About us
HR Think Tank
Africa, and South Africa in particular, has a shortage of high-quality think tanks. Especially when it comes to think tanks relating to human capital.
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At the same time the world of work faces extraordinary and complex challenges. Among these are structural unemployment (mainly youth); robotics and the digitisation of work (fourth industrial revolution); income inequality; an aging work force; lack of trust in institutions and their leaders; and outdated and inadequate leadership models.
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Knowledge Resources (KR), in partnership with the Institute for Futures Research (IFR), identified the need for an HR Think Tank that focuses on policy issues pertaining to complex challenges facing the HR fraternity specifically, and the world of work at large.
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Essentially a Think Tank should: "generate and share policy ideas that can change the way the general public and key audiences think about important issues, bring new issues to the front, and provide alternatives for decision makers to consider" (Andrew Seele in What should Think Tanks Do?).
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The HR Think Tank focusses on current and future problems and challenges with regards to human capital.
Our research emphasis is on big-picture questions around human capital within the context of South African and emerging market countries.
Outputs of the HR Think Tank are pertinent to the private sector, government, academia and research institutions, NGOs, HR departments and the world of work at large.
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Research findings and recommendations are distributed to members, policy-makers, other stakeholders, as well as the public at large, through:
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Research reports on burning issues relating to human capital
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White papers
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Website and social media presence
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Spotlight papers around identified major themes
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Quarterly update meetings
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Annual events focusing on the primary identified themes as well as identifying new themes for research and discussion
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Liaising with targeted policy-makers
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The following overall goal/vision was formulated at the inaugural HR Think Tank meeting and accepted by the members:
THE HR THINK TANK MUST AIM TO HAVE SOUTH AFRICA RANKED AMONG THE TOP 50 COUNTRIES ON THE GLOBAL TALENT COMPETITIVENESS INDEX BY 2024.
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The five focus areas of the HR Think Tank include:
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Education and Development
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Vocational/ Technical Skills
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Gender
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Labour Productivity
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Business/ Government/ Labour Relationships
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Our Advisory Board

Wilhelm Crous
Managing Director
Knowledge Resources

Dr Morne Mostert
Director
Institute for Futures Research, USB

Professor Paul Evans
The Shell Chair of HR and OD, Emeritus
GTCI Ambassador, INSEAD

Jeanett Modise
Executive Head: People & Transformation
Sanlam

Zia Attlee
Head of Research
Knowledge Resources

Paul Norman
Group Chief HR and Corporate Affairs Officer
MTN

Victor Mothobi
Senior Director: HR
University of Stellenbosch

Professor Shirley Zinn
MD
Shirley Zinn Consulting

Jenny Jeftha
Trustee
Government Employee's Pension Fund

Asanda Camagu
Head: HR
Tshikululu Social Investments

Cathy Sims
Executive Director
South African Graduate Employers Association

Kim Urquhart
HR Director
St Stithian's College

Mimi Sekoboane
HR Manager
Ithemba Labs

Liezel Pheiffer Blignaut
Founder & CEO
Human Capital Business Solutions

Nomzamo Ngqulana-Kasana
Head of HR
Glacier by Sanlam

Beverley Reyneke
Senior General Manager: Shared Services
The Banking Association South Africa