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IOL News
18 hours ago
- Business
- IOL News
The learning board: continuous education as a governance imperative
The pace of change in technology, climate governance, geopolitical tensions, stakeholder expectations, and regulatory shifts demands more than static knowledge. It calls for a governance mindset that embraces learning as a strategic necessity. Image: AI Lab Nqobani Mzizi In today's dynamic environment, a board's effectiveness is measured not just by what its members know, but by how deliberately they continue to learn. Directors may be appointed for their experience, but without renewal, that experience quickly becomes outdated. Yet in many organisations, director education is reduced to a box-ticking exercise, limited to induction packs, technical updates or ad hoc compliance briefings. This is governance at its most passive. In truth, boards should embody the traits of a learning organisation: adaptive, inquisitive, self-aware and committed to continuous renewal. An informed board acknowledges that its fiduciary duties exist in a world of fast-moving risks and opportunities. The pace of change in technology, climate governance, geopolitical tensions, stakeholder expectations, and regulatory shifts demands more than static knowledge. It calls for a governance mindset that embraces learning as a strategic necessity. The proof is stark: a 2023 PwC South Africa Director Survey revealed that 68% of South African directors admit their boards are outmatched by technological disruption, yet a mere 31% invest in formal upskilling. Directors cannot rely solely on legacy knowledge or past achievements. The role has evolved, and so must those who occupy it. In 2022, boards spent less than 5% of their time discussing climate risks. The KZN floods that year cost R50 billion. The gap between governance and reality is unsustainable. Boards that fail to learn, fail to lead. The concept of a learning organisation, popularised by Peter Senge, rests on disciplines such as systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models and team learning. These principles are equally applicable to governance. Boards that model intellectual agility are better positioned to anticipate risk, adapt to change and shape resilient organisations. They do not wait for a crisis to revisit assumptions. They engage proactively, ask difficult questions and challenge entrenched thinking. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Yet becoming a board committed to continuous renewal does not happen by accident. It requires deliberate investment. Formal director development programmes are one part of the equation, but not the whole. Ongoing capacity building must be embedded into board culture and processes. It includes reflections after key decisions, cross-committee peer learning, exposure to external perspectives and periodic assessments of knowledge gaps. It also includes openness to uncomfortable truths, recognising when the board lacks diversity of thought or when market and strategy assumptions are no longer fit for purpose. One of the clearest signals of a board's commitment to growth is how it allocates time. Agendas dominated by compliance reviews and operational reports leave little space for strategic thinking or capacity building. A forward-looking board agenda should reserve time for horizon scanning, scenario planning and trend deep dives, from generative AI and cybersecurity to climate disclosures, social unrest and institutional reputation. The question is not whether these issues are important, but whether the board is equipped to govern them well. Governance frameworks codify this imperative. King IV in South Africa explicitly underscores the need for ongoing director development as integral to ethical and effective leadership. Principle 1 highlights the responsibility of the board to lead with competence and awareness, while Principle 7 calls on governing bodies to ensure that their composition, skills, experience and capacity align with the organisation's needs. Continuous learning is, therefore, not an optional extra, but a governance requirement rooted in accountability and future fitness. Importantly, this learning orientation must go beyond individual directors. It must shape the board as a collective. The best boards are not echo chambers of technical expertise, but dynamic forums of inquiry. They welcome diverse viewpoints, interrogate blind spots and evolve with the organisation they serve. Adaptive boards are also better stewards of succession, identifying gaps and mentoring future leaders with clarity and foresight. They understand that board continuity is not just about filling seats but about transferring wisdom. Some companies have introduced directors' retreats, not as ceremonial off-sites, but as serious opportunities for immersive engagement with new ideas. Others rotate committee chairs to foster cross-learning and reduce siloed thinking. A growing number of boards are also creating advisory panels with academics, technologists or emerging market experts who present independent insights and challenge institutional orthodoxy. Boards that operate as communities of growth also tend to approach self-evaluation differently. Rather than relying on template-based questionnaires, they view assessments as opportunities to identify development areas, improve dynamics and deepen collective performance. The value lies not only in the review itself, but in the courage to act on its findings. In an age of complexity and disruption, the evolving board is not a luxury. It is a governance necessity. It strengthens oversight not only through technical competence, but through curiosity, humility and responsiveness. It builds institutional capacity not merely to react, but to adapt and regenerate in the face of change. To lead well in this environment is to remain teachable. An adaptive board recognises that effective governance is not about knowing everything, but about cultivating a posture of inquiry, one that seeks out what matters most before the next disruption makes it urgent. Board effectiveness demands self-examination. Boards must ask: Are we building knowledge renewal into our board agenda, or treating it as an after thought? Do our development efforts build strategic agility, or simply refresh technical compliance? Are we actively drawing on diverse, independent perspectives to challenge blindspots? If our approach to knowledge renewal were visible to stakeholders, would it inspire confidence or concern? Ultimately, a board's legacy will rest not on its past expertise, but on the learning culture it fostered and how well it prepared the organisation for the future. Nqobani Mzizi is a Professional Accountant (SA), (IoDSA) and an Academic. Image: Supplied * Nqobani Mzizi is a Professional Accountant (SA), (IoDSA) and an Academic. ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media. BUSINESS REPORT
Daily Maverick
05-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Maverick
Daily Maverick partners with Cape Town summit to champion informed dialogue on AI
The new AI Empowered summit in August aims to make artificial intelligence accessible and accountable to ordinary professionals, educators, creatives and citizens – using AI to think bigger, move faster and lead faster. Daily Maverick is proud to announce its support for a new summit focused on making artificial intelligence (AI) accessible, actionable and relevant for South Africans. AI Empowered (AIE) will take place on 7 and 8 August 2025 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. How do we prepare for a future we don't fully understand? As AI accelerates into every part of our lives, South Africans need more than buzzwords. We need clarity, access and serious conversation. It's easy to feel like AI is something happening out there – in techland, in code, in jobs that don't look like yours. But AI is already shaping how we work, how we learn and how we're governed. And in a country like South Africa – where inequality, unemployment and institutional fragility run deep – it's not a trend to observe; it's a force to understand, urgently. PwC South Africa's 'Value in Motion' report estimates that AI could add R129-billion to the country's GDP by 2030, with Africa as a whole standing to gain up to R1.9-trillion. The sectors with the greatest potential impact? Healthcare, education, financial services, agriculture and government. But that future doesn't build itself. And if we don't engage critically with what AI is and what it isn't, we risk repeating the mistakes of every other digital divide. Bringing AI down to Earth That's what makes this summit worth noticing – not for its glitz, but for its grounding. Inspired by the Entrepreneurs' Organization Cape Town, AIE is attempting to make AI accessible and accountable to ordinary professionals, educators, creatives and citizens. It positions itself as a summit about humans, using AI to think bigger, move faster and lead faster. Over two days, AIE will host conversations that go beyond the hype and into the real questions facing South Africans and the world today. With input from local and global thinkers in ethics, policy, education, tech and law, AIE is not selling a product; it's opening a conversation. What's on the table? Yes, there'll be a programme – three stages, 1,500 attendees, keynote speeches, panels and workshops. There'll be big names like Western Cape premier Alan Winde, AI ethics advocate Nazareen Ebrahim and Shoprite CTO Chris Shortt. And, yes, there's a track on how AI is already transforming business strategy, law, creative industries and climate science. But the real value might be in the tone: less promise, more proof. Less marketing, more meaning. AI in a South African context According to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs report, 44% of core job skills are expected to change in the next five years due to automation and AI. South Africa, with its complex labour market and education challenges, can't afford to sleepwalk through that shift. At the same time, AI presents enormous opportunities for scale and reach. Already, homegrown innovation is using AI for language translation in education, telemedicine in rural clinics and agricultural optimisation in drought-stricken provinces. What's needed now is not just policy, but participation. Why Daily Maverick is watching closely At Daily Maverick, we don't partner lightly. We're here because we believe that a better-informed public is the foundation of any future worth having. And AI, like climate change or inequality, is now a civic issue, not just a technological one. Join the conversation If you're curious, cautious or just craving clarity. Because South Africa can't afford to wait for others to define the future.
IOL News
20-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Hybrid harmony: Streamlining business operations across South Africa
With hybrid work now the norm in South Africa, many businesses are still navigating the challenges of adapting to this new way of working. As hybrid work has become the prevailing business model in South Africa, many are still trying to iron out the challenges involved in adapting to the setup. A recent PwC South Africa report revealed that 59% of South Africans embrace hybrid work, despite employers' efforts to bring them fully back to the office. While this transformation has redefined how South African businesses function, it has also exposed significant gaps in IT infrastructure and people management. Many businesses struggle with geographically dispersed teams, real-time collaboration, and consistent performance across physical locations. System fragmentation remains one of the most pressing issues for hybrid teams. Departments use different platforms for communication, customer data, and task tracking, and they often lose, duplicate, or delay information. This lack of integration leads to poor version control and time-consuming processes, ultimately slowing down team achievement. Without streamlined data management, hybrid teams face difficulty sharing crucial information in real time. This fragmentation of IT systems not only hampers day-to-day workflows but also puts immense pressure on decision-makers. A Deloitte Africa report shows remote employees face decision-making delays due to ineffective communication channels. Without real-time visibility, hybrid teams struggle to coordinate tasks and stay aligned. Miscommunication, scattered updates, and the absence of centralized workflows hinder outcomes and reduce team efficiency. These inefficiencies have an enormous impact on small businesses because they can easily drain money, time, and momentum. Beyond processes, hybrid environments also affect company culture. Remote staff often miss out on spontaneous idea sharing and team bonding moments. This isolation can reduce morale, especially among new hires and younger professionals.
