Rica C. Viljoen’s work stands at the confluence of scholarship, consulting practice and deep listening to the wisdom of people and systems. She is recognised not only as an organisational development scholar and practitioner, but also as a weaver of voices – connecting the oral histories of Africa with the formal discourses of leadership and strategy.
Having completed her Doctor of Business Leadership at UNISA in 2008 on the theme of inclusivity, her academic journey has remained rooted in the conviction that transformation is only sustainable when all voices are heard. This research gave rise to tools such as the Benchmark of Engagement (BeQ™) and the Integral Values Map, which continue to be applied in both business and academic contexts.
She has authored several books on organisational transformation, leadership and sustainability and her work is now studied at both master’s and doctoral levels. These writings are not merely academic texts; they are reflective offerings that integrate systems thinking, Spiral Dynamics, Jungian symbolism and indigenous African knowledge into coherent frameworks for leaders navigating complexity.
Beyond the written word, Viljoen has worked alongside mining houses, research institutes and international societies, supporting leaders in rightsizing strategies, culture diagnostics and leadership pipelines. In these spaces, she has consistently demonstrated her conviction that Africa holds gifts of wisdom – Ubuntu, Sankofa, Nommo – that can inform global leadership.
As a board member and administrator within international scholarly communities such as ISPSO, she contributes to global dialogues where psychoanalytic, systemic and indigenous perspectives meet. Her calling is to continue curating these dialogues, weaving insights into practical transformation and offering Africa’s voice as a gift of hope and humanity to the world.