Thesis and Thank Yous

Last week I finally got my thesis results, which included some phenomenal feedback from highly regarded academics. And today I submitted my final thesis, with corrections, to the UCT library, which means that it’s officially a wrap for my MCom in Economic Development. I will be graduating in December 🙂

I wouldn’t have made it to this point if it wasn’t for the incredible people around me who were there to get me over the line. As a thank you to everyone involved, I included an acknowledgements page on the first page of my dissertation.

Thank you once again to everyone for being part of this journey. The full acknowledgement section of my thesis is included below

Acknowledgements

Thank you to the legion of people that encouraged me and cheered me on in the process of writing this dissertation. I experienced multiple setbacks over the period when this was written, including suffering from depression and anxiety, family problems, being the victim of a robbery and various issues in completing the thesis. I made it through thanks to the unrelenting support of my incredible family and friends.

The irony of writing a dissertation on depression while suffering from it is not lost on me. However, having people around me that openly talked about mental health problems made seeking help much easier. In January last year, I started on anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medication, which has changed my life. Thank you to my therapist and my psychiatrist for all the work they have done with me, I am eternally grateful. I encourage anyone suffering from mental health issues to speak up and not be afraid to seek help. You don’t have to fight the battle alone.

Thank you to the many friends that helped me through the tough patches and celebrated with me during the successes. A special thank you to the following, who were always there when I needed them: Jared, Holly, Janine, Steve, Hana, Samantha, Jess, Edward, Marcelle, Charlotte, Kuhle, Kay, Michael, Jonathan, Nick, Abigail, Thabo, Ahmed, Renee, Bridget, Grace, Suzie, Shelly, Dale, Alison, Tiisetso, Alexei, Anna, Tiang, Louis, Rhiannon, Cait, Steph, Ndumi, Katie and Tumi.

Thank you to my supervisor, Malcolm, for all the support with the dissertation and for being so patient with me throughout the process, especially when I was going through a difficult time last year. Your input has been invaluable and I have learnt so much from you.

Thank you to my wonderful family for all they have done for me. My dad, Lihor, for all the support he has provided me throughout my life, particularly in my academic endeavours. My brothers, Lorenzo and Fabio, for being such wonderful siblings. Thank you to my uncle Massimo, for being supportive of my dreams and thank you to Sue, Jacqui, Jules and Matt for inspiring me. Thank you to the Weston family, who have been there whenever I’ve needed them.

Finally, and most importantly, thank you to my incredible mother Debbie for everything she has done for me. You are always there when I need someone to chat to, always ready to help and you have sacrificed so much for me. You’ve experienced every part of the journey with me, from panicking at the registration line with my degree choice, to the teary phone call after the tests in 2015 and, now, to celebrating completing my masters and finding my way in life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, I love you and truly would not have made it without you.

My journey as a student at UCT has come to the end after eight years, three degrees, thousands of hours studying and many late nights. Thank you to UCT for all the phenomenal memories and for shaping me into who I am today. It’s time to close this chapter of my life. As the last line of my old school song says:

“Here our ship once anchor’d and here its course was set.”

Image was taken at the Bascule bar where I had a sneaky whiskey to celebrate the end of this journey.

Blog: 355/365. Click here to read about my #365of25 journey

Song of the day: Phoebe Ryan – Mine (Illenium Remix)

Published by rspazzoli on October 22, 2019 | Permalink

Role Models: Dale Williams

Today’s blog post is about a role model of mine that I am very close to, Dale Williams. I’ve interacted with Dale in so many different ways. In 2014 I was a student in his course. In 2015 I tutored on the course and he was my boss. In 2016 I was his assistant on the course. And more recently we have become colleagues.

In addition to being my lecturer, boss and colleague, Dale has been a mentor, a coach, an angel investor, a consultant and, most importantly, a great friend.

I could give 50 reasons as to why he is a role model to me. But I’m going to settle on the 4 most important ones. His lean philosophy, his strategic insights, his humility and the support he shows… for everyone.

