DVT building strength-based culture with new business coaching service

Carina Fourie

Spearheaded by DVT principal consultant and coach Carina Fourie, the new service is an extension of the professional coaching DVT has already been providing its staff, making it available for the first time to clients and third parties wanting to optimise both workplace and personal performance.

“There continues to be a distinct disconnect between teams and individuals, particularly in the IT space where it’s not uncommon to find groups of business analysts, project managers, developers and testers that don’t quite fit together,” says Fourie.

“Often people have the skills but lack the techniques they need to maximise them,” she says. “Our own staff has benefitted tremendously from learning how to ‘strengthen their strengths’, with tools they can use in their everyday tasks to sharpen performance and improve productivity, which in turn helps us build better software and solutions and get them to market faster.”

Fourie says coaching plays an important role in an Agile environment, both from a change management and team optimisation perspective.

“DVT places a strong focus on Agile and has extensive experience in delivering value through coaching in Agile environments,” she says. “We’re excited to be able to offer the same proven techniques to our clients, as individuals or as part of larger teams.”

Fourie is an experienced business analyst, business architect, project manager and coach, with a broad background in business and IT. She holds two Masters degrees – in Information and Knowledge Management from Stellenbosch University and Management Coaching from Stellenbosch Business School – and until now has focused exclusively on mentoring DVT’s talented pool of BAs, developers and executives.

DVT CEO Jaco van der Merwe says the new business coaching service complements DVT's vision of being the preferred software solutions partner for local and global businesses that recognise the value of high-quality custom software that adds business value earlier when delivered into production faster.

“We have seen how organisations equipped with the best tools, Agile processes and skills still struggle to get software into production fast enough to stay competitive because they lack an understanding of their teams’ unique strengths,” he says. “Our business coaching service helps average performing Agile teams become high performing Agile teams.”

Fourie agrees: “They also lack a holistic approach to personal development that helps them use their strengths when working in teams and dealing with other individuals, particularly in conflict situations.”

“Unlike trainers, personal development coaches help people help themselves,” she says. “Every individual is assessed holistically, based on their EQ, both in the work environment and at home. Our programmes are designed to fit the individual, whether they’re about entrenching the skills learned at a leadership course or about learning to resolve conflict in the workplace.

“Team coaching differs from individual coaching because we work to develop collaborative skills and optimise the performance of individuals as a team,” she adds. “Based on tools such as Gallup’s Clifton Strength Finder we analyse each person’s strengths to help team members see and understand how to reach their potential in pursuit of a common goal. That’s why we refer to a ‘strengths-based culture’ because ultimately that’s what we’re building and where the real value of our coaching lies for individuals and companies.”

DVT’s professional business coaching service is priced on hourly rates for individuals, with tailored packages available for larger teams and organisations. The service is backed by DVT’s national and international network of business professionals.

For more information contact Carina Fourie on az.oc.tvd@eiruofc.

About DVT

DVT, founded in 1999, delivers high quality software solutions and related professional services that deliver business value for clients faster. Its services extend from custom software development to business software solutions consulting, software quality assurance, outsourced automated regression testing, enterprise mobility solutions, business intelligence solutions, Agile training and consulting as well as packaged product based solutions. DVT has grown to over 500 staff with offices in Johannesburg, Centurion, Cape Town and Durban. The company services more than 100 local and international, medium and large organisations.

Visit us at www.dvt.co.za.