Bioss International Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd.

trading as

bioss southern africa

Johannesburg:
Postnet Suite 146, Private Bag X782 BEDFORDVIEW 2008
Tel: +27 11 450 2434 Fax: +27 11 455 1677 E-mail: info@bioss.com
Cape Town:
P O Box 37653 VALYLAND 7978 South Africa
Tel: +27 21 7829977 Fax: +27 21 7829978 E-mail: accounts@bioss.com

Website: www.bioss.com

BIOSS Southern Africa – An Overview

Profile of Bioss Southern Africa
BIOSS SA emerged in its present form in 1999 when Third Foundation Systems incorporated the BIOSS
International-licensed activities of the Anglo American Corporation’s Central Training Unit (as it then was)
to form BIOSS Southern Africa.

We are an independent South African owned and managed company, dedicated to assisting clients in the
development and organisation of their people and structures for sustainable viability. As a niche
consultancy, we achieve this through our ability to focus on finding realistic solutions to the challenges
facing our clients in the current turbulent, highly competitive and globalised business environment.

Through its licensing agreement with BIOSS International Limited in the UK, BIOSS SA has been able to
build on and add to the knowledge derived from more than half a century of dedicated research and
development in the practical assessment, organisation and development of people in strategic, as well as
operational environments. Thus our expertise has been gained from an exceptionally wide range of
international experience in understanding long-term people development, and a deep insight into how
organisations can be made to work more effectively through the appropriate selection, utilisation, guidance
and motivation of people.

BIOSS International is a holding company based in the UK with a global footprint that includes Australia,
Brazil, China, Europe, India, North America, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

What We Do
In essence, BIOSS SA is a niche consulting firm that seeks to assist client organisations to improve their
performance by applying customised solutions or innovative new approaches that are designed to enable
them to assess, develop and manage their people effectively in the drive to attain their strategic objectives.
(Experience has shown that the vast majority of people are keen to contribute constructively in their working
environment, but they often need guidance and assistance in unlocking their potential and in aligning their
talents and aspirations with the company’s mission and structures.)
Our approaches use the Matrix of Working Relationships (MWR) as a starting point. This model is now
recognised across the world as a sophisticated generic framework for organisational diagnostics and the
management of interventions, enabling organisations to position or restructure themselves for sustained
competitiveness.

Directors: DL Khumalo (Chairman), L Ashton (Managing), PL Calitz, LJ Gatherer, RH Moulson (British), RW Solms, PY Williamson
Registration No: 97/20323/07
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The technology is flexible and well proven, having been used extensively in a remarkable range of
organisations in terms of type, industry and size – ranging from a village ‘council’ in remote Papua New
Guinea to some of the most sophisticated, multinational companies listed on the world’s leading stock
exchanges (see list of client organisations).
We contribute to capacity building by enabling our clients to apply the methodologies and technologies
developed by BIOSS within their organisations. This can be done through regular public courses or in-house
according to client requirements, and enables them to link into this unique international network of people
development expertise.
Our ‘products’ and services can be divided into the following main areas:

We believe our interventions are not only beneficial to the individual, but can be extended to benefit the
larger organisation and broader community.

Our core activities are quite strongly orientated towards understanding individuals simply because this is
the critical starting point in defining people’s current capabilities and determining their potential, enabling
clients to match people with work requirements right now and with future business needs. Flowing
naturally from understanding individuals is the emergence of competence gaps and development needs.

Assessment has become a remarkably flexible technology that can be adapted to specific organisational
requirements and provide a viable people management approach. New technology has also helped to move
assessment out of the exclusive “high cost, high capability” arena into a much more user-friendly and more

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broadly effective means of determining people’s attributes in many different areas such as personality,
aptitudes, interests, attitudes and specific capabilities.

Assessment can now be used progressively, enabling organisations to identify potential, then accurately
measure the extent of that potential, making development for employment equity or fast-tracking specific
competencies, much more cost-effective.

