Change Management

0 Cultural Load – Is It Time To Evaluate The Load And Who Is Bearing It?

The term ‘Cultural Load’ was brought to my attention by an article in HRM (July 2021) in reference to the “extra pressure” employers are (often unknowingly) placing “on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees by asking them to educate their colleagues”.

Associate Professor Richard Frankland, Head of the Wilin Centre for Indigenous Arts and Cultural Development at the University of Melbourne, defines ‘Cultural Load’ as “the invisible loads that people of other cultures or other social demographics carry…. and – following on from this – ‘cultural safety’ means being able to practise your culture free of ridicule or condemnation”.

0 Women In The Workplace: Improve Your Diversity, Improve Your Business Results

Would you consider yourself a responsible CEO, Executive or Board Member? Then you will be across this latest piece of research AND you won’t ignore it.

Research[1] carried out by the federal Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) based on a six year study of Australian companies found that increasing the number of women in key leadership roles by as little as 10% increased an ASX200 company’s market value by an average of $105 million. Appointing a female CEO is worth an extra, on average, $80 million to an ASX 200 company.

What data could be clearer than this?

0 The Necessary Conversation

In the past, workplaces were heavily hierarchical and it was expected and accepted that managers were direct and overt in giving instructions and critical feedback.

As we have moved to ‘flatter’ structures and a more empathetic and collaborative leadership style managers are now very hesitant to have these discussions.

‘In the past’ workplace roles were very clearly defined. A manager was respected because they were a manager.

0 The Importance Of Managing Change For Each Individual Team Member

We all have a bias towards certainty, some more than others. For many, certainty means security and comfort. It means not having to acknowledge the fear we find in the prospect of change. It might mean we have to let go of how hard we’ve worked to reach this point of comfort and to keep the status quo. It might appear too complex and taxing to plan for and adapt to the change. Or, we may enjoy what we are doing at work and the way we are doing it.

0 Taking Responsibility For Your Workplace Culture

A comment from a workplace manager: “I can say for sure that quite often my day starts fine, but I am regularly pushed below that line because of other people’s behaviour, and it’s fine to say don’t engage in it, but it’s what most of my job is; dealing with people!”

Heard this before?

Then it’s time for your workplace to engage Workplace Harmony Solutions to carry out a positive workplace culture training workshop. Our workshop focuses on professional behaviours, what they are, and the strategies needed to uphold them. This will ensure your managers remain ‘above the line’ when interacting with both internal and external stakeholders.

0 Amazing Ways To Deal With Change

Recently I was asked to facilitate a workshop for a client regarding ‘Managing Change’. Rather than focus on a well known ‘model for change management’ (like a template for planning change using a project management approach) I decided to introduce the participants to the various ways staff in the organisation view change, why they might […]

0 Let’s Rethink Organisational Design

Let’s rethink job design. No wait – let’s rethink organisational design – for improved engagement and productivity through increased levels of employee health and well being. The Australian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (AFOEM which is a faculty of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians) has released a ‘Consensus Statement on the Health Benefits […]

0 Insights on Managing Change – Interview with Charles Caldwell

After seeing Charles present at the HR Summit in Hong Kong, I had the pleasure of sitting with him to discuss ‘the illusion of permanence’ and why change is often a stumbling block for organisations and individuals. As the Director of Human Resources for the Hong Kong English Schools Foundation, Charles has worked with teaching […]

0 The Lion’s Whisker

Once upon a time in a small village lived a manager who oversaw the staff who worked on the land for the local Lord. Unfortunately, the manager was not happy. So one day the manager secretly sought the advice of the local sorcerer. “I need a spell” the manager said. “My workers are tired and […]

0 Performance appraisals and constructive feedback – are you stopping your workers from shining for you?

Leadership development consultancy, Zenger/Folkman, were analysing 360 evaluations when working with the top three levels of management in a multinational company and wondered if the evident bias of some managers to consistently rate their direct reports higher or lower than the average  had any effect on the performance on their staff. The results showed: