Alumni Talk: Meet Dr. Felleng Yende, who is at the helm of the Fibre Processing & Manufacturing Sector Education and Training Authority (FP&MSETA), and our remarkable alumnus (Image supplied) Dr. Yende is on the rise – her patience, perseverance, resilience and humility give her the momentum to move forward. In addition, she also attributes her remarkable strides largely to the helpful liveliness of those she is closely associated with. That is, family and her supervisors, as well as The Da Vinci Institute’s team, for always being there throughout her research journey when needed. Dr. Yende’s academic curiosity and journey undertook a critical reflective work-based challenge, as articulated in her thesis, after having realised that the nexus of leadership and the 4th Industrial Revolution have been under-researched within the context of organisational adaptability – thus her thesis titled: “Enhancing public sector leadership in the age of the 4th Industrial Revolution…
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ALUMNUS ALERT: Henriette van Twisk, Da Vinci Institute’s Master’s Degree Alumnus (2021) (Image supplied) Henriette, through dedication and commitment has uniquely placed herself as an expert aspiring to make a long-lasting contribution to the field of education, a crucial area towards sustainability. Now armed with a master’s degree from The Da Vinci Institute, and even prior to her having obtained the mentioned qualification, Henriette has been confronting some of the burning issues in recent times – conundrums within the education sector and specifically at the college level. Her dissertation, a diagnostic study, is titled: Summative Evaluation of a Foundational Learning Programme for Technical and Vocational Colleges in South Africa. Henriette states that its chief aim “is to answer the question: Can a foundational learning programme create a learning foundation that will facilitate better pass rates when students enrol at TVET colleges?” A corollary to this question is, “to design,…
Marcus Tebogo Desando: The Man and His Work We are joined today by The Da Vinci Institute’s Masters alumnus and Doctoral candidate, Marcus Tebogo Desando – the outgoing CEO of Arts & Culture Trust. Now, newly appointed as the Director of Prince Claus Fund (Amsterdam). He is a constant fixture of South Africa’s cultural and operatic scene. (Image supplied) In briefly tracing back the origins of Marcus’ artistic journey, he began as a chorister, thus an operatic singing career inevitably ensued, usually a path not abnormal among choral singers, especially here in South Africa. As the years passed, Marcus started to consider charting a career path in operatic stage directing, following advice from his mentor Prof. Angelo Gobbato, to which he moved apace and, over-time, an artistic occupation he became renowned for in the country. He was first an assistant to local and visiting international directors, where he…
We celebrate with our alumnus, Dr Ansie Prinsloo by sharing her journey to remarkability (Image supplied) Dr Ansie Prinsloo is a Da Vinci Doctoral Degree holder who embraces the notion of seeking her truth and treads the path of remarkability, by continually thinking outside the box and garnering her own relevant truths, in her quest to make abundant improvements within the healthcare sector. On speaking of her Doctoral thesis, Dr Prinsloo explains that her thesis, titled, Enhancing healthcare delivery through a framework that integrates inclusivity and quality improvement science, “describes not only my academic work as it plays out in practice but also my passion. The research journey started as an academic inquiry about efficiency and effectiveness in my workplace. At the onset, I thought of myself as the author and creator of the content and learning. During the journey, my perfunctory understanding transcended and grew into an increasing awareness…
It is with great excitement and pride that today we showcase the remarkability of Mr Notius Tarisai, a Master’s alumnus of The Da Vinci Institute. His is a tale we would like to share as he is one of our paragons at the home of remarkability – a place he speaks fondly of. Notius attributes his learning journey at The Da Vinci Institute as being an intellectual metamorphosis for him. He states that, “prior to my enrolment at The Da Vinci Institute, I understood the role of technological innovation in various industries and sectors; through The Da Vinci Institute, however, I was educated on social innovation. I then applied the theory I had learnt to bridge the gap between rural farming systems and commercial farming methods and reconnected the learning outcomes with my rural upbringing and influences in my dissertation.” Having work experience that spans over three decades, says Mr….
