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26 July 2023 | Story Kekeletso Takang | Photo Charl Devenish
Prof Phillipe Burger, Prof Peter Rosseel and Prof Liezel Massyn
Prof Philippe Burger, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, together with Prof Peter Rosseel and Prof Liezel Massyn, Head of the Business School, at the recent guest lecture hosted by the UFS Business School.

The business world today is confronted with continuous disruptions and uncertainty. Organisations are challenged to think about digitalisation, innovation, and transformation to remain competitive. Leaders must be able to take everyone with them on a journey of continuous change.

This is according to Prof Peter Rosseel, Director of MCR Consulting (a spin-off of the University of Leuven in Belgium) and Affiliated Professor at the University of the Free State (UFS), who gave the lecture in the UFS Business School. The title of the lecture was The Golden Triangle of Vision-Leadership-Culture: why changing behaviour is so difficult and what you can do about it? and it was aimed at challenging leaders to deal with disruptions and uncertainty, the lecture equipped attendees with the skills to do so. 

Prof Rosseel challenged attendees to stretch their thinking. “Change management is not a human resource function, it is a leadership concern. Leaders who want to see a change in behaviour should create conceptual conflict.”

Conceptual conflict

Laughter was coupled with moments of silence as Prof Rosseel, a visiting professor at the University of Leuven in Belgium, took attendees on a roller-coaster ride. He alluded to five examples of conceptual conflict, statements that shook the room. 

  • Team building doesn’t work, it is a waste of money.
  • Stop giving presentations, people only remember 4% of what was presented.
  • Take the word ‘consensus’ out of your vocabulary.
  • You can measure all you want; it won’t change behaviour.
  • Training as a strategy to change an organisation is a very bad idea.

He believes that conceptual conflict is important for the development of the culture of an organisation.

In addition to creating conceptual conflict, leaders should negotiate with their teams. “There are three ways to go about this; inform, engage/empower, and observe the change in behaviour. People want to be informed on time, people want control, and people want to know why. Meet these terms and you are well on your way to observing the change in behaviour. People can agree to change even if they don’t support it, as long as they believe it is fair.”

An attendee posed a question to Prof Rosseel: “In South Africa, we have trade unions, and this leads to a consensus approach to decision-making. How do we do away with consensus in decision-making?” Prof Rosseel responded by saing: “That’s the context within which you operate. You can’t change the context. Play the politics but never compromise the strategy implementation.”

The golden triangle of ‘vision – leadership – culture’ provides a framework within which organisations can operate. Vision is the content, while leadership facilitates the change in behaviour, and culture is created through strategy implementation and cognitive dissonance.

About the speaker 

Prof Rosseel’s field of expertise covers strategy implementation, change management, cultural and digital transformation, leadership, and learning. He travels the world to help leadership teams and their organisations to change (80% of his time). 

He also teaches change management, and digital and organisational culture transformation to first- and second-year students in the Master of Biomedical Sciences, third-year Bachelor of Criminology students, and third-year Bachelor of Psychological and Educational Sciences students. In 2024, he will also teach a postgraduate course to engineers on the same subject matter. In South Africa, he teaches in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (20% of his time).

Read up on more programmes offered by the UFS Business School here.

News Archive

Graduates encouraged to use their knowledge to the benefit of SA
2017-06-28

Description: Graduation read more photo 27 June 2017 Tags: Graduation read more photo 27 June 2017

On 26 June 2017, the last day of its mid-year graduation
ceremonies, the University of the Free State conferred
388 master’s and 72 doctoral degrees.
Photo: Charl Devenish

You have the knowledge, which is a big resource, and should use it to the benefit of South Africa. This was the overwhelming message to graduates obtaining their master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of the Free State (UFS).

Their responsibility was emphasised by the likes of Justice Mahube Molemela during the ceremonies in the Callie Human Centre at the Bloemfontein Campus on 26 June 2017. Justice Molemela, Judge President of the Free State Division of the High Court and Acting Justice of the Supreme Court of South Africa, was the guest speaker at the morning and afternoon ceremonies.

The UFS conferred 388 master’s and 72 doctoral degrees on the final day of its mid-year graduation ceremonies, which was the biggest set of ceremonies in the university’s history. The doctorates came from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (30), Faculty of the Humanities (15), Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (9), Faculty of Education (8), Faculty of Health Sciences (5), and Faculty of Theology (5). A total of 5 258 degrees were conferred over six days from 19 to 26 June 2017.

Future dependant on youth

Justice Molemela said the master’s and doctoral graduates have the skills to make a difference. “The future of a nation is largely dependent on its youth playing a meaningful role in creating a strong economy, culminating in a good standard of living for everyone.”

She said they should plough back into their communities and give opportunities to others. “I am certain that if each one of you thinks innovatively in your respective fields, you will find solutions which will eradicate poverty, improve service delivery, and hence our education will advance gender equity, and promote public participation.”

