Life begins at forty
As Productivity SA enters its 40th year of operation, the president of the Pan African Productivity Association (PAPA), Thembo Lebang last month sent it a letter containing the catchy phrase, ‘life begins at forty’.
In his brief, addressed to the Acting Chief Executive Officer of Productivity SA, Bongani Coka, the PAPA president, who is also the Executive Director of the Botswana National Productivity Centre (BNPC), thanked Productivity SA for its invaluable guidance, especially in the development of national productivity statistics.
Indeed, it is words like these that draw attention to the enormous experience Productivity SA has garnered. Since its early days as a business unit in the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), Productivity SA has evolved into a fully-fledged key player, which has been improving productivity levels in South Africa.
Productivity SA was established in 1969 and was, at the time, known as the National Productivity Institute (NPI). On October 1, 2009, Productivity SA will officially celebrate its 40th year at a function to be held at the serene venue provided by La Toscana in Midrand.
Over the years, there have been various milestones in the history of Productivity SA. Among these was the successful 6M Simulation Programme. The 6M Programme trained industrially-unsophisticated employees in the fundamental concepts of business and the economy. The Programme was later enhanced by the development of other products for the training of supervisors and shop stewards.
In the mid 1970s, Productivity SA started operating as an association not for gain in terms of Section 21 of the Companies Act. The need for Productivity SA’s services grew at the coast, which saw the establishment of its Durban and Cape Town offices.
In the 80s, the former Department of Manpower Utilisation (now the Department of Labour) endorsed the institution. Productivity SA began receiving an annual grant from government. This was used to finance both research into productivity matters as well as promotional activities that were in the national interest.
As it grew, Productivity SA focused on the furthering of productivity awareness and the addressing of specific problems hampering productivity growth in the country. This was a major breakthrough for the organisation. This technique was marketed worldwide and generally regarded as the most comprehensive and reliable productivity measurement model available in the world. Over the years, Productivity SA has developed various products, including the Management of Administrative Productivity (MAP) programme.
In 1994, South Africa’s new political dispensation transformed the country. Between 1999 and 2001, Productivity SA underwent a major transformation, which aligned its strategies with those of the new government.
Its new mandate was to serve the interests of government, organised labour, and business through the enhancement of productive capacity. Some of the key changes that were implemented included:
The election of the first truly tripartite (labour, business, and government) Board of Directors
The setting up of a Social Plan and Productivity Advisory Council (SPPAC) governance structure
The appointment of a new Executive Director, and a more representative management team
The expansion of Productivity SA’s brief to include a specific role in the outcomes of the Presidential Jobs Summit, an initiative that included the Social Plan and the Workplace Challenge.
Since early 2000, Productive SA has grown and continues to entrench its vision of inspiring a productive South Africa. It is now armed with a revised brand identity, a focused vision and mission and a multi-pronged approach towards consolidating the synergies with its stakeholders.
Today, Productivity SA’s importance within the country‘s productivity landscape has been further emphasised. The way forward for the organisation is now underlined by its need to improve the alignment between its strategic direction and government priorities.
As an institution driven by a clear vision to lead and inspire a productive and competitive South Africa, the future of Productivity SA is clear. The organisation now operates according to accepted business principles. While it aims to retain its core strengths and competencies, the future will see Productivity SA attain its ideal profile. To strengthen its business position, the organisation will continue while placing emphasis on certain issues. In particular, these issues will be revenue, people, stakeholders, and processes.
Revenue
While Productivity SA is dedicated to ensuring economic growth in the country through enhanced productivity levels, funding challenges have imposed constraints on the level of success the institution has enjoyed. The organisation continues to approach various potential stakeholders and aims to raise revenue of some R500-million by 2014.
People
Productivity SA is a people-centered organisation that appreciates the value of the men and women who are the pulse of the organisation. The organisation continues to employ best practices to train and develop its staff. Reward and recognition programmes are being refined and efforts are underway to enable the implementation of a sound succession plan.
Stakeholders
The primary purpose of Productivity SA in relation to its stakeholders is to solicit buy-in and continuous support for its mandate. This requires the organisation to develop and enhance South Africa’s productivity by unleashing the spirit of continuous productivity improvement in all South Africans. The envisaged outcomes as a result of intensive stakeholder interaction include:
Increased support from stakeholders
Productivity SA becoming the first point of call for productivity related issues
Productivity SA becoming even more relevant by taking part in continuing strategic discussions with government
Championing and influencing Productivity SA’s course
Through analysis development and implementation of its strategy, Productivity SA intends to strengthen its role as the provider of productivity expertise. This strategy will be confirmed by:
The CEO of the company is charged with being the champion of this approach and is expected ‘to lead from the front’.
The organisation has identified seven strategic focus areas that will be enabling tools that will be used to attain its mandate. These focus areas are:
Positioning and branding
Knowledge management
Talent management
Organisational development
Research
Development of foresight
Service offering
Stakeholder management
Monitoring and evaluation
Despite its intention to participate in various spheres of productivity development, the organisation’s flagship programmes - the Workplace Challenge and Turnaround Solution, or Social Plan, – remain vital to the organisation’s sustained and improved success in the future.
The Workplace Challenge programme is aimed at enhancing the productivity and competitiveness of companies by improving their employer/employee relations and developing world-class, best operating practices. The programme, funded by the Department of Trade and Industry (dti) and managed by Productivity SA, is primarily aimed at small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs).
SMMEs are currently regarded as the country’s ‘second’ economy. However, Productivity SA seeks to transform these companies into an integral part of the first economy through skills development. Over the past ten years, the Workplace Challenge has helped 228 enterprises with a combined total of more than 50,000 employees, to improve their service to their business environment and their customers.
The Turnaround Solution, managed by Productivity SA, is funded by the Department of Labour. The aim of the programme is to retain jobs and create new ones.
The Workplace Challenge and Turnaround Solution are supported in their role as standard-bearers of Productivity SA’s future strategy by a number of additional and already successful programmes that include:
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o Enterprise productivity and competitiveness
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o Knowledge management and research
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o Productive behaviour and competencies programme
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o Productive capacity building
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o Research and advocacy
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o Strategic leadership of productivity.
In conclusion, the Acting CEO for Productivity SA, Bongani Coka, says ‘Productivity SA’s combined integral goals, structures, and programmes are designed to ensure that the organisation is recognised as one of the best productivity institutions in the world and one that will continue to carry the flag in promoting a competitive and productive country.
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