Authored by: Dr. Karina de Bruin Managing Director: JvR Academy | Counselling Psychologist
The workplace today mirrors the world we live in – a place that has become increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA). Surviving in this VUCA world means business “unusual”. People need to adapt and learn faster to accommodate change. They must be self-directed and learning agile to survive. Self-directed learning Self-directed learners take responsibility for their own learning, with or without the help of others. They identify their own learning needs, they set their own goals, and they can assess their own learning efforts. Some people have certain characteristics which makes it “easier” for them to be self-directed. They are often more resilient, focused, original, creative and organised. This openness to learning cultivates learning agility. Self-directed learners have the make-up to absorb information from their experiences, take time to reflect on it and then apply what they have learnt in a changed or unfamiliar environment. Learning agility The new world requires of people to be learning agile. Many jobs change dramatically over a relatively short time period. Workers need to constantly update their existing skills and knowledge and acquire new skills and knowledge to ensure career success. The time lapse between knowledge acquisition and obsolescence is increasingly becoming smaller, therefore new ways of learning besides formal training must be explored. The environment (workplace) must be conducive to develop a willingness to learn and offer learning opportunities that are relevant and appealing to learners. Traditional learning is associated with the “teacher classroom concept” where the teacher or trainer transfers knowledge to the learner. However, organisations can no longer completely depend on traditional training and development. The promotion of self-directed learning may well be the best approach to keep learning aligned with a rapidly changing environment. Alternative ways of learning are encapsulated in concepts such as “blended”; “just in time”; “on demand”; “drip-feeding” or “dip-stick” learning. The self-directed learner can identify a specific need that will help him or her overcome obstacles in the workplace. They can “dip into” learning that will propel them forward. The learning is generally “short and sharp” and must be meaningful to the individual him- or herself. People who realise they keep falling behind, or struggle to complete certain tasks must be made aware of their own learning agility and the fact that they can improve it. Companies with a self-directed learning culture generally have more learning agile workers. These organisations do not fall apart in the face of changes and challenges. They invest in their employees to become more self-directed and to acquire learning agility. Self-directed and agile learning is not reserved for certain individuals in the organisation. It should be everyone’s responsibility. Being learning agile does not mean you have to be the Einstein of the company. Many big wins come from small changes. Measuring self-directedness and learning agility Organisations should identify the levels of self-directed learning and learning agility in its workforce. There are various formal measures available. These assessments are often available online but can be quite costly. There are more informal assessments such the 360-degree feedback process where you test your agility in terms of how your colleagues and peers perceive you. Some of the questions you could ask to determine your level of self-directedness and learning agility include: 1. Are you flexible enough to act on rapid change? 2. How motivated are you to learn something new – or do you need someone to tell what you need to learn and how to learn it? 3. Do you ever challenge the status quo to improve systems or processes? 4. Do you only use what is at your disposal to achieve things, or are you looking for innovative ways to solve problems? 5. Do you learn from previous failures, or do you persist with the same way hoping it will achieve your desired results? 6. Are you open to feedback and other ideas people present to you? Once you have assessed the feedback, you will be in a better position to develop a self-directed learning plan which should improve your learning agility. Learning is never wasted; however, it should preferably be relevant to the change the learner experiences in the organisation to adjust effectively to it. ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Idéle Prinsloo, 082 573 9219, idele@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT JvR Africa Group: JvR Africa Group of companies consists of JvR Psychometrics, JvR Consulting Psychologists, JvR Academy, and JvR Safety. With its head office is situated in Johannesburg; the group conducts business nationally and across Sub-Saharan Africa. They work with test developers, consultants and academic institutions all over the world and supports a range of development opportunities and hosts events around People Development in Africa, a cause they feel is extremely important to the future of our continent. For more information on JvR Africa Group please visit: Website: https://jvrafricagroup.co.za/ LinkedIn: JvR Africa Group Facebook: The JvR Africa Group - People Development in Africa Twitter: JvR Africa Group YouTube: The JvR Africa Group
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Authored by: Dr Jopie de Beer, CEO of JvR Africa Group
