitresses, and even a few stunned customers. I had never made a proper coffee, let alone gently wafted a perfectly frothy cappuccino in my life. No one had ever shown me how to.

Of course it was going to be a disaster.

I see countless grumpy, angry people at restaurants, shops and boardrooms, infuriated with the level of service they are receiving. And it’s not entirely the employee’s fault. The employee has not been properly trained for what they are being asked to do.

Everything you could want to know is out there somewhere, a few clicks away.

In the connected information age we live in, it seems crazy to talk about education when almost everything you could want to know is out there somewhere, a few clicks away. And yet still we have most of our country without access to the single greatest resource of information.

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Education is, however, more than just information. More often than not it requires a human interface. A little guidance here or there. A certain way of explaining things. Some practical knowledge. A teacher. And the overload of information is too intimidating. Someone once described the internet as trying to get a glass of water from a fire hydrant.

And if you don’t know what you don’t know, it becomes even harder to educate yourself.

I think there is always one key ingredient for success – great mentors.

Education is the most fundamental building block of any society. It’s what improves us, generation after generation.

It’s what drives industry, new business, new ideas and inventions. And we don’t all need a Harvard or fancy private school education to be great. But I think there is always one key ingredient for success – great mentors.

Since my early failures at making coffee, I always looked to work with, or for, a mentor. Someone I could learn from.

Grow with. And ask a lot of questions.

The great thing about mentors is that you can learn through osmosis. Just by being around them. Watching, listening, discussing.

I have been lucky to have some incredible mentors. I can count them on one hand – but they have all had an incredible impact on my life. And they continue to do so even when they are not around. I feel as if they are the building blocks of my career.

Doorways that I got to go through. And without their help and guidance those doorways wouldn’t even have been found, let alone been unlocked and walked through.

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I think that mentorship is the key to transformation. It can grow our country.

Our economy. Our future. Passing on knowledge is vital. Teaching those younger than you, those less experienced, is a responsibility we should all take on.

We should all strive to be mentors. This doesn’t mean that you have to rush off and start teaching high school kids trigonometry – that might be a disaster in my case. It means your company could take on learners, interns and trainees. It means we can train people to have skills or up-skill existing employees. It can be as simple as explaining the reasons behind a decision you make, so that someone can learn the reasons behind your thinking. And of course we run a risk of them being offered a job once they have those skills and running off to a higher paying opportunity. But doesn’t that just make it great?

Isn’t that what we want in our country?

Our workforce. Our people. Don’t we all want to be challenged and work with people with great skills? Whether they are in our own office, or in those of our clients, partners or suppliers?

Teaching people what to do like a parrot is one thing. As mentors we need to teach people to think. To debate and discuss.

To criticise and question. To reason. We have to teach our employees to formulate opinions by looking at a problem from different angles, researching it, understanding it and then backing up those thoughts with real reasons.

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There are so very many opinions being broadcast in the world every nano-second, but so little substance behind those opinions. So little awareness of knowing why you think what you do. What formulated that opinion? Is it really yours or is it from someone else? From something you read? From something unsubstantiated that you heard? Are your opinions really yours?

If you can teach people to think for themselves, you can arm them for every possible problem they could encounter. They might not have the answer to the problem. But they will have the tools to find the answer.

The tools to build or search for a solution. And with the confidence you would have instilled in them as a mentor, they would also have the self-belief that, as my dad always told me, ‘For every problem, there is a solution.’

And if you know something, don’t protect it. Share it.

I think it’s up to everyone to be a mentor, a teacher. And if you know something, don’t protect it. Share it with your staff, your colleagues, your juniors. If you know how to help someone, then do it. It could change their lives. I think the ancient Greeks put it well: ‘Society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they will never sit in.’*

A great company is made by great people.

The education of your staff should be a significant part of your investment in your company. Not only because it will improve their lives and opportunities. But because a great company is made by great people. And if you can make your people better at what they do – it will pay off in dividends.

The gift of education from an employer is a gift for life. The employer may be paid back many times over in loyalty and productivity. But that gift, will also make society richer. (*NOTE: Quote taken from highly successful Ancient Greece, not present day Economically Crippled Greece)

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Fig 6. The survival of the human race hinges on its ability to learn. Like blood, education sustains, nourishes and renews.

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Thinking Digital: Change Management For Corporate Marketers

An Interview with Ahmed Kajee, Head of Digital Marketing, Old Mutual Emerging Markets

The challenge is about people and getting people to see the need to change.

Meet Ahmed Kajee – the head of digital marketing for Old Mutual (Emerging Markets) and one of the country’s most esteemed experts on marketing management. As a born leader with an entrepreneurial spirit, Kajee found his niche in digital and has over 15 years of experience as an innovator in the industry. The Mail & Guardian selected Kajee as one of the “Top 300 Young South Africans you have to take to lunch,” in 2009. Men’s Health Magazine deemed him to be one of the “Six men under 35 who will shape the next decade,” in 2010. As a public speaker, Ahmed is passionate about sharing insights on digital and is involved in an array of youth development and entrepreneurial programmes. We sat down with him to get his perspective on digital change management and what that means for one of SA’s largest corporates.

