INTERVIEWS with CONNIE MADUMO
for the 
WORKINFO.COM HR MAGAZINE

This issue's interview:

Solomon Makgale - Communications Manager - Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA)

Back to ... Workinfo.com Human Resources Magazine Volume 1 Issue 10, 2007

Interviews with:

• Connie Madumo - Director: Communications and Projects - The Ridout Group (Pty) Ltd 

• Solomon Makgale - Communications Manager - Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA)

• Khosi Matshitse - HR Director - WesBank 

Solomon Makgale
Communications Manager - Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA)

As interviewed by Connie Madumo September 2006 

Communications Dynamic

Communications form an integral part of all organizations globally. We spoke to Solomon Makgale, Communications Manager at the Airports Company of South Africa, so shed some light on the dynamics of this interesting environment.

CM: An organization’s reputation and profitability depends largely on the degree to which its targeted “publics” support its goals and policies. How does an effective communication practitioner go about understanding the attitudes and concerns of the community, consumers, employees and public interest groups in order to establish and maintain cooperative relationships with them?  
SM: The role of a communications practitioner is to act as a facilitator in the exchange of information between the organisation and its target publics. The primary aim here is to persuade and encourage the public to understand and support the organisational strategic objectives. I believe there are three key ways of understanding how the organisation is perceived and the attitudes towards it. The practitioner must be informed about the sector in which the organisation is involved, conduct research and be involved at a senior, strategic level within the organisation.  

Secondly, formal research is required. Perhaps I should add here that very few public relations practitioners have the time and resources to do proper research. That is why many in the field are always running around daily, putting out fires. Research is often dismissed as unnecessary because the practitioner’s role is merely pushing out information and arranging social gatherings to ‘excite’ employees and stakeholders. 

The fact is, without decent research all the practitioner will be doing is to put a plaster on the wound and never get to deal with the root cause. Sometimes the organization will move from one Communications Agency to another because initially, the new agency will perform but find it difficult to sustain the high performance because given the dynamic environment in which organizations function, issues change but due to of lack of research, the changing environment goes unnoticed.

This research does not have to cost hundreds of thousands of rands. It could be as basic as the practitioner first establishing what the issues are, who the affected publics are and what are their attitudes as well as articulating what communication channels should be used. However, extensive research must be conducted every three to four years.

The third aspect is that of participation by the communications practitioner at a strategic level within an organisation. Practically, this means being a member of the Executive team. In this way, the practitioner will better understand the organisation’s strategic objectives and be party to the decision making process involving the target publics and can immediately provide counselling management at all levels with regard to the policy decisions taken, the communications impact thereof.

I believe putting these three elements into practice will go a long way to ensuring that the communications function within an organization is regarded as a management function which evaluates attitudes and perceptions of internal and external audiences by mapping specific programmes and supporting communication tools of creating, strengthening or preserving favorable opinions. As such, the practitioner will be able to anticipate, analyze and interpret internal and external opinions, attitudes and issues that may impact, for good or ill, the reputation and profitability of the organization. 

CM: Your current role requires continuous interaction with print and broadcast media representatives. What components contribute to building mutually beneficial relationships between you and the media and how has your previous experience as a reporter added to that?
SM: Having studied journalism, practiced for about five years, and written for almost all newspapers in South Africa has stood me in good stead. I fully understand the newsroom environment and can relate to the pressures that the media operate under. I still have a few friends left from those days and generally have found it easy to make new friends. I urge any practitioner who has never been inside a newsroom to do so as it will help them.

I would say the first key to a mutually beneficial relationship with the media is by realizing that they are not the enemy. By this, I am not implying that you have to be ‘buddy-buddy’ with all media. Friendships help particularly when there is a negative issue to deal with but there should still be a high degree of professionalism. The media are there to provide a service to the public and you can work with them to accomplish your objectives.

Another key element is integrity. An effective communications practitioner never deliberately provides inaccurate information. Even if that information is given ‘off the record’, it must still be factual. If you are found to have been economical with the truth, you will lose their trust and they will have no reason to believe you in the future.

Furthermore, never assume that they have fancy computers like you do. You will be surprised that a large proportion of them still prefer to receive information via fax as opposed to email.

Lastly, newsrooms are getting smaller and smaller with relatively junior people occupying senior positions.  So, when dealing with them be mindful of the pressure they are under to produce news and be courteous and as helpful as you can be. Often, this may involve having to explain issues about your organization over and over again, particularly if you are operating in a complex environment.

