IOP3703 EXAM PACK 2025

IOP3703 Exam Memo Part 1 – The competent human being: The latest research shows the importance of developing employees on all levels of the organisation on a continual basis. Human Capacity Development – the focus is on developing behaviour, skills, attitudes and competencies that will enhance the overall quality of a person’s work life. Growth Psychology’s aim is to find and define a healthy personality. They argue that it is necessary for human beings to strive for that advanced level of growth in order to realise, or to actualise, their full potential. Abraham Maslow states “ if you deliberately plan to be less than you are capable of being, then I warn you that you will be unhappy for the rest of your life.” Growth Psychology has its roots in Classical Personality and Motivational Theories. Read page 9 – 33 Knowing Myself A positive inclination towards self-knowledge and self-awareness is one of the characteristics that come to the fore in all the perspectives on a competent human being. Self-knowledge must involve self-analysis. It is crucial to the development of a fully competent human being. 360 degree assessment – the person himself, his subordinates, his manager and his peers all evaluate him. Personal values are those values we deem important. We regard certain values as more important than others and these values affect the choices we make and the options we perceive for ourselves in life.  Espoused values – which we profess to believe in.  Values in action – which actually guide our behaviour. Power of Perception Conditioning can affect our perceptions and frame of reference. It has a deep impact on our personal and interpersonal effectiveness. It affects our interactions with others and influences our general life orientation. Downloaded by Thomas Mboya () lOMoARcPSD| IOP3703 Exam Memo Our brain acts as a recorder. All our observations, feelings, beliefs and so on are stored and they determine how we view the world. Ladder of Interference – a common mental pathway of increasing abstraction, often leading to misguided beliefs.  Reflexive loop – our beliefs affect what data we select Read page 45 Personal Vision and Goal setting Taking self-responsibility Characteristics of a competent human being is their ability to accept responsibility and to make things happen. Covey states that once you can decide what you are about and what you treasure, you automatically have guidelines. You have developed your criteria for making all the decisions in your life. Personal mastery – is centred on a shift in people’s view of their relationship with the world. It’s a shift from being “reactive”, to “creative”. Interdependent orientation – you and the world are intimately interdependent. The shift in orientations is significant because it affects every aspect of you ability to participate in the work of learning organisation. It affects how individuals draw knowledge from experience: how they understand and act according to systems and the type of visions they create. Intra-personal mastery – if you understand how you see yourself, you can more deliberately shift from one orientation to another. In the long run this could have a dramatic effect – not so much on your ability to achieve results, as on the type of results you seek and achieve. Reactive orientation – the world is happening to me. People in this orientation see the world as a basically unfriendly place, separate and apart from them.  Purpose is defensive and your personal visions are similarly negative.  Handling tragedy – is relatively worse that those with other orientations. Downloaded by Thomas Mboya () lOMoARcPSD| IOP3703 Exam Memo Creative Orientation – you move through life asking “what do I create?” Instead of blaming the world, you ask how you caused your circumstances to happen and what you need to do to change them.  Learn rapidly from experience  Dynamic organisation – has the culture “to have what it takes”. People in this organisation become more confident and competent as the reward system acknowledges outstanding performance.  Impenetrable boundaries – they do not permit themselves to identify with anyone but themselves, they set up a distinct impenetrable boundary between themselves and others. (suppliers and customers).  Self-centred behaviour – this is why the creative orientation often leads to vicious rivalry and extraordinary self-centred behaviour of organisations. It seems to breed a fast paced, exhausting way of life. Interdependent Orientation – gives you a models which gives you the personal, visceral sense that you are part of a greater whole. There is kinship between your internal awareness and your external reality, because both are part of the same system. You can’t command the larger system, any more than a cell can command a body.  Purpose – you realise that, as much as you “want” your vision, you are also its instrument – the steward and servant of a larger purpose.  Rightfulness – you feel no desire to gain at the expense of anyone or anything else.  Unique – every person is unique. Part 2 - Change: Change is the only constant in life. The norm. Change management involves concrete steps that management can take to lead change effectively. Why change should be managed:  It is not concerned with “soft” skills. It is concerned with the development of specific management competencies necessary for effective change leadership.  