The Australian and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) will be presenting a three-part webinar series on ‘Leading People Through Disruption’, beginning on 25 August 2020.
The series will be presented by Dr Jo Cribb — one of the youngest people ever appointed as a chief executive in the New Zealand public service in 2012. Her work has focused on advancing the cause of vulnerable in society, spearheading some of the most difficult issues of our time, including child abuse, child poverty, family violence and vulnerable women.
The webinar series will give participants insights into how to make decisions during a time of crisis and maintain an inclusive and positive style of leadership.
Dr Cribb said that effective leaders created change in a values-based way, and the best were able to empower their staff and admit the limits of their own knowledge and ability.
‘Leadership is about mobilisation, bringing people together and making things better than they were before. You can have that influence at every level and everyone can be part of the leadership team’.
Dr Cribb also said that organisations were too complex and the problems that they had to deal with were too difficult for one person to have all the answers. Leaders needed to be honest and admit they don’t know everything —something particular true in the context of the COVID-19 crisis.
‘It is really important for authorities to be honest about what they don’t know when they communicate with the public.
This has been the experience in New Zealand and it has actually strengthened trust in government. We have been able to communicate really complex judgement-based policies and do so effectively.’
The first webinar will focus on leading people through disruption (25 August 2020).
The second webinar will explore what it means to be an inclusive leader under pressure (3 September 2020).
And the third webinar will look at ways to build an inclusive culture during crises (17 September 2020).
Those interested in participating in this series can register on the ANZSOG website.
Author: Frank Exon, Executive Director, IPAA National
The latest issue of the Australian Journal of Public Administration contains a gem of a research paper by Catherine Althaus on the exciting contribution that Indigenous evidence and knowledges can make to public administration in the fields of engagement, sustainability, and policy innovation.
Catherine Althaus is the Professorial ANZSOG Chair of Public Service Leadership and Reform at the Public Service Research Group at UNSW Canberra and ANZSOG Deputy Dean. She is a non-Indigenous academic woman who has been privileged by the great generosity and hospitality of Indigenous peoples from across Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. She has also observed with frustration the many barriers to the contribution of Indigenous knowledges in the scientific and policy-making realms.
Her paper — Different paradigms of evidence and knowledge: Recognising, honouring, and celebrating Indigenous ways of knowing and being — proposes that public administration can benefit from these Indigenous ways of knowing and being.
Catherine starts by tracing some of the contemporary reasoning in favour of such acknowledgement and prioritisation. She then turns to practical examples to demonstrate how the field of public administration and the practice of policymaking will benefit (including a discussion on the potential barriers to uptake). And she closes with a call for dedicated and respectful work by the discipline and practitioner communities.
The workplace of the 21st Century is evolving and changing exponentially. Now, more than ever, the HR practitioner is operating in an increasingly complex environment and is expected to navigate increasing complex HR issues. There is no question that HR underpins the effective functioning of any organisation, but staying ahead of developments in today’s time poor workplace is the challenge.
Cutting across themes of leadership, cultural change and what it means to be a HR professional, this forum provided opportunities for the audience to hear from key speakers about the development of the practice of HR in the public sector.
The Hon Michael O’Brien MP, introduced this forum with Dr Verna Blewett, Director of New Horizon Consulting and Associative Professor of the Appleton Institute for Central Queensland University, being the MC.
This forum was created with the busy HR practitioner in mind or anyone who is looking at a future career in HR. HR professionals at all stages of their career benefited from attending this forum and were able to network with peers and colleagues from across the state, listen to and interact with speakers who are experts in their fields, as well as discuss HR challenges and successes in a supportive, professional environment.
Our presenters and panellists included:
Anxiety and psychological distress are on the rise as our workforce adapts to the COVID-19 pandemic. More so than ever now is a time for leaders to shine through to guide and support their teams through these challenging times. Some leaders more so than others are better equipped to manage their staff virtually, but as most organisations don’t educate leaders on this area, many will struggle to adapt and find their feet in this new world.
Leadership during a pandemic is new and untested, where we are learning on the fly what does and does not work to manage staff in the virtual world. Human Psyhcology have shared with us essential advice for managers and team leaders in helping their team adapt. This includes;
You can read and download the full tip sheet here.
We know how important it is to care for the mental health of your team and colleagues during challenging times, however we cannot understate the importance of caring for the mental wellbeing of family members. With social isolation, families, whether living in the same household, or split over distance undergo significant stress and challenges in adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our friends at Human Psychology have shared with us some of the best advice for parents and families to cope with the new stresses of recent times.