CM: Press releases are important tools used to distribute information pertaining to the organization. What goes into an accurate and effective press release and what factors influence the methods of distribution used?
SM: The sole purpose of a media statement is to get the media to use as much of its contents as possible. In writing a statement, it is important to understand the content the media considers important for a proper news article. It is the simple 5Ws (who, what, when, why, where). Increasingly, the media will come back and ask further questions of ‘how’ and various other probing questions. An effective press release will at least attempt to answer the basic 5 W’s.

Furthermore, it must be professionally written and not just regurgitate the marketing brochure. A media statement must tell a story and given time pressures the media works under, it must be written in such a manner that they can use it without having to re-write almost everything.

Lastly, unless the story is of a broad general interest, it is unwise to send a media statement to all journalists. It must target the media and have their audience or readers in mind. Don’t forget to put your contact details, including cell phone number at the bottom of the statement.

From a distribution point of view, it is vital to establish what format the journalist prefers the media statement in, as well as to be mindful of their deadlines. There is no point in sending a media statement at 6pm on a Friday if you want maximum coverage. Sunday afternoons and weekdays (except Friday) before 1pm is normally good particularly if your story is not that ‘hot’.

If you send out a general statement, you can use a PR wire service, where your statement will be circulated to all media that subscribe to the wire service. Almost all media are subscribers to the SA Press Association and will most likely use your media statement if it is sent on time.

CM: Certain organizations have, in the past, been known to invest more resources on their external communication strategies, while paying less attention to internal communication. Explain the importance of internal communication to the effective operation of a business, as well as the detrimental effects of sidelining it.
SM: Employees are the main drivers of organizational values and culture. As the adage goes, a happy employee equals a happy customer. This has become a cliché but in many respects rings true. In this regard, I am most impressed by what Avis has managed to accomplish. I use car rental companies a lot all over the country and I am yet to find an organization where employees offer a consistently friendly service like they do at Avis, regardless of the branch you are at. No guessing why Avis is so successful.

What this tells me is that there is a culture of service excellence within Avis and I am certain that they do have a way of inculcating the culture through a focused internal branding and communication process.

Living the culture and values is particularly important for all organizations, but more so for those in the service industry. If your employees are not living up to the promise contained in your value/mission statement, then customers will rate you service levels with their feet.

CM: With SA’s fast-growing economy, the demand for communication practitioners is on a sharp incline. What advice do you have for newly qualified individuals who are entering this exciting profession?
SM: Compared to being a journalist, the perks are really great but don’t expect to be recognized all the time for your efforts. It is generally a thankless job. There is so much that has to be done behind the scenes that most people, including CEOs, are not aware of. Everybody thinks communications is easy. It is generally dismissed as a soft skill and non-core to the business.  Most senior managers regard themselves as good communicators. Be prepared to work long hours and sometimes over weekends. Be prepared to provide the leadership counsel about your role as a communications practitioner and what value you can add.

Don’t allow yourself to be put off by the negatives. Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, once said that if he could invest more money in his business, it would be in the area of public relations. That coming from the world’s wealthiest person is worth serious consideration and confirms the importance and value-add of communication practitioners in the business world.

Interview by Connie Madumo – Communications Manager, The Ridout Group – September 2006

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Khosi Matshitse
HR Director - WesBank

As interviewed by Connie Madumo and first appeared in ceo volume 6 number 5 2007.
Edited by the Editor, Workinfo.com HR Magazine

Broadbanding from an HR perspective

• There are many historical factors that negatively impact on the education process.
• The education system appears not to prepare graduates effectively for employment .
• I am of the view that some parents are playing a coaching role to prepare their children, through no fault of theirs though.
• Lack of relevant experience. University students should avail themselves of any opportunity that gives them experience of the business world, even in non-skilled jobs.
• Parents not encouraging their children to do Science, Mathematics or Finance and lack of proper and relevant guidance into careers in schools.
• Mismatch of skills, a lot of Human Science graduates, whereas the employment opportunities are within IT, and Finance.