It is necessary to manage business risks during change. The risks include: o Potential loss of valued employees Downloaded by Thomas Mboya () lOMoARcPSD| IOP3703 Exam Memo o Drop in productivity and negative impacts on customers Well managed changes can be implemented in accordance with a predetermined schedule and budget.  It benefits the employees, because they are involved and informed throughout the change process. This enables employees to make informed decisions about their transition through the change. Fears of employees are addressed and it does not determine their reaction to the changes.  Change management provides tools to manage resistance to change proactively and to deal decisively with persistent resistance to change that threatens the organisation. Important techniques in change management strategies:  Changes readiness assessment – assessing employees and managers in areas such as culture and values, past changes, employee’s readiness and resistance.  Communications – includes communication planning and communication activities.  Training – Education and training programmes to build skills and knowledge.  Executive Sponsorship – Visible actions by business leaders (buy-in by top management).  Incentive and reward programmes – Ranging from small incentive programmes to compensation changes.  Employee feedback – Enabling employees to share their thoughts and feelings about the change openly.  Supervisor’s direct coaching of employees – Helping individual employees through the change process.  Resistance management – Tactics for systematically managing resistance.  Sacrificial Lamp – Visibly dealing with or removing a key person that is an obstacle to change.  Employee participation – Involving employees in the design of the change. Aspects of change: 4 Comfort Zones – there are two positive zones and two negative zones. Comfort zones in the top half of the chart to the right are effective in contributing to the success of the company. + Trend Follower + Proactive Change -_Past Performer -_Reactive Change Downloaded by Thomas Mboya () lOMoARcPSD| IOP3703 Exam Memo - Past performer - the most lethal. People look to the past for justification for maintaining the status quo. They are enthralled by the success by yester year. Titanic Syndrome – thinking they are invincible. - Reactive Change – thinks everyday has enough challenges without taking on any new projects. They create stress for everyone because they go from calm to crisis mode with the ring of the telephone. - Trend Follower – they will emulate the success of others and implement change initiatives of their own to strengthen their companies. They accept change as necessary, as long as others have already proven that it is a good idea. Nothing wrong with this comfort zone. - Proactive – they are full time change agents who see change as necessary and good for the company. They are aware of current global and local competitive environment and constantly looking for innovative ways to change their way of operating in order to meet the challenges held by the future. They are committed to positive continuous improvement and change – change that is proactive and fearless. 5 Aspects of Change:  Nature of change – change is often unpredictable and endemic to the contemporary world.  Rate of transformation of change – change is occurring faster and can result in it outpacing us.  Conceptualising change – the outcomes of decisions of individuals, groups, organisations and states.  Contested nature of change – the process and direction of changes is contested and contestable. By being proactive we can contest it and make our own change rather than being subject to it.  Changes in the Self – the basic premise of change in the self is that unless we are able to understand and shape change and meanings of change our capacity to work flexibly in our particular settings will be severely curtailed. 15 Reasons why people find it hard to change their mindsets and behaviour:  Fear of failure  Creatures of habit  No obvious need  Loss of control  Concern about support system  When the cost is too high or the reward inadequate  Unwillingness to learn Downloaded by Thomas Mboya () lOMoARcPSD| IOP3703 Exam Memo  Fear that the new way may not be better  Fear of the unknown  Fear of personal impact  Persons affected by the change are not involved in the planning  Excessive pressure is involved  Satisfaction with the status quo  Lack of respect for or trust in the initiator  Anxiety about personal security in not relieved Working with and Facilitating Change For change to occur, the feeling for the need for change needs to be present. The reminder that we have to create dissatisfaction in order to change reminds us that it is people who change – not products, systems or environments. The Change Formula can provide the missing perspective that often blindsides an important change effort. It identifies several key factors which must be present in sufficient degree to initiate and sustain a change effort. It can also be a diagnostic tool. The difficulty of creating readiness for change, may be thought of in terms of the cost of changing to organisational members. This relationship between positive forces which support change and the cost of change, may be presented in the following change formula: Ch = D x M x P C Where: Ch = Change D = Dissatisfaction with the status quo M = A new model for managing or organising P = A planned process for managing change C = Cost of change to individuals and groups. Vision or Model “the What” Process “the How to” Discomfort “the Why” Cost or Resistance “the Why Not” Downloaded by Thomas Mboya () lOMoARcPSD| IOP3703 Exam Memo A Target  Better than the way things are now  Valued by many people  What does success look like?  