Reason 1: Lean Philosophy

Dale operates on a lean philosophy with most of the things he does, which are loosely based on the “Lean Startup” principles. This means that current work and new ideas are built on learning feedback loops (e.g. Kolbe learning styles) that allow them to be continuously improved.

The loops consist of roughly four components. The first is abstract conceptualization, which is having an idea of how things are currently done or could be done. The second is active experimentation, where the idea is tested before going our. The third is concrete experience, which involves implementing the idea. And finally, reflective observation, where the impact is analysed.

This results in being able to quickly and effectively implement new ideas. In the time I’ve known him, we have been able to improve the course in at least 20 different ways, mostly because of the rapidness of his lean philosophy.

Reason 2: Strategic insights

Dale uses a combination of a wide knowledge and a natural instinct to generate some of the most interesting and impactful strategic insights. He uses this when implementing his own ideas or when helping people with theirs. And I’ve been fortunate enough to observe and receive these insights.

For example, we once had a situation where a group of students were unhappy with an aspect of the course. The normal reaction from a lecturer here would be to push back or ignore the students. Instead, while he was gathering information about the issue he took time out to reflect. And in the space of just a few minutes, he decided on a path that was both unconventional and lead to the students being happy with the outcome.

Reason 3: Humility

Despite helping so many people, from students to executives at big banks, Dale always remains humble. He rarely name drops or sings his own praises. Instead, he highlights the work of others that have worked with him, and is quick to acknowledge their contributions.

Reason 4: Mentoring and Cheerleading

Finally (and most importantly), Dale is one of the greatest supporters/fans of people and their ideas that I have ever come across. As mentioned in my blog yesterday, he has inspired and taught me how to do the same.

Over the last four years I have watched him support many students and business leaders in their projects. He sits on the board of a number of student startups. He has given funding and invested in ideas and businesses (including my own). He consults and supports whenever he is able to (for free). And he will never hesitate to put you in touch with someone who could help you further

Dale is an incredible mentor, leader and friend. He is connected to the people around him, thinks critically and creatively, supports people and is humble.

And I can’t wait to continue learning from him.

Image is from Dale speaking at an event organised by a student last year

Blog: 340/365. Click here to read about my #365of25 journey
Song of the day:ID vs Mako - Smoke Filled Room

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Published by rspazzoli on October 24, 2018 | Permalink

Strategy Webinar Resources

For anyone tuning in to my webinar today, here is the list of resources. Below you’ll find the slides I’m using as well as all of the various organisations and tools I refer to. (I’ll update this post with more info after the webinar)

The direct link to the stream can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqrnhemvjHk

The topic for the webinar is “Strategic Thinking: Solving Global Challenges” and will cover some of the most important strategy tools that I teach at the University of Cape Town, applied in a global development context.

Slides for the webinar

If you’d like a copy of my slides, follow the link below:

GC Webinar_ Strategy Download

Part 1: Defining Strategy

Battle of Isandlwana: http://www.thisiskzn.co.za/reliving-battle-isandlwana-fugitives-drift-lodge/

Part 2: Rumelt Framework

Good Strategy/Bad Strategy: http://goodbadstrategy.com/

Bulungula incubator: http://bulungulaincubator.org/

Part 3: Strategy Tools

Map the system: http://mapthesystem.sbs.ox.ac.uk/resources/

Theory of Change: https://www.povertyactionlab.org/sites/default/files/3.%20Theory%20of%20Change%202014.03.10.pdf

The Clothing Bank: http://www.theclothingbank.org.za/

About Global Changemakers

A big thank you to Courtney and the team who have put this together. Details about Global Changemakers are below

Global Changmakers is one of the world’s largest youth empowerment organisations headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland and represented in over 180 countries – from refugee camps in Europe to sprawling cities in Asia, indigenous communities in South America, islands in the Pacific and beyond – by 1000 of our ‘Global Changemakers’. These changemakers are young people who work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within their communities, countries, regions and across the world and whose work has benefited over 4 million people to date.

Follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more updates and info on their work.