The BIOSS SA Business Model

Our client base is established, blue chip and with continuous ongoing activities.

BIOSS SA provides knowledge-based management services through a stable core of co-ordination,

management and intensive client relationship management (CRM), supported by a flexible register of
established associate consultants. This enables us to cater for a range of client requirements, whether large
projects, ad hoc events or at short notice.
Our consultants and associates are exposed to international thinking and developments and participate in
multinational projects. As such, they are able to tap into a wealth of knowledge, diversity and practical
business experience and so bring a high level of expertise to bear in developing solutions for clients. This
may involve developing special methods, sourcing appropriate existing technologies, drawing on our own
range of products and services or any combination of these, since we source whatever technologies are
required to deliver the most cost-effective
results. This ensures that clients have the
widest range of options to achieve their aims,
whilst we at BIOSS SA can focus sharply on
our core competencies and bring in the best
available technology in other fields of
expertise whenever required.
We also have extensive experience in the
unique Southern African environment, which
often requires specially tailored approaches to
deal with diversity issues and the need to
work through complex business relationships
emerging from decades of distortion, which
have left deeply entrenched suspicions.

Knowledge is the only instrument of production that is not subject to diminishing returns. J.M. Clark

BIOSS SA Products and Services

BSA is a knowledge-based management services organisation, and our services are provided through a
stable core of co-ordination, management and intensive client relationship management (CRM), with a
flexible and mobile consultant register. This enables us to cater for a range of medium to small, and even ad
hoc client requirements, which obviates the need for landing / managing large scale projects, as well as all
the various complications associated with such large scale projects.

Our consultants and associates are exposed to international thinking and developments and participate in
multinational projects. As such, they are able to tap into a wealth of knowledge, diversity and practical
business experience and so bring a high level of expertise to bear in developing solutions for clients. This

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may involve developing special methods, sourcing appropriate existing technologies, drawing on our own
range of products and services or any combination of these, since we source whatever technologies are
required to deliver the most cost-effective results. This ensures that clients have the widest range of options
to achieve their aims, whilst we at BIOSS SA can focus sharply on our core competencies and bring in the
best available technology in other fields of expertise whenever required.

We also have extensive experience in the unique southern African environment, which often requires
specially tailored approaches to deal with diversity issues and the need to work through complex business
relationships emerging from decades of distortion, which have left deeply entrenched suspicions.

The following list is merely a broad outline of our main product and service areas. In view of the highly
customised nature of the service we provide, we have access to many more specialised assessment tools. We
therefore suggest that if you have a particular assessment / development problem, you contact one of our
specialists, as we may already have an effective means of dealing with it, or we can develop a suitable
approach.

Phase One Interview (POINT)

This is an introductory assessment instrument designed to provide a basis for evaluating the individual for
benchmarking purposes, or to decide whether it is in the interests of the person and the company to
undertake more comprehensive and costly sequential screening procedures. It is quick (about 10 minutes to
conduct) and provides an indication of current capability only.

Initial Recruitment Interview Schedule (IRIS)

The Initial Recruitment Interview Schedule is an assessment tool suitable for recruitment, selection and
development purposes. It is a semi-structured interview with a standardised scoring system that is both
culture fair and job relevant. The interview takes 30 to 40 minutes and provides an indication of capability
currently and up to 15 years ahead. The standard assessment result is in the form of a score sheet, but
feedback and a report can be included should this be required.

Career Path Appreciation (CPA)

The standard Career Path Appreciation (CPA) is a more comprehensive assessment and is based on an
interview that takes about 2 to 3 hours. It provides an analysis of the person’s current capability as well as
their potential for cognitive growth over time. Feedback and a report are provided to the individual and a
summary of the results is supplied to the organisation. The CPA is widely used as a device to identify
potential, for succession planning purposes, as a developmental tool and for the purposes of recruitment and
selection.