Clear/can be visualised/de tailed. Instrumental Capability  Tools  Know-how  Skills  Authority  Resources Planning  Strategic  Action Motivators  Leadership  Perseverance  Focus Motivators  Powerful reason to change  Positive: an opportunity just out of reach  Negative: change or go out of business Current or Old Paradigms  We’ve always done it this way  You can’t fight the system  “Not invented here” syndrome  Improving means fewer jobs Resistance of all sorts Fundamental Law of Ecology: If any organisation wishes to survive, its rate of learning must be equal to or greater than the rate of change in the environment. As competent human beings and lifelong learners, our product is our knowledge. Four ways in which learning helps any organisation survive and grow:  Helping it adapt to changing environmental demands  Enabling it to make innovations in its strategies, structures, services and practices  Building capabilities to improve itself continuously  Creating conditions which facilitate radical transformation of the system The key to managing change is sincerity. Downloaded by Thomas Mboya () lOMoARcPSD| IOP3703 Exam Memo Communication in an integral element of managing change and facilitating the implementation of change. Change and Opportunity Every change in our lives creates opportunity. Learning from missed opportunities:  Why did you miss them  Are you still missing them? Assessing Opportunities:  Explore the boundaries you put on new opportunities: o Why is it impossible? o What makes it impossible? o Could it be possible one day? o What would it take for me to move this idea from almost impossible to very difficult, to difficult to possible? We tend to think of new and controversial ideas as impossible. But these ideas often give rise to new opportunities. Globalisation: The concept of globalisation is closely connected to the concept of change and these changes are as a result of:  Technological changes have enabled information and goods to travel much faster than before.  The end of the Cold War and the spread of a new political philosophy of liberation led to the removal of trade barriers. 8 certainties concerning globalisation:  Tremendously diverse issues and problems are inherent in globalisation  These issues and problems involve the emergence of new global and regional forces  Globalisation might serve as another term for modernisation  Globalisation implies overcoming the distance of space and time Downloaded by Thomas Mboya () lOMoARcPSD| IOP3703 Exam Memo  The effect of globalisation is experienced differently by different people in different settings  Global change is not a uniform process  With globalisation comes increased economic competition and the need for flexibility  Globalisation has meant the spread of the market economy and of Western institutions and culture Globalisation can be defined as increasing global interdependence. Globalisation has many facets, but it is economic globalisation that is the dominant trend from which political and cultural globalisation flow. The aim of Economic Globalisation is to remove the obstacles to the global movement of capital and the production of goods and services that have accumulated in industry developed capitalistic countries. Incomplete globalisation or partial world economic integration of labour markets have promoted the “brain drain” from poor countries as the international mobility of human capital has resulted in a flow of doctors, academics , engineers, etc to leave the country in search of better opportunities in developed countries. Fundamentally, inequality comes from a cluster of other source and not just the nature of globalisation. These include, corruption, the overextended power of states, technological change, demographic change and disease. A Global market means more chances to make money, but also more competition. Globalisation is generating increased wealth, but also generating increased instability. The uneven and unequal nature of the present globalisation is manifested in the fast growing gap between the world’s rich and poor people and between developed and developing countries; and by the large differences among nations in the distribution of gains and losses. The negative impact of Globalisation on developing countries like South Africa has been manifested, through the fiscal squeeze and through market-orientated policies that have stifled economic growth and redistribution, in job losses, crisis in education, closure of hospitals, widening loopholes in the social security net, poverty, in a context of deepening inequality