Image is intro slide for the webinar

Blog: 330/365. Click here to read about my #365of25 journey
Song of the day: Opposite the Other - High Hopes

Published by rspazzoli on October 11, 2018 | Permalink

My Webinar on Strategy with Global Changemakers

Ever wanted to hear me deliver a seminar?

If your answer is no… then…. um… that’s okay. My feelings aren’t hurt or anything.

But if your answer is yes, then you’re in luck!

On Thursday 11 October at 2pm CET (that’s 3pm in South Africa) I’ll be giving a webinar for Global Changemakers as part of their free webinar series.

The topic for the webinar is “Strategic Thinking: Solving Global Challenges” and will cover some of the most important strategy tools that I teach at the University of Cape Town, applied in a global development context.

If you’d like to sign up for it you can do so here (or here:
https://goo.gl/forms/omq9CPiQ5Gr6sfXE3). You’ll be able to ask questions on the sign up or during the webinar itself (or you can email me at rspazzoli@gmail.com)

The direct link to the stream can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqrnhemvjHk

The webinar is free and open to anyone, anywhere. So you’re welcome to invite friends and family to join in.

A big thank you to Courtney and the team who have put this together. Details about Global Changemakers are below (and updates will be posted to their Facebook page).

See you next week!

About Global Changemakers

Global Changmakers is one of the world’s largest youth empowerment organisations headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland and represented in over 180 countries – from refugee camps in Europe to sprawling cities in Asia, indigenous communities in South America, islands in the Pacific and beyond – by 1000 of our ‘Global Changemakers’. These changemakers are young people who work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within their communities, countries, regions and across the world and whose work has benefited over 4 million people to date.

Follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more updates and info on their work.

Image is the information for the webinar 🙂

Blog: 323/365. Click here to read about my #365of25 journey
Song of the day: Man in the mirror - Michael Jackson

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Published by rspazzoli on October 2, 2018 | Permalink

Engage or coast, the choice is yours

The course I teach on, Strategic Thinking, is designed in such a way that students have a choice. They can choose to coast through the course, and their general knowledge and intellect is likely to get them through.

But they can also choose to engage.

Engage with the lecturers, who have been in academia and in industry.

Engage with the guest lecturers, who include distinguished business people, entrepreneurs, politicians and academics.

Engage with the mentors and tutors, who have completed the course year before and are best equipped to help guide them.

There are also opportunities to start your own business, get venture capital, meet with consultants from a local professional services firm, and various assignments to engage you with the real world.

But do they engage?

The majority of the class will coast. They’re either not interested or are too worried about other courses in their degrees.

But there are some students who engage fully. And these students make it all worth it. For the teaching staff as well as for themselves

They come for consultations with the teaching team, and learn far more than the rest of the class. They’ll start business and gain significant experience while at university. Or they’ll make a connection that helps them find a career path or funding for their degree.

The ones who engage then often become part of the course ecosystem. They become tutors, mentors and lecturers. They continue learning about strategy, even when the course is done.

And to me, these people are the ones with the spark.

They’re the ones that are going to succeed beyond their wildest dreams. And they’re the ones that are going to change the world.

So, whether you’re a student in my course or not, you need to decide:

Will you coast or will you engage?

Image is from our tutor dinner this evening 🙂

Blog: 302/365. Click here to read about my #365of25 journey

Song of the day: Black Coffee & David Guetta - Drive

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Published by rspazzoli on September 6, 2018 | Permalink

Stifling Bureaucracy

I hate bureaucracy.

And many other people do too.

It results in situations like the one I experienced today.

But where did it come from? And why do we just accept it?

The Rise of Scientific Management

During the industrial revolution, the world witnessed machines take the place of manual work. Where there once once a horse drawn cart, there was the steam train. Where there had been hand weaving, the spinning jenny took its place.

People began applying scientific process to improve almost any set of processes. And this permeated into the processes of organisations. Hierarchical and scientific management was born.

