Background

The client is the only health sciences university in Sub-Saharan Southern Africa, serving over 6,000 students and employing approximately 2,000 staff.

Challenge

Following the restructuring of the higher education landscape in 2015, the university inherited a diverse array of institutional cultures. A survey revealed that values were poorly understood and inconsistently applied. the university sought to cultivate a unified, values-based culture aligned to its post-apartheid transformation agenda.

Laetoli’s Approach

Laetoli designed and facilitated the Inaugural University Dialogue, engaging students, staff, alumni, labour, and leadership- Developed the university’s Culture Compact, informed by dialogue sessions, values clarification and behavioural commitments-

Laetoli also developed a five-year implementation roadmap anchored in the Change Leaders Roadmap (CLR) methodology

Aligned culture strategy with HR systems, student governance, academic enterprise, and performance management.

Key Deliverables

• The university Culture Compact with behavioural descriptors by stakeholder group
• Output Report from the Inaugural Dialogue with strategic recommendations
• Change Management Strategy (5-year plan)
• Culture Champion Network framework and role profile- Integrated communications and systems alignment plans

Outcomes & Successes

• Achieved institutional consensus on values and behaviours across leadership, students, and staff.
• Initiated embedding of values in student and academic systems
• Designed a performance framework and monitoring plan based on staged ROI (Years 1–5)
• Fostered broad participation and ownership across institutional constituencies

Lessons Learned

• A microcosm-based design approach builds inclusiveness and credibility
• Leadership modelling and communication are essential to successful change
• Values must be structurally embedded in systems to shift long-standing behaviours

Client Feedback

The university’s leadership and stakeholder feedback reflected appreciation for Laetoli’s inclusive, values-driven methodology. The process enabled a strategic pivot toward an engaged and ethically grounded institutional culture.