in what is already the second most unequal country in the world. Please read page 86 – 89 Downloaded by Thomas Mboya () lOMoARcPSD| IOP3703 Exam Memo Part 3 – Global and regional forces Global forces can include anything from wars, new inventions, breakthroughs in medicine and so on. Global Economy has emerged which has become institutionalised through global capital markets and globally integrated financial systems, global trade and global production networks. Regional forces can include economic, social and cultural forces, labour trends and developments and education. Alliances are a means of achieving more rapid international expansion. They enable companies to enter new markets, using the distribution networks and the specific knowledge of certain partners. They also enable companies to focus their resources on enhancing their core competencies while making optimal use of the complementary capabilities of their partners in areas that are not seen as critical. Four trends lying at the core of managers in companies in deciding to globalise:  An ever-increasing number of countries are embracing the free market ideology  The economic centre of gravity is shifting from the developed to the developing countries.  Technological advances are constantly improving communication  The opening of borders to trade, investment and technology transfers creates new market opportunities for companies and enables competitors from abroad to enter other companies’ home markets. The result is that globalisation has now become a self-accelerating frenzy. Read Page 92-95 Global economic integration has led to more complex relationships between macroeconomic variables. It allows for the new macroeconomic conditions to be transmitted rapidly and extensively through new channels. Downloaded by Thomas Mboya () lOMoARcPSD| IOP3703 Exam Memo In an international economy any doubt about the appropriateness of economic policy quickly becomes apparent in international investor’s decisions. GEAR, a macroeconomic framework which required South Africa to become internationally competitive. This means the reduction of tariffs and the removal of barriers that encourages free trade between SA and other countries. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) - they have focussed on reintegrating the country into the global economy after decades of isolation. DTI now seeks to:  Attract higher levels of domestic and foreign investment.  Increase market access for SA products worldwide  Create a fair, efficient and competitive marketplace for domestic and foreign investors, businesses and consumers. The goals of DTI include promoting small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs), increasing opportunities for black economic empowerment (BEE), reducing inequality and poverty between regions in South Africa, strengthening the international competitiveness of SA businesses, developing SADC region and servicing the economic citizenship in SA. Impact of HIV and Crime in South Africa High crime rates and HIV/AIDS infection rates also deter investments. South African economic policy is fiscally conservative, but pragmatic, focussing on targeting inflation and liberalising trade as a means to increase job growth and household income. Tourism industry is one of South Africa’s greatest assets apart from our rich mineral wealth. Crime is therefore has a significant impact on our country as a whole in that it damages our country’s image of a favourable destination for tourists. Globalisation also involves the dissemination of new technologies with tremendous impact on the economy, politicy, society, culture and everyday life. Space-Time compression has produced new technologies to overcome the boundaries of space and time, creating a village of global culture and the dramatic penetration of global forces into every realm of life in every region of the world. New technologies have also created new industries, such as the computer and information industry, which has led some to celebrate a new global information superhighway. The advantages of Information Technology (IT) today are not balanced:  They make the rich countries richer and the poor countries poorer. Downloaded by Thomas Mboya () lOMoARcPSD| IOP3703 Exam Memo  The digital divide has created a gap between the ways rich and poor communicate. o The lack of access to computers and internet also affect education in children and adults. o The digital divide is one of the symptoms of poverty. Technology has enabled us to communicate freely and work from almost anywhere in the world and has become a global force of the 21st century:  Technological advances will be short-lived – information technology will be replicated quickly, thus any significant advantage obtained through technology will be quickly neutralised.  Technology will be the great equaliser – Service and the ability to assimilate change rapidly will be the most important components of success in the 21st century. How organisations deploy its technological assets and resources will make the difference. Technological change plays a dual role:  It creates a condition for lifelong learning.  