More than 30 senior delegates from various industries attended the first of our Strategic Leadership Conversations sessions at The Venue at Melrose Arch on 23rd August 2010. JvR brought these delegates together with international guest speakers from the Center for Creative Leadership and the Association of Internal Management Consultants as well as local leaders. The programme, outlined below, was very well received by the delegates and we will seek to create similar opportunities for leadership conversations in the future.

Conversations about leadership
We were fortunate to have Simon Rweyongoza and Michaël van Impe from the Europe, Middle East and Africa offices of the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) start off the day with an interactive session on the gap that participants perceive between the current state of leadership in South Africa and an ideal future state. The findings from this session will be made available in future and we will be hosting sessions to work on how these leadership gaps may be bridged.

In their worldwide research on the leadership gap, CCL identified seven leadership skills that are consistently viewed as most important now and in the future. They are:
• leading employees
• strategic planning
• inspiring commitment
• managing change,
• resourcefulness
• being a quick learner
• doing whatever it takes

CCL’s research found that leaders are not adequately prepared for the future. The four most important future skills — leading people, strategic planning, inspiring commitment, and managing change — are among the weakest competencies for today’s leaders. Watch this space for more on this topic.

Leading an organizational turnaround
Dr Brian Chicksen, Vice-President of Safety at AngloGold Ashanti presented his experience of having led a healthcare company through a dramatic turnaround under difficult circumstances. Brian presented “The Anatomy and Physiology of an Organisational Turnaround”. As the then Managing Director of the company, Brian (a Physician and business Executive) took up the helm after the company had been subject to a forensic audit and he was under significant pressure from the shareholders to turn the company around. Brian shared his intimate knowledge of the process in a unique way, blending theory and practice to highlight his views on the relative contribution of different approaches, methods and tools to the success of the turnaround process.

The following points summarise the essence of the learning extracted from Brian’s case study presentation:
• The make-up of an organization (individual, team, collection of teams) is analogous to the living organism (cell, organ system, collection of organ systems)
• The “what” of organizational transformation (or anatomical factors) is specific to a particular context and includes factors such as strategic positioning, strategy mapping, building core competencies, organizational structuring and building flexibility
• The “how” (the physiological factors) is generic to any turnaround program – this includes factors such as Kotter’s 8-step model of change – creating a sense of urgency, a guiding coalition, creating a vision, communicating the vision, empowering others to act on the vision, create short-term wins, consolidate improvements and institutionalize the new state.

Brian researched the extent to which various stakeholder groupings regarded each of the anatomical and physiological factors as having contributed to the successful turnaround of the organization. He concluded that both anatomical and physiological factors are critical to transformation, similar to the concepts of:

o structure without function is lifeless
o without form there can be no function

International knowledge base
Dave Hoff and Robert Kath from the US-based Association of Internal Management Consultants (AIMC) provided an overview of their organization. The AIMC is a network of managers in organisations and external consultants representing leading organizations in the public and private sectors with representation in the US, Europe and Asia. Practice areas include:
• organisational effectiveness and development
• project and change management
• process and operational improvement
• management training and development
• strategic planning
• performance management

The AIMC allows for international networking through the regular exchange of practice allowing for professional reflection, learning and mutual support. Some of the organizations represented on the AIMC are Chevron, SAP, SMC, Bayer, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, ORC, Guttman Development Strategies, the United Nations, Gaian, Carghill Inc, Model Performance, Mayo Clinic, Easi Consult, ExxonMobil, Eli Lilly, Mutual of Omaha, Alticor and Becton Dickinson.

JvR Consulting Psychologists hosted the first meeting of the AIMC in Africa and, given the interest expressed by delegates, have decided to move forward with the South Africa Chapter. The next meeting of the SA Chapter will be on Friday, 5 November 2010 at the JvR offices in Randburg. We are in the process of compiling an agenda based on the recommendations of participants.

If you would like to know more about the AIMC and / or would like to attend the next meeting / suggest a topic to be presented / make a presentation at this event, please feel free to contact Leigh Wallace or Grant Freedman at JvR.

Workplace stress is estimated to cost companies millions in poor performance, absenteeism and health costs. Job stress impedes on the ability of employees to actively demonstrate work engagement behaviour. Therefore, whilst it is important to promote work engagement in organisations it is also of equal importance to simultaneously curb job stress in order to maximise the success of employee engagement efforts, i.e. ensure a healthy return by investing in and promoting engagement interventions

The Organisational Human Factor Benchmark Instrument (OHFB©) has been developed following twelve years of cutting-edge research by the WorkWell Research Unit, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, North-West University (Potchefstroom Campus). This organisational diagnostic instrument benchmarks human factor related risk on individual and group level.