The MCPA is a computerised version of the instrument and can be completed on any computer with
Internet access in about 45 minutes. The computer does an analysis and produces a narrative report, where
after a specially-trained counsellor conducts a validation interview (which can be telephonic) and provides
feedback to the individual. This interview can take anything between 30 minutes and an hour.

CPA “Plus” is a more extended version of the CPA that has a strong developmental emphasis, and is biased
towards medium term career considerations, as well as the balance (or lack thereof) of career and family
demands.

Leadership Effectiveness Appreciation (LEA)

LEA is a coaching framework that commences with a review of the individual’s leadership and management
competencies against the backdrop of the individual’s capability as identified during the CPA. The aim of a

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LEA is to assist individuals in the actualisation of their potential and to help them improve their applied
capability. During these coaching sessions, individuals are assisted in understanding their unique strengths
and vulnerabilities and how these form the pattern of their leadership behaviour and choices. In short, it is a
process that reviews the unfolding of the individual’s preferred career advancement strategy (CAS),
potential inhibition or derailment factors (PIFs), as well as the required developmental action.

Other products and services which might be used during these coaching sessions, these might include:
• Work journals to assist those transitioning.
• Thinking Skill courses
• Managing Competing Agendas (on organisational politics)
• Psychometric assessment
• EDA or WRA (360 competency based assessments)

Organisational Mapping
This process provides the management of an organisation with current key leveraging information in a
graphic format. This fast, accurate “big picture” enables management to monitor progress and decide on the
most suitable actions to deal with short, medium and long term needs. The process can be applied to the
capability of individuals, workflow profiling (actual versus required), career planning, talent management
and key relationships.

Matrix of Work OD and Analysis

Our MOW OD Practitioner and MOW Analyst programmes are designed to provide OD practitioners,
training specialists, change agents and internal consultants with sound practical skills in the use of the
Levels of work technology. The emphasis is on achieving practical results. These three-day workshops can
be presented in-house and are accredited globally by BIOSS International.

Custodian Workshop
International recognition of BIOSS technologies requires that users fulfil certain requirements. This is done
by the appointment of a custodian, normally but not necessarily a CPA practitioner, to protect the ethics of
the process, manage the database, interpret and update raw data for line managers and ensure that
contractual obligations are fulfilled. This 2-day workshop equips participants to handle these
responsibilities.

Interviewing Skills Workshop

The BIOSS Interviewing Skills Workshop is specifically aimed at the recruitment interview and is ideal for
HR practitioners and line managers. It deals with the context provided by current Labour Relations
legislation, the preparations for the interview, specific interviewing skills to ensure culture fit as well as
relevant competence, and linking the outcomes to other HR systems in the organisation.

Facilitation Skills Workshop

A focused but flexible approach to facilitation is the hallmark of this workshop. It is designed to enable
facilitators to use the skills in a variety of settings, achieve real outputs in the allocated time, enhance their
credibility in the business context, generate the interaction to get the most out of a group, elicit underlying,
unspoken issues in a group and to use the skills on a one-on-one basis.

Career and Transition Management Workshop

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This workshop is based on a structured Career and Transition Management Model to address career related
issues. It makes people more effective employees by giving them an understanding of the real world of
work, the issues involved in corporate career management and a better appreciation of themselves in this
context, so they can manage their careers and transitions.

Talent Pool Charting

The structured use of relevant assessment technologies to evaluate the capabilities of employees at different
levels to ensure an appropriate fit of competencies to job profiles, and to determine future capacity to deal
with work at different levels. This ensures people are not under-utilised and frustrated, or “in over their
heads” and badly stressed, and assists in succession planning, development and in aligning reward systems.

Holistic Assessments and Assessment Centres

BIOSS SA has a network of qualified psychologists and industrial psychologists who are well equipped to
administer a wide range of assessments. To offer a one-stop-service to our clients as far as occupational
assessment is concerned, we have developed batteries of assessments for various categories of jobs (senior
management, management, supervisory, administrative / clerical, customer services, sales, technical, semi-
skilled and students.) We also ensure that all our psychometric assessments, in-baskets, case studies, role-
plays and competency-based assessments are aligned to Levels of Work. These batteries of tests and
assessment tools, several of which are computerised, ensure the most valid, reliable, fair and relevant
assessment of individuals.

