You would need to be living in Heard Island or McDonald Islands to not have heard (oops) about the tariffs that the United States President, Donald Trump, has imposed on the world. It’s early days but the initial view is that these tariffs are to be imposed indefinitely. For South Africa this is a devastating blow as the country is almost definitely going to lose its AGOA benefit and have massive tariffs imposed on it for most other exports.
South Africans are resilient and definitely known for their ability to make a plan in the face of adversity. Now its vital that the country and business operating in the country need to look for other markets.
We were reminded of one of out clients who started their own Corporate University a few years ago. Just after the pandemic the client was looking for new markets in Germany but had no idea how to approach this. The head of sales was in an INTRATERNSHIP COMMITTEE and mentioned (in passing) that they were looking for a distributor in Germany. As it happened, a junior marketing person had a brother who worked in Germany and might be able to help. The people were connected and a new market was found.
THIS WOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED IF THERE WAS NO INTRATERNSHIP PROGRAMME
The Corporate University is an internal knowledge sharing programme that encourages employees to share their experience and knowledge within the context of that organisation. Employees are placed in committees where they meet at least once a month where a dedicated person will explain what their job is an how they go about doing it. These committees are often incredibly lively with people offering tips and ideas.
The committees are made up of many divisions and are not limited to management peers. The most successful committees involve multiple management layers.
The whole programme is formalised through our successful INTRATERNSHIP system. INTRATERNS are awarded certificates at the end of the programme which is a confirmation that that person not only has work experience but this experience is confirmed in writing. A sort of diploma that is reinforced each year.
There is a wealth of untapped knowledge in your organisation. Speak to us about accessing this information and possibly growing new markets, both locally and internationally.