Theuns Pelser

Prof Theuns Pelser is the executive director at the Toyota Wessels Institute for Manufacturing Studies (TWIMS). In addition, he also holds the CFAO Research Chair.

Theuns’ education started directly after school when he embarked on a BCom degree at the Vaal Triangle campus of Potchefstroom University. Theuns went on to obtain honours in business management. On the completion of his honours’ degree, he commenced his academic career as a junior lecturer at the North- West University in 1995.

Reflecting on his career highlights, Theuns said, “I think all academics would say the accomplishment that makes them most proud is the day they attained full professorship, and for me it’s exactly the same. Most people outside of academia don’t understand the pressures and challenges to be promoted to a full professor.”

Speaking on his current role, Theuns says, “My purpose includes the development of TWIMS into Africa’s foremost manufacturing business education institution, to foster relationships within the manufacturing sector and to ensure TWIMS’s financial sustainability.”

BE TRUE TO ONESELF
Commenting on the best advice he has received Theuns says, “Always play on your strengths and be true to oneself.”

During his school years, Theuns was an introverted child, with some anxiety issues, and he wasn’t a confident public speaker. A class teacher gave him with the opportunity to present to the class, which he experienced as very traumatic. However, he received positive feedback from the teacher who indicated that through his analytical research and presentation, he showed the traits of a lecturer. This feedback set Theuns on an academic research career path.

However, his path has not always been smooth sailing, as he has experienced some challenges. Theuns wanted to obtain a doctoral degree at an Ivy League university and was successful in his application to the Rotterdam School of Management, which still today, is one of the top business schools in Europe.

“Unfortunately, as a South African, just coming out of Apartheid, getting a work permit was very difficult. I got a temporary permit to get into the country and every second week I had to go to the foreign police, and I was treated like a criminal.”

This treatment continued for six months and really frustrated Theuns as he was unable to focus on his studies. After reaching the limits of his tolerance, Theuns returned to South Africa and finished his doctoral degree in a year and a half, and before he turned 30. “The failure situation, turned into a winning situation because I focused on the big picture. I wanted to achieve the doctorate,” explained Theuns.

BE RESILIENT
Another time of stress was during his stint at Mafeking campus as director of the Business School. Regrettably, a fellow academic accused him of plagiarism. Theuns said, “I had to do something drastic to save myself, because I knew I was innocent. I realised one needs to be resilient but also to be guided by experts. I immediately contact a local lawyer.”

The case went to the North-West High Court, following which a defamation case was brought against this individual, as it was proven that Theuns was not guilty of plagiarism and was cleared by the university’s internal processes.

Personally, explained Theuns, “I don’t like conflict however, conflict is always in the workplace. There’s a lot of disagreements, small things, nuances in what you say or not say, body languages, etcetera. I think the first thing for me is transparency and open communication.”

Secondly, explained Theuns, a supportive environment is critical because within conflict you will have opposing individuals and opposing groups. “If there is a supportive environment, it channels a lot of that negative energy towards more positive energy in terms of resetting.”

Theuns does not believe in micromanaging individuals but works to empower his team. He also enjoys celebrating moments of success as positive feedback and recognition makes a difference in other people’s lives.

INTRINSIC MOTIVATION
“My wife knows I’m a task achiever; completing a task gives me the energy and inspiration for the next challenge. Overall, I think my intrinsic motivation is my real north compass – where the drive comes from achieving something that adds value and is meaningful.” Theuns obtains his inspiration by setting challenging goals that grow him to move forward to achieve tangible results.

He added, “I think that’s why I’ve taken this position as executive director at TWIMS. I’ve been fortunate enough to lead a couple of business schools in the public sector, but this is the first one with a very niche campus, as well as a very comprehensive offering in terms of a particular mandate. I would like to not just achieve the goals we set but exceed those.”

In certain workplaces, Theuns believes that he would get bored and stale because he would not see them as achieving something to the betterment of the organisation or to the individuals with whom he is interacting. As such the education sector provides much motivation as the benefits are evident.

He explains, “Through some of the things that we teach in our classes and in our research and in the way we conduct ourselves in this community, we can actually empower some of the players in the ecosystem to be able to thrive. I know it’s impossible for a little institute to make big differences, but through this small ripple effect, hopefully we can get other players in the ecosystem to take the challenge up.”

In conclusion, Theuns explains that as he is internally quite religious, his motto relates to the saying of Jesus which says, ‘The one of you who is without sin let him be the first to throw a stone’. “I think sometimes we are very hard on our staff or on our peers without realising that we’re not perfect ourselves. We need to understand that we need to give enough scope so that they can be able to strive for that perfection.”