Author: Malema Seroba

Curiosita at The DaVinci Institute is more than a conversation, it is a space where ideas meet practice. In our latest session held on the 30th September, the focus was on innovation management measurement. Participants had an opportunity to question, explore, and connect research with real-world impact. Through this lens of curiosita, the dialogue highlighted how South Africa continues to shape global standards while addressing local challenges.

Key participants who shaped the engagement included DaVinci’s doctoral candidate, Moses Kgosane Motshekga; Dr Mamohau Sekgaphane, Head of Faculty: Innovation Management; Prof Lucky Mathebula, Head of Faculty: People Management; Ofentse Rapakgadi, Executive: Marketing, Branding and Communication at DaVinci; Mmakgabo Maheya, Supervisor: ICT, Systems and Services Standards at SABS; and Dr Phumuza Langa, Senior Manager and Commercialisation Specialist at the University of Johannesburg

The Background of South Africa’s Contribution In Global Innovation Management Standards

South Africa continues to make its mark on the international stage of innovation management. Two of the country’s thought leaders, The DaVinci Institute CEO, Prof Ben Anderson, and South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), Supervisor: ICT, Systems and Services Standards, Mmakgabo Maheya, have been instrumental in shaping the development of ISO 56000/56001, the international standard for innovation management systems. Their complementary contributions ensured that South Africa’s voice, priorities, and innovation agenda are firmly embedded in this globally recognised framework.

Against this background, The DaVinci Institute hosted its September Curiosita, a platform designed to integrate academic enquiry with industry experience, highlighting innovation management measurement and its practical applications for doctoral research.

DaVinci’s Role in Global Innovation Standards

At the centre of South Africa’s global innovation management engagement is Prof Anderson, who has played a critical role in both national and international forums. As Chairperson of SABS TC 279 (Innovation Management), he has guided South Africa’s intellectual and technical input into the ISO process for more than a decade, including six years serving as international chair.

His leadership ensured that South Africa’s innovative perspectives, particularly those rooted in industrialisation, technology commercialisation, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), were recognised and embedded in the global framework.

Among his key contributions were:

• Guiding South Africa’s technical and academic input into the ISO standardisation process.
• Representing South Africa in ISO/TC 279, the global committee overseeing the standards.
• Producing reflections that underscore the significance of ISO 56001 as a systematic framework for unlocking organisational innovation.
• This intellectual contribution positioned South Africa not only as a participant but as a leader in innovation management thinking, influencing how organisations worldwide measure and manage innovation.

Curiosita: Bridging Research and Industry

DaVinci’s Curiosita was dedicated to the theme of Innovation Management Measurement. The engagement created a space for our doctoral candidate, Moses Kgosane Motshekga, to present his work and receive valuable input from both academic practitioners and industry leaders.

The candidate’s research stood out: a study focused on developing a framework to automate fair collection systems for the City of Johannesburg’s Metro Bus. The candidate argued that the current legacy system makes it difficult for the organisation to manage and account for its operations effectively.

Global crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have further exacerbated the financial challenges facing Metro Bus, particularly in terms of revenue collection. The candidate positioned his research as an attempt to help the city address these pressing issues by exploring ways to improve fairness and accountability in fare collection.

Technology or Systemic Change?

A key discussion during the session centred on whether the candidate’s solution would introduce entirely new technology or work to improve the systems already in place. This question highlighted a central principle of innovation management: innovation does not always mean a new tool; it can also mean a new approach.

The DaVinci faculty and participating industry professionals advised the candidate not to make assumptions that the solution must necessarily be a technological tool. Instead, they encouraged him to let his findings, drawn from thorough research and data, inform the most appropriate solution.

This guidance urged the candidate to adopt a systemic perspective, looking beyond Metro Bus alone and considering the broader urban transport ecosystem. Innovation, they emphasised, should not only resolve immediate operational inefficiencies but also align with long-term sustainability and organisational resilience.

Embedding South Africa’s Innovation Agenda

The Curiosita dialogue emphasised the role of the platform that blends research, industry insights, and global standards. By grounding doctoral studies in the broader context of ISO 56000/56001, The DaVinci Institute is ensuring that research projects do more than solve local problems; they contribute to shaping global best practices in innovation management.