Job Profiling and Competency Design

The need for relevant and accurate job profiles is highlighted by the fact that these are used as the basis for
performance appraisals, can determine the kind of training programmes needed and types of assignments
consigned and are used as the basis for a person specification required for recruitment and placement
purposes. Our job profiles focus (amongst other things) on the nature and purpose of the job, Key
Performance Areas (KPA’s) and Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s), complexity requirement (Levels of
Work), decision-making power of each job, and functions and responsibilities relating to the job.

Our competency framework offers:

• An integrative model of competencies based on established theory of organisational behaviour and
decision making at all levels of the organisation.
• An incremental layered framework to cater for the short term / operational aspects as well as the longer
term / visionary nature of managerial responsibilities.
• A distinction between the different types of competencies required at each specific level of complexity.

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BIOSS SA’S APPROACH TOWARDS ASSESSMENT

The role of occupational assessment in South Africa

Legislation requires companies to prove without a doubt that all recruitment, training and development is
equitable, fair and non-discriminatory. The Employment Equity Act further has been designed to address
inequity and discrimination in the workplace. Against the requirements imposed by such legislation,
companies still need to recruit and train the most competent and skilled people to meet their objectives. To
use assessments tools within the requirements of legislation, it is necessary for these to be: standardized,
objective, reliable, valid, culture / gender / education fair and “South Africanized”

The benefits of occupational assessments

Making use of occupational assessments has numerous advantages for organisations: too:

Successfully measure individual differences

Measure the capability and skills of individuals

Facilitate the fair and equitable selection of the most promising candidates

Counsel individuals (e.g. with regards to career development)

Identify training and development needs

Facilitate decision-making regarding promotions, succession planning and the like

Facilitate manpower planning and forecasting by charting the talent pool

Ensure staff are in “flow” (i.e. that the demands of the job are in line with the capability of the
person, and that staff are not being under-utilised / over-extended)

Solve a wide range of practical problems

Our Approach towards occupational assessment

BIOSS SA’s core activities are strongly orientated towards assessment simply because this is the critical
starting point in defining people’s current capabilities and determining their potential, enabling our clients
to match people with work requirements right now and with future business needs. Flowing naturally from
assessment is the emergence of competence gaps and development needs.

Personality
Knowledge /
Experience
Competence

Capability

Intelligence /
Culture fit and Abilities / IQ
Integrity

EQ / Maturity

Our approach is not an “off the shelf” package, but rather a tailored solution, which draws on international
best practice in addition to local knowledge and expertise. We firmly support the approach that there are a
number of dimensions that companies can take into consideration when assessing individuals. The

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dimensions selected will depend on the purpose for the assessment (e.g. for recruitment / development /
promotion), the needs of the company, as well as budgetary constraints.

SOME OF BIOSS SA’s MORE RECENT CLIENTS INCLUDE …

ABSA, African Products, AIG SA, Air Traffic & Navigation Services, AngloGold, Anglo Coal, Anglo Base

Metals, Amalgamated Beverage Industries, Anglo Platinum, AngloVaal Mining, Assmang, Bankseta,

Barloworld, BCL (Botswana), Dept of Foreign Affairs, Doves Group, Dulux, ECS Limited (India), Edcon, Eli

Lilly SA, Emmission Technologies SA, Eskom SA, First National Bank (Namibia), Fruits Unlimited, Gabriel

SA, Glass SA, Global Forest Products, Gold Fields, I&J, Illovo Sugar, Impala Platinum, Kraft Foods SA, KWV

International, Lafarge Roofing SA BDB Data Bureau, Bell Equipment, BHP Billiton (Global), Bokomo, Cadiz

