Trialogue Business in Society Conference 2022

Conference overview

After two years of virtual conferencing, Trialogue hosted its first-ever hybrid conference on 10 and 11 May 2022. Plenary sessions were presented at The Wanderers Club in Illovo, Johannesburg, and streamed to the virtual audience in the mornings, with the afternoons reserved for in-person workshopping of the content presented in plenary, with structured outcomes.

The overarching focus of this year’s conference was reconnection – with our personal purpose, our collective potential, and our natural environment. Four key themes aligned with this overarching focus were unpacked during the conference: (i) equitable philanthropy, presented with Vodacom, (ii) inclusive growth in the green economy, presented with Nedbank, (iii) employee engagement, and (iv) futureproofing development, presented with MTN SA Foundation. Watch all the sessions here.

VIEW THE PROGRAMME

INSIGHTS

KEYNOTE ADDRESSES

Trialogue Talk: CSI 3.0 – Nick Rockey

Delivering on the Constitution means effecting social justice – Professor Thuli Madonsela

How business can help to realise the South Africa we struggled for – Rev. Frank Chikane

EQUITABLE PHILANTHROPHY

Presented in partnership with Vodacom Foundation

Freeing Africa from donor dependency – Plenary discussion

Reconnecting with our purpose – Mallence Bart-Williams

INCLUSIVE GROWTH IN THE GREEN ECONOMY

Presented in partnership with Nedbank

Enterprise development in the green economy – Plenary discussion

Reconnecting with our natural environment – Trudi Makhaya

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

The art of employee engagement – Plenary discussion

Reconnecting with our colleagues: creating a trauma-informed workplace – Grant Stewart

FUTUREPROOFING DEVELOPMENT

Presented in partnership with MTN SA Foundation

Innovation for the Blind’s successful pitch scoops R25 000 in MTN Donors Den – Pitching session

Reconnecting with our communities is key to futureproofing development – Lorenzo Davids

BREAKOUT SESSIONS INSIGHTS

Conference plenary sessions profiled four key themes which delegates were invited to unpack further in the breakout sessions. These interactive sessions, expertly facilitated by SynNovation, aimed to supercharge creativity and analytical thinking, and uncover fresh solutions.

The SynNovation approach for creative problem-solving and innovative teamwork is based on the processes and principles . of the internationally recognised Synectics approach. Sessions start with ‘task owners’ providing brief background statement on the tasks, while participants listen for ideas. A range of creative ideas are then generated in the form of ‘wishes’. Selected wishes are developed into practical actions which task owners can select from and combine for implementation.

Summary reports, prepared by SynNovation, from each of the four breakout sessions are available for download.

EQUITABLE PHILANTHROPHY

Presented in partnership with Vodacom Foundation

How can we open up communication and trust between civil society and donors, to ensure impactful and inclusive projects?

Overview of concerns and actions

How can we demonstrate the value of non-profit workers and work?

Build transparency through good communication
Share achievements and successes, not just problems
Emphasize co-creation in building projects
Take the time to learn about activities and the realities of the non-profit sector

How can we avoid punishing transparency?

Engage face-to-face regularly
Share success and failure

How can red tape be eradicated?

Through clear and open communication
Develop joint proposals with other non-profit organisations (NPOs)
Donors and NPOs can leverage each other’s strengths
Sign clear contracts and memorandums of understanding (MOUs)

How can we engage more?

Bring employees into each other’s ‘worlds’ for a year
Co-create volunteer opportunities
Plan together instead of in isolation
Build board member involvement
Leverage company marketing to market partner projects

How can we find creative ways to ensure that information is consumed?

Use various media platforms to maximise the impact of your story
Draft MOUs to manage expectations and boundaries

How can we convince donors?

Build evidence-based, data driven case studies
Demonstrate innovative and good governance and trust
Start small to build trust

Download the summary report

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INCLUSIVE GROWTH IN THE GREEN ECONOMY

Presented in partnership with Nedbank

How can we solve society’s pressing problems and protect the environment?

Overview of concerns and actions

How can we achieve national solidarity for a shared voice?
How can we establish transparency and trust?
How can we hold our leaders accountable?

Establish task teams for specific needs (e.g. Sustainable Development Goals)
Engage with companies to understand how their businesses are linked to the environment
Create a regulatory framework to guide national goals in each sector
Start building structure to support a shared vision

How can we get buy-in from all stakeholders?
How can we secure key resources?
How can we make sure our programmes deliver the desired outcome?

Identify relevant partners / stakeholders
Share the vision
Consult to define the vision
Develop a plan with consensus
Assign roles and responsibilities
Accountability to stakeholders
Develop a monitoring and evaluation framework

How can we prevent mismanagement of funds?

How can we ensure ethical competent leadership?

How can we create an accountability model?

Create an accountability model with risk management tools regularly audited
Continuous monitoring and evaluation systems
Monitoring of payment in trenches and reporting from both sides
Ensure ethical leadership through workshopping roles and responsibilities, and clearly defined performance indicators
Clearly defined punitive measures

Download the summary report.

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EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

How can we create a climate that energises employees and unlocks a sense of belonging?

Overview of concerns and actions

How to make final decisions and take people along, even when they disagree

Take quality time for check-ins and one-on-ones
Have a clear set of co-created values that drive decision-making, so that choices aren’t personal or arbitrary

How to offer non-monetary incentives

Know your people, what incentivises them and what they respond to
Offer growth opportunities and create study opportunities
Use exposure to motivate
Use validation and appreciation to recognise and reward people

Further actions developed by examining the ways that a sense of belonging is created in the worlds of religion and politics:

Co-create organisational values, purpose and an employee manifesto
Eat together as a team and do non-work things to connect beyond the office or virtual office
Embrace rituals that emerge at the organisation
Allow employees to generate ideas and vote on them
Volunteer together for causes that are important to employees
Don’t drink from the same poisoned chalice
Demonstrate learning from failure
Use anonymous suggestion box to allow employees to raise concerns in a way that feels safe
Make the space conducive to the culture you want to create

Download the summary report.