The Department of Business Support hosted Mr Jurgen Oschadleus as a guest speaker at its lecture series in partnership with Project Management South Africa (PMSA) on 9 November 2015. 

This lecture is part of efforts by the Department and PMSA to promote and advance professional project management in South Africa; especially among post-graduate students at CUT and professionals in business and industry. Mr Oschadleus is founder of Act Knowledge based in Australia. 

He is an international speaker, educator and consultant on project leadership, influence and effective communication. He combines his background in history, education and technology projects with a fascination for sport and psychology, and uses this to challenge people’s thinking and help them create new mental connections, apply knowledge and achieve the outcomes they seek. His lecture covered the latest research into the emotional intelligence and social awareness to explore the communication challenges that project leaders and team members encounter every day. It also looked at how successful managers no longer rely on the traditional authority of the “command and control” culture to deliver outcomes. “We need to foster relationships and influence to build commitment and accountability in our teams,”he said. These, and many others, were the issues and challenges he presented to the participants, which enabled interactive engagements through debates and discussions. “PMSA is the representative professional body for Project Management in South Africa that enables the development and recognition of world-class project practitioners in the sector. As the department, we are extremely proud to be associated with PMSA, which is one of the most recognised PM professional bodies that aspires professionalism in PM in South Africa. Being a member illustrates the high status of our BTech Project Management Program,” said Prof. Dennis Dzansi, Head of Business Support Studies at CUT. 

Mr Jurgen Oschadleus, a guest speaker and founder of Act Knowledge, Mr Sapokie Ramorena, CUT lecturer in Project Management, Ms Dilshaan Duearte-events coordinator from PMSA and Mr Danie van Jaarsveld from Hebron Property Group at the lecture.