Holdings, Care Assist, Cell-C, Chep SA, Coca-Cola Fortune, Coca-Cola Sabco, Computer Sciences Corp, De

Beers Group (Global), Deloitte & Touche, Lonmin Platinum, Manica Group (Namibia), Mobile

telecommunications (Namibia), Mondi, MTN (SA & Africa), Multichoice ITC, Mutual & Federal, Namibia

Beverages, Namgem, Nampower, Namib Management Services, National Ports Authority, Nedbank,

Netcare, Nestle, Nissan SA, Nuclear Energy Corporation, Olthaver & List (Namibia), Omnicor, PFG Building

Glass, Prestige Cleaning Services, Profiled Appointments, Rhodes Food Group, RMB Asset Management,

Richards Bay Minerals, Richards Bay Coal Terminal, Rebserve Cleaning Services, Royal Swazi Sugar, SAB

Miller (Global), SA Post Office, SA Revenue Service, Samancor, Sanlam, Santam, Sappi, Sasol, Southern Sun,

Standard Bank, Swartland Group, Tellumat, Tiger Brands, Tongaat-Hulett Sugar, Toyota SA, Transnet,

Transvaal Sugar Company, Unisa (Florida), University of Stellenbosch (Business School), Virgin Cosmetics,

Whirlpool SA, Woolworths, Ziton.

BEE Policy and Objectives

BIOSS SA acknowledges its role in enabling meaningful economic empowerment of previously
disadvantaged South Africans (PDSA’s), and is committed to structuring its policies, practices and
procedures to further this aim wherever possible. Our policy is geared towards transforming the various
facets of our business operations, in order to promote the upliftment, development and empowerment of
PDSA’s, whilst ensuring the continued growth and sustainability of the business.

The specific objectives that the policy intends to achieve are:

Ownership:
o Ten percent (10%) of equity in the Company to be owned by PDSA’s within two years, rising to fifteen
percent (15%) within five years.
(In progress)

Operational Control:

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o The shareholders described above to have management responsibility and accountability for one or
more operational areas of the Company.

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Affirmative Procurement:
o A minimum of ten percent (10%) of operational procurement to be sourced from black empowered or
black owned vendors within two years, rising to twenty-five percent (25%) within five years.
(As at June 2006: 66% of operational procurement sourced from black empowered or black owned
suppliers)

Employment Equity:
o Thirty percent (30%) of support staff to comprise PDSA’s within two years, increasing to at least fifty
percent (50%) within five years.
(As at June 2006: 43% achieved)

Skills Development:
o Employ one (1) PDSA psychologist / psychometrist intern / trainee consultant per annum for the next
two years, thereafter two (2).
(Achieved)

Corporate Social Investment:

o Within the next two (2) years, identify and initiate a project where the Company could provide services
on a pro bono basis aimed at the upliftment / advancement of individuals from disadvantaged
backgrounds / communities.
(In progress)

Enterprise Formation (development of SMME’s):

o Within the next two (2) years, identify a black owned or empowered SMME which could benefit from
the Company’s input / support. Such support could range from providing BIOSS services at no or
reduced cost, free business management advice / guidance, or possibly even financial investment.
(In progress)

Contacts at Bioss Southern Africa

LISA ASHTON (Marketing and Research)

lisa@bioss.com
+27 11 450 2434 (T) +27 82 600 5832 (M)

ROB SOLMS (Business Management)

rob@bioss.com
+27 21 782 3233 (T) +27 83 300 8000 (M)

JOHANNESBURG OFFICE (Operations)

info@bioss.com
Postnet Suite 146, Private Bag X782, BEDFORDVIEW, 2008
+27 11 450 2434 (T) +27 11 455 1677 (F)

CAPE TOWN OFFICE (Accounts)

accounts@bioss.com
P O Box 37653, VALYLAND, 7978

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+27 21 782 9977 (T) +27 21 782 9978 (F)

BIOSS Southern Africa – An Overview Feb 2007