At the last Avondale Women’s Network meeting, we were joined by guest speaker Professor Lily Arasaratnam-Smith from Alphacrucis College located in Parramatta, NSW. Her primary area of expertise is intercultural communication, particularly intercultural competence and intercultural contact-seeking behaviour. Her first book, Perception and Communication in Intercultural Spaces(University Press of America, 2011), presents "intercultural spaces" as a new framework with which to understand intercultural communication in today's culturally diverse communities. Her recent work is on intercultural competence in higher education. Lily is a Fellow of the International Academy for Intercultural Research. The winner of the 2018 Excellence in Teaching award, Lily teaches in the areas of intercultural communication and research methodology.

Lily shared her experiences in her journey to becoming an academic with a group of 20 academic and professional female staff at Avondale College. Lily told her stories from her humble upbringing to the current challenges she faces in her role as Director of Learning and Faculty Development, as well as being the Chair of the Academic Board. Lily was inspiring, insightful and most importantly honest about the opportunities and challenges faced by women in higher education.

Developing leaders is a focus of Avondale College, and the Avondale Business School (ABS), through Warrick Long, is front and centre in providing training for the Avondale staff through the Avondale LEAD program. LEAD stands for Leadership, Experience and Development, representing the focus of the initial six month program.

Participants meet together every month for a session where they discuss a key aspect of leadership, drawn from the four building blocks of leadership. Additional leadership resources are available to participants, including book reviews, recommended readings, videos and articles. A leadership challenge is set at each session, so participants have some goals to implement their new found knowledge. For those participants that are wanting to go a bit deeper and get some recognition for their participation, there is a series of assessments for them to undertake.

Ensuring that the program meets its goal of developing leaders, Warrick Long and Associate Professor Lisa Barnes (ABS Head of Discipline) are researching the effectiveness of the program through surveys and feedback, which will also form the basis of a research project for publication.

There is so much to absorb when you start looking at strategy. Everyone has a view as to how to formulate and implement it, stakeholders all have different views as to what it should be, and if you do a google search for it – well let’s just say there is an avalanche of sites all purporting to have the answers for you.

Having studied and taught strategy, we know how difficult it can be to sift through all the available information to plot a course for your organisation. One article that came across our desk recently seemed to offer some new perspectives on how to really shift your strategy process into high gear. It comes from McKinsey&Company, based on an article and book by some of their team, Chris Bradley, Martin Hirt and Sven Smit, and is entitled ‘Eight shifts that will take your strategy into high gear’ (read it here).

Rather than parrot the eight shifts, let me just outline a few of them for you, and suggest that you take the time to read the article to find the remaining ones, and to work out whether they will provide the boost to your strategy that is probably needed. Note that the authors are not trying to provide the magic pill to solve your strategy issues, but rather they aim to “…improve your strategic dialogue. The choices you make, and te business outcomes you experience.”

1. From annual planning to strategy as a journey
   Do away with the annual planning meeting and process that looks at 3- to 5-year plans (which become outdated within weeks of them being written), and instead look at a ‘rolling plan’ that can be regularly updat3ed as your context changes. This will involve regular strategy conversations with among your senior leadership team on a monthly basis. You should be regularly checking the assumptions of your strategy, and adjusting strategy as needed.
2. From getting to ‘yes’ to debating real alternatives
   Too often strategy discussion revolve around the leadership team bringing a single proposal that is to be approved. Anyone suggesting different options or questioning the plan is unwelcome. Instead, change the conversation so that the underlying assumptions are debated, that choices are discussed and strategy becomes a shared vision.
3. From ‘you are your numbers’ to a holistic performance view
   Organisations are too frequently guilty of giving managers ‘stretch target’ that are overly optimistic, then penalizing that manager for not reaching that goal. Perhaps it is better to assign probabilities to managers targets, so that when the performance is being discussed, a more realistic assessment of whether goal attainment can be made. If people are punished simply because they failed to meet a high risk plan, then employees will lose confidence and ultimately the entire organisation suffers.
4. From long-range planning to forcing the first step
   We have all seen the grand ‘strategic plan’ in all its glory – paraded in front of staff via glitzy PowerPoint presentations, or emailed out in an impressive document replete with interesting fonts, appropriate bolding, and the daring use of color. And while this may hype some of us for a short period of time, usually that is the last we see of it and it gets lost until the next review in 3 or 5 years’ time, when the performance is repeated. To give the plan the best chance of survival, also present the first steps that now need to be taken. Employees will appreciate the light being shone on the pathway and the opportunity to actually begin the journey rather than waiting for direction.

So there are just four of the eight steps for improving your strategy processes. The article is well worth a read, and highly recommended. And remember, the Avondale Business School (ABS) is just a phone call (02 4980 21468) or email ([email protected]) away from helping you with your strategy.

