In this fascinating conversation, Leoni van der Vaart shares valued insights on the art and science surrounding the measurement and management of work motivation and performance. The two concepts are mutually reinforcing in the workplace and play a crucial role in ensuring that people are inspired by what they do and, based on this drive, demonstra…

Personality characteristics, often seen as universal adaptations that evolved in humans to meet the challenges posed by nature, might be misconstrued as something that people should always be higher on. While this statement might hold in many situations, the too-much-of-a-good-thing effect might be at play when people overuse their strengths. For e…

Game-based technologies are a transformational development in psychometric assessment. However, if psychologists do not do the required work in order to provide the scientific rigour of these methodologies, such as accumulated evidence on its reliability, validity, and measurement equivalence, its potential might be left as a fad. We are excited to…

In this episode we interview Professor Paul Spector about survey design within organisations and more broadly conducting research within organisations. Professor Spector has designed many well-known and globally utilised surveys dealing with anything from job satisfaction to workplace conflict. We were fortunate to pick his brain in this regard and…

There has been a recent resurgence in questioning the predictive validity of personality assessments. These concerns have been consistently addressed in academic circles and have laid to rest any questions about whether we can use personality assessments in selection procedures. With this in mind, we talk to Dr Xander van Lil to better understand t…

In this episode, we speak to Cherylene de Jager, Chief Imagination Officer from CheHan Ideaneers and author of CQ@Play: Shaping your Future in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Cherylene discusses the power of creative intelligence in the workplace. Creativity has long been viewed as the exclusive domain of writers, artists, musicians, and actors. …

In this episode, we speak to Dr. Gordan Curphy. Dr Curphy helps C-suite, business unit, and functional leaders develop business strategies; implement major change initiatives; hire, develop, and promote leadership talent; and build high performing teams. Author of the 2012 book The Rocket Model: Practical Advice for Building High Performing Teams T…

In this episode, we speak to Rob Jardine. Rob Jardine is an Industrial Psychologist who holds Masters Degrees from the University of Johannesburg and University of Valencia. He has consulting and work experience in Europe, North America and Africa. He is a thought leader in the South African NeuroLeadership context and has been featured on SABC, EN…

In this episode, we speak to Dr Natasha Winkler-Titus who is the new incoming SIOPSA president. Dr. Natasha Winkler-Titus was awarded the 2019 Organizational Psychology Practitioner of the year- South Africa and was awarded Best paper at the 2018 British Academy of Management (BAM) Annual conference in Bristol, UK. Natasha believes in using her inf…

In this episode, we talk to Ingra du Buisson-Narsai, the co-founder and Director of NeuroCapital Coaching and Consulting, which consults to some of South Africa’s leading and most admired companies. She has 20 years of executive-level experience in corporate South Africa and is a Registered Organisational Psychologist in private practice. She is al…

In this episode, we speak to Chris Steel a senior adviser with Fletcher Advisory, a small, globally experienced strategic communications firm specialising in working with boards and EXCOs both locally and internationally. Chris advises on business-critical situations such as a licence to operate issues, shareholder value and employee engagement. Th…

In this episode of the Ukwanda Podcast, we speak to Dr Chris Jacobs, an industrial-organisational psychologist, Human Capital practitioner and PhD academic. His research interests feature employee performance, digital technology, business process services and its impact on organisational human capital. Chris discusses the effect of understanding pe…

In this episode, we speak to Kevin Distiller, the new managing director of OMT subsidiary company Odyssey Talent Assessments. Kevin focuses on assessing the skills required to successfully enter the working world. He spends most of his time assessing individuals in the lower levels of organisations, identifying hidden talent, assessing work readine…

In this episode, we speak to Brad Ross who is the Marketing and Commercial Leadership Director, Coca-Cola West Africa Business Unit. We speak to Brad about his unique leadership style, some modern rules of leadership in the African context, his role in the FIFA Soccer World Cup, the effect of consumer behaviour and the role of data as a business im…

In this episode, we talk to the ‘travelling ergonomist’ Kirsty Angerer about the understated value of ergonomics in the workplace. Included are some practical tips you can use to improve your well-being at work today. Kirsty is a Certified Professional Ergonomist, Frequent Flyer, Workplace Wellness Advocate, Fitwel Ambassador and Self Confessed Erg…

Egbe is an Organizational Effectiveness practitioner with over 20 years of corporate experience as a business analyst, talent strategist, and learning and leadership development expert. She is also an executive coach. Her focus has always been on leaving the system better than she found it and encouraging others to do the same. Her full career prof…