Curiosita is one of the Da Vinci principles referring to “an insatiably curious approach to life and an unrelenting quest for continuous learning.” (Gelb, 1998) ABOUT The Curiosita forum is a monthly colloquium for contemporary thinking on the Management of Technology, Innovation and People in a Systemic context, hosted by The Da Vinci Institute. The forum takes the form of a robust and vibrant round-table discussion that consists of two parts. Firstly, a Doctoral student who is also a business leader in his/her own right presents their research to those in attendance, with the aim of receiving input through debate on their research. Then a guest speaker for industry who is also a societal influencer engages the audience on a particular topic, which connects to the TIPS™ Managerial Leadership Framework. The various speakers’ insights and thought-provoking ideas provide our audiences with an engaging experience. Topics discussed are transdisciplinary in nature,…
Dr Heather Goode provides some insights as she delves deeper into Tshepo Langa’s book entitled, “The ADI Model: What am I Thinking?” Hidden between the pages of Tshepho Langa’s book is a Richard Templar quote from his book “The rules of management”, who once said “being creative is about finding new and different ways to solve problems”[i]. Therefore, a challenge in leadership is finding ways to shift your thinking, adapt to changing contexts, improve your problem-solving skills, and approach old problems and new contexts with new ideas. Tshepho Langa, who is a faculty member at The Da Vinci Institute, sought to engage with this essential aspect of personal development when he wrote, “The ADI Model: What am I Thinking?”. Tshepho describes writing this book as being “about inspiring intentional mindset change towards a meaningful success and contribution to others.” The book initiates by detailing Tshepho’s own experiences and shifts…
A faculty member at The Da Vinci Institute, Mixo Sweetness Sithole reflects… Unemployment continues to be a crisis in South Africa, and we should be wary about its negative effects on people and society in general. Socio-economic impacts society at the micro, meso, exo and macro levels. Melinda Du Toit, a post-doctoral research fellow at the Centre for Social Development in Africa (University of Johannesburg) indicates that, “[u]nemployment has both individual and social consequences that require public policy interventions. For the individual, unemployment can cause psychological distress, which can lead to a decline in life satisfaction. It can also lead to mood disorders and substance abuse. Unemployment can affect one’s social status ascription as well, which manifests through stigmatisation, labelling, unfair judgement, and marginalisation.” Furthermore, unemployment can result in increased crime rates, as well as socio-political unrests – as witnessed recently in South Africa. According to a recent publication by…
It’s a journey . . . that I propose . . . I am not the guide . . . nor technical assistant . . . I will be your fellow passenger . . . (A Journey – By Nikki Giovanni) Wenzel originally comes from the construction industry, where he co-created for several years. Over time, according to Wenzel, “I was afforded an opportunity to start a new venture in Europe”, and for almost two decades, I then decided that my time rather be divided between Europe and my manufacturing operation in South Africa.” In the year 2016, he reinvented himself again and decided to concentrate all his energies on a management-development consultancy. It was through and during that process that his keenness for furthering his education became palpable – The Da Vinci Institute was his first option. Then the journey began, and Wenzel kept his head high…
In women’s month we continue to showcase some of our remarkable female alumni and today we profile one of our recent Doctoral graduates – Dr Shannon Nell This work is dedicated to nursing leaders – whoever and wherever you may be. I honour you. By Dr Shannon Nell Dr Nell comes from the health fraternity and has been a nurse for four decades. She has co-created in a multitude of clinical areas, including maternity, paediatrics, adult intensive care, and paediatric oncology, as well as in nursing education. Currently, Dr Nell serves as the Director of Nursing and Nursing Education at Netcare, a position she has held for the last seven years. We salute our remarkable Davincian, for all that she has done and continues to do on the frontline in our country, giving daily of herself to the betterment of others. Besides her extensive experience, Dr Nell also holds several…