The world is in the midst of a pandemic which, while not unexpected, has hit with a speed and scale of impact that is unparalleled. Governments have created economic crises by shutting down society to control the health crises. As Australia and other nations around the world work to move...
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Just months into 2020, Australia’s leaders have faced immense challenges. All levels of government, business and the not-for-profit sector have had to negotiate devastating bushfires and now the COVID-19 crisis. Within months, if we’re fortunate, life will become more normal. But can and should leaders return to business as usual?...
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In Australia and across the globe, banks are adjusting their workforces and shedding jobs amid spending on technology and automation. As other industries follow suit, it’s unclear whether the costs of automation are being socialised while the benefits are privatised. What is clear is that Australia’s public and private sector...
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Our human capabilities to develop and deploy technology is amazing and still expanding. But deployment of technology faces numerous impediments that slow its adoption. This doesn’t mean that business breakthroughs and disruptions won’t occur, challenging even the largest and long-standing organisations. To navigate these circumstances, business leaders need to embrace...
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For all the talk of diversity and the monitoring of pay gaps between men and women, many people remain unsure of the benefits of greater inclusion beyond equality of opportunity. What really are the benefits of diversity and inclusion? What attributes of diversity actually translate into better organisational performance? And...
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Australia now has a national innovation plan. But it’s not just guidance to government. It provides important signals to business and individuals. Action matters, but so does timing. Businesses large and small must overcome complacency to act now, adopting a deliberate approach to innovation for growth. Equally, individuals should question...
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What are your people passionate about? Do you know? What might be possible if you unleashed their latent talents? Indeed, what might be the cost if you don’t? For many years, I worked with one of Australia’s great businesses. SKM, a professional services firm with some 10,000 people around the...
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From infancy we’ve learnt values, ideas and social rules through stories. This schooling has occurred for millennia. Today, some of these stories are being questioned. Leaders need to understand this dynamic and just how important stories are to sustaining success. In 2011, history professor Yuval Noah Harari published his book...
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Changes in engineering technology coupled with shifting commercial and social demands is creating major risks and opportunities for the business community. Similarly, policy makers, industry bodies and educators are not immune. While some of the most profound consequences may not impact for several years, the time required to achieve institutional...
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An upcoming executive conference promises to shed powerful insights into current, under-played challenges of the fourth industrial revolution for engineering executives and company directors. What follows is a small component of the under-pinning research and analysis that informs the conference dialogue. In the early 1990s I was a researcher, exploring...
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