JvRC is proud to be associated with this cutting edge South African product. It’s unique ability to balance both positive and negative aspects of work-related well being, combined with highly effective application, will ensure future growth and development not only within our organisations and communities, but will potentially have a far reaching impact globally.

JVRC is an accredited user of the OHFB and well positioned to integrate primary, secondary and tertiary interventions for your organisation. For further information, please contact Leigh Wallace on 082 295 1250 or leigh@jvrafrica.co.za

Have you ever found yourself feeling angry after attending a pointless meeting, being caught in a traffic jam or because the power went out just as you were about to watch a World Cup Football match? We all experience anger, caused by different triggers and experienced at different levels of intensity, but underlying each event triggering anger is a theme. Research by Paul Ekman suggests that there is a very simple reason for experiencing anger: it is because something got in the way of what you wanted. Experiencing emotion tells ‘us’ as well as ‘others’ something about our experience in a particular moment. So if someone cuts in front of you in a queue at a store, or skips the queue at a 4-way stop (I am sure you can list many examples which have a specific meaning to you), you are likely to experience anger because someone or something got in the way of what you want. This sounds primal, but through years of human existence this emotion has helped us to mobilise or gear ourselves up to meet the challenges of life influencing the way we think and the way we behave. There is also research that suggests there are universal emotions (across cultures) which are expressed through facial expressions. So no matter where you are in the world, narrowed eyes, flared nose, clenched teeth and compressed lips usually indicate that someone is angry (Ekman, 2003).

What does this mean for you? Well emotion communicates valuable information to both ourselves and others which if you understand can help you to create self- as well as interpersonal awareness regarding your interactions with others. The next time you feel angry ask yourself: what is it that you wanted and what/who got in your way? This will help to contextualise why you are experiencing anger. Also, look out for the signals, specifically your facial expressions. This will quickly remind you what you are communicating especially if you are trying to hide your anger from others. To effectively manage your interpersonal interactions it may be worthwhile to ask yourself other questions such as: is it worthwhile based on what I know to remain angry? Could I do without it (whatever it is that you wanted)? If I really need it, is anger going to aid me in getting what I want?

Other emotions such as being happy, sad, scared, surprised, disgusted provide us with other valuable information which if we know and understand can help to make significant difference in how we manage ourselves in our interactions with other.

Ekman, P. (2003). Emotions revealed: recognizing faces and feelings to improve communication and emotional life. New York. Henry Holt & Company.

Gareth Hallett
JvR Consulting Psychologists

Author: Shawn Bakker of Psychometrics Canada

Leadership and change are two of the most popular business topics in North America. There is good reason for this popularity; effective leadership and effective change management are important for a business to be successful. Leadership and change are also strongly related. A key part of leadership is recognizing and adapting to change.

I recently worked with a successful Colonel in the Canadian Forces, and he was by no means the stereotypical military officer. He was not someone with a primary focus on efficiency, cool logical analysis, and rigid schedules; instead he was very flexible, warm and friendly, and genuinely excited about possibilities for people. Using a normative comparison, the Colonel has little in common with other military commanders. So how could someone like this be successful in the military? The Colonel’s success relies on two things – recognizing his skills and guiding his career toward projects that match his natural strengths, and being willing to stretch himself and act differently when required. As the Commanding Officer of the health services group that covers half of the armed forces, his atypical military profile fits very well with the demands of his job and the people who work for him.

The WPI Leadership Competency Report is designed to help leaders examine how they interact with others, complete their work, deal with change, solve problems, and manage stress. The Leadership Competency Report outlines how a leader typically functions in these areas, links their traits to specific competencies, and helps identify leadership strengths and blind spots.

When working with leaders on recognizing and adapting to change, it is useful to identify their current strengths (so they can lean on them), and their blind spots (so they can address them). When leaders are consciously aware of their skills and where they may need assistance can deal with change more effectively. The key questions for leaders are: What are you like? What strengths does that bring? Where might you need to adjust your style to be more effective?