If miscommunication were causing delays and failures in project completion in your business, and sales were clearly identified as being lost to the same causes, and over half your workforce identified it as causing stress, wouldn't you actually want to deal with it? Apparently not, according to recent findings from an investigation by The Economist Intelligence Unit between November 2017 and January 2108 of 403 senior executives, managers and junior staff at US companies. The risk of miscommunication was clearly identified as having a huge impact on the bottom line of business. The full survey and article can be found by clicking here.

The top 3 causes of this poor communication are identified as different communication styles, unclear responsibilities and time pressures. But not far behind these were a lack of strong leadership and personal differences among colleagues. As the article suggests, clearly managers need to tailor their communication styles to those around them in order to be effective.

Interestingly, 65% of the respondents said that face-to-face meetings are a very effective mode of communication, irrespective of the generation of person surveyed. However, those from the millennial and Gen X demographics do use social media and instant messaging every day in a work context. To connect with these colleagues, managers need to incorporate these alternative modes of communication. Equally, as those from the younger generations rise to leadership they also need to ensure they are using communication styles and modes that reach the older members of their teams. Key then, is the ability to adapt your communication style and mode in order to reach across generations.

While most respondents (60%) reported using emails every day, only 40% recognised it as a very effective means of communication. To address this, the survey identified virtual-based tools, video conferencing, presentation decks and white boards as being much more effective.

The article proposes that the following steps can assist in reducing workplace miscommunication:

• Having clearer goals for every scheduled meeting
• Having a wider range of communication tools to use
• Firm-wide training for employees in communication, including awareness of communication differences and what the best applications of various tools are.

In summary, the article is succinct yet punchy in the information it provides, some of which provides evidence for what we might intuitively already know. A highly recommended read. And the Avondale Business School (ABS) can assist you in fine-tuning your workplace communications, just contact us via [email protected]

If public trust is the not-for-profit (NFP) sectors most valuable asset, then why are directors and leaders of NFPs not doing more to safeguard it? The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission’s 2017 Australian Charities Report (find it here) reports that trust in charities amongst Australians has declined from 37% in 2013 to just 24% in 2017. Such a decline in the value of any other form of asset would have seen the directors of organisations demanding answers and taking urgent action to correct it.

A recent article by Lucas Ryan for the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) entitled ‘Trust in not-for-profits’ (read it here) looks at this issue of trust and raises a number of very important points for leaders of charities and within the NFP sector to consider. Some of the highlights in this article include:

• The AICD indicates there is little evidence of NFP directors addressing trust
• While directors recognise the primacy of culture as the most significant issue relevant to trust, very few directors receive reports on culture, and most don’t have it as an item on their agenda.
• The ACNC Report identifies belief in an organisations mission and transparency about the use of resources as key influencers of individual trust.
• 45% of people in the ACNC study did not trust charities that paid salespeople to raise funds on their behalf.
• Fewer Australians are trusting charities to apply their donations to a charitable purpose and to be ethical and honest in their fundraising.

These are really worrying trends for NFPs and charities, and the AICD identify the top 3 factors most critical to building trust:

• Communicating and engaging openly with stakeholders;
• Transparency of business practices and decision-making; and
• Understanding the issues that matter to stakeholders.

This means directors and leaders of NFPs really do need to ensure they are actively engaging in discussion trust, and ensuring there are strong governance practices in place to guard this valuable organisational asset.

What are you doing to guard and enhance the public trust in your organisation? The Avondale Business School team can assist you in ensuring your governance program is maximizing the success of your organisation. You can contact us at [email protected]

Digital and mobile technologies give – but they also take away. Leaders of organisations need to play an active role in designing workplaces that encourage the adoption of healthy technology habits. Such is the thrust of a recent paper entitle ‘Positive Technology’ (read it here) by Deloitte.

This paper alerts leaders to the down-side of technology, warning about the potential perils of workplace digital technology. Some of the key dangers identified include:

• Constant streams of messages resulting in a deteriorating of the individual’s ability to adequately process information;
• The ease of creating virtual meetings making it too easy to include more people, and thus create opportunities for days of endless meetings; and
• The unhealthy use of workplace technology which has seen increasing instances of poor sleep, anxiety and depression among employees; and

A very positive aspect of this report is the inclusion of suggestions for employers to address these issues. A few examples of these include:

• Using available data of employee usage patterns to help individuals better understand and regulate their use of technology;
• Incorporating ‘nudge’ strategies into workflow processes and applications to help break technology addiction;
• Ensuring that the organisations leaders openly display healthy and balanced technology habits.

The article is an important contribution to current discussions on the role of technology in the workplace, where the speed of technology adoption and change is outpacing effective workplace practices and culture. By being reminded of this issue, we are now in a position to choose to care for our employees more than we care about technology.

You can contact the Avondale Business School if you would like more information on how we can help you with this, or any other business issue. [email protected]

How do you become and maintain leadership in your industry when your industry is changing so constantly? McKinsey&Company report that the average large firm reorganizes every two to three years, and the average reorganization takes more than 18 months to implement! How can an organisation focus on strategy when reorganization seems to dominate?