Helps support lifelong learning by providing new possibilities for the design, production and delivery of learning opportunities through flexible, open and distance approaches. The concept of Do It Yourself is important in our fast-changing world. Information systems will continue to bring extraordinary benefits to organisations, they also carry an insidious danger: this is because the highly complex computer systems of today are based upon the mental models of yesterday. So all new data are classified in ways that reinforce the existing mental models and theories, and that might prevent new knowledge from being created. Social and Cultural forces In all parts of the world, people identify themselves with “culture “ and “cultural groups” and everywhere one goes, democracy and human rights are on the agenda. Culture is no longer viewed as unchangeable, it is generally characterised as being locally rooted. Downloaded by Thomas Mboya () lOMoARcPSD| IOP3703 Exam Memo Culture provides forms of local identities, practices and modes of everyday life that could serve as bulkwark against the invasion of ideas, identities and forms of life irrelevant to the local region in question. Culture is a system that has structure, though it is difficult to identify culture’s identity or to mark its boundaries, as a system, culture is a dynamic organisation that aims to preserve a characteristic over time. Global Culture is the result of computer and telecommunications technology, a consumer society with its panorama of goods and services, transnational forms of architecture and design, etc. Global culture involves promoting lifestyle, consumption, products and identities. Culture is being redefined, for previously local and national cultures have been forces of resistance to global forces, protecting the traditions, identities and modes of life of specific groups and peoples. Consumer and media industries are becoming more differentiated and are segmenting their customers and audiences into more categories. We are not sufficiently equipped for the postmodern age. On the one hand, the politics of the modern nation-state are still very much a reality – autonomous local cultures are not universally politically recognised. On the other hand, many people have not yet benefitted from modernisation and lack the resources to be in a position to act globally, or are not able to decide about their culture owing to a lack of democracy and human rights. Operating in different countries with different cultures has certain implications for a company’s management. It acquires more diversity and therefore has to seek more unity. Leader’s role in management has to deal with three different relationships:  Relationship to the organisation’s “real problems” (strategic positioning, organisational integration)  Relationship to the power coalition, which permits the leader to act (shareholders, management teams)  Relationship to the social system (internal networks, norms, attitudes, roles) Each of these relationships demand a triple effort: cognition (perception, understanding), conation (the passage from reasoning to action) and staging (how an action is presented in the organisational and world context, including the use of appropriate symbols) Globalisation has a different effect on each component of this diagram. Downloaded by Thomas Mboya () lOMoARcPSD| IOP3703 Exam Memo Read page 104 and 105 Demographic Trends Two demographic phenomena are especially relevant to globalisation. Firstly, 12500 babies are born every hour, which adds one billion more inhabitants to our planet every 10years. The shrinking of our world can be correlated to the decline of cultural diversity which, in turn, can be linked to the decline of biodiversity and the growth of the human population. Secondly, a striking trend in developed countries is the ageing of the population. The older workforce with play a dominant role in the future workplace. As the supply of younger workers becomes depleted, the older, larger workforce will become the majority. The assumptions about all older workers are seldom true because of their diverse life experiences. As individuals age, they become more heterogeneous. Demographic Trends According to research by the Centre for the South African Economies (CSAE) notes that in South Africa race and unemployment are linked. This may be partially explained due to the fact that the Apartheid Era has had a major influence in the distribution of jobs and opportunities. The residual may be due to employer discrimination or to racial differences in unmeasured determinants such as the quality of education. It also appears that Africans, women and those who studied at historically black universities still have the greatest difficulty finding employment. New Skills While ensuring a competitive edge in the international arena, technology that displaces labour is adding to the misery of people who need work. So it is to the benefit of the nation, company and individual to develop new skills and knowledge to succeed in the world of work. The development of new skills is closely related to technological advancements. Employment practices in many developed countries are changing form lifetime careers to transitory arrangements with contract personnel. Organisations will have fewer full-time employees with core competencies and more highly specialised contract workers. A worker’s worth and compensation in the marketplace will not be measured by skill, diversity of experience and the financial return of the job portfolio. Downloaded by Thomas Mboya () lOMoARcPSD| IOP3703 Exam Memo A Global Mindset A Global mindset does not represent a global force; it is rather a conclusion to global forces. Mindsets refer to the cognitive filters through which we, as individuals or organisations observe and make sense of the world. The mindset of an organisation:  Every organisation is a collective of individuals  Each individual has a mindset, which continuously shapes and is shaped by the mindsets of others in the collective.  