At the beginning, I make leaders’ aware that their personality traits influence how they manage change on a number of levels:
• Their openness to change
• The types of change they prefer
• The information they need to be convinced of the need for change
• How they sell the need for change to others
• How they implement change

Then I stress that their task of recognizing and adapting to change is doubly complicated because as leaders they need to take their own preferences into account and also the preferences of their employees/followers. This can be difficult and requires leaders to be willing to flex their style to meet the needs of those they are leading.

To focus on a leader’s openness to change, and the types of change they enjoy I have them look at their results on the Flexibility and Innovation scales. Very flexible and very innovative people are open to any and all changes. Very structured and practical people (the opposite of flexible and innovative) generally resist most changes. The natural reaction for both these types of people can be detrimental in certain circumstances.
When I want to help a leader evaluate how they buy in to change and then sell change to their followers I look at their results on the Analytical Thinking, Concern for Others, Outgoing, and Persistence scales. The conversation needs to revolve around the amount and detail of information they need in order to feel comfortable evaluating a change, and then look at how they interact with others and consider the needs of their employees when trying to convince others to get on board. A common insight for leaders is that the things they need to feel comfortable and convinced about, and the need to change is not the same for their employees.

How a leader implements change is affected by their results on the Initiative, Energy, Ambition, Teamwork and Concern for Others scales. Some leaders are very driven, quick to take initiative, and happy to go forward alone, and this push for individual action can result in missing important information from others, and a stressed out workforce. Other leaders are very people focused, and this can result in difficult decisions being avoided.

There are two methods for helping leaders review their WPI profile. The first is using normative comparisons which show how a person is similar or dissimilar to other people. We do know that corporate managers have some similarities, including higher levels of ambition, initiative, energy, the desire to be in control, and comfort with stress. However, leadership appears in a wide range of different styles and effective leadership is not always the same.

That is why using an ipsative comparison can be valuable. Analyzing a leader’s profile by identifying their personal highs and lows can help them focus on their own skills and developmental needs in relation to the requirements of their work. Simply being like other leaders and managers in a normative way is not useful. Instead, how a leader uses and adjusts their natural style to meet the needs of their work and workers is the more beneficial evaluation.

“The JvR Training Academy is extremely happy to announce that Shawn will be visiting us in October this year as part of our International Lecture Series (ILS). Shawn, a co-developer of the Work Personality Index, will be sharing cutting edge information on the WPI and Leadership, and we look forward to bringing you more detail in the upcoming months. Watch this space!”

Click here to read more about the WPI in our online-catalogue
or Call us on 011 781 3705 for more information. Fatima, Yvonne or Andrea will gladly help you out with any request or query you migh have.

Author: Anna-Rosa le Roux

As psychologists in consulting, whether you are positioned internal to a company, running your own practice or working as associates within a consulting company, we are all ‘burdened’ with the creative or laborious task to market and secure our services through proposals.

The engagement meeting as first step in proposal writing

The proposal is a formal vehicle for conversation with the client. In the proposal we differentiate ourselves from our competitors and establish our unique value proposition. We specify what we offer (solution) at what price, to address the client’s very specific needs. In the proposal we need to communicate and demonstrate that we are confident and capable to deliver the services that we say we do, thus an important document positioning ourselves and setting the client at ease.

The Process

The first step in writing proposals is to listen very carefully to the client explaining their need and then to pose critical questions to firstly aid understanding, but also to guide the client towards further insight and clarification. I think back to Edgar Schein who said that every interaction with the client needs to be one where the client experiences value and gets something more than the previous engagement. The consulting process therefore already starts at the proposal writing stage and specifically at the engagement meeting.

Some initial considerations and questions

In this section I highlight some themes that might be helpful to consider if you are privileged to meet with the client before writing the proposal. I also include some real life commentary from seasoned consultants when I interviewed them on this topic:

• Understanding expectations – This concept refers to the clarification of exactly what the expectations are, as well as the likely process to be followed.
  

  “ … it is an understanding of what the client wants, it is an understanding of where the client comes from, it is understanding of his own needs as he expresses them – and what we are going to do to ensure that we deliver against expectations, and educating the client in terms of our methodology.”

• Agree on high level outputs – This concept refers to the agreement of high-level deliverables pertaining to the project.
  

  “ … what is the end product going to look like”

• Budgeting and resourcing – This concept refers to the importance of sufficient funding and resources to be available to carry out the intervention successfully.
  

  “Most of the time the interventions fail, not because they are not good, but because you under-cost them”

• Client maturity – This concept refers mainly to the ability of the client to understand and embrace the solution at a holistic, integrated, strategic level.
  

