Remodel workforce before ticking time bomb explodes

Many South Africans view transformation as synonymous with corruption — but they are mistaken, writes Candice Kern-Thomas

In response to questions asked in parliament last year, SAA chairwoman Dudu Myeni said that her position at the national airline was construed as corruption when - in fact - it was transformation.

Corruption and transformation cannot be synonymous as this not only derails the efforts to establish an equitable society that South Africa so desperately needs; it also gives detractors of transformation a reason to find fault with the ideology, methodology and process of implementation.

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Corruption is the abuse of entrusted power for private gain.

Transformation, on the other hand, means a complete change in the appearance or character of something or someone, especially so that this thing or person is improved.

In this instance, the "thing" that needs to be improved is our country.

Lumping together corruption and transformation is not only opportunistic, it is completely disingenuous because the pundits of this narrative use it as a means to reject the concept as unworkable or a red herring.

Similarly, companies or individuals that use transformation as a get-rich-quick scheme or a vehicle for corruption are doing this country the greatest disservice as it serves to prolong the inevitable.

It is true that transformation has been, and is currently being, used for nefarious purposes.

This, however, cannot be used as an excuse by companies to not implement transformation policies, or to look for the easy way out when doing so.

There is a gross generalisation in South Africa that transformation means a hand-out to black people.

This is then followed by actions that support this behaviour.

South Africa has one of the highest Gini coefficient ratios in the world.

It is a ticking time bomb.

block_quotes_start The results are that whites become wealthier, a few black people attain wealth and the majority of black people stay poor block_quotes_end

The majority of black South Africans find themselves on the negative side of this ratio. To bring about balance, transformation is a necessity.

Without it, this country will implode.

One just has to look at the recent unemployment figures to realise that the current imbalance is unsustainable in the long term.

But the task of creating jobs cannot be the responsibility of the government alone. The attitude from corporations towards transformation is pivotal as this determines its pace.

When a manager is tasked with implementing a transformation policy in a company and has the attitude that the beneficiaries are looking for nothing more than a hand-out, it makes the process much more arduous.

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Such an attitude has a cascading effect - it means that the champion of transformation ultimately won't be in a position to convince other stakeholders in the company to buy in to the policy.

This leads to all sorts of problems, starting with a lack of will that translates into massive implementation roadblocks, including excuses around not finding suitably qualified suppliers, or appropriate skills to fill key roles, or worse, fronting.

There are always opportunists who are willing and able conduits of corruption for self-enrichment.

In such cases, contracts are awarded to connected politicians, friends or families.

Executive management and other positions are given to people without merit, and unsuspecting or even complicit people become fronters for white capital.

The results, quite predictably, are that whites become wealthier, a few black people attain wealth and the majority of black people stay poor.

This is corruption, not transformation.

Preventing blurred lines between corruption and transformation is very simple - that transformation needs to be implemented in accordance with the spirit and intention of the B-BBEE codes.

If transformation is implemented correctly - especially by corporate South Africa - we will indubitably see a very positive change in our GDP: social ills such as a lack of skills, unemployment and poverty will inevitably be diminished.

Transformation can only be implemented correctly if people become more familiar with its objectives and alter their negative perceptions around it.

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A good way to begin this process is to take time to become acquainted with our country's history and then read the legislation governing the transformation policies.

Context is key in understanding another person's view.

It is impossible to be armed with this knowledge and still hold negative perceptions around transformation.

As our late, great leader Nelson Mandela said, "Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world."

Once equipped with the necessary knowledge, managers tasked with implementing transformation policies in a company will be able to effectively execute their duties with the right intentions and assist towards the improvement of our beautiful country and the lives of all its people.

Kern-Thomas is the director of SA Consulting Projects, a 100% black, female-owned transformation and empowerment company