The Corporate Affairs team at the Durban University of Technology (DUT), which is under the leadership of Senior Director, Mr Alan Khan, attended an ENVISION2030 Living Values workshop that was facilitated by Mrs Lorna McCullough, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Applied Management at DUT Midlands. The workshop, which included all Corporate Affairs staff and interns, was held on Thursday, 31 August 2023.
The DUT ENVISION2030 Living Values Framework has five values, identified as transparency, honesty, integrity, respect and accountability. The principles are fairness, professionalism, commitment, compassion and excellence. McCullough’s aim was to simplify the ENVISION2030 living values and principles to ensure that staff have a better understanding of ENVISION2030.
Giving context to what the workshop would entail was Mr Alan Khan, Senior Director of Corporate Affairs. He explained that the workshop will focus on living DUT values and principles and for the full-day session to be a transformative experience for everyone. “We are also gathered under the guidance of our colleague Ms Lorna McCullough, who was a member of the Strategic Plan Working Group (SPWG) at DUT. Lorna is supremely focused on promoting our living values, so we have an expert when it comes to our values and principles. So, thank you Lorna for making the time to be with the DUT Corporate Affairs team,” he said.
Senior Director of Corporate Affairs, Mr Alan Khan.
Mr Khan commented further that DUT’s values and principles are the beacon that illuminates the path that shapes the culture for each one of us. “As members of the Corporate Affairs team, our resolute commitment to these values are paramount, it is not negotiable. Our values and principles are ultimately the bedrock on which we build trust, collaboration and innovation. As we engage in the Living Values workshop, we acknowledge the importance of aligning ourselves with our values and our principles as enshrined in ENVISION2030,” he added.
Mr Khan indicated that the values and principles guide the entire team towards a brighter future. “However, we must also recognise the challenges that lie ahead if we falter in living these values and principles. Failure to uphold our shared values and principles could lead to discord within our teams and disconnect between our aspirations and our actions and ultimately, it will hinder our ability to contribute meaningfully towards improving lives and livelihoods. Let us embrace this workshop, let us explore, learn and internalise the teachings that Lorna will bring to us,” replied Mr Khan.
He further relayed that the workshop was an opportunity to not just enhance professional skills but to nurture the very essence of who each team member was in the Corporate Affairs family. “By doing so, we empower ourselves to be ambassadors of positive change and champions of integrity and exemplars of collaboration. As we embark on this collective journey, remember that our commitment to our values and principles is not just a declaration but it should ideally be a daily practice. It is in the small choices we make, the conversations we engage in and the way we respond to challenges. Let’s foster an environment where respect, empathy and shared vision flourish, enabling us to overcome any obstacles that may come our way. I want to thank Lorna for investing her time to be with us, I want to thank our Corporate Affairs Implementation Support Practitioner (ISP), Mr Zwakele Ngubane for his support and encouragement and being with us, also Ms Bongiwe Chiliza, who was involved in the planning and taking care of the logistics and thank you to each one of you for making the commitment and dedicating your time and for investing your energy in our living values,” stressed Mr Khan.
Mrs Lorna McCullough, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Applied Management at DUT Midlands.
He then welcomed Ms McCullough, who decided to do things in a relaxed manner, to instil DUT’s lived values. She then provided each person with an opportunity to introduce themselves, allocating people into teams to carry out tasks pertaining to ENVISION2030 values and principles,. Lorna further explained that working in a team involves what each Corporate Affairs team member does and how they relate to team members as they do it. “Teams work well when team members share goals, trust, respect and support one another other. When they feel safe to communicate their ideas, as well as to pay attention to people skills, like reading how people feel through nonverbal signs,” she said.
She also explained that teams work poorly when one team member inserts themselves above the team; are disrespectful and untrustworthy; complain or criticise; and believe that teams always fail and they don’t commit. McCullough relayed that this leaves questions that need to be answered, such as what is important to us, as a team? “What values underpin our actions? How do we communicate with each other? How do we address conflict with each other? How do we want to be recognised as individuals? What do we want to put in place to support us in times of high pressure,” she said.
McCullough then moved on to the ‘nitty gritty’ of her presentation, giving an overview of the DUT ENVISION2030 values and principles. “I was just thinking that to live our values in the workplace and for our values to truly work in our workplace, that the team aspect is so important,” she said.
She further delved into the Lived Values methodology saying that the lived values framework came about after 41 workshops. From 1263 staff members out of a total of 1657 staff, present at these workshops, there was 81% input, which McCullough added was phenomenal. “Attendees viewed the definitions and their behaviour commitments through their lenses, so you got that different perspective and view of who we are, a rainbow campus. Also, statements included a reflection on participants own behaviours as well as behaviours of participants desire to see from their colleagues at all levels and sections. So that is how where this whole framework came from,” she said.
McCullough commented that further into the process, the Glasgow Caledonian University was used as a guideline for DUT to develop a homegrown model which aligns with DUT being Different. Upended and Transformed. For example, she explained on the DUT approach using Transparency, which means relevant information, actions and decisions are communicated clearly among DUT people, through the best suitable channels, in a timeous, consistent, open, and inclusive way.
She divulged that staff, students, managers, committees, and the DUT community like us, need to live the values using the behaviours that keep clear and open lines of sight, action, and communication within DUT teams. “Involve and get input from our people, as relevant before decisions are made, and clearly disseminate relevant information to our people,” she said.
She then spoke on the 10 values and principles, explaining each of the five values such as Transparency, Honesty, Integrity, Respect, Accountability which guides one’s conduct, activities, and goals. She then spoke of the principles, namely Fairness, professionalism, Commitment, Compassion, Excellence, all which guides one’s behaviour of the DUT system. In essence, she indicated that the DUT community needs to walk the talk. “Actions prove who someone is, words just prove who they want to be,” she remarked.
She commented that as part of the SPWG, the working group members were given one instruction by the Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Thandwa Mthembu, to do a strategy on a page. “He said Lorna, throw your textbooks away and it’s the best thing he could ever have said, it just gave us the freedom to be truly creative and innovative to create what became the DUT ENVISION2030 which is truly Creative.Distinctive. Impactful.
A robust question and answer session also ensued, followed by the vote of thanks which was given by Mr Khan. He thanked all colleagues for not just their attendance but their active participation in enriching DUT’s living values. “This workshop has empowered us with new perspectives which we will use to our benefit, not just in our professional lives but in our personal lives as well. A special note of appreciation goes to our remarkable facilitator, Ms Lorna McCullough, whose insights helped to ignite our understanding of the values and principles in a profound way. Your presence signifies your collective dedication to our shared values and principles. Living the values and principles at DUT is not just an aspiration, it’s a testament to our character and ultimately, our integrity. It would be great if we all strive to be ambassadors of our living values and principles of ENVISION2030,” he concluded.
Pictured: Corporate Affairs team at the ENVISION2030 workshop.
Waheeda Peters