People are hardwired as both rational and emotional beings. People’s ability to acknowledge their emotions, and work to understand and manage their emotions constructively and appropriately (referred to as emotional intelligence), has much to do with their success in life. This principle applies to both individuals and groups. Emotions are highly contagious and easily affect others. This is particularly true if the emotions are intense and have been experienced over a longer period of time. It could take quite some time before rationality, reason, and “cool heads” return. Research done by Bloomberg in 2017 refers to South Africa as “one of the most miserable countries in the world”. This is owing to high unemployment rates, slow economic growth, high interest rates, poor service delivery, and high consumer prices, amongst other things. The sense of being miserable coincides with a time of political electioneering in the country, which could form part of a “perfect storm”, given how emotionally laden politics is. The emotional messages are intensified by the tone of voice, dress code, non-verbal gestures, innuendo, and language used by political leaders in speeches. Opposition parties are often referred to in derogatory terms and even as the enemy, to elicit emotions of distrust amongst potential voters. By establishing “an enemy”, the leader elicits the powerful emotions of fear, anger, distrust, and paranoia amongst potential voters, and when such emotions are heightened enough, they could override all rationality. This kind of leadership has the potential to lead followers into chaos, as enough fear and anger can motivate people to act emotionally and irrationally. Cambridge Analytica and Bell Pottinger are recent examples where personal and emotionally laden information was used to influence voter behavior. Understanding which personal and emotional “triggers” can push a potential voter to choose one or the other political candidate provides a powerful way to influence the outcome of an election. However, those in political leadership who rely primarily on stirring emotions to provide them with power may be exposed when rationality returns. In contrast, leaders who can provide voters with calmness and reason whilst acknowledging emotions, which is much more sustainable in the longer term, have a greater chance of running the country successfully. Emotional intelligence The principles of emotional intelligence require leaders and voters to acknowledge their emotions but allow for rationality at the same time. This means that they need to recognise their own emotions and the impact that others’ emotions could have on them, while objectively analyzing information and checking the accuracy of the facts. This would allow leaders to consider the impact and consequences of a highly charged political message, and voters to distill the message and react accordingly. However, a leadership approach anchored in rationality, calmness, and hope may not seem as charismatic as an approach based on hate, fear, and anger. In fact, those leaders who rely on the principles of emotional calmness, hope, optimism, trust, and reasonableness may have somewhat of an uphill battle in getting their message heard when competing against leaders using emotions as a tool. The choice Political leaders have a choice as to whether they use the power of emotions constructively or destructively. Voters also have the choice to be emotionally hijacked, or to evaluate the political messages from both an emotional and objective perspective, to determine whether the information they are provided with is accurate and true. Selfish and corrupt leaders drive personal agendas and use their ability to emotionally manipulate to gain and retain power. On the other hand, ethical and emotionally intelligent political leaders understand and manage their own emotions and respect the emotions, feelings, and needs of others. Their empathy can inform how to best seek solutions for complex and difficult problems to ensure the sustainability and survival of their people. In South Africa, the very difficult circumstances of the past in combination with current socio-economic hardships have led to a society where anger, despair, and despondency often flares up. The intensity of these emotions has, in some cases, led to destruction of property and loss of life. The South African society is intensely emotional and will probably remain so at least till after the next (2019) elections. The question is how these emotions will be used by those in positions of leadership to retain emotional political power, to gain and retain voters, and what the consequences of emotion without rationality are for the future and the reputation of the country. To build a South Africa that is not the second most miserable country on earth, we should all expect our leaders to act with integrity and with emotional intelligence. Our success as a country and as a rainbow nation depends on it. END MEDIA CONTACT: Idéle Prinsloo, 082 573 9219, idele@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT JvR Africa Group: JvR Africa Group of companies consists of JvR Psychometrics, JvR Consulting Psychologists, JvR Academy, and JvR Safety. With it’s head office is situated in Johannesburg; the group conducts business nationally and across Sub-Saharan Africa. They work with test developers, consultants and academic institutions all over the world and supports a range of development opportunities and hosts events around People Development in Africa, a cause they feel is extremely important to the future of our continent. For more information on JvR Africa Group please visit: Website: https://jvrafricagroup.co.za/ LinkedIn: JvR Africa Group Facebook: The JvR Africa Group - People Development in Africa Twitter: JvR Africa Group YouTube: The JvR Africa Grou |
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