Prof Anderson’s leadership in ISO development, combined with the intellectual rigor fostered through DaVinci’s doctoral programmes, ensures that South Africa’s innovation priorities, industrialisation, technology, sustainability, and inclusiveness remain central to global conversations.

Conclusion: Innovation Management Measurement

The September Curiosita reaffirmed DaVinci’s role as a bridge between research, industry, and international standards. The focus on innovation management measurement demonstrated that while tools and technology are important, the real power of innovation lies in creating systematic frameworks that encourage fairness, sustainability, and accountability.

Effectiveness of Personal Development Plans was the central theme of a study conducted by John Mackrill at The DaVinci Institute, which examined how Personal Development Plans (PDPs) shape the experiences, skills, and retention of millennial managers at Nestlé South Africa. Millennials, those born between 1982 and 2000, value growth and development in the workplace, but little research has focused on how PDPs align with their expectations.

The research was seeking to determine whether Nestlé’s PDP process supports millennial managers in developing critical skills, strengthens their commitment to the company, and provides insights into global best practices.

Research Problem and Objectives

Millennials perceive themselves as lacking some business skills and expect organisations to support their growth. Nestlé’s PDPs were examined to answer the central research question:

Do existing PDPs at Nestlé improve millennial managers’ operational skills and retention?

The objectives included:

• Identifying key components of PDPs at Nestlé.
• Exploring line managers’ perceptions in implementing PDPs.
• Assessing how Covid-19 affected millennial managers’ goals and expectations.
• Benchmarking Nestlé’s PDPs against global best practices

Methodology

The research adopted a phenomenological approach, focusing on lived experiences. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 millennial managers, supported by thematic analysis. Data was categorised into patterns, producing six themes that shaped the findings

Key Findings

Six core themes emerged:

• Ownership of Development – Millennials took responsibility for their growth, valuing PDPs as guides for career progression.
• System Awareness – Nestlé’s PDPs were seen as well-structured but required consistent engagement from line managers.
• Authenticity of Development – Effective PDPs went beyond “tick-box exercises,” offering meaningful growth opportunities.
• Capability Improvement – PDPs helped managers gain critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and technical expertise
• Retention – Effective PDPs, coupled with managerial support, increased intent to stay; however, ineffectiveness reduced this impact
• Covid-19 Influence – The pandemic reshaped career expectations, with managers focusing on adaptability and resilience.

Contributions and Theoretical Integration

The study added to knowledge on millennial development by emphasising the need for oversight in PDP implementation. It integrates with the DaVinci TIPS™ Framework (Technology, Innovation, People, and Systems thinking), highlighting the human interface of leadership development as central to organisational sustainability.

Recommendations: Effectiveness of Personal Development Plans

The study proposed several practical steps for Nestlé:

• Introduce systematic oversight to track PDP effectiveness, including 6-monthly reports from line managers and annual audits.
• Ensure PDPs record both short- and long-term career objectives for alignment with organisational needs.
• Encourage joint responsibility between managers and employees in co-creating development actions.
• Strengthen line managers’ skills in engaging millennials meaningfully.
• Recognise PDPs as part of a broader organisational system (recruitment, reward, retention, and exit strategies)

Return on Investment (ROI)

Effective PDPs benefit both Nestlé and millennial managers:

• For the company: reduced recruitment costs, stronger retention, and improved capabilities.
• For employees: career growth, promotional opportunities, and increased disposable income.

Conclusion

Nestlé’s PDP system is relatively mature and contributes to skill-building and retention, but its effectiveness depends on committed engagement from both line managers and employees. Millennials value authentic development opportunities that prepare them for both current and future roles. By strengthening oversight and aligning PDPs with long-term career goals, Nestlé can better harness the potential of its millennial workforce while ensuring organisational sustainability.

At the DaVinci Institute, many doctoral candidates arrive with impressive professional backgrounds that enrich their academic journeys. One such candidate is broadcast veteran Mapaseka Mokwele, who began her career in media before transitioning into coaching and leadership development. Now, she is pursuing a doctorate with a strong focus on Afrocentric approaches, a choice that aligns closely with DaVinci’s ethos.

From Broadcasting to Leadership

Mapaseka Mokwele’s career began in 1996 with the SABC show Your Own Business.

“I started presenting it, got bored, and asked to produce. I ended up producing and presenting. That is when journalism came into my life. I did not wake up and think, I want to be in this industry. I just found myself here; it happened,” she recalls.

Her entry into media was seen earlier by a schoolteacher who encouraged her to pursue communication and journalism. From Voice of Soweto to anchoring the evening bulletin on SABC, reading news on SAFM and Metro FM, and later working on Morning Live and SABC News International, she built a distinguished career in broadcasting.

After completing her master’s degree, she stepped back from the spotlight to explore new directions in coaching and leadership.

Discovering Coaching as a Calling

Coaching came naturally. Listeners and colleagues often sought her advice after shows.

“I started coaching informally without even realising it. Thabo Mokwele [her husband] actually pointed it out and said, ‘Do you realise you are coaching?’ Once I connected the dots, I decided to formalise it,” she says.

This led her to a master’s in management with a focus on coaching, spanning leadership, business, relationships, and life coaching. 

“I love it, even though it can be draining because people bring more problems than celebrations. But I enjoy the process, especially seeing results,” she explains.

Why DaVinci?

When it came time to pursue doctoral studies, Mapaseka was drawn to DaVinci Institute.

“DaVinci appealed to me because of its Afrocentric focus. That is exactly where I want to take my coaching. I also loved their approach: it is about your unique experience and lens, not a one-size-fits-all model,” she says.

Her husband introduced her to DaVinci after a friend’s wife completed her master’s at the institute. 

“When I explored it, I realised it ticked all the boxes for me. The Doctor of Business Leadership (DBL) route was perfect because of my focus on leadership and coaching,” she indicated. 

Academic Aspirations

For Mapaseka Mokwele, the doctorate is not just about her personal growth; it is about shaping the future of African coaching.

“When we coach Africans, we cannot always use Western frameworks. Our success is communal; my success is also my family’s and my community’s success. I want to build a body of work that frames African coaching as valid, valuable, and necessary,” she says.

Women in Academia

“It is exciting. I love facilitating and imparting knowledge, and the doctorate allows me to do that. If I can stand on an international stage and facilitate based on my work, that would be amazing. As a woman, it also means breaking barriers and opening doors for others. I want to show that just because you are an African or a woman does not mean you cannot succeed in academia,” she says. 

Advice for South African Graduates

Mapaseka urges graduates to shift their mindsets. “Too many graduates are waiting for jobs that do not exist. Entrepreneurship must be encouraged; people need to see that they can be their own bosses.

“At the same time, I prefer to work in bite-sized pieces: helping one person, who then helps another. That is how real change builds up without overwhelming pressure,” she says.

Mapaseka Mokwele’s journey from broadcasting to coaching to doctoral research reflects the spirit of DaVinci’s academic community: drawing on diverse professional experiences, valuing Afrocentric knowledge systems, and shaping leadership that is authentic, inclusive, and future-focused.

Direct marketing remains a crucial strategy for fostering customer relationships and minimising attrition. However, with increased consumer power, technological advancements, and the saturation of marketing messages, organisations face growing pressure to adopt more contextual and customer-centric approaches. Cindy-Lee Mayes’ dissertation examined whether uplift modelling can offer a more effective alternative to traditional response models in direct marketing.

Understanding Direct Marketing and Its Challenges

Traditional direct marketing strategies often generate low response rates and can damage brand perception if campaigns are irrelevant. In South Africa, legislation such as the Consumer Protection Act (2008) and the Protection of Personal Information Act (2013) has further restricted marketers, making predictive analytics essential in refining target selection.

From Predictive Analytics to Uplift Modelling

Predictive analytics uses historical data to forecast customer behaviours, but it often fails to distinguish between customers who would purchase regardless of marketing and those influenced by campaigns. Uplift modelling addresses this gap by estimating the incremental impact of marketing actions, separating “persuadables” from “sure things,” “lost causes,” and “do not disturb” segments.

Research Design and Methodology

The study adopted a qualitative, multi-method approach, combining electronic questionnaires with semi-structured interviews. Participants included economically active South Africans earning more than R300,000 annually. The aim was to compare the effectiveness of uplift modelling with traditional response models across customer engagement, costs, attrition, and brand loyalty.

