Organizational culture is an interesting subject. It refers to the values and behaviours that contribute to the unique social and psychological environment of an organization. It is also known as corporate culture; every business or company must be abreast of this. Niccolo Machiavelli once said, ‘There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things’. Have a look at the article titled managing change in the business environment. Today let’s look at what Justine Chinoperekweyi, an organizational change expert, recently said regarding business practices in Zimbabwe.

NB: Justine Chinoperekweyi is the Co-Founder of the Centre for Organization Leadership and Development (COLD). COLD is an organization that majors in enhancing the knowledge and skillsets of professionals, organizations, and work teams in general.

Transformational Change and Development Forum

This is the first-ever such event which was recently held in Harare, Zimbabwe. At this event, Justine Chinoperekweyi shared some striking insights on transformational change and leadership. Let us explore some of his remarks:

In today’s emergent change environment, it is imperative that more transformational change and development practitioners emerge to support individuals, work groups, organizations, communities, and governments. The practitioners should be guided by a new consulting, business, and leadership paradigm – a paradigm premised on our humanity and on the arc of development. Such is key in facilitating positive change.

For sustainable socio-economic transformation, Zimbabwe needed to start giving pride of place to practitioners fostering real transformation. Zimbabwe has become an award giving country, but sadly, real transformation that elevates humanity and brings presence to human systems is still scarce. New 21st century thinking must characterise decisions and operations within the government and all parastatals.

For this to happen, there is need for boldness in disrupting the status quo and challenging and questioning practices and mental modes of those supporting the governments and all its arms. There is need for the emergence of mission-critical professionals and so-called ‘technocrats’ to champion organizational and socio-economic transformation.

Most Of What Happens In Zimbabwe Is Tied To The Past

You will see this if you closely check business, finance, and economic developments in Zimbabwe. Personally, it has often been depressing when researching most Zimbabwe-focused topics. Why, you may wonder? It is because the need for paradigm shifts in many areas is always apparent. Memory Nguwi, a Registered Occupational Psychologist and Human Resources Consultant, tweeted the following:

When hiring do not be deceived by educational credentials. Years of education has a significant but weak relationship with job performance”

Someone then responded with:

“Look at credentials and the relevant work experience when hiring to avoid on the job training at strategic positions

He then responded with:

Experience has a significant but very weak relationship with job performance

He went on to add that:

An accountant with 10 years’ experience does not necessarily perform better than one with 8 years’ experience

I noticed most of the people in the discussion were not agreeing with what Memory Nguwi was driving at. I then came in to buttress what he was driving at by saying:

Seems some people are missing your point. Which is: it is not the duration of experience that is important but rather the quality of the experience. It is a quality over quantity type of thing. Unfortunately the general standard considers long duration, conflating it with substance

This is just one example of standard practices in Zimbabwe that needs to be rethought. Countless other examples demonstrate this aspect. The other day, I discussed with you the 4-day workweek pilot currently underway in South Africa. Even at the most basic, remote working is still not mainstream in Zimbabwe. If you mention you work wholly online in Zimbabwe, the usual response is awe. We have published many articles highlighting emerging technologies, emerging trends, etc. The whole thrust is to influence people in Zimbabwe to think differently. Justine Chinoperekweyi’s remarks were spot on!

From now on, every Zimbabwean ought to adopt this mindset:

…there is need for boldness in disrupting the status quo and challenging and questioning practices and mental modes of those supporting the governments and all its arms. There is need for the emergence of mission-critical professionals and so-called ‘technocrats’ to champion organizational and socio-economic transformation.

Corporate entities and all economic players are the catalysts. If they can implement strategies borne out of this mindset, it will surely become the norm in Zimbabwe.