By Nomfundo Vilakazi
For too long, human resources has been seen primarily through the lens of compliance and administration. But across leading organisations, a shift is underway. The evolution from “HR” to “People and Culture” (P&C) reflects a recognition that culture is not a side activity, it is the strategic engine that drives business transformation, employee experience, and sustainable growth.
This trend is particularly evident in South Africa’s fast-changing labour market, where retention, engagement, and transformation remain pressing imperatives. Companies that fail to put culture at the heart of their strategy risk falling behind.
Why People and Culture matters now
Globally, business leaders are realising that strategy cannot succeed without people who are engaged, purposeful, and equipped to deliver. Younger generations are vocal about expecting growth, belonging, and inclusive leadership. In South Africa, this aligns with the need to broaden access to opportunity and build resilient organisations that reflect the diversity of society.
This makes P&C leadership not just relevant but urgent. It is about creating environments where employees thrive, leaders are supported to lead with purpose and culture is intentionally designed to reinforce business goals.
My professional foundation was built across contrasting industries from parastatals to multinationals, which I believe shaped the balanced lens I now bring to leadership. I have found myself in values-driven cultures that emphasised talent growth, employee engagement, recognition and belonging.
That experience gave me the foundational building blocks of the culture and engagement space. I learned that how people show up in a work environment, and how the business contributes to that, are two key ingredients that must always marry.
Emerging priorities in People and Culture leadership
Forward-looking P&C leaders are prioritising several interconnected shifts:
- From compliance to culture-driving: Moving beyond traditional HR to embed values and behaviours into daily practice, making culture the living expression of strategy.
- Leadership with purpose: For culture and change to thrive in large, complex organisations, leaders at every level must be equipped with the tools, clarity, and accountability to embody company values, motivate teams, and communicate effectively. Their commitment is critical because without strong and prepared leaders, P & C strategies lack the leverage and impact needed to drive meaningful cultural transformation.
- Digital enablement: Harnessing technology, from automation to AI, to simplify processes and give managers more time to focus on people, not paperwork.
- Inclusive transformation: Embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion as a way of working, not a compliance exercise. Companies are tracking belonging and psychological safety as seriously as they track performance.
The ripple effect of P&C leadership
When done well, People and Culture leadership creates a multiplier effect. Employees feel seen, valued and supported; leaders are empowered to manage with confidence and organisations benefit from higher engagement, stronger succession planning and business resilience.
The shift from HR to P&C signals more than a change in title but reflects a reimagining of how organisations see their people: not as resources to be managed, but as the heartbeat of transformation.
In today’s landscape, the companies that thrive will be those that recognise culture not as an abstract idea, but as a strategic priority that drives performance and secures long-term growth.
Nomfundo Vilakazi is the Director of People & Culture at Dis-Chem