Possible solutions

• Organizations/Corporates need to link with schools and university to influence the curriculum design.
• Graduate Internship - companies need to offer a skills development programme to assist graduates in acquiring the necessary skills and experience 

CM: What measures can be put in place to source talent from the rest of the African continent?
KM: As businesses grow into the African continent, the South African footprint is being extended and provides an opportunity to seek and source talent from the continent. As we become familiar with business partners and customers we will be able to identify rare talent and inspire them with the opportunities we have. As South Africans we have a natural strength of reaching out and connecting with people and it is time to take this networking ability further. It is also important that our existing local talent is provided with career and development opportunity before looking at our neighbours!

We can leverage on technology. Internet speed, range, accessibility and low cost create new possibilities in reaching people across the globe. We will therefore ensure that our careers page on our Internet site is tagged with correct key words and visible to the search engines of the world (for example Google, ask jeeves etc), blogs and chat rooms. We will also utilize Recruitment agencies in the different areas of Africa .

CM: What is broadbanding from an HR perspective and how does it encourage individual career development?
KM: Broadbanding is a framework, based on Elliot Jacques' theory around “levels of work”, which integrates and aligns the various people management processes in WesBank. In WesBank this framework identifies 6 levels or bands and in certain of these levels identifies further points of progression referred to as milestones. In identifying the various roles, levels and milestones required to successfully deliver the Bank’s agreed strategies each role is profiled and clearly identifies the purpose, objectives to be achieved and competencies required to be successful in a specific role. It is against this profile that new talent is recruited and against which performance is measured. In identifying the level of work at which a role is placed a clearly defined conceptual model has been developed to clarify the type of work performed at each of the 6 levels guided by the extent of the complexity, accountability, problem solving and impact of decisions made in the role.

This framework therefore makes career progression more transparent and flexible and supports talent retention through providing clearly defined career development paths. This framework enables and supports transformation initiatives, aligns resources to the strategy enabling the demands of a fast growing organization. It also supports a transparent, flexible and simple remuneration system that values the individual based upon the individual performance against the role requirements. All the major HR initiatives are aligned to the levels of work such as Leadership Development, Training and Remuneration.

CM: The government has put measures into place to effect transformation in the workplace. What are your thoughts on this process?
KM: It is wonderful that our government is showing us the way business needs to transform.  I am also delighted to say that most business have accepted this challenge and do their best to honour the spirit of the law.  It has to be said that at times, the challenges of implementing and sustaining change are enormous and business does get overwhelmed by the complexity of guiding and developing practical solutions to transformation.

CM: There is also a low representation of women in senior positions both in the private and public sector. What are the barriers that restrict women from advancing and what can the government and businesses do to eliminate those barriers?
KM: This is a complex issue because some of the barriers lie within the gender politics domain. However, the realities of women’s lives and responsibilities in their private lives contribute to this situation. I imagine that there are women with high potential who choose to fulfill their private life responsibilities over their career aspirations. Certainly business can make it easier for women to fulfill their career aspirations as well as their personal contributions. Men who currently are in the senior positions – I believe – must play a stronger role as mentors to talented women. Finally, women themselves must also be more aware of the contributions they make by raising their visibility and performance in organizations. More importantly, all women must support each other.

Government has already put much legislation in place to ensure equality and is leading by example with 50% targets representation of women in parliament.  What we need as a country is the same level of commitment amongst the South African business.

CM: South Africa has one of the highest HIV/AIDS infection rates in the world. With the direct impact that this has on the workforce, what advice would you give to businesses regarding the implementation of HIV policies?
KM: The impact of HIV/AIDS needs to be addressed at both an individual staff level and an organisational level.

On a personal level, members of the boardroom need to make a personal, and often emotional, commitment to the fight against HIV/AIDS. One needs to equip oneself to understand how to prevent HIV/AIDS and how to support someone who is HIV positive. A continuous focus on remaining up to date with information, as well as keeping in mind skills on how to support individuals and their families emotionally, cannot be under-estimated. It is the individuals within an organisation that ensure a policy is implemented with care, support and fairness. Similarly, it is the individuals in the organisation who take the fight against HIV/AIDS to our communities.

At a business level, the CEO and the Executive Team need to own and champion the fight against HIV/AIDS, as well as all other chronic illnesses. The commitment and importance a CEO gives to this issue goes a long way to driving home any effective strategy. In my opinion, an HIV/AIDS initiative should be housed as a broader “Wellness” issue. This sends a strong message that all of us, whether we are HIV positive or negative, need to focus on our own personal well being.    