In this episode of the Ukwanda podcast, we talk to Ismail Lambat, the executive finance business partner and CFO at Eskom as he shares insights on how to deal with uncertainty as a manager and navigate others through difficult times. Topics discussed: - Eskom - Leadership paradigms - Team dynamics - People focus vs task focus - Performance - Commun…

In this episode of the Ukwanda podcast, we speak to Spencer-Rae Kerr, an organisational psychologist and change management practitioner. His passion lies in applying behavioural science knowledge to the workplace in a way that maximizes human potential and flourishing. Spencer gives us his insights into the role of psychologists in the South Africa…

Welcome to the JvR Africa Group, Ukwanda podcast. In this episode, we speak to the Director of research at the JvR Africa Group, Dr Nicola Taylor. She uncovers the unique qualities needed by a leader or manager operating in the future world of work. This episode will cover the following topics: - What is changing in the world of work - What does th…

Welcome to the JvR Ukwanda podcast, in this episode we speak to Erik Kruger a Mental Performance Coach with a Masters degree in Business and Executive coaching through Wits Business School. He is the founder of the Mental Performance Lab, is the author of Acta non Verba and is a highly regarded professional speaker on the topic of high performance …

Welcome to the Ukwanda podcast! In this episode, we speak to Nathan Rogerson a qualified clinical psychologist and mental wellness coach. Nathan speaks to us about the following topics: - a phenomenon called millennial burnout and its relation to digital over-consumption and information overload. - the "failure to launch phenomenon" in millennials …

Welcome to the JvR Ukwanda podcast! In this episode, we speak to Nathan Rogerson a qualified clinical psychologist and mental wellness coach. His Master's dissertation was on social media addiction and was the first study of its kind in South Africa. He has maintained a clinical and research interest on the impact of digital technology on mental he…

The term 'values' is widely used but often misunderstood. Many managers don't realise how important corporate and individual values are to them performing well in their job! In this episode, Cobi Hayes, a research psychologist at JvR Psychometrics uncovers the many facets of values and how leaders and organisations can ensure alignment between corp…

In this episode Dr. Jopie de Beer explains how entrepreneurship works and how it changes through the different phases of the Adizes model. This model can help managers understand how their own preferences might relate to organisations at different life phases, and how leadership requirements may change as the organisation matures. If you are intere…

In this episode we interview Kasturi Adari, HR Manager of Anglo American's EMEA Shared Services. Kasturi has extensive HR experience in a variety of industries, and the discussion is equally broad - delving into various areas of the HR field as a whole. We unpack some of her key learnings, and some of the challenges looking forward. Her insights wi…

“Managing demands of future business aspirations and current people needs requires that the design of a talent management strategy, talent philosophies and processes are user-centric, immersed in context and value driven." Dennis van der Zee ------------ I this episode we talk to Dennis van der Zee, about talent management. Dennis is an organizatio…

In our daily lives it is inevitable that we will encounter unreasonable or difficult people. As a manager, it is important to handle these interactions with tact and with the aid of emotional intelligence. In this episode we speak to Rob Warman the senior facilitator at JvR Academy who facilitates workshops on emotional intelligence, stress managem…

Performance management that tap's into a person's intrinsic motivations. In this episode of Ukwanda, we talk to Tricia Jones about performance management! Tricia is a passionate coach, facilitator and People Development Consultant. She is also the owner of Capacity Builder - a people performance hub that provides innovative coaching, mentoring, tra…

In this episode we interview Jonathan Cook, He is the co-founder and chairman of the African Management Initiative (AMI), which offers scalable approaches to developing African managers and entrepreneurs across the continent. He is also the founder of Thornhill Associates, which provides customisable and cost effective online multi-rater feedback s…

Would you like to be known as a great manager? This is the Ukwanda podcast, where we focus on people management in Africa. In this episode we interview Jonathan Cook, He is the co-founder and chairman of the African Management Initiative (AMI), which offers scalable approaches to developing African managers and entrepreneurs across the continent. H…

In this second part of the episode, Dr. Jopie de Beer shares some of her insights on the following topics: Your reputation and the gift of failure. The link between emotionally intelligent behaviour and culture in your organisation. Tips to achieve psychological safety in your team. Self-regard and self-insight necessary in dealing with diversity. …

Do you want to get the most out of your team!? Welcome to the JvR Ukwanda podcast - where people practitioners share leadership, and business insights for managers. In this first 2-part episode, Jopie de Beer talks about what it takes to be a successful manager, first covering some personal questions, and then moving on to: why people management is…