  “That is why you would judge a client and then define their solution just based on what they can handle”.

• Stakeholder readiness – This concept refers to the ability of the client to embrace change and must be taken into account prior to commencing the project.
  

  “ … the people that are mature and ready for it, will work with you, and go through the process as and when required. The people that are not ready will put up a lot of resistance, because they do not see the need for the change”.

• Leadership supports the proposal/ change – In any initiative it is important that the different levels of leadership in the organisation understand, buy in and visibly support the change initiatives.
  

  “ … either they (the leadership of the organisation) are not there, or do not take on the role successfully. They need to visibly show their support through communication to the various stakeholders”.

At the initial engagement meeting we thus aim to understand the client’s needs, the process to be followed, and the outputs that they require. Consideration also needs to be given to organisational enablers such as level of support, stakeholder readiness, budgeting and client maturity.

Feel free to comment below or send me an email at: anna-rosa@jvrafrica.co.za

Author: Renate Scherrer

It is widely accepted that psychometric assessments provide professionals with an objective and scientific basis for evaluating people as well as diagnosing and predicting behaviour. In this light, many organisations rely on assessments as an important part of their talent management, selection and development solutions. When it comes to the area of forensic psychology, where psychological evaluation is used to assist the Court in making crucial decisions, assessments are often seen as a key component providing invaluable input.

According to the American Board of Forensic Psychology, the field of forensic psychology is where science and the profession of psychology are applied to legal issues. This statement places a big responsibility on the shoulders of psychologists (or expert witnesses) in terms of knowledge, ethics, professionalism and much more. It is therefore no surprise that one of the most prevalent causes of disciplinary action against psychologists is because of improper psychodiagnostic evaluations.
Assessments may typically be used in the evaluation process to highlight areas for further investigation or as confirmation for interview hypotheses, and mostly as part of one of the following:

• Custody
• Competency to stand trial
• Mitigation or aggravation at sentencing
• Dangerousness/ risk
• 3rd party evaluations:
• loss of functioning, emotional suffering

In South Africa, few tests are available that have been specifically designed and standardised for local use, therefore a practice of using westernised tests ‘with caution’ has arisen. This adds to the complexity of evaluations and recommendations even more because the psychologist also has to account for possible anomalies relating to norm groups, inconsistency in results, language issues and many more. The Court tolerates this to a certain extent, but is very strict about variables that are within control of the professional, such as:

• Being honest about the limitations, strengths and statistical characteristics of the assessments
• Being competent and having in-depth and applicable knowledge
• Using valid, reliable and appropriate assessments and for the intended purposes only
• Using only genuine translations and adhering to copyright
• Ensuring that the most recent version of the assessment is used
• Ensuring that only appropriately qualified professionals are involved in the assessment process
• Adhering to standardised assessment procedures and the test manual instructions
• Utilising authentic scoring protocols and/or scoring programmes
• Viewing test results only as an adjunct to the process
• Making accurate and appropriate interpretations
• Interpreting results from assessments standardised for clinical populations (eg MCMI-III, MMPI-2) with caution in a forensic context and not taking computerised interpretations literally (Underwager & Wakefield, 1993)
• Integrating assessment results with interview conclusions in conjunction with sound professional judgment when interpreting data
• Presenting conclusions based on empirical research that can be adequately defended (Underwager & Wakefield, 1993)

When recommendations in forensic reports are not based on adequate data, the psychologist is not only acting incompetently, but also unethically. In many cases, the professional may be competent and even make good recommendations, but his/her expert testimony could be discredited by a skilled opposing attorney due to something (seemingly) trivial – eg using an unofficial translation / scoring program for one of the assessments or using version 2 instead of version 3 of the MCMI. These acts do not only damage the psychologist’s reputation, but also that of the profession of Psychology. Forensic work is not an easy way to make quick money. It requires a focus on careful evaluation and responsible reporting. Never forget that the conclusions made can, and will, affect the lives of others.

Please share your opinions with us and comment below or send me an email at: renate@jvrafrica.co.za

Author: Shani van der Merwe

There are numerous articles referring to the value of psychometrics that are used by many consultants alike to build a business case for using psychometric assessments as part of an organisation’s HR processes. Well in some instances the ‘sale’ tends to be quite easy, in other instances you are dealing with skeptics.