CM: Conflict resolution and mediation form an important part of the HR portfolio in every organization. What impact has the existence of bodies like the CCMA had on this area of HR?
KM: WesBank strongly believes in resolving disputes through various internal processes and policies available to staff. We apply labour legislation fairly and always attempt to proactively resolve disputes before it is even referred to the CCMA. We furthermore we strive to maintain a good and transparent relationship with our Union and encourage their involvement in ensuring fairness and consistency in our diverse workforce.

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Connie Madumo
Director: Communications and Projects - The Ridout Group (Pty) Ltd

Starting off The Ridout Group Interviews for the Workinfo.com HR Magazine 

To start off  The Ridout Group column of interviews in the Workinfo.com Human Resources Magazine, Workinfo.com interviewed the person who will be doing the interviews, Connie Madumo.

WI: Director: Communications and Projects; that’s quite a mouthful. What does that mean, in terms of workplace responsibilities?
CM: It is quite a mouthful! I’m responsible for three portfolios, namely:

• Communications – this includes the development and implementation of the company’s internal and external communications strategy. I contribute to the company’s newsletter, website content, teambuilding activities etc. I also write articles of interest and interview senior individuals in various sectors for certain business publications.
• Corporate Social Responsibility – I’m involved in the formulation and implementation of the company’s corporate social responsibility strategy. I located and established a relationship with an Alexandra-based football club, which we now sponsor. I organise quarterly Soccer Fun Days per year in Alexandra, where a number of matches take place, food is served and a platform is provided for The Ridout staff members to interact with the soccer players, the club’s management team, the fans and the community in general. I also invite certain media to the events and write follow up articles, which we distribute to various publications. We have also created a website for the club and I write the content and update it on a regular basis with any new and relevant info. We have an internship program for the U-20’s and Senior soccer players who have completed high school but cannot study further due to financial constraints and are currently unemployed. We employ and train them as data capturers, filing clerks, receptionists etc, thus providing them with certain skills that will enable them to enter the job market. We also compile professional CV’s for them and intend on hosting workshops where they will be coached on interview skills.
• Recruitment – this forms the core of our business, and it is here where I function as a recruitment consultant. This involves establishing and maintaining relationships with clients and candidates, head-hunting potential candidates, screening CV’s, conducting interviews, preparing shortlists, arranging client interviews, conducting relevant candidate checks (credit, criminal, qualifications etc), conducting references, negotiating salaries, counseling candidates, coordinating placements, cold-calling potential new clients, conducting company profile and methodology presentations.

WI: So it’s not just a mouthful, but sounds like you have to know your way around time management as well! How did it happen that you work for The Ridout Group (Pty) Ltd?
CM: I’d reached a point in my previous employment where I was feeling unchallenged and there were no other opportunities for me to grow within the company.  I contacted The Ridout Group to enquire about the availability of suitable vacancies for which I could apply. I was interviewed by Rob Ridout (our CEO), and he informed me that he was searching for an individual to lead his administration team. I accepted the role and have since served as an Administration Manager, Research Manager, Communications Manager and ultimately moved on to my current role.

WI: Connie, my impression of you is that you are an incredibly dynamic worker and organiser, finding creative solutions to challenges. What inspires you and what keeps you going through the tough times?
CM: The opportunity to make a positive difference. At the risk of sounding like a philanthropist, my portfolio allows me to make a noticeable difference in the lives of the people I interact with. For example, on the recruitment side, with every successful placement, an individual’s career path is positively affected, leading to overall lifestyle and personal enrichment. 
The social responsibility side really speaks for itself. Our CSR programme is affording the youth of Alexandra vast opportunities and providing them with the necessary tools to establish themselves both as professional soccer players and new entrants into the job market. 
It is a completely rewarding experience to see these remarkable changes unfolding and knowing that one was instrumental in making it happen.

WI: How would you describe your challenges as a woman in such a demanding organisation and portfolio? Do you think that you have challenges that are different to those your male colleagues are facing?
CM: With our country’s ever-growing economy, transformation in the workplace is imperative to any business’ overall success. It pushes mindsets beyond traditional lines and leads to new solutions, thus increasing our global competitive edge. Historically, women have had to work twice as hard at anything (especially in the business world) in order to prove themselves worthy of their roles. Nowadays this is changing. 
The SA government must also be applauded for the role it is playing in ensuring that effective transformation takes place, and South African businesses are taking heed. As a result, it has been easier for individuals like myself (an African female) to prove their capabilities and ultimately progress in their respective careers without having to face the challenges posed by demographics which one has no control over, as experienced by the former generations. The fact that my generation is measured by our performance and not by our gender or colour, has made it easier for me to concentrate on my deliverables. The issue of contention has shifted from who is male or female, to who is achieving the best outputs with the given resources.

WI: Tell me more about yourself – where you grew up and what you wanted to be when you were little?
CM: I was born an only child in Alexandra, and when I was 11 my family moved to Berea. I started off wanting to be a social worker (but looking back, I probably did not even know what that meant, I just liked how it sounded!). When I reached my teens, my focus shifted on to being a teacher. And to this day I still think about it sometimes.

WI: So what influenced your decision to choose this career?
CM: When I finished high school, like many a student out there, I did not know which direction to go. There were too many choices and I was afraid of making the wrong one. It was at this stage that my parents took over and pretty much made all the decisions for me – from where I was going to study, to what qualification I’d obtain and ultimately what profession I’d pursue (that of a Chartered Accountant). Needless to say, I was not happy with their choice, and it was not until I left my studies and took up a post as a receptionist at a small Marketing and PR agency (much to my parents’ disappointment) that I realized my true passion. I made it my mission to learn as much as I could about Public Relations and Communications, assisting the account executives with everything from press releases to events organisation. This led me to enroll for a BA Communication Science, and the rest, as they say, is history.

WI: What role do you see for yourself within the business world in South Africa ?
CM: The business world is ready for new, practical yet revolutionary ideas that will not only result in profitability but contribute to our country’s elevation to first world classification.
I would like to not only contribute to the formulation of the strategic path, but to continuously be involved in the implementation as well. As a Communications Practitioner, my role is to act as a facilitator in the exchange of information between an organisation and its target publics. So I’d like to continue informing, educating, warning, reminding, and entertaining our publics with pertinent information that will encourage them to understand and support the organisation’s strategic objectives.

WI: What role do you see for yourself within the wider context of South Africa, socially?
CM: Through my work, I’d like to foster strong and sustainable relationships between government, the private sector and NGO’s to benefit, among other things, social development in our country.

WI: Will Connie Madumo ever retire?
CM: By the looks of things that’s very unlikely. I intend to continue offering my skills and knowledge to the corporate sector and social projects countrywide, even well into my senior years.

WI: How did you start interviewing people?
CM: Our company has, over the past two years, developed good working relationships with certain publications in the media. We realized that through our nature of work we encounter many dynamic, high profile industry players who have a wealth of business knowledge and experience which they can share with others. It was then decided that, as part of the communications portfolio, I’d interview them on various topics related to their industries, as well as their personal opinions on current affairs issues.

WI: What kind of questions or issues interest you for an interview?
CM:  I mostly ask questions pertaining to the interviewee’s current role, career history and aspirations, their academic background and qualifications, their opinions on legislation that govern their respective industries and businesses in general, their advice for individuals who are currently in similar roles or wish to enter their fields etc.

WI: How do you prepare for an interview, or decide that you want to interview a person? What makes them an attractive “interviewee”?
CM: Most of my interviewees occupy senior roles in their organisations and what makes them attractive are aspects such as personal and business accomplishments in their chosen careers, or any unique features that form part of their career history.

WI: What is your goal for the Workinfo.com Human Resources Magazine Interviews column?
CM: I intend to inform and guide South African professionals through the experiences of others.

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Short summary
Interviews with leading professionals by Connie Madumo for the Workinfo.com HR Magazine. 

Keywords and relevant phrases
awareness, branding, broadbanding, career guidance, career planning, change management, coaching, communication, communication channels, communications practitioner, communication process, communication strategy, corporate social responsibility, CSR, customer feedback, development, experience, facilitator, feedback, football, gender, goals, HR policies, HR processes, information, information exchange, integrity, internal communication, media, mentoring, mission statement, networking, newsroom, organisational goal, organisational policies, people management, performance, PR, press release, public relations, recruitment, relationships, remuneration, reputation, reputation management, research, resources, retention, skills shortage, social awareness, strategic objectives, strategic planning, strategy, succession, training, transformation, trust, truth, values.

Back to ... Workinfo.com Human Resources Magazine Volume 1 Issue 10, 2007