Groundwork
Groundwork: An inclusive way to better cultural engagement
Closing The Gap effectively through the successful implementation of a Reconciliation Action Plan should challenge any organisation genuinely intent on generating meaningful outcomes.
When the core values of any combined cultures are similar, achievement of common goals is reasonably straightforward, often requiring little more than procedural alignment. When these core cultural values differ significantly however the integration and adaptation necessary for mutually acceptable outcomes requires deeper changes in terms of the "why's" and "who's" as well as the "where's" and "how's."
This is why we consolidated our experience working with both Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal service organisations into our Ground Work program. This program is a framework designed to help both For Purpose and For Profit organisations develop more culturally secure approaches to cultural engagement and improved outcomes for ATSI clients.
Assisting Greening Australia to work alongside Aboriginal Communities across Australia.
Helping build common ground between Western and Māori cultures in the New Zealand custodial sector.
Successfully embedding cultural engagement best practice into new business development in the WA social housing sector.
Digging deeper
Groundwork takes a holistic perspective and examines selected operational areas within an organisation, digging deeper, to identify current assumptions, espoused values and day-to-day behaviours from an experienced and culturally informed perspective. This allows us to impartially view the historic learned experiences enacted within the organisation as 'rituals' reinforced across the staff group by 'champions' and modelled through behaviours and the subtle messages communicated within these to external stakeholders.
This identifies the current drivers to existing attitudes and approaches and it is within these that the current ability of an organisation to effectively achieve its Closing the Gap commitment lies.
It is from this mix of promises, claims, behaviours and actions that the ability of the organisation to match promise to action is formed in the Indigenous external stakeholder community that it seeks to serve. This is where brand reputations are formed in those communities.
From assessment to deployment
Following the initial audit phase the Groundworks program works with management, teams, staff and communities to identify needs and opportunities and co-design culturally appropriate solutions to realise these. Implementation begins with the promotion of the agreed project scope through internal and external communications to ensure that the co-operative nature of the project is promoted from the very onset to all stakeholders to encourage buy-in and participation in the journey.
A cross cultural solution
New, co-designed operational methodologies and evaluation frameworks are then implemented from a considered, cross-cultural perspective. Project champions are drawn from both cultures and work in conjunction to drive both adoption and positive change across the wider stakeholder group. Revised or newly created evaluation frameworks provide ongoing feedback to inform continuous improvement.
Output you can action for outcomes you can measure
The program take the form of one-to-one meetings and co-design workshops; both in the organisation and the communities it seeks to serve, followed by presentations and the documentation of program and research frameworks and program media guides for new messages and suggested channels for internal communication teams teams.
Outputs often include the establishment of new links to communities, recommendations for process and program development, evaluation models and new assets, media channels, stories and further opportunities for communication teams to improve engagement.
Improving cultural security and business development oportunities in the For Purpose sector.
Working with private sector clients to improve cultural security and engagement.
Developing program measurement and evaluation criteria to improve culturally focused KPIs.
Return on Investment
Groundworks is designed to offer return on investment across many areas including:
- Improved organisational brand equity in areas such as:
- perception as an innovative practitioner in the field of cultural engagement and the effective delivery of positive outcomes within this stakeholder group.
- A lead in service accountability
- Key sector experience for future new business development
- The ability to assist in the building of capacity in local Aboriginal communities as an added value service
- Opportunities to develop sustainable community initiatives which link to Aboriginal Procurement policy.
Key sector experience
- Strategy and solutions to build cross cultural synergies in custodial contracts across the Asia Pacific region servicing a range of nationalities including an over represented Aboriginal prison population and, in New Zealand, the Māori population
- Strategies and solutions for cultural integration in primary, secondary and tertiary education across the United Kingdom in multi cultural education for several UK Educational Authorities
- Experience in Aboriginal community consultation and partnership building across Western Australia
- Principal Shawn Boyle has led and managed Aboriginal strategic initiatives in Depertment of Premier and Cabinet (DPC) as Director of Social Policy including; Response to Indigenous Family Violence (Gordon Enquiry) and the WA contribution to the COAG Closing the Gap Natinal Reform Agenda and was the Principal Policy Officer at the Aboriginal Legal Service WA (1993-1995)
- Principal Giles Dutfield has developed organisation-wide staff engagement programs to drive change across both organisations in both education, social and Health care (NHS England) and the custodial and Immigration sector in the UK and Australia to enable improved levels of service delivery
Where to start
Groundworks begins with a basic audit phase which is tailored to your organisational needs. This may involve a whole-of-organisation approach or focus on a department or even a single program to begin with. As ever the best way to start is with an informal, confidential chat so feel free to fill in the form below and we'll be in touch.
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Pro Bono
Every month we allocate a fixed amount of Pro Bono time to help organisations.