{Q1} What impact has digital made on the financial/ investments sector in South Africa?

Internet banking, mobile banking, mobile value-add. It’s enormous. Remember deposit slips, getting stamps at the teller and needing to complete forms? Those are all things of the past. From a financial services perspective, internet banking revolutionised how we interact with our money, manage our accounts, how we pay for things – everything.

And it all happened recently – over the last 10 years. We need to appreciate that.

Think about M-Pesa, MTN Mobile Money, Payment Pebble and Snapscan. Those things have revolutionised the way we do peer to peer transactions. If it had not been for this revolution to internet banking, then to secure baking, SSID and online credit card payments, e-commerce wouldn’t have taken off like it has. The effects have been far-reaching.

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{Q2} At ITWeb’s Digital Economy Summit, you presented on the importance of defining a digital marketing strategy within a business context. Can you share some insights on that topic with us?

A lot of digital marketing strategy happens to speak around tactical implementation and digital marketing best practices in terms of campaigns, creativity, app development, mobile advertising, content marketing – those sorts of things. Those are all great and there’s a place for that in the role of the digital marketing practitioner. But when you elevate the conversation to an organisational level, you start asking: when we look at how to utilise digital data analytics to inform bigger, broader decision-making in terms of how we go to market and shape the organisational strategy – is it at board level? Because there’s a fundamental distinction between being a practitioner in digital marketing and defining a strategy vs how digital can inform business strategy.

In hiring and recruiting for example, we now have what’s referred to as digital natives. And digital natives don’t necessarily work within the 9 to 5 paradigm. Yes social media doesn’t sleep but organisations have daily work schedules that start at time x and end at time y. These considerations bring together digital, recruitment and business strategies within an organisational context. Also, if you start thinking about complexities like shifting budget to digital marketing, what do you do with traditional advertising? If you employ people trained in TV and above the line and print advertising, what happens there? So there are nuances that are embedded in how you actually execute the strategy and take it to market. It’s not just about the practitioner.

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{Q3} What is your approach to digital change management within a large organisation or brand?

You have to look at it realistically. I’ll use an analogy. If you’re in a speed boat and want to change direction – it’s quick. You simply change the steering. But when you have a mammoth of a ship and you want to change direction, you can’t do that quickly. That’s why the Titanic sank. It is possible but it takes a while.

As long as the organisation does the right things to plant those seeds of change from top to middle and lower management and so on, you will start seeing it happen.

The challenge in large organisations is that there are very good reasons for maintaining the status quo. And on a balance of probability, you have to have more people advocating for the change than you have people who advocate against it. So the challenge is about people and getting people to see the need to change.

Change by its very nature is difficult.

One of the theories on change is that it requires a certain level of dissonance – where one’s current world and future world or current thinking and future thinking have to collide in order to see change. Some people take longer than others to accept and be happy with that dissonance. People become accustomed to seeing the world in certain way. Likewise, organisations become accustomed to seeing the world in a certain way as well.

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Look at the case study of Kodak – for years, the brand was embedded in traditional photography and print. They didn’t see digital coming up behind them.

In fact, they did see it, but for them it was ‘business as usual.’ If you look behind the psychology – people there weren’t trained in a manner that enabled them to be comfortable with change. Under those circumstances, adaptation becomes extremely difficult.

{Q4} What about change management within the Old Mutual context?

By virtue of the fact that we’re a 170 year old brand that looks after people’s money, there has to be considerable amount of trust. We have to be very cognisant, risk sensitive and considerate about how we show up in the market.

Ask yourself, “would you like your money to be invested in a company that follows the latest fads at a whim?” The answer will most probably be no. Conceptually we have to ask – as an organisation do we really want to be leading or are we comfortable with being a fast follower or a follower? These are the discussions that are currently happening and will continue to happen as change takes place.

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{Q5} Can you comment on the current talent pool of digital marketers in South Africa and what needs to change in order for practitioners to become truly invaluable within a business context?

This touches on one of my biggest bugbears. There are people who refer to themselves as digital marketers simply because they’re competent at doing social media marketing. But do they understand ORM? Do they know about social business? Do they recognise the complexities that exist in using social media as a PR tool vs live tweeting for an event vs using it in as part of an ad campaign? I find that too often they may have no inclination of the level of complexity that the discipline entails and yet they refer to themselves as social media experts. That’s just one example.

There are important distinctions to be made, for example the difference between digital marketers vs digital account managers vs digital strategists and digital campaign managers. You get a campaign manager who works with analytics and online marketing and a campaign manager who works with integrated marketing communications. Yet no one is making these important distinctions. It begins with the fact that tertiary education organisations are educating students using only one piece of the digital picture.