In their article entitled ‘Organising for the age of Urgency’ (click here to read), Aaron De Smet and Chris Gagnon of McKinsey&Company report that companies still need to change, but argue there is another way than to enter the endless cycle of reorganisations. They identify that companies that are successful adopt more radical approaches, and become more responsive, more flexible, and shift decision-making to the front-line, (or “edge”). Based on their observations, they have developed an organisational outline of what the most successful organisations have adopted, and shown in the following diagram:

The key areas identified is that urgency must become the single biggest imperative for the company. The default for organisations is to fall behind competitors, and to succeed, companies must move qui8ckly. Jeff Bezos of Amazon asserts that companies need to adopt high-velocity thinking, using 70% of the information they wish they had to make decisions. It is also important to use emergent strategy and leadership, which the authors compare to improvisational jazz, where all the players improvise and are empowered to adapt. Successful companies also try new things, accept failure, learn from that, and try again.

Agility is the second component of the model, which means being willing and able to shift quickly to reshape the business. This includes creating a flatter organisation and moving away from title/rank having total control. Decisions are instead made in real-time by those that are in the moment at the front-line.

Capability is the third element, and includes creating a workforce who are able to adapt and integrate with new technology. It also embraces and continual learning, which includes learning being personalized for employees so they can act more urgently and improve effectiveness. The leadership model is also transformed by being less about control and more about influence, decreasing the need for many positions of formal authority.

The last of the model components is identity. Successful organisations need to have stable processes, tasks and roles. This includes having a simple but consistent series of process across the entire organisation. It is also important to have a purpose that inspires employees, one which leaders model. Employees thrive where they are part of an organisation that creates real value.

Creating an organisation that embraces urgency, coupled with agility, capability and identity does away with the need for constant reorganization and reactive strategies. Instead, as noted I the article, “you’ve got an organisation that can play fast and long”. A highly recommended read for people who really want their organisation to succeed.

July means Winter School for the Masters of Leadership and Management (MLM) students in ABS. Each year they come for their two week residential component of their program.

In this first week students in the Strategic Planning for Leadership unit worked on a group presentation project, which was presented on Thursday, under the watchful eye of Associate Professor Lisa Barnes.

Enjoy the collegial time together and the opportunity to not only learn from fantastic ABS staff, but to also from each other and build your professional network.

“There are things that can be measured. There are things that are worth measuring. But what can be measured is not always what is worth measuring; what gets measured may have no relationship to what we really want to know.”

This statement, and the subsequent arguments presented by Jerry Muller in his book ‘The Tyranny of Metrics’ (2018, Princeton University Press), were initially a challenge for me, with my background as an accountant. But I warmed to his argument and grew to appreciate what he was presenting.

Muller is a professor of History at Catholic University of America and the author of numerous books on markets and capitalism. He draws on publically available information, numerous research and reports to substantiate his position, and provides a number of supporting examples that are easy to relate to.

A central theme of the book is that ‘many matters of importance are too subject to judgement and interpretation to be solved by standardized metrics. Ultimately, the issue is not one of metrics versus judgement, but metrics informing judgement…” (p. 183).

I felt it was a very convincing argument which has caused me to consider the metrics I use and am exposed to. Being very well organized, with logical arguments and ample evidences, the book is easy to read over a relatively short space of time. It would appeal to anyone involved in developing or using performance metrics.

Overall, this book is a balanced and worthwhile read, and as noted, is not about the evils of measuring. Muller’s summary would be captured by this statement from page 4 of the book: “The problem is not measurement, but excessive measurement and inappropriate measurement – not metrics, but metric fixation”.

Reviewed by Warrick long, Lecturer, Avondale Business School

"Effective CEO’s should make as few decisions as possible!"

This statements, taken from their book ‘CEO School: Insights from 20 Global Business Leaders’, authors Stanislav Shekshnia, Kirill Krachenko and Elin Williams come to the conclusion that  CEOs should be Chief Enablement Officers. In a summary article in INSEAD Knowledge (click here to read), the authors share their finding that in today’s organisation the main role of the CEO is to enable other employees to perform, rather than being the ‘Commander-in-Chief’..

That is, employees today are typically highly skilled professionals who most often are “better than anybody else- including the CEO – at what they do”. Consequently such employees don’t need to be directed, they need to be enabled to fulfil their role.

The authors identify seven key practices that CEOs who enable their teams display. In a much abbreviated summary, these are:

• Reducing uncertainty
• Encourage collaboration and remove organisational barriers
• Create productive autonomy for employees
• Support but challenge employees
• Make learning available to every employee
• Stay in touch with the business and outside world
• Role model enabling leadership

Leaders who focus on an enabling culture are able to focus more on the essential elements of their role and that of the company. They create productive environments where employees are supported, much like a professional athlete who is being coached to maximum success.

This article is highly recommended to leaders who want to maximize the success of the employees and their organisations. Avondale Business School is able to help you in your leadership through our Executive Development and leadership programs.