Key Findings

The research showed that uplift modelling:

• Improves targeting by identifying customers who respond only due to marketing actions.
• Reduces costs by avoiding wasted expenditure on customers who would have purchased anyway.
• Enhances customer experience by delivering contextual, relevant messages.
• Strengthens brand loyalty and perception by minimising customer frustration from irrelevant marketing.

Implications for Direct Marketing

The findings highlight that uplift modelling drives contextual engagement and increases marketing return on investment. It shifts the focus from product-centric campaigns to customer-centric strategies, positioning trust as a competitive differentiator.

Recommendations

The dissertation recommends that organisations:

1. Adopt uplift models in direct marketing to improve efficiency and ROI.
2. Prioritise customer-centricity over campaign-driven approaches.
3. Engage in contextual marketing rather than generic mass campaigns.
4. Leverage trust as a key brand differentiator.
5. Pursue further research into cross-industry applications of uplift modelling.

Conclusion

By modelling behavioural change rather than mere likelihood of purchase, uplift modelling represents a valuable evolution in direct marketing. It not only optimises marketing spend but also enhances customer relationships, making it a strategic tool for organisations competing in increasingly complex markets.

At The DaVinci Institute, learning is not confined to lecture halls. It is brought alive through real conversations, lived experiences, and practical reflection. In this agricultural management session, participants were guided by our Executive: Business Development, Dr Sam February, to explore how the principles of business management, often associated with boardrooms and corporates, apply directly to farming, baking, and other small enterprises.

Framed within DaVinci’s philosophy of management of technology, innovation, people, and systems (TIPS™), the programme encourages learners to connect theory with practice. This session focused on two critical functions of management planning and organising, using participants’ day-to-day realities as the foundation for insight.

Planning and Organisation Based on Daily Realities 

Dr Sam introduced the focus of the discussion: exploring business management in agriculture through the lens of two key functions, planning and organising. While business management is built on four pillars (planning, organising, controlling, and leading), the emphasis was on how planning and organising directly shape agricultural businesses.

Learning from Participant Experiences

To anchor the session in real-world practice, Dr Sam invited participants to share their own approaches to planning in their agricultural or related businesses.

• The first participant grows spinach in a small space. She prepares her soil with manure before planting and waters her crops daily, but she has not yet developed a three-month production plan. Dr Sam highlighted the importance of setting production targets, such as the volume of spinach to harvest.
• The second participant runs a small baking enterprise producing cakes, biscuits, and scones. She plans to diversify into planting maize and dry beans within three months. Her business is order-driven, producing only when customers request, and she manages stock by purchasing ingredients as needed.
• The third participant has transitioned from yellow maize to potatoes, currently producing about 10 bags per month. She is exploring ways to secure more land to expand production and supply local shops.
• The fourth participant cultivates yellow maize and dry beans, but recently lost a crop of beans due to waterlogging. His experience highlighted the risks posed by natural factors such as heavy rainfall.
• The fifth participant began farming with tomatoes and spinach, but now grows cabbage, spinach, and beetroot. She sells within her community and is considering poultry farming for a more sustainable income.
• The sixth participant grows potatoes and tomatoes on a small 4m x 5m plot, mainly for household use and occasional sales. She also exchanges produce with neighbouring farmers, demonstrating informal trade as a resource strategy.

Key Lessons on Planning

Drawing from these examples, Dr Sam emphasised that effective planning in agriculture requires:

• Defining what to produce and in what quantity.
• Establishing timeframes (e.g., a three-month production cycle).
• Setting income or revenue targets.
• Identifying and organising resources (land, soil, water, seeds, inputs, equipment).
• Anticipating risks such as weather or market changes and preparing strategies to manage them.

Recap on the Session 

The session demonstrated that business management principles are not abstract theories, but practical tools that can guide everyday decision-making in agriculture and small enterprises. By grounding the concepts of planning and organising in participants’ lived experiences, Dr Sam highlighted how even small-scale farmers and entrepreneurs can benefit from structured thinking, clear targets, and proactive risk management.

For The DaVinci Institute, this approach reflects its commitment to contextualised learning, where students do not merely study frameworks but actively apply them to their environments. As participants left the session with guiding questions and reflections, they were not only preparing for an assignment but also shaping strategies to strengthen their own enterprises.

In this way, the programme nurtures a new generation of entrepreneurs who are not only growers and producers but also managers of technology, innovation, people, and systems, equipped to thrive in a changing economy.