There is a common misconception that talking with children and young people about a topic such as COVID-19 may increase anxiety. However, research suggests it may have the opposite effect. For children not having information is scary and many children will fill in the blanks with their own imagination-often imagining something far worse than the truth. Older children may take to the internet and social media for their answers, which can sometimes become overwhelming or misleading.
Download the full Parent Tip Sheet here
Times are very uncertain at the moment and many people are being asked to make lifestyle changes to help society work through COVID-19. For many of us, these changes include working from home and restricting the amount of time we spend socially interacting.
Social isolation can pose various challenges for our mental health. As social beings, we need social interaction and connectedness. Spending time isolated by ourselves limits the positive distractions available to us to dilute the amount of time we might stress over COVID-19.
Download the full Tip Sheet here, to find advice, ideas and inspiration for coping with Home Isolation
The Australian Mental Health Commission has launched a new initiative in response to the COVID-19 situation, as Australians are impacted by this challenging and unprecedented time. The #InThisTogether initiative is a national conversation that will help you access and share practical tips on how to support the mental health and wellbeing of yourself, family and co-workers. To join in this national conversation you can follow the hashtag #InThisTogether across social media, along with video segments providing advice and tips.
The Mental Health Commission website offers a range of further support materials and information, as well as social media tiles to help you and your department take part in the conversation.
We encourage you to check in with yourself and others during this challenging time, and seek support when you need it. If you need to talk, these free support lines are here to listen 24/7:
Lifeline 13 11 14
Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636
Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800
Or visit www.headtohealth.gov.au the digital mental health portal for more resources and support options.
A Core People Practices and Supplier Expo that linked a panel of Group training Organisations (GTOs) with agency representatives was held recently. The Expo, which supported the Skilling SA Public Sector Project was an initiative of the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment and was assisted by IPAA SA. The expo linked SA Government Providers for Human Resources (HR) Systems and Group Training Organisations (GTO’s) with agency representatives to facilitate improved HR System capabilities and support the Public Sector Project.
Under the Skilling SA Public Sector Project, GTO’s are now available to assist State Government agencies in the recruitment of apprentices and trainees and partner with Agencies who will host trainees and apprentices.
To commence the day’s proceedings Jack Buckskin gave a moving ‘Welcome to Country’, with Commissioner Erma Ranieri, sharing her enthusiasm for this unique opportunity for collaboration and opening the expo to representatives and suppliers.
Shelley Willsmore, Chief Human Resource Officer at OCPSE also addressed the audience and highlighted the importance of a shared vision for future recruitment and talent management for the public sector. As part of her speech Ms Willsmore explained the importance of planning to cater for the changing and evolving nature of the workforce.
As part of the Expo, representatives were engaged in two workshops gathering ideas and input across agencies and additionally having the opportunity to engage with suppliers exhibiting on the day.
These workshops were facilitated by Public Sector Innovation Lab as part of addressing key issues identified through the ‘2018 I WORK FOR SA YOUR VOICE SURVEY’ and the resulting ‘South Australian Public Sector Action Plan 2019-20’.
The first workshop was led by Dan Butler from the Public Sector Innovation Lab, and here representatives explored how innovation and creativity can be applied to determine a best practice framework for recruitment at all levels across the sector. In this interactive workshop, each group was encouraged to put forward ideas and needs from their own agency and how to identify the barriers to achieving best practice.
The second workshop focused on leadership capability and talent management and was led by Jessica Lynch and Aaron Shepherd from OCPSE. Here representatives examined current views on leadership development, and discussed the future of good talent management, identification and development for employees at all levels across the public sector.
In the coming weeks the outcomes and feedback will assist in furthering the South Australian Public Sector Action Plan.
Public Administration Today (2004–2015) was a quarterly publication for IPAA members and built on the earlier success of the Canberra Bulletin of Public Administration (1973–2004).
‘Today’ reported on IPAA activities, promoted and celebrated achievements in Australian public sector management, shared information on major trends and developments, and generated discussion and debate.
Contact IPAA ACT on 02 6154 9800 if you would like to access to earlier editions of Public Administration Today or otherwise visit us at level 6, 12 Pirie St, Adelaide SA, 5000 to browse through our available editions.
Edition 43
Edition 42
Edition 41
Edition 40