During a recent workshop I facilitated with HR Consultants, whom were all quite familiar and committed to using psychometrics, they raised these pertinent questions: “ How do I get line management to buy-in to the psychometrics?” and: “how can we convince them that it is important and a necessary step?”. It appears that in most organizations there will always be a ‘level’ of resistance which one needs to overcome – but how?

The how tends to be contingent on the organizational dynamics but may include education, enhancing positive experiences and even streamlining the psychometric process to ensure quick turnaround times.

With one of our clients we have taken the approach of personally visiting all of their sites on a regular basis in an effort to personalize the interaction between the psychologist and the manager. This has been quite successful and has assisted us in gaining the necessary buy-in and commitment. However, the only problem is to actually get into the manager’s office in the first place…

As a psychologist, HR manager or consultant working with psychometric tests, how have you managed to overcome this kind of buy-in resistance?

Shani works as a consultant for JvR Consulting Psychologists.

Author: Gareth Hallet

Context and purpose

Human development is an absolute necessity in the world of work. The present economy, technological advancements and environmental demands compel the modern employee to continuously improve their ability to handle ambiguity and change as well as appreciate learning.  In order to achieve this it is critical to explore the role of psychology in firstly understanding learning and secondly, from a holistic perspective the growth and development of individuals.  Consider for a moment the purpose of psychology – the ultimate goal of all our efforts, within the profession, is to essentially help people grow and develop so that they function effectively in their environments.  Being a science we accomplish this by creating and practically applying theoretically and statistically sound models of understanding.  So with the individual in mind, we embarked on the development of a model of individual growth and development.  In our exploration, and to truly understand growth and development, we explored various fields of thought in an attempt to provide a holistic model of understanding, which draws on the concepts of Worldview, Phenomenology, Systems Theory, Field Theory, Metacognitive Theory, and theories relating to Learning and Change.

A Model of Individual Growth & Development

Describing the Model

In order to expand knowledge and improve skills we believe that individuals need to go through a process which brings about self-awareness thereby laying an important foundation for learning and secondly, providing a platform for sustainable change.  The process is outlined below:

• We appreciate that any person attending a training course (workshop, meeting, or any session where there is a gathering of people) arrives with their individual perspective or worldview.  Our individual worldview, which participants are guided through, is determined by a number of intrapersonal and interpersonal factors such as my current reality, my origin, how I see my future, my values, my knowledge etc.
• Participants are given an opportunity to explore these intrapersonal and interpersonal factors in terms of how they experience the world.   Their worldview will determine and give meaning to how they, on an individual level, perceive the world, make judgements about the world and lastly, how they feel about their experiences.  So in essence their perspective defines the way in which they understand themselves, interpret and interact with the world.
• We then guide the participant’s focus towards others.  Being part of a whole, the participants are introduced to exercises which help them to appreciate that as an individual they form part of a larger system such as a ‘home’ system or ‘work’ system.  Participants need to realize that they do not exist in isolation and that their actions or behaviours (or more philosophically speaking, their existence) impacts on those around them.
• Through careful design we ensure that the participant becomes aware of their perspective regarding gaps that may exist as a result of understanding both themselves and their interaction with the world.  Through this process we help participants write, in a self-directed manner, their personal future life script.
• In enhancing their perspective it is critical that the participant identifies their own development needs as well as appropriate pathways or development methods in closing the gaps identified.  The process drives ownership which when followed in an authentic manner ensures that the participant directs the development process by themselves.

Before attempting to deal with the content we believe that groundwork regarding needs to be laid.  That is, the individual needs to go through a process whereby they gain an appreciation for and a personal perspective with regards to growth and development.  Once this is achieved the process continues:

• Learning pertains to the content to which the individual will be exposed.  This step is characterized by experiential, practical and theoretical components which are designed in such a way that the individual relates to the content in meaningful and personal way.
• Change, a process rather than a step, is one of the key signs for individual growth and development.  Change is not something that can be merely imposed on others.  Rather this model accepts both conscious and unconscious changes need to take place before change is sustainable.  Despite the outcome, that is whether new behaviours are endorsed by the participant or not, the participant would have undergone a powerful process that either reinforces their current perspective or sows the seed for change regarding their worldview.

Throughout the process participants need to make decisions regarding their learning needs, the utility of new skills in their context, and lastly, whether the learning will be endorsed and appropriately applied.  The individual’s view of the world is as a result either reinforced or changed, and perhaps more importantly whether endorsed or appropriately applied, the process ensures that growth and development takes place.

