By Arjen de Bruin, Group CEO at OIM Consulting
As the headlights cut through the dust and the first trucks move towards the mine, another shift begins. Crews gather at the line-up, equipment checks are done, supervisors call the plan. It’s a world built on precision and pressure, where every minute counts.
But from what OIM has seen across more than a decade of data, that focus is starting to strain. People are showing up, but many feel detached from the work and from the leaders guiding them. Our latest research suggests this isn’t about long hours or harsh conditions, but a deeper cultural fault line running through the industry.
That fault line runs straight through leadership. In mine after mine, OIM’s analysis shows that leaders set the tone and shape the culture – and too often, that tone is rigid, top-down and disconnected.
Supervisors spend much of their day giving instructions, solving problems and attending meetings, with very little time left to lead in the field. Communication moves in one direction, and feedback focuses on performance rather than people. Over time, that kind of environment builds compliance, not commitment. The data agrees: willingness scores average 7.23 against a 7.9 benchmark, and commitment 6.79 against 8.1. People might be physically at work, but they are not truly engaged.
When leadership becomes the bottleneck
That lack of engagement has real consequences. Across sub-Saharan Africa, OIM’s data shows that leadership behaviour is now one of mining’s biggest hidden constraints. When trust and recognition are missing, even the best-run shifts begin to lose momentum. Workers hesitate to speak up, ideas are lost and small issues snowball into bigger ones. The mine keeps running, but people begin to disengage from what they do.
The sites that have broken this pattern have one thing in common: they’ve redefined how leadership shows up every day. Supervisors who make time to walk the floor, ask questions and recognise effort build teams that take ownership. At several operations where OIM has worked, those small changes have lifted morale and production within weeks. Once people feel seen and trusted, they stop waiting to be managed and start managing themselves.
Culture is mining’s competitive edge
All of this is happening while the fight for talent grows sharper. Skilled operators, artisans and supervisors are being drawn to mines that offer safer conditions and clearer growth paths. Younger recruits, meanwhile, are looking for workplaces that feel fair and well managed. They’re not rejecting the work itself; they’re avoiding environments that make it harder to do well.
This is why culture has become a business lever, not a slogan. Mines that invest in capable leaders, open communication and visible recognition are holding on to skills and protecting performance. Those that cling to command-and-control are stuck in a cycle of turnover and short-term fixes. When culture works, operations run smoother, shifts hold together and problems get solved sooner. OIM’s work across the region makes one thing clear: the mines that look after their people are the ones that thrive.
In the end, output still matters. Tonnes still matter. But the way people experience the mine decides whether they do what’s required – or what makes the difference.