This type of management was often called Taylorism, named after one of the early writers on management, Fredrick Taylor. The basic principle was to run organisations like machines. Design them with structure , make the parts (i.e. people) work to their maximum, give them as little inputs as possible and replace parts when they get worn out.

This worked…. depending on who you ask.

Henry Ford adopted this technique. Every person on his assembly line had one job that would take between 30 and 60 seconds. They could be trained on the same day they were hired. And they were only tasked with doing that single job.

And Ford was lauded for their productivity. BUT… they also had a staff turnover rate of between 3 and 5. That meant that, effectively, the entire production plant was replaced every 2-4 months.

People saw that Taylorism worked to increase productivity. And so it spread like wildfire

Same tool, different challenges

The problem is that Taylorism works in a very specific setting. It requires a fairly routine set of tasks, with consistent inputs and outputs as well as an ability to replace the components when needed.

So this hierarchical approach might work for some things nowadays. Maybe some factories have high labour input. Accounting and law firms use a similar process with their interns.

But the reality is that even in places where this system currently applies, it is rapidly fading. Manufacturing jobs are falling away to machines, accounting and law are both becoming more automated, meaning that people themselves need to be more differentiated.

So basically, this method doesn’t work in any role that values creativity, individualism, self-motivation, autonomy, strategic thinking, critical analysis etc. The parts are no longer as interchangeable. You can’t be innovative on a production line when you only do one tiny task.

Yet, the same Taylorist approach to managing organisations is applied from top to bottom.

Epilogue

No room to move

(NB: this is a bit of a rant, so brace yourself)

(more…)

Published by rspazzoli on June 12, 2018 | Permalink

Right where I want to be

I’m absolutely exhausted and have been struggling to find the energy to write my blog post. So instead of writing anything insightful, I’d just like to take a moment to appreciate where I am right now with regards to my work/professional life.

Today I worked in four areas:

Behavioural economics and psychology
Teaching strategic thinking (applied to development outcomes)
Market analysis and strategy formulation for green economic development in Cape Town
Social entrepreneurship

The first was done in relation to my thesis. Despite it not being quite finished yet, some of my preliminary results will be presented at a conference on Monday.

The second was done at UCT when we met to plan the exam for this semester. It’s going to be an incredibly interesting exam.

The third was in relation to my consulting work on my green economic development project.

The last area was assisting with the submissions for the Oxford “Map the System” challenge. I’m the organizer of the South African leg of the competition.

I honestly am in awe of how fortunate I am to be working on all these exciting projects at the same time. I’m exactly where I want to be and I couldn’t be happier 🙂

Image was taken at Babylonstoren a few weeks ago 🙂

Song of the day: The Quiet - Roald Velden

Blog 159/365. Read more about my #365of25 journey here

Published by rspazzoli on April 19, 2018 | Permalink

The Friday Shoutout: Jonga

Today’s shoutout goes to one of the most exciting social enterprises in South Africa: Jonga. The CEO and co-founder, Ntsako, came and gave a talk to the students in the Strategic Thinking course.

Jonga describe themselves on their website as follows:

“Jonga is a tech start up and social enterprise that provides simple, low cost and most importantly community based alert systems for lower to middle income households. It consists of an alarm and app combo that notify you and allow you to panic when being burgled or just allows you to panic when experiencing or witnessing crime whilst in the streets. It then sends a panic notification along with your location to all the Jonga app users within the area. Its purpose is to allow for real crime reporting, making people aware about potential threats in the vicinity and lastly prompting community watch responses.”

Launch

The team launched their device last week, after an extensive period of development. They’ve made some great partnerships over that time, including media houses, angel investors and startup competitions. And they’ll be rolling out their devices in association with Santam, one of South Africa’s biggest insurers.

Did I mention that all they are did all of this during their undergraduate degrees?

I am in awe of the work done by this team, and cannot wait to see what the future holds for them!

Image was from today’s guest lecture about Jonga delivered by Ntsako.

Song of the day: Major Happy - Fred V and Grafix

Blog 118/365. Read more about my #365of25 journey here

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Published by rspazzoli on March 9, 2018 | Permalink