Future-proofing how we manage

Investing on education also extends to mine line management and executive leadership. In line with our vision to be a long-life, major producer of platinum group metals, Zondereinde mine has an ‘accelerated programme’ to achieve pre-Covid production levels and improve organisational effectiveness.

Launched in February 2022, and supported by a specialist advisor, the programme focuses on:

  • Senior leadership and critical drivers of high performance: mine managers working together to ensure a common approach to communication and collaboration for effective decision-making. Both mine shafts ensured perfect sharing of key daily information on the true state of the operations. The intention is to create a more unified management, safer operations, increased awareness, empowered line management and support functions all leading to better decisions, faster removal of bottlenecks and improved process efficiency.
  • Improvement initiatives that rapidly overcome operational challenges: Managers and supervisors from various functions came together to identify, and work to overcome, critical and significant barriers to performance of mining crews. Using the bespoke frontline leader coaching programme OIM Consulting, line management found new ways to enhance crew performance, mining efficiencies and safe production.
  • Frontline manager capability for future growth: Frontline leaders have the power to direct the appropriate behaviours in a structured work approach.
This means:
  1. identifying the needs of each individual digital appraisal, tool and a tailored development plan;
  2. specialist training on a Safety Mindset, Structured Work Management, and OIM’s Coaching to Performance™ approach;
  3. three months of intensive, one-on-one practical coaching to deploy and maintain the principles and practices learned.

Our analysis shows that the desired result was achieved: Zondereinde operations returned to pre- Covid performance levels within three months, safety performance improved, and a detectable shift in culture to embrace higher levels of sustained operational performance.

Outlook

We recognise the challenges of skills shortages and the accessibility of learning and development interventions. We continue to explore new ways of delivering training by reassessing the content of our existing learning and development initiatives and incorporating various metrics to measure effectiveness. Further, we aim for a learning culture where employees feel enabled and encouraged to complete self-directed learning.

Consequently we are working on the specialist solutions, effective partnerships and the expansion across the company of the best learning experience for our employees. Core to this will be digital learning trials and options implemented in phases in F2023.

Future proofing [photo]