The result is a digital analytics “expert” who has completed nothing beyond a Google analytics course.

There is amazing talent – it just needs to be streamlined. I have yet to see a degree in digital marketing. Maybe this is what needs to be formalised from an academic point of view so that the future of the profession can be shaped correctly.

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Mentorship In Digital (Not Just Digital Training), Is Critical To Industry Transformation Sarah Blake, Digital Consultant & Author, ThisIsBlakey

It’s the very nature of digital that makes agencies need to learn more in order to keep up the pace.

“A culture of learning” is a hallmark statement of many digital agencies in South Africa – perhaps that’s actually confirmation that none of us really know what we’re doing and so are learning on the job as we go?

I make that statement facetiously, but it’s the very nature of digital that makes agencies need to learn more in order to keep up the pace. A learning environment tends to be a marker of effective digital and technology businesses: organisations such as Google and Facebook don’t refer to their offices, they talk about campuses. Even as digital agencies mature, the DNA of needing to learn remains incumbent, because those agencies are led by people who needed to do just that when they started out. And the pace of change within the digital landscape means that an ability to learn and adapt is vital to remaining competitive.

So many agencies have become environments that value and often reward learning. There is active encouragement to make use of the growing world of learning opportunities online, from learning to code via Codecademy (www. codecademy.com) and specialising in robotics via edX (www.edx.org) to Philosophy for Managers via Coursera (www.coursera.org). The opportunities are almost endless However this only serves those who are already predisposed and able to make use of these tools. They’ve learned how to research and are comfortable with trouble shooting on forums. They have high speed home internet and are choosing between Netflix or a certificate in Cognitive Neuroscience Robotics. Where we still need to work much harder as an industry is expanding these opportunities to those who might not have the same access opportunities.

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As our industry matures, learning and training in order to facilitate transformation is a critical task for all of us. It is not just about BEE points, external trainers and an HR department. It is about meaningfully examining our businesses so that a culture of learning is a culture of mentorship.

Setting up a mentorship programme takes time, patience and an acceptance of trial and error in order to get to a position where it works both for the individuals and the business. Start small to find a rhythm that is repeatable before you try to scale.

But in order to make it scaleable, consider addressing these areas:

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work. Learning how to do the work often involves the mentor identifying simple projects with long time-frames that are ideal for learning and applying concepts.

Learning to work comes from spending time with the mentor in the work context.

A great way to incorporate the second area into already busy days is to have the intern shadow the mentor, and do the fundamental tasks that keep things moving – such as helping to arrange and set up meetings (and learning about how to choose who will be in sessions and their roles), and being responsible for meeting notes and follow-ups (so learning how to listen, distil and communicate).

{2} Give It, And The People, Time. {1} Make Mentorship And Training Part Of The Job, And Part Of Your Business.

Agencies are businesses, and the business imperative of the agency needs to be met. In order to make any programme sustainable, it needs to be integrated into the day to day business of the agency, as opposed to a nice-to-have extra. BEE ratings and points for training and development investment already provide some incentive. However, there needs to be internal motivation, reward and recognition of the time investment needed in order to embed mentorship and training practices within a business.

Role descriptions and KPIs could include a component for training and mentorship.

Processes for delivering work could incorporate timelines (and costings) that allow for on the job training with sufficient oversight. Building training into the existing ways of conducting your business make it more likely to happen.

Making mentorship part of someone’s job is a great first step. Coupled with that, respect mentors’ time by not having too many reliant on one person. As you embark on a mentorship programme, work on building and facilitating one on one relationships. This will help to ensure that the mentor still feels like she or he has enough time in the day to do the rest of their job.

Remember that these programmes take time. Progress, for the business, for the programme and for the individuals, is not measured day by day, but rather at best month by month. It takes a long view and perspective to understand the impact and growth of this investment. But like any good investment, the growth is compounded.

Two areas need to be addressed: learning how to do the work, and learning how to

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{3} Provide Support To Those Providing Support.

There are few people who are natural teachers and mentors, and so those who are mentoring are often learning on the job themselves. Support them and recognise them.

2) Learning and training in order to facilitate transformation is a critical task for all of us.

A bi-weekly check in amongst all mentors can help to create an opportunity to share challenges, approaches and questions. Mentorship and training programmes that focus on bringing individuals into the workplace that would not have had the opportunity otherwise, often find that most of the effort and input required is not necessarily on specific job skills, but rather on life/work skills. This can be a scary prospect for the mentors, and so as the programme grows, a business will need to set in place structures to support this.

{4} Ensure That There Is A Consistent Go-To Person Whose Role Is Focused On Overall People Welfare.

Because this type of mentorship and training goes beyond particular job skills, a go-to person who understands people and personal growth is a critical player in overall success. Ensure that this person is not just there for the interns and youngsters who are learning and being mentored, but also for those providing the mentoring and training.

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Is Your Industry Changing Faster Than You Are?

Published in partnership with UCT and GetSmarter, online education provider.

We currently live in an age where the rate of knowledge is doubling every 13 months. If you’re an ambitious professional looking to make impact in a world that’s evolving at this pace, upskilling is vital.

“The time to learn is no longer measured in terms of months/years. Time to learn is measured by what you need to learn, and how hard you are willing to learn. As you are part of a global workforce, you need to adjust to changing needs and learning must be a part of everything you do, as change is an inevitable part of your future.” – Marilyn Hallett

Lifelong learning may be a deliberate act, but it’s also an attitude.

Lifelong learning may be a deliberate act, but it’s also an attitude. It’s about accepting the fact that what’s relevant to you now may not have been what was relevant straight out of school or even university.

It’s about realising the value of school and university in shaping your thinking and giving you foundational knowledge or skills, but acknowledging that later in life, once you have career experience, you are more in tune with the specific skills or talents that you need to develop further.

This approach to learning has seen the rise of the non-traditional student - generally someone who is:

{•} financially independent {•} several years out of high school or university {•} often married or a parent {•} already in a full-time job; and/or {•} dedicated to a set career path

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These students typically have more life experience, which affords them a more mature approach to learning.

Whereas traditional students have the freedom and time to pursue different degrees or to change majors, non-traditional students are often faced with financial constraints and a lack of time. This makes lifelong learning an imperative and highly valuable action for them to take.

Committing to lifelong learning by taking short courses, obtaining part-time postgraduate diplomas or investing in other educational programmes not only makes you better at what you do, it also makes you indispensable to current or future employers.

The reality is that your capacity to learn and grow doesn’t diminish as the years tick by, but your attitude towards learning will be what determines the impact you have on society in the future.

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Fig 7. To learn is to go beyond the subject matter, to take a microscopic look at how the sum of even the smallest parts can make a greater whole.

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Forget B2B and B2C. Try The People-To-People Approach To Marketing.

An Interview with Tarryn Knight, Marketing Communications Manager, VW South Africa

Tarryn Knight is the Marketing Communications Manager for VW South Africa – a title that calls for a forwardthinking approach to digital and an appreciation for what the online world can offer the automobile industry.

With over 10 years of experience working in the private ownership communications market and more recently, the commercial vehicles market without VW, Tarryn has some unique perspectives on where marketing is headed and how digital fits into the bigger picture. We sat down with her to share some insights.

{Q1} How did you get into digital?

I studied marketing communications and obtained an honours degree from Pretoria University. My first role was at an SME doing marketing and communications strategy for government organisations – specifically branding and the marketing of government institutions.

I then went over to the UK to expand my international experience. While I was there I thought it would be great to be a brand manager for a progressive and respected brand, and the first company I explored when I returned to SA was Volkswagen.

I decided to go into the VW offices and drop off my CV in person. Strangely the planets must have aligned. The first thing they said to me as I handed over my CV was: ‘Good timing. We are actually looking for a Brand Manager.’

Ten years later and I’m still at VW. I’ve worked both for the passenger brand and over the last year, for the commercial division.

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{Q2} Is there a distinction between the way you approach marketing on the private ownership side vs the commercial side of VW? I ended up undertaking an extensive research study for my predecessor, in order to explore the differences and overlaps between the commercial and private ownership space in the automotive sector. One of the main observations is that the buying process is far more rigorous on the commercial side. That said, the people who are responsible for a fleet in a company are motor enthusiasts and at the end of the day we are all consumers wearing many hats.

My opinion is that we consume media in a way that suits our personal preference as an individual, rather than in relation to the ‘hat’ that we are wearing at any given moment. In other words we carry through our subjective preferences as people regardless of the role we may be occupying at a single point in time.

The main learning from this is that you cannot have a blanket approach for commercial vehicles just like you cannot have a blanket approach for retail – you have to view your audience as people – not job titles or statistics.

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vehicles that a company uses may be resisted due to fear of the unknown but this could be post-rationalised in many different ways.

{Q4} What do you think will accelerate the growth of digital strategy in South African corporations?

The capacity for management to be brave and bold. As a generalisation, technology seems to be best applied and understood by the young. This means that there can be considerable differences in terms of understanding how things fit together and their benefits between digital experts on the ground and senior management.

Therefore a fair amount of any growth in digital is going to be based on trust.

In other words I may not understand this, but trust that as a digital expert you know what you are doing and have my company’s best interests at heart.

Large companies almost have to structure their digital budgets in a way that grows that entrepreneurial spirit internally. In turn digital marketers need to be empowered to be able to address the issues they face without having to follow the older, hierarchical approach to escalating problems.

{Q3} Perhaps the terms B2B and B2C may be a bit outdated then, if consumers make decisions based on their subjective interests. Your thoughts on this?

A fair amount of any growth in digital is going to be based on trust.

Yes definitely. As buyers we predominantly make decisions based on emotion and then post-rationalise our decisions. We like to think we make decisions logically but so many studies have indicated that this is far from the truth. For example, changing the fleet of

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{Q5} Where do you think the biggest digital opportunities lie for the motor industry in SA? We’re not quite at the point where you can buy a car online yet. But I don’t think it’s far off. I also think that as bandwidth improves there are some great opportunities for allowing people to demo and explore cars from their laptops.

You could essentially take an HD tour of the car that you are interested in before leaving your home and going to the showroom. We’re not quite there yet, but it’s certainly on the cards.

We’ll see some incredible technological innovations, within digital, come out of SA within the next 5 - 10 years.

The other aspect is that we have some incredible talent in SA within digital – people who are not stuck in a preconceived sense of where things are going. It is my sense that we’ll see some incredible technological innovations, within digital, coming out of SA within the next 5 - 10 years as a result.

{Q6} To wrap up, here’s the tough one – do you have any evidence that digital is directly impacting on your sales at VW? That is a tough one. But if you think about it, people don’t just buy a car. A massive amount of research and thought often goes into the decision...well for most people anyway.

That means aspects of that exploration are going to span channels – both online and offline. As a result, measurement by mapping something straight back to digital is not possible.

I think the key thing is to be seen to be dominant as an automotive company and use all of the channels at your disposal to create that subliminal influence on how people perceive your brand. If you were to talk about how useful the latter is in a digital space, the impact is indisputable.

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Effective Digital Education Begins With The Basics

An Interview With Deborah Whitlock, Account Director, World Wide Creative

{Q1} How are South African companies faring in terms of becoming more digitally savvy?

There is still scope for agencies to provide proof of digital’s efficacy and steer the direction of integration.

Our landscape is changing rapidly. For leading companies (think SA’s big banks and top retailers) digital integration is already highly sophisticated, considering the size of our market and quality of our internet. What this means for agencies is that in order to retain clients such as these, we must keep abreast of trends and technology. We’re moving into an era in digital marketing where agencies need to innovate in order to thrive and ensure that our position in the market remains unique.

However I do think that digital marketing is not quite entirely a commodity in South Africa yet. For some clients, digital agencies are still at the forefront of driving greater integration. Knowledge of digital at senior management or CEO level is still in its developmental stages for these clients. More companies are realizing that ignoring the move towards digital as an essential component of the marketing mix, is futile so there is still scope for agencies to provide proof of digital’s efficacy and steer the direction of integration.

{Q2} Have you noticed any common digital trends while working with clients across a range of industries?

There has been a massive upsurge in e-commerce, and South African audiences are now more comfortable to shop online. From website design and usability, to fulfilment – SA’s ecommerce has successfully stepped onto the world stage. Purist digital retailers such as Yuppiechef, Spree, Takealot and Superbalist are easily on par with international e-commerce brands so emerging online shopping brands have some great examples to follow. More and more clients are showing interest in developing their own e-commerce components

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We’ve also witnessed a swift increase in digital knowledge within the in-house marketing teams of some of South Africa’s top brands. This has a massive impact on how agencies develop relationships with clients and there are amazing opportunities for digital consulting where account managers and directors can become proponents of real, sustainable growth for their clients.

The most impactful digital developments have followed trends in customer behaviour.

{Q3} Which developments in digital are offering corporates the most value in terms of their marketing efforts?

By far the most impactful digital developments have followed trends in customer behaviour.

A great example is the meteoric rise of responsive design, which allows a site to scale seamlessly, depending on which digital device is being used. This means an overall great customer experience, no matter how a site is viewed. Research has shown an increase in the simultaneous use of digital devices. Therefore to keep customers coming back, brands who are quick to adopt digital responsiveness are winning.

A second noteworthy trend is the shift from product focused marketing to storytelling. This is helping brands appeal to an audience that no longer responds to an ‘infomercial’ approach (think the Dove ‘Real Beauty’ campaign). Compelling content with emotional appeal is being used increasingly to spark engagement and broaden reach. We’ve seen the likes

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of native advertising surge, as brands look beyond run-of-the-mill techniques for innovative ways to continually capture attention.

{Q4} What technique is invaluable to you when presenting a technical idea to a client that’s relatively new to digital?

I make sure I understand the idea thoroughly first! It seems simple but that principle has helped immensely and is the first step to communicating any idea effectively.

{Q5} What are the most important aspects in any corporate training program in digital?

{•} Getting Back To Basics: No matter how complex a concept is, if a good foundation has been built on the basic underlying idea, trainees will be able to grasp it. The rest is all about practice.

{•} Defining Channels And Metrics: How will the success of a digital campaign be measured? Traffic generation? Lead conversion? Revenue? Understanding how metrics should be used is key.

{•} Consulting Case Studies: Nothing is more effective than cold, hard proof that the theory can be applied in a practical way.

{•} Establishing Relevance: Trainees need to have a clear understanding of what digital marketing can do for their specific business.

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I Propose A Free Education Project For 2016

Wesley Diphoko, Founder and Director, Kaya Labs

In 2013, Gloria Sekwena died during a stampede at the University of Johannesburg. She was queueing to register her son to study medicine. The reality is that there was not enough space at the university to accept everyone who wanted to study medicine at that institution. Each year there are long queues and chaotic scenes in South African universities due to limited space.

The #FeesMustFall movement in 2014 has reminded South Africans of the need to enable the youth to access education. Although the fees have fallen to a certain extent, South African universities cannot practically accommodate everyone who has the desire to study.

Academic institutions were not designed to accommodate the current demand for education. They were designed during a period when only a few were privileged enough to access such facilities.

We are now living in the New Digital Age that has opened access to education beyond buildings and facilities.

The next evolution of education has to take into account the current demands for education. We are now living in the New Digital Age that has opened access to education beyond buildings and facilities. In responding to these changes, Kaya Labs was designed and developed to provide all South Africans who have the desire to study, with access to education. It is a platform that includes online and offline educational components.

Kaya Labs’ features educational material that is endorsed by institutions across the world as well as leading experts in each field. This online component and learning material is accessible to everyone. However, it remains inaccessible to the South African youth who reside in townships and have limited internet access.

For this reason, an offline learning platform has been created in the form of a lab where young people from townships can access educational content. The prototype of this lab is currently operating in Kayamandi Township, Stellenbosch.

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In view of the need to reach out to South African youth in townships and in response to the call for Access to Education by the #FeesMustFall movement, bold action is required.

Proposal: A need exists in South Africa to ensure that no one ever dies or becomes indebted in their pursuit of a good education. To meet this need, we will work towards enabling every township and rural village in South Africa with access to education using the Kaya Labs platform.

But we cannot do it in isolation. We need committed South Africans to support this vision in the following ways:

{1} Education Champions In each township, there is a need for an education champion – someone who will be at the forefront of driving learning efforts within the community.

{2} Education Facility

Each township needs to identify a building that can become an access point for education in the community. This will be a place where young people can access learning material. It will also be a place where young people can collaborate on education projects.

{3} Education Projects

Learning should include a practical component – the application of what was learnt. A part of this process could involve communities identifying local challenges that can be turned into projects for learners, who will be given the opportunity to develop solutions. These projects will serve as evidence of practical advancement and competence, which will positively affect their potential for employment and funding.

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{4} Experts The best people to learn from are people with field experience and insight.

These include entrepreneurs, activists and leading professionals, who will be encouraged to contribute to this educational project by sharing their knowledge with young people within the educational environment provided.

{5} Recognition Candidates who complete these courses will not carry formal academic certification but will showcase their projects as part of their knowledge, insight and abilities. Their profiles will be showcased online where they can be accessed and recognised by potential employers and funders. It is vital therefore that candidates be recognised by outside institutions using an online badge system that will be created.

{6} Government Support

Lastly, government support will be necessary to recognise this institution as a legitimate environment for people to learn. It is imperative that the project is validated and supported by those in power.

This proposal is the beginning of a new approach to education and practical learning. In 2016, we have an opportunity to transform how people access education. All we need to do is to take a bold action and contribute where we can.

If you are interested in contributing towards the Free Education Project – 2016, please email wesleydiphoko@gmail.com.

Fig 8. Like the natural rhythm of inhalation and exhalation, true knowledge is gained through learning and applying.

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Knowledge Addiction. It’s Real.

Robyn Farah, Founder, KAT-O, Arduino Cape Town & The Modern Alchemists

Humans are addicted to knowledge.

In today’s business world, continued learning is essential to staying ahead of the game and keeping up with your competitors. As marketing writer Savannah Marie puts it: “Businesses succeed in one of two ways – either they achieve operational excellence or they innovate.” And in order to innovate, companies need to educate their staff.

That’s what we do at KAT-O. Curating some of South Africa’s most active maker communities; Modern Alchemists and Arduino Cape Town; and being a partner with Curiosity Campus, the most innovative educational hub in the country, we see time and time again that humans are addicted to knowledge.

Californian neuroscientist Professor Irving Biederma believes that “thirst for knowledge is like an opium craving.” He talks about the “click” moment that we experience upon solving a problem. It is at this moment that the human brain rewards you with a biochemical shot of natural opium-like substances.

These days many people fulfil these cravings for knowledge and problem-solving by playing computer games, reading the latest buzzfeed article or liking yet another Facebook post. At KAT-O, we have an even more fulfilling alternative.

KAT-O looks at ways that real world technology can be used to inspire businesses, fabricators, designers and engineers to stop staring at the screen and chasing the reward of that “click” moment. Our goal is to inspire them to start solving technical and creative problems as Makers instead.

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Fig 1. Maker Community: Participants tackle the Arduino Python course hosted by KAT-O.

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Fig 2. Eureka: A maker’s workspace is a place of unbridled experimentation and curiosity.

Curiosity Campus’s teaching techniques are adapted for each client and workshop, so our lecturers have to be experts in their field in order to answer technical questions on the spot. The courses range from virtual reality and drone building to Arduino home automation and python programming.

An 8 year old child and a retired engineer have both completed courses (with huge smiles on their faces). For our corporate clients we create specialized workshops, either to “level up” the skills of a technical team or to just have fun at a curated Hackday.

The modern world is changing so fast that it sometimes feels impossible to keep up. With our courses, communities and product development work we aim to make the future, and all it offers, accessible to all.

An 8 year old child and a retired engineer have both completed courses (with huge smiles on their faces).

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A Digital-First Approach To Marketing In South Africa

An Interview with Jacqui Boyd, Digital Marketing Manager, Johnson & Johnson (Sub-Sahara Africa)

Jacqui Boyd’s position as the digital marketing manager for Johnson & Johnson in Sub-Saharan Africa is preceded by an over 15 year long career in digital. Having witnessed first-hand as marketers adopted digital all over the world, Jacqui brings a wealth of experience to her current role. The Heavy Chef team was keen to get her perspective on the development of digital particularly in the South African marketing industry and within a corporate giant like Johnson & Johnson.

{Q1} You’ve been in digital for around 15 years and have

a fair amount of international experience – how have things changed in the space over that time?

I think an increase in budgets and the acceptance of digital as an integral part of marketing have been the biggest changes.

I was fortunate enough to start working in digital for a company called Carat Interactive in Los Angeles California in 2002. At Carat I learnt about search, display and display banners – which were mainly pop-ups – just as these channels were coming into being.

I worked with companies like Adidas and Mentos and I think both client side and internally we had no idea how big digital would become on a global scale.

Everyone talks about mobile in SA and for a good reason.

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Upon returning to South Africa in 2004 I was still fortunate enough to work for an international client base in digital. In 2008 I left to work for Mindshare in Australia and returned to SA in 2011. One of the most significant changes I witnessed upon my return to SA was the percentage share of marketing strategy and budget that digital occupied.

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Client budgets for projects in many instances went from R20 000 to almost R5 million in almost no time at all.

Although we may have lagged initially in our adoption in South Africa, it didn’t take very long for progressive clients to see the light.

{Q2} So South Africa has caught up with international players in the digital space?

I don’t think we have just caught up, I think in some respects we are even ahead of the game. Everyone talks about mobile in SA and for a good reason. I’m still in touch with many people in the industry in the US and Australia and when they look at case studies on how to be more effective in the mobile space, those case studies are typically from South Africa.

I think in some respects we are even ahead of the game.

{Q3} What do you think South Africa’s particular challenges in digital are?

Cost of data and the lack of free wifi.

We at Johnson & Johnson tend to target more of the middle consumer and while there are initiatives to install wifi at taxi ranks and so on, if you compare this with initiatives like free public wifi around the world we still have a very long way to go.

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{Q4} If the infrastructure issue was adequately addressed, what aspects of digital do you predict would enjoy the most growth?

I’m very passionate about the role of video in reaching audiences. It’s such a powerful medium for communication.

The problem is that if people are worrying about data costs, it’s seriously limited.

Digital is becoming a reach platform that is outstripping traditional mediums. A one-day Facebook takeover creates far more engagement than a linear platform that is far less interactive. People want to feel part of something and be heard.

With radio and television, while they are still necessary – you don’t have the same degree of certainty that you are reaching the right people and their opportunities to interact with your brand are a lot more limited. There’s no way to tell if they are tuning in to your communications and in an age that has placed measurement at the heart of our marketing efforts, this means that offline is a far more inexact science.

That said, the distinction between offline and digital channels is becoming more blurred. The likes of Spotify and Netflix are challenging assumptions around the separateness of traditional and digital channels. It’s no longer a case of buying radio or television time, but rather audiovisual time.

The interesting thing is that so many people are talking about reaching the ‘average’ South African but it’s not a complex problem to solve – it hinges purely on access to technology. If through collaboration, we can make this infrastructure more available, the opportunities for commercial growth are boundless.

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{Q5} How have you encouraged greater digital adoption company-wide?

It’s a continuous process for any company that is as large as Johnson & Johnson. We’re fortunate that we have been able to learn a lot from our teams around the world and avoid many of the challenges based on their learnings. Although it’s been a gradual process over the last 2 years, we are in a good position at the moment due to rapid acceleration over the last 12 months.

Digital is becoming a reach platform that is outstripping traditional mediums.

{Q6} Has digital measurably impacted on your sales?

That’s a tough one. We are very confident that it has – but measuring how much your efforts are impacting directly on sales when you are not selling online is incredibly complex.

Globally this is something we are working on, we know that people are engaging online and sales are increasing but the main question that needs to be asked for many brands, not just Johnson & Johnson is, ‘How much of this can we attribute to specific digital initiatives?’

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From Traditional To Digital: An Insider’s Perspective

Joanne Reid, Head Of Client Service, World Wide Creative

Twelve years ago I graduated college and took an internship at a traditional advertising agency. As a young person entering the business world, not only was advertising cool, but ATL was the place to be. It was where all the excitement was. It was all about working with big brands and creating even bigger TV ads, billboards and magazine spreads. It was the pinnacle of greatness in the marketing world.

We thought it would last forever, but all that has now changed. People don’t watch TV like they used to – they’re too busy on their phones reading the latest news to notice a glossy magazine ad. Traditionally, prime time TV presented the most expensive, most sought after media spots for big companies. As the transition started happening, prime time TV also became the most popular time for people to sit and browse the internet and connect to social media via their mobiles. The digital era arrived.

What started out as “we need a nicer website” and “how do we make money with this Facebook page?” has become far more. 40 ft billboards have been replaced with precision-targeted ads on your favourite blog. TV ads have been replaced with impactful 15 second ads on YouTube and the news can be found in your Facebook feed.

The consumer is now leading the way.

Digital seems to have crept in overnight like a silent assassin and companies needed to act fast to avoid being left behind. The consumer is now leading the way by leaving breadcrumbs online and all over social media. We need only invest in our digital portfolio to find and create dialogues that will encourage people to act.

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Consumers want to collaborate. They want to be a part of something and most importantly, they want to be heard.

Your Facebook wall will quickly tell you what’s good, what’s great and what’s bad about your offering. For marketers and business owners, this transition presents a unique opportunity to ask for input and ideas, involve people in the evolution of the brand and ultimately, foster the growth of a database of loyal customers.

Digital breaks down barriers to honest feedback.

The most desirable advantage of digital is that it is now extremely measurable. Brands can measure consumer behavior as well as their preferences and expectations.

And they’ll express their opinions and feelings with the online community, even if they’re not prompted to do so.

Digital breaks down barriers to honest feedback – and constructive advice is extremely valuable when placed in the right hands.

I saw the excitement shift from traditional towards the undiscovered digital frontier and I quickly jumped on board.

Digital is no longer a value-add service or a marketing add on.

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Digital is no longer a value-add service or a marketing add on, it is an industry in itself that is growing exponentially.

For a range of companies across the board, it serves as a way to attain a competitive edge – to embrace a new way of doing business. If you don’t know how to get started in digital, find someone who can teach you – the only way to keep up with an industry that is always evolving, is to ensure that you’re always learning.

How does your company promote employee skills development?

37.9% We promote a culture of shared learning amongst the team

24.2% It’s up to staff to drive their own personal growth

13.6% Topic specific training is provided when requested 10.6% Formal training is provided regularly 8.3% Formal training is provided occasionally 5.3% Staff is sent to conferences or networking events

All data sourced from the Heavy Chef Change Management and Training Survey – January 2016.

All data sourced from the Heavy Chef Change Management and Training Survey – January 2016.

Retrospective Feedback From The 70% Of Respondents Who Had Digital Training

45.6% Digital training added enduring value to our business

29.6% Training was only somewhat beneficial

19.2% I have no way of measuring whether training made a difference

5.6% Training added little value to our business

37.1% Not applicable

16.7% Previously it’s been boring, uninformative or poorly presented

18.2% The logistical challenge of organising training

14.4% It’s perceived as being a waste of money

13.6% It's perceived as being a waste of time

All data sourced from the Heavy Chef Change Management and Training Survey – January 2016.

What is the main reason for staff or management showing resistance to training?

What (if anything) is preventing you from taking an online course?

26.2% Online courses are too expensive

23.9% Not applicable

19.2% I’m concerned that I might not complete it

13.9% I don’t have enough time for study

12.4% Online courses don’t provide enough peer-to-peer interaction 4.6% What I’m interested in studying is not offered online

All data sourced from the Heavy Chef Change Management and Training Survey – January 2016.

51.5% Not applicable

20.8% Management want proof of digital’s ROI before investing

17.7% Current staff don’t have adequate skills or knowledge

8.5% We’re unsure of where to start

1.5% We don’t believe it would add real value

What is preventing your company from embracing digital?

All data sourced from the Heavy Chef Change Management and Training Survey – January 2016.

Has your company adapted to the digital age?

43.9% Yes – we’re excited about new digital trends and technology

27.3% Somewhat, but we focus on traditional practices & marketing

25% Not quite – we’re working towards becoming digitally savvy

3.8% Not at all

All data sourced from the Heavy Chef Change Management and Training Survey – January 2016.

watch this space

heavy chef review | Volume 5