Turning Points

The 20th June marked the longest night and the shortest day, and here in the Southern hemisphere we begin the slow climb back into summer. This seasonal turning point is also echoed in South Africa's political narrative - an unexpected but necessary coalition between the ruling party and their opponents. I've noticed a turnaround in sentiment, with leaders from across the spectrum bringing more positive perspectives into the feed. There's also been a turning point in what people value, and what they are prepared to tolerate in the world of work, with younger people who are not sold into the status quo and who are more adamant about shared value systems and thriving as individuals.

Editor's Note

It's been an eventful month here at Copy That Communications and I’m thrilled to share the latest developments with you. First, in an unexpected turn, this newsletter came to life! Second, I set a personal challenge to have this edition ready by the end of the month — a tight deadline amid a whirlwind month. It may not be perfect, but here it is, a testament to the power of just getting things done.

I challenge you to embrace imperfection and accomplish something meaningful before our next issue. Let's celebrate progress over perfection together!

We The People

"We the People" underscores the transformative shifts in power dynamics globally and within organisations, highlighting the critical need for businesses to adapt by fostering inclusivity, leveraging emerging technologies, and navigating geopolitical changes to remain resilient and innovative in today's rapidly evolving landscape.

Addressing these issues requires a multifaceted approach that includes fostering inclusive governance structures, embracing technological advancements responsibly, promoting transparency, enhancing stakeholder engagement, and nurturing adaptive leadership. These strategies can help navigate and leverage shifting power dynamics effectively, fostering resilience and driving sustainable success in both global and organisational contexts.

Scenarios

I recently attended a compelling presentation by Bronwyn Williams of Flux Trends, where she and Tumelo Mojapelo led a Worldweaving? experience that explored and enriched the scenarios for South Africa’s future. Their session, framed around the Flux Trends T.R.E.N.D.S methodology, guided us through three possible economic, political, and social realities for the next five minutes to five years (Apathy, Anarchy and Activism). This salon urged us to transition from passive spectators to active citizens, using our voices and agency to shape the nation we want to live in. It was a powerful call to engage deeply with the realities and possibilities of our shared future.

Click here for a summary of the scenarios that could unfold.

Gen Z At Work

One of the standout concepts from the Flux Salon was the idea of a Citizen's Assembly. Citizen's Assemblies offer a deliberative and inclusive approach to decision-making, fostering informed consensus among diverse participants and enhancing democratic legitimacy.

Something about this turning point makes me feel like we're not going to be able to go back. Especially on the foreground of Generation Z coming into the workforce, who are simply not sold into the myth of the 9-5 job. What does this mean for your Employee Experience Strategy? Speak to my friends at Torque about mapping out your Employee Value Proposition across your employee's journey.

The 30/30/30 Project

As South Africa marks 30 years of democracy, Flux Trends and Student Village have launched the 30/30/30 Project to introduce the world to its future leaders: Generation Z. This initiative explores the aspirations, activism, and career outlook of 30 young South Africans, providing a deep dive into their personal and professional lives. Despite their apathy towards voting and jobs that don't resonate with their values, these disruptors of the “class of 2020” show a practical approach to decision-making and strong desire to reshape society. Get the FREE Report here.

The Collective X

I was also privileged to be part of a discussion about Digital Skills Development in South Africa. The Collective X serves as a collaborative digital ecosystem in South Africa, bridging the gap between digital skills supply and demand through targeted, affordable training initiatives. The NPO aims to positively shape our future through strategic skill development.

Vukani Mngxati highlights the untapped potential for world-class digital talent in South Africa, stressing the need for creative collaboration, education reform, robust industry development, democratised tech access, SMME support, and courageous leadership, echoed by Lillian Barnard (Microsoft) and Phuthi M. (Naspers).

>> Summary

Technology is now the backbone of business, requiring adaptable tech skills, investment in workforce development, and collaboration between tech and business to drive innovation and future growth, as highlighted by leaders from Faith Burns (Eskom), Dr Denisha Jairam-Owthar (Council of Medical Schemes), Khomotso Molabe (Standard Bank), Ziaad Suleman (EOH), and Helen Constantinides (AVBOB).

>> Summary

An amazing keynote presentation from Michelle R. Weise, PhD of the Future of Work, based on her research for her book “Long Life Learning: Preparing for jobs that don’t even exist yet”. One of the most interesting takeaways, as I sat at a conference about technology, was how we are looking toward nature for our solutions.

>> Summary

AI Counter Culture

As we see AI flooding industry and leaving a lot of people having to learn how to swim, there are those folks who are happily taking out there lilos and intentionally not getting involved. AI Counter Culture is about people who love the process of creating and are not wanting to give it up to AI. I'm interested to see how this plays out on the future.

One such person is stop-motion animator Rob Culey of Running Beast Studio who is using the opportunity to pivot his career away from the computer, and towards doing more of what matters to him, hand-made animation.

Visualising Strategy

For me personally, I love to write by hand. In fact, I'd go so far to say that I write to think. It helps me to simplify complex concepts, which is something we do pretty darn well at Copy That Communications - we help businesses to visually map out their communications ecosystems which helps to expose gaps and opportunities on which to build more effective strategies. DM me if you need some support in this area, I'm always happy to help!

If you are getting caught up in strategy implementation, then perhaps distributing power across the work network is an idea that you'll find useful.

Free Webinar Invitation

Strategy Practice is going through a period of foundational change. Join us as we explore the implication of the shift from central control to edge empowerment. Discover some of the approaches taken, and some of the challenges faced, as organisations move from a command-and-control model to one that fosters minimal coherence and encourages more autonomy.

Join us for our upcoming event this Wednesday the 26th at 4pm SAST.

>> Empowering the Edge: The Evolution of Strategy Implementation.