This model provides us with a process and structure which we believe can be applied in many individual and groups interventions pertaining to the growth and development of individuals.

JvR Consulting Psychologists aims to help people grow by creating awareness and developing their skills and knowledge so that they can fulfill their potential.  To read more about our service offering click here.

Author: Dr Anna-Rosa le Roux

Stay a while and listen!

I love the experience of musical events in the form of screened concerts at Cinema Nouveau and a recent event triggered my thinking on a trio of themes. I was watching BBC’s Last Night of the Proms, one of the most popular musical celebrations enjoyed by millions of people and billed as the ‘biggest classical music party in the world’. The guest conductor of the BBC symphony orchestra, David Robertson summarised the spirit of the 2009 promenade concert drawing from a musical metaphor. I remember this to be something along the lines of:

“ … each instrument has its unique voice, its unique history, its unique sound, its unique technical design, its unique tone … these are all seemingly unrelated … however in a symphony orchestra all these seemingly unrelated instruments play together to create harmony and a showcase of spectacular sound!”

I realised that each instrument has its own story to tell … creating identity … creating synergy … creating shared identity.

A recent consulting assignment in Africa challenged our insight and understanding of the construct of synergy and identity. We were tasked with the notion of creating an improved strategic collaboration and to build more fruitful, synergistic relationships between our client and their implementation partners at national level. How are we going to give all the implementation partners a voice? How will one leverage individual identities to create an overarching shared identity? How do we create future hopes and dreams that will transform current operational obstacles? How do we create meaning? How do we create a picture of the future that is worthy of their efforts? How do we create alliances? How do we look beyond the practical and discuss value drivers? How do we define the character of our relationships? How do we develop ideas for information sharing, fruitful co-operation between implementation programs?

We found part of our solution in the linking of identity at individual, team, organisation and inter-organisational levels. Stories needs to be told to explore and unpack who we are: our perceptions, values, thinking, goals, aspirations, dreams and future hopes. Story-telling is central to who we are:

“A need to tell and hear stories is essential to the species Homo sapiens: second in necessity after nourishment and before love and shelter. Millions survive without love or a home, almost none in silence; the opposite of silence leads quickly to narrative, and the sound of story is the dominant sound of our lives …” Reynold Price

In our modern, disorganised, hierarchically random world of disparity, there is a need to listen to the voice of individuals and create identity and shared identity. John Seely Brown, Chief Scientist of Xerox and co-author of The Social Life of Information define, from a scientist perspective how the world has changed from Descartes’
proposition, “I think, therefore I am,” to the current “We participate, therefore we are.”

Stories are also an important vehicle for facilitating change and transformation. Steve Denning, former program director, Knowledge Management, at the World Bank beliefs that springboard stories enable individuals to make a leap in understanding how an organisation, a community, or a complex system can change.

Our methodologies ranged from the introduction of participants as cartoon characters, thematic dialogues creating new futures and themes, working on collages to express the future positioning of the partnerships and facilitating conversation on guiding principles and practices going forward.

Story-telling transcended the differences in individual identity, paved the way for creating a shared group identity, contextually positioned and defined for the mammoth task of transformation at hand.

Hey, fill in our questionairre! Peace!

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Wikipedia, Blogs, E-mail, Cellphones and any technologically driven social platform that promotes connectedness appears to have permeated all areas of the world. Whether a social scientist, a concerned parent, or a citizen of the world we have begun to experience the impact of this virtual dimension on our lives and have questions we want answered.

Generally speaking there are those that are apprehensive and sceptical about digital technology and those who have whole-heartedly infused themselves with their favourite social networking site. Having heard a number of stories about how this digital technology has impacted on people’s lives (which by the way have been both favourable and unfavourable) we have become increasingly interested in exploring this concept on an intrapersonal and interpersonal level.

Based on this picture of our current reality and what appears to be the reality of the future the burning question for psychologists is (or at least should be): what does this mean for individuals and our interactions with others? As part of a broader project, we have decided to consider firstly the impact on emotional and social functioning. To assist us with exploring this question please share with us your views, opinions and thoughts by completing the following questionnaire. It should take you a few minutes. If you have any additional comments please email Gareth (gareth@jvrafrica.co.za) or Danielle (danielle@jvrafrica.co.za). The results will be published on the blog in due course.

Click here to complete the form.