By Lungile Ngubelanga
Charlotte Mokoena, the Executive Vice-President of Human Resources and Stakeholder Relations at Sasol, recently graduated with a Master of Commerce (Leadership Studies) degree cum laude from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).
Mokoena (56) also holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree, an Honours degree in Human Resources Development, a postgraduate diploma from Leicester University in the United Kingdom, and several business executive qualifications. Her first formal qualification was that of a nurse, and she completed all her university qualifications as a working mother and wife.
Mokoena’s Master’s study is titled: Managing organisational culture change in a South African multi-national company. It sought to:
•Understand the factors that influence organisational culture change;
•Identify effective approaches to communicating change;
•Investigate the existence of subcultures;
•Understand how to align company culture across an organisation.
The findings of the study indicated that organisational factors that impact culture change efforts include:
•Leadership behaviours and the leadership’s ability to manage culture change efforts;
•Alignment of the business case for change;
•Dealing with employee resistance to change;
•The use of effective communication approaches; and
•The fact that sub-cultures and gender differences in experiencing culture exist in the workforce, with no single-aligned organisational culture.
“I am passionate about people and culture as elements that are critical in creating and delivering value in organisations. The Master’s programme allowed me to choose a study area and topic directly related to my role, responsibilities and work as well as to my organisation’s priorities,” said Mokoena.
“The study makes an immediate contribution to the deliverables and priorities of the teams I lead and work with, and enriched my perspectives on culture change. It also provides a knowledge base from which I can explore further business studies, while reaching out to contribute my knowledge and skills beyond my current work role and even beyond my organisation.”
The study also revealed that there are gender disparities in how organisational culture is experienced, which is of keen interest to her.