The lecture, titled “Navigating Change within Organisations: The Human Element”, explored the tensions and possibilities of change in a world marked by challenges that often seem insurmountable.
In her opening address, Vice-Chancellor Professor Sibongile Muthwa congratulated Prof Werner on her scholarly journey and reflected on the timeliness of the theme.
“Professor Werner’s lecture addresses an important challenge – that of organisations grappling with what appears to be constant change in the uncertain and complex times in which we live,” she said.
“For our University – which has committed itself to placing its work and assets in service of communities and of society, by first and foremost striving to create an inclusive culture at our institution – this is an important piece of work for us.”
In a heartfelt introduction, the deputy dean of the Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, Professor Michelle Mey, described Professor Werner not only as an outstanding academic, but a compassionate leader who truly lives out the values of human-centredness in the workplace.
“She has an unquestionable work ethic and is the ultimate collegial and supportive colleague. She silently and not so silently mentors others, often nudging those within the Faculty to further their qualifications and studies, and build their research portfolios,” she said.
Prof Werner began her lecture with a powerful metaphor to frame the complexities, anxieties and hopes that come with change initiatives in modern workplaces: the story of an executive urging the team to “turn the boat around”, prompting an outpouring of human-centred questions – Who are we? What is ‘around’? Where to? Why must the boat be turned around? Who is on the boat? … Does the boat need a new crew, new technology, a new destiny? And what about the seafarers? Have they heard the rumours of change, or are they saying, “it’s long overdue!”?
“Change is both technical and relational,” she said, adding that while strategy and structure matter, organisations often fail by neglecting the people they expect to help implement change. Change cannot take place without the involvement of a wide range of stakeholders and through inclusive processes.
Prof Werner delved into the concepts of humanistic management and humanising workplaces which suggest that every person in an organisation matters, deserves respect and has the right to flourish at work.
“The humanistic perspective positions the organisation as a community of people in which individuals collaborate to make meaningful contributions to society and find purpose in doing so,” she said.
Drawing on academic research and organisational case studies, as well as research conducted within the School of Industrial Psychology and Human Resources, she examined how change readiness must become a continuous state for organisations, managers and employees.
“Successful change is fundamentally a people issue, with change emerging from relationships being built, conversations being held, confrontation, and new ways of doing,” she said.
“Successfully navigating change in a complex world requires acceptance of change, involvement, visionary thinking, collaboration, collective intelligence and broad-based action.”
A highlight of Prof Werner’s lecture was the presentation of empirical research on six key pillars of organisational change readiness: namely, organisational capability, employee readiness, communication, organisational culture, learning and leadership.
She noted that survey data drawn from private sector organisations in South Africa revealed low levels of change readiness, particularly in terms of change communication, employee involvement and cross-functional interaction.
“Resistance to change should not be seen as opposition,” she said. “Change brings uncertainty, fear and anxiety, which may sprout from employees being sceptical about the reasons for change, seeing themselves as recipients rather than participants of change, and having to rely on their peers for information.”
Prof Werner also cautioned against the dehumanising potential of digitalisation within the workplace.
“Digital onboarding, performance management and communication, while efficient, may unintentionally reduce employee autonomy and connection. Despite the advantages of digitalisation, research shows it can lead to isolation, detachment, technostress and diminishing wellbeing,” she said.
She further called for a collaborative and reflective leadership style that moves away from the leader being perceived a “heroic figure”.
“Leadership … is a group activity and a social practice,” she said.
Prof Werner concluded her lecture by reminding universities and organisations at large of the role they can play in shaping more humanising, inclusive and resilient workplaces.
“The organisation is an ecosystem, and we are the curators of that system,” she said. “The most profound change work is organisational culture. People are not the object of change. They are the change.”
Prof Werner is a registered Chartered HR Professional with the South African Board of People Practices and holds a DTech in Human Resource Management. She has extensive experience in both academia and industry.
She has co-authored and edited several HR and industrial psychology textbooks, supervised or co-supervised 11 doctoral and 65 master’s students, published in peer-reviewed journals and presented papers at international conferences.
She has also served on national and international academic review or assessment panels and contributes to university governance.