Dr Khotso Mokhele, UFS Chancellor, said these graduates have every reason to hold their heads high, their shoulders square, and walk with a bit of an attitude, as they have distinguished themselves.

Generation of new knowledge
According to Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor, the UFS strives to be a university that is research led. “For me, one of the important aspects about universities which set them apart from other training and vocational institutions is the generation of new knowledge,” he said at a lunch function for PhD graduates on 26 June 2017. He feels it is critically important for them to make a contribution to the country.

Dipiloane Phutsisi, Principal and Chief Executive Officer of the Motheo TVET College in the Free State, also emphasised this. Phutsisi was the guest speaker on 23 June 2017. “Your courage and eagerness to face the future and tell the truth in the midst of this confusion, is highly desired by South Africans.”

Justice Ian van der Merwe, Judge of Appeal at the Supreme Court of Appeal and former Chair of the UFS Council, was the guest speaker at the ceremonies on 22 June 2017. He encouraged graduates from a chapter in the book War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.

“There is no greatness where there is not simplicity, goodness, and truth (according to Tolstoy). Or maybe more modernly translated: There is no greatness where simplicity, goodness, and truth are absent.”

Click here to see a list of Deans’ and Senate medals awarded.

Graduations ceremonies:

 

19 June 2017:

Faculty of Education, except educational qualifications in Open and Distance Learning – South Campus
Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Theology, and Faculty of Law (including the School of Financial Planning Law)

Description: Bloem Campus Graduation 19 June 2017 Tags: Bloem Campus Graduation 19 June 2017

 

“Every one of us, is destined for greatness. In the words of Dr Martin Luther King: Everyone has the power for greatness, not for fame but greatness, because greatness is determined by service.” – Dipiloane Phutsisi (Guest speaker and Principal and Chief Executive Officer of the Motheo TVET College in the Free State)

 
Photo Gallery
Livestream Footage (morning session)
Livestream Footage (afternoon session)

Photo: Charl Devenish



20 June 2017:

Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences: All Bachelor’s degrees
Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences: All Diplomas and Bachelor Honours degrees

 Description: Mid-year graduation day 2, Bloemfontein Campus Tags: Mid-year graduation day 2, Bloemfontein Campus

 

“Graduation marks a start of a new and wonderful journey. During the last couple of years you have not only developed your intellect, but also expanded what I call your social self,” - Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor

Speech: Prof Francis Petersen (morning)
Speech: Prof Francis Petersen (afternoon)
Photo Gallery

Livestream Footage (morning session)

Livestream Footage (afternoon session)

Photo: Charl Devenish



21 June 2017:

Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences: All certificates, diplomas, Bachelor’s degrees, and Bachelor Honours degrees, excluding BCom degrees
Faculty of the Humanities: Social Sciences and Communication Sciences only

 Description: Mid-year Graduation 21 June 2017 read more Tags: Mid-year Graduation 21 June 2017 read more

 
“Graduation is one of the most accomplished achievements one can ever experience.” – Justice Connie Mocumie (Guest speaker and Judge of Appeal at the Supreme Court of Appeal)

Photo Gallery
Livestream Footage (morning session)
Livestream Footage (afternoon session)

Photo: Charl Devenish

 

 



22 June 2017:

Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences: BCom degrees only
Faculty of the Humanities: All qualifications, except Social Sciences and Communication Sciences

 Description: Mid-year graduation read more for 22 June 2017 Tags: Mid-year graduation read more for 22 June 2017

 

“The question is not if you will make mistakes, but how do you deal with your mistakes? Do you admit them, do you learn from them, and do you grow as a person?” – Justice Ian van der Merwe (Guest speaker and Judge of Appeal at the Supreme Court of Appeal)

Photo Gallery
Livestream Footage (morning session)
Livestream Footage (afternoon session)

Photo: Johan Roux

 



23 June 2017:

Educational qualifications in Open and Distance Learning – South Campus

 Description: Mid-year graduation 23 June 2017 Tags: Mid-year graduation 23 June 2017

 

“Class of 2017, go and make your own unique contributions but remember to look into your own heart. South Africa needs your skills, your innovation, knowledge, your expertise and creativity.” – Dipiloane Phutsisi (Guest speaker and Principal and Chief Executive Officer of the Motheo TVET College in the Free State)



Photo Gallery

Livestream Footage (afternoon session)

Photo: Charl Devenish


 

26 June 2017:

All faculties: master’s and doctoral degrees

 Description: Graduation read more block 26 June 2017 Tags: Graduation read more block 26 June 2017

 

“Class of 2016/2017 graduates: You are critical thinkers, you can analyze, you can think independently. That is why you managed to successfully complete postgraduate degrees and diplomas.” – Justice Mahube Molemela (Judge President of the Free State Division of the High Court and Acting Justice of the Supreme Court of South Africa)


Photo Gallery
Livestream Footage (morning session)

Livestream Footage (afternoon session)

Photo: Charl Devenish


 

 

 

 

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