DUTCSERI HOSTS PRODUCTIVITY AWARENESS WORKSHOP
On Thursday, The Durban University of Technology’s Centre for Social Entrepreneurship hosted a Productivity Awareness workshop, at the Durban Botanic Gardens, led by Mr. Sithembiso Mngoma from Productivity SA. The workshop aimed to enlighten entrepreneurs with indispensable knowledge as to how to manage time, workflow optimization and unlocking peak performance. Mr. Mngoma shared Productivity SA’s vision which is “to drive a productive and competitive South Africa.”
He raised awareness about productivity among entrepreneurs, advising them to establish good productivity habits before critiquing their business operations. Productivity SA plays a neutral role in business matters. They believe that while the government advocates for employment, businesses often hire to generate profit. “Don’t go outside of your means just because you want to make profit, you should try doing things according to your plans. You need to know how much you are doing in a day so that you’ll know what and how to improve.”-Says Mngoma.
“In our programmes, we strive to remain unbiased towards both employees and businesses during our engagements.”-added Mngoma. Productivity SA offers different types of programs for businesses such as the Business turnaround and Recovery program (for businesses that are not doing well), a program for competitiveness improvement services (for startups and businesses that are more sustainable) and a program for Research, Innovation and Statistics.
He then stated that they also offer Enterprise Support Programmes, which are Emerging Enterprises, Sustainable Enterprises and Distressed Enterprises. Here they partner with public entities in trying to assist businesses that are still starting up and that are operational. He spoke about how quality assurance in most companies usually competes with direct value-adding. He mentioned that while producing quality products is essential, having the right productivity systems in place can eliminate the need for a dedicated quality assurer.
Mr. Mngoma highlighted on the importance of stabilizing how you work. This can be done by creating a rhythm on how you work, which is basically the lean-thinking and problem-solving cycle. He identified this as a thinking that identifies waste, eliminates waste and adds more value.
Our entrepreneurs walked away with invaluable productivity insights and they dove deep into the world of efficiency. We thank Mr. Mngoma for his dedication and his unwavering commitment to uplifting our entrepreneurs. He is a true powerhouse dedicated to boosting the competiveness of South African businesses.
- Nomvelo Mkhwanazi.
- Photographer: Bheka Nxumalo