Depending on the type of decision, different individuals in the collective have different degrees of influence on decision making. To exhibit a global mindset, the individual and the management team of the organisation must be endowed with two important features:  A deep understanding of the world’s diversity  A strong ability to integrate diverse worldviews. Regional Forces Social and cultural forces - the more one enforces materialistic values and high technological standards on humans, the more endangered cultural heritage and identity become. Material Culture measures a society’s technological sophistication. Nonmaterial Culture is intangible. Material and nonmaterial aspects are always intertwined, and the nonmaterial gives meaning to the material aspects of culture. Cultural diversity not only refers to the richness of culture, but also to the limitations of each culture. We tend to do the following:  We tend to see culture as static and unchanging, as either primitive or modern, whereas most cultures are dynamic and varied.  We tend to see people as “Chinese” or “French” or whatever in the absence of other social identities such as mother, wife, educated woman, etc.  The exoticisation of others also takes attention away from what we have in common, not only in terms of social identities, but also in terms of values.  The process of identifying “us and them” does not tend to happen in a neutral environment. Instead it tends to perpetuate and reflect power relations in a Downloaded by Thomas Mboya () lOMoARcPSD| IOP3703 Exam Memo sense that we tend to perceive and react to others in terms of their superiority or inferiority to us. We can change people’s attitudes and behaviours by teaching them:  How to understand their inner conversations, the role of their own levels of confidence in how they perform and develop, and the effect these have on others.  To be more cognitively complex; to attempt to move people away from seeing the world in a unidimentional way and creating the ability to differentiate and reintegrate according to context.  Skills in communicating with yourself and others so that they can harness the skills and abilities to themselves and others effectively, according to contexts. Labour Certain regional forces of labour which are particularly relevant to the Southern African region. These are:  Unemployment o South Africa economy continues to grow a slower rate than is required o Unemployment is an economic condition o Today everyone needs 3 careers, one that pays the bills now, one that has a rational probability of doing so in the future, and one which is just for fun or linked to your “dream”. o Work has become increasingly project driven, which means it is timelimited and not like “permanent” jobs. o The idea that Employees see their employability as dependent on their marketability, continues to increase unemployment in one group while another group (mostly skilled labour) continues to prosper. o Globalisation is bringing about profound changes in the world economy. Workers who are laid off are not re-absorbed in the formal sector because they lack the skills and education needed in the expanding sectors of the economy. o Wages and conditions are also under pressure, despite new labour legislation. o Outsourcing and casualisation are taking their toll. All of these processes impact negatively on workers’ health and safety at work, and they do not advance development, they hinder development. o Long-term unemployment is the most savage cause of poverty and disadvantage in communities. It is the cause of enormous personal and financial hardship. Downloaded by Thomas Mboya () lOMoARcPSD| IOP3703 Exam Memo o Unemployment is expected to increase because the number of new entrants into the labour market far outweighs the employment opportunities that can be created in the formal sector, given the current economic conditions of SA. o Informal sector can be defined as follows, “Unorganised, unregulated and mostly legal but unregistered economic activities that are individually or family owned and use simple, labour intensive technology”. o Factors currently impacting negatively on the labour market and unemployment in SA include the following:  Real economic growth, which is on average lower than the population growth rate, causes unemployment to increase.  There is an increasing demand for highly skilled labour, while there is an oversupply of low-skilled labour.  The ongoing emigration of highly skilled people has a negative impact.  Wage increases are on average higher than the inflation rate  Labour legislation in not conducive to job creation.  