03 Dec Pathways to Purpose in Politicised Organisations 

Addressing Structural Fears in the South African Context 

Politicised organisations, particularly in South Africa, face unique structural fears rooted in complex power dynamics and societal pressures. These organisations—where internal politics distort decision-making and erode alignment—are deeply influenced by structural and societal factors such as corruption, powerful unions, high unemployment, and historical inequality. To move toward their original and pure purpose, organisations must address fear not as a liability but as a signal to rebuild trust, create psychological safety, and foster systemic resilience.  

Below, we explore pathways through the lenses of annual strategy development, organisation design, leadership, and team development. 

1. Annual Strategy Development 

Challenges 

• Entrenched Forces: Stakeholders may actively sabotage efforts that threaten their influence, and decision-making could be co-opted by external interests. 

• Mistrust: Years of political interference can erode trust in leadership and processes. 

• Lack of Inclusivity: Stakeholders may feel excluded from strategic decisions, worsening tensions. 

Pathways to Action 

• Stakeholder Coalitions: Carefully and patiently build coalitions of credible internal and external actors (e.g., unions, government representatives, community leaders) to cocreate strategic priorities. These coalitions must balance influence without compromising the organisation’s purpose. 

• Transparency as a Trust-Building Tool: Use open forums and digital dashboards to provide real-time updates on strategic processes. Demonstrating accountability can reduce mistrust and increase buy-in from sceptical stakeholders. 

• Empowered Mediators: Introduce third-party facilitators skilled in navigating conflict, such as professional mediators familiar with South Africa’s socio-political context, to manage stakeholder tensions during strategic planning. 

2. Organisation Design 

Challenges 

• Resistance to Change: Power blocs within the organisation (e.g., union leadership, entrenched managers) may see redesign as a threat to their influence. 

• Inequity in Structures: Historical privileges or systemic inequalities may persist, complicating efforts to create equitable structures. 

• External Interference: Political actors and external entities may attempt to sway organisational design to suit their agendas. 

Pathways to Action 

• Participatory Redesign: Engage employees across all levels in workshops to envision future structures, ensuring broad representation in the redesign process. Participatory methods reduce the perception of top-down imposition. 

• Data-Driven Advocacy: Use organisational diagnostics to show where existing structures hinder performance or equity. Data-backed insights can depersonalise resistance and focus discussions on systemic improvement. 

• Gradual Implementation with Wins: Avoid sweeping changes that provoke resistance. Instead, implement phased structural adjustments that deliver quick, visible benefits (e.g., improved workflow efficiency, fairer resource allocation). 

• Engage Trusted External Experts: Collaborate with neutral, credible organisational design consultants who understand the South African context and can navigate political sensitivities while focusing on long-term impact. 

3. Leadership Development 

Challenges 

• Fear and Vulnerability: Leaders in politicised organisations may fear exposing their limitations, especially when political alliances are at play. 

• Cultural and Political Expectations: Leadership often operates under significant pressure to maintain the status quo or satisfy political benefactors. 

• Disillusionment: Prolonged exposure to dysfunction may leave leaders disengaged, cynical, or unmotivated to pursue meaningful change. 

Pathways to Action 

• Courageous Leadership Forums: Create safe spaces where leaders can discuss vulnerabilities, fears, and dilemmas without fear of reprisal. These forums should include facilitators experienced in dealing with South Africa’s political and social complexities. 

• Tailored Development: Use leadership assessments to customise development programs that address specific fears and challenges faced by leaders in politicised environments, such as managing union relations or navigating public scrutiny. 

• Mentorship from Change Agents: Partner emerging leaders with mentors who have successfully navigated political and organisational dynamics. These mentors can model resilience, ethical decision-making, and trust-building practices. 

• Systemic Leadership Models: Focus on leadership approaches (e.g., adaptive or systemic leadership) that enable leaders to manage complexity, tolerate ambiguity, and engage stakeholders constructively. 

4. Team Development 

Challenges 

• Factions and Silos: Teams may align with specific power blocs, leading to distrust and poor collaboration. 

• Reluctance to Speak Up: Fear of retaliation from political factions discourages open communication. 

• Dysfunctional Norms: Politicised cultures often reward individual alliances over team cohesion, perpetuating conflict. 

Pathways to Action 

• Conflict Resilience Training: Equip teams with tools to manage internal conflict constructively. Focus on emotional intelligence, conflict resolution skills, and recognising the dynamics of power and politics. 

• Neutral Facilitators: Bring in external facilitators to moderate team discussions, particularly when exploring sensitive topics like factionalism or trust-building. 

• Cross-Faction Projects: Assign teams with members from different factions to work on neutral, high-impact projects. These projects should have clear goals and metrics to ensure focus on outcomes rather than internal politics. 

• Shared Purpose Exercises: Develop team workshops that reconnect members with the organisation’s core mission. Exercises should emphasise shared goals over political divisions, drawing on principles of Ubuntu to foster collective commitment. 

• Layered Psychological Safety: Create psychological safety at multiple levels—team, departmental, and organisational—by celebrating small wins and making explicit commitments to fair treatment and inclusivity. 

Integrating Fear into These Pathways 

Fear, particularly in politicised organisations, must be acknowledged and addressed rather than dismissed: 

• Recognise Fear as a Signal: Understand that fear often signals systemic issues. Leaders should listen to these signals rather than suppress them. 

• Embed Psychological Safety: Build environments where employees can express concerns, even political fears, without fear of reprisal. 

• Channel Fear into Accountability: Transform fear of failure or consequences into motivation for alignment with organisational purpose. 

• Address Societal Fears: Link organisational practices to broader societal concerns, such as job security and inequality. For instance, design development initiatives that include commitments to local community upliftment. 

Concluding Thoughts 

Transforming a politicised organisation in South Africa requires leaders to confront entrenched dynamics with courage and creativity. By embracing fear as a complex but valuable force, organisations can design interventions that build trust, psychological safety, and systemic resilience. These changes will not happen overnight, but with sustained effort and inclusive practices, organisations can move closer to their original purpose while fostering a healthier workplace culture. 

Closing Out the Year with Gratitude 

Whatever your plans for December, may your holidays be restful and nourishing.  

To our customers and partners, thank you for trusting WorldsView Academy in 2024. We are privileged to support you in developing strategies, redesigning organisations, and growing leaders and teams. 

As we wrap up the year, we invite you to our final Conversation Café of 2024 on 4 December: “The Management of Fear: Does Fear Have a Place at Work?” Join us for this thought-provoking conversation by registering here. Let’s continue the conversation into 2025.