Organisational Development

The Essential Principles of Workplace Culture

A senior manager of a public company once said to me: “We’ve done culture change this way before, trying to create what we think we should be, and it’s never really worked. We know culture is critical, though there doesn’t seem to be any alternative way.” Perhaps you can relate. Though many leaders might recognise the importance of workplace culture, most remain confused and unclear about what it is and are hesitant about how best to work with it.

Finding Your Way in the Purpose Economy

In this article we reflect on role of purpose in the non-profit sector. Drawing on thinking from Aaron Hurst’s book The Purpose Economy we consider how non-profit organisations can embrace this emerging trend to drive impact. The influence of purpose as a driving force in our society emerged, from the presentations and discussions that were engaged in at the Better Boards Conference 2015, as a theme at the top of many people’s minds.

Brand in the Boardroom

No board can make the right decisions if they aren’t considering the organisation’s brand in their thinking. Yes that’s a bold statement. But I’m here to make the case for your Board to rethink your relationship (or lack of) with your organisation’s Brand. The brand I am talking about here is not the one commonly beholden to marketing and the customer for its existence, or held within a name and logo.

Inviting Stakeholders to Have a Say in Decision-Making

Power to the People: How NFP boards can produce better outcomes by inviting stakeholders to have a say in their decision-making. From collaborative consumption to collective impact, we are increasingly recognising that we have a better chance of surviving the future if we pool our talents to collaborate, rather than using them to compete against one another. It is this shift in thinking that prompted Harvard Business Review blogger, Ben Hecht, to declare that ‘Collaboration is the new competition’ in early 20131.

Innovation – What a Great Idea!

All over the world, national leaders are looking to innovation and entrepreneurship to revive flagging economies, introduce new and exciting opportunities and bring prosperity. Innovation refers to a process that begins with a novel idea and concludes with a practical application or market introduction. It is often referred to as the disruptive commercialisation of a great idea. Innovation is a major tool for generating and capturing value for a business and its customers.

Why Corporations Need the Not-for-Profit Sector

Historically the objectives of the corporation have been seen as somewhat opposite to those of the not-for-profit sector; specifically self interest as opposed to community interest. So it is ironic that we are now seeing closer relationships developing between the two, with partnerships now a growing trend and a common feature of the corporate landscape. So can we attribute this upswing of corporate interest in the community to a sudden outburst of altruistic thinking on the part of the modern corporation?

How to Create Successful Brands for Not-for-Profit Organisations

Many not-for-profit organisations believe their brands do little to assist in projecting their products and services to the public. Often, people working in not-for-profits are motivated by a passion in a particular field such as art, humanities or research. It is easy for such people to forget that a strong brand under which to market products or services is needed. The value of the brand is as important to not-for-profit organisations as it is to for-profit organisations because the social conscience dimension can be a very powerful tool for creating brand loyalty.

R.I.P. The NFP Member?

Has the NFP member become irrelevant? Watch this presentation from Queensland-based lawyer Brian Herd and decide for yourself. In this humorous and controversial plenary presentation from the Better Boards Conference 2014 Brian explores the advantages and disadvantages of the non-profit organisational membership.

Philanthropy’s Crystal Ball

When Alfred Felton was approaching death in 1904 he had recently completed the finishing touches to his unique and generous bequest. With the extraordinary size of the bequest and the enduring focus on purchasing artwork, in just over 100 years his gift would deliver $2.2 billion worth of art to the National Gallery of Victoria and a comparable amount of value to charities favouring women and children. In his own art-crammed rooms in the Esplanade Hotel St Kilda, Felton, who made his fortune initially on the Victorian goldfields, may well have mused about how his philanthropic gift would be received and what his bequest would achieve across the centuries, structured as it was for perpetuity.

I’m Late, I’m Late, for a Very Important Date!

I’m late, I’m late, for a very important date! No time to say hello, goodbye “It must be awfully important, like a party or something”, said Alice. “No, no, no, I’m overdue, I’m really in a stew, not time to say goodbye, hello, I’m really, really late!”, said the White Rabbit to Alice as he read his pocket watch and ran along the woodland path and entered his burrow.1