Affirmative action policies and associated legislation have a negative impact on the labour market and employment.  The strong influence of trade unions on the economy is not an advantage.  Labour unrest, strikes and workshop stoppages.  The migrating from rural to urban areas also puts severe pressure on the already limited infrastructure and service delivery.  Legislation o It is the legal framework that regulates employment issues. o Knowledge of the legislation can equip you with skills to determine which employment practices are acceptable or not. o The manner in which legislation will be implemented is influenced by factors such as the history, economy, politics, demographics and characteristics of a country. o Globalisation is a hotly debated subject with many implications for the relevancy and applicability of rules and regulations both within and between countries. o Labour relations Act 66 – to advance economic development, social justice, labour peace and the democratisation of the workplace by fulfilling the primary objectives of this Act. Downloaded by Thomas Mboya () lOMoARcPSD| IOP3703 Exam Memo o The Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 – to advance economic development and social justice. It aims to do so by fulfilling its primary objective which is to give effect to and regulate the right to fair labour practices by establishing and enforcing basic conditions of employment, and by regulating all variations on basic conditions of employment. o Bill of Rights in the Constitution - make provision for the freedom to trade, occupation and profession, freedom to engage in labour-related activities and the right to education. Especially education for all, young or adult. o Employment Equity Act 55 – to advance those groups who have been disadvantaged as a result of discrimination caused by legislation and social practices. The Act has two main objectives:  To promote equal opportunity and fair treatment in employment through the elimination of unfair discrimination.  To implement positive measures to redress the disadvantages in employment experienced by designated groups, in order to ensure equitable representation in all occupational categories and levels in the workplace. o Skills Development Act 97  Education o The Brain Drain in SA’s biggest problem o Our education system is responsible for ensuring our country’s long term success and transformation. o HIV/AIDS problems plague and even threatens development. o Globalisation has caused a pervasive world phenomenon and further marginalize Africa, we have continued to export both human and capital resources to the rich countries. o Modern Information and Communication Technologies are one of the driving forces of this phenomenon of globalisation. Africa’s underdevelopment and inability to benefit these ICT advantages serves both as a cause and effect... o Universities play a crucial role in the realisation of practical and viable development. o Investment in human capital and an improvement in the skills base of the SA economy might guarantee high returns for the educational system. o Literacy rates have increased at an exceptionally high rate for any nation Downloaded by Thomas Mboya () lOMoARcPSD| IOP3703 Exam Memo Read page 130 to 136 Part 4 – Lifelong learning and knowledge What is Lifelong Learning o Change as a force in lifelong learning: on a micro and macro level we are constantly bombarded by change in our environment and his change forces us “to adapt or die”. o Transportation o Working conditions o Social problems o Healthcare o Education o Technology o Entertainment o Political problems o Financial Crisis o Personal Development Strategy – Do I need it? o SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats)  Background to lifelong learning o The individual’s attempt to stay ahead of new developments. o Lifelong learning refers not only to lifelong, but life-wide learning. o South Africa’s approach:  Page 158 to 163 Lifelong learner – someone who is open to new experiences and as such never stops learning. Life-wide learning – a synonym for lifelong learning and refers to the formal and non-formal continuous learning. Learnership – a new system of learning for young and unemployed people wishing to join the labour market. It combines structured leaning learning and work experiences. Informal learning – type that is often self-initiated and self-directed or acquired through the mass media or social gatherings. Learning system – refers to formal and non-formal ways of learning, as we all experience it (preschool, school, colleges, workplace training, etc) and includes Unisa students. Learning Organisation – refers to any organisation where continuous improvement takes place and where the continuous learning of its members is facilitated. Downloaded by Thomas Mboya () lOMoARcPSD| IOP3703 Exam Memo Learning Culture – refers to a way of life which values, fosters and celebrates lifelong learning in all forms of life. Learning Society – defined as a group of people, a population or an entire nation, etc who strive towards lifelong learning. Information Highway – defined as metaphor for the myriad opportunities for human interaction enabled in the capture, storage, transmission and reproduction of information technologies for purposes of the transformation of information into knowledge and the ability to utilise the knowledge highway. Benefits of lifelong learning... Learning and growth are inseparable:  Growth is learning and learning is growth  Growth can refer to the maturity of our thought process Lifelong learning is about understanding who you are to such a degree that you will be open to new experiences, open to other people’s views and willing to explore new ideas and take on new challenges. Never stop learning! Lifelong learning does not simply mean ongoing training, but a constant relationship with education We have to find ways to extend it to all citizens and encourage others to become lifelong learners in order to make a significant contribution to the SA economy. Lifelong learning is a tool for solving problems. It is essential in order to survive the changing times and become effective and competitive Unless the information Highway becomes a Knowledge Highway in which data is informed and organised by human intelligence in order to give meaning and enable learning, the issue of access is neither crucial nor urgent. However, as the Information Highway evolves, the issue of access to learning opportunities is critical in ensuring that learning continues to propel our economy, enrich our lives and build a nation of intelligent people. Part 5 - Lifelong Learning in the Learning Organisation Downloaded by Thomas Mboya () lOMoARcPSD| IOP3703 Exam Memo Pedagogy means The art or profession of teaching or Preparatory training or instruction. The shift from training to learning. The old paradigm of teaching is being replaced by a paradigm of learning due to technology making it easier for people to gain access to new information There is clear evidence that many teachers utilize pedagogical methods that are based on how we were taught when we were in school. A contributing factor is the lack of training about promising practices in curriculum and instruction that are based on research. The brain is a parallel processor, meaning thoughts, emotions, imagination, predispositions operate simultaneously and interact with other modes of information processing. Learning engages the entire physiology, meaning learning is as natural as breathing, but it can be negatively impacted by stress and threat. Search more meaning is innate, meaning the search for meaning and the need to act on our environment is automatic. Search for meaning occurs through patterning, meaning the brain is both a scientist and an artist. It is designed to perceive and generate patterns and it resists having meaningless patterns imposed on it. Emotions are critical to patterning, meaning what we learn is influenced and organized by emotions and mindsets based on expectancy, personal biases and prejudices, degrees of self-esteem, and the need for social interaction. Learning is enhanced by challenges and inhibited by threat, meaning the brain downshifts under perceived threat and learns optimally when appropriately challenged. Training tends to become outdated and useless so quickly. It might be valuable for the organisation’s next project – but will soon be far less relevant to a subsequent project. Training is not a foundations for lifelong learning. Downloaded by Thomas Mboya () lOMoARcPSD| IOP3703 Exam Memo Organisational learning:  Definition – as the process of “detection and correcting of errors”. An organisation’s learning through individual members who act as agents and respond similarly to different stimuli, based on individual learning actions.  Four constructs integrally linked to learning organisations: o Knowledge acquisition o Information distribution o Information interpretation o Organisational memory  The process within the organisation by which knowledge about action-outcome relationships and the effect of the environment of these relationships is developed  The ability of an organisation to gain insight and understand from experience through experimentation, observation, analysis and a willingness to examine both successes and failture. Learning Organisation:  Definition – the organisation “in which you cannot not learn because learning is so insinuated into the fabric of life”. A group of people continually enhancing their capacity to create what they want to create. An organisation with an integrated philosophy for anticipating, reacting and responding to change, complexity and uncertainty. Generative Learning – emphasises continuous experimentation and feedback in an ongoing examination of the very way organisations go about defining and solving problems. Double-loop learning. It requires new ways of looking at and solving problems. Adaptive Learning – focuses on solving problems in the present without examining the appropriateness of current learning behaviours. Focussing on incremental improvements, often based upon track records of success. Organisations need to pass the Adaptive stage in order to become generative. Ten Characteristics of a Learning organisation:  Any company, etc, or any group of people, large or small, with the need and desire to improve performance through learning.  Invests in its future through education and training.