WORKFORCE
STRATEGY
2012 - 2017
Safe Shipping, clean seas and saving lives
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Foreword from the
CEO
AMSA’s Workforce Strategy is a key support for our Corporate Plan. Specifically, it is one of the
main enablers for our response to the strategic challenge of “ensuring a vibrant and progressive
organisation”. In addition to this, our people are the key to how AMSA will respond to the
other strategic challenges we face, whether they be growth in our environment, technological
developments or regulatory change.
AMSA has traditionally been proud of the high levels of competence and technical skills exhibited
by people throughout the organisation but we must look ahead to not only ensure we can maintain
those levels of competence and skill, but also equip ourselves with new skills that are expected of
a modern regulator and response agency. This will mean continuing to recruit from the industries
we serve as we have in the past, as well as training and developing people with the new skills
we need. We must do this recognising that, for example, maritime skills in Australia may be a
diminishing resource and AMSA has a responsibility to train people with those skills as does the
industry.
In an environment where we will all be expected to do more with the resources we have available
we must also equip our people to be adaptable, responsive and create an environment where they
can perform at their best. In an organisation where staff surveys consistently show we have very
high levels of engagement, we owe this to our people.
The 2012-2017 Strategy may be considered as a ‘first stage’ development program, with
subsequent stages of organisation development to be enabled and supported by these critical
foundations.
This Strategy has been developed to align with AMSA’s Corporate Plan 2014-2018, and is
consistent with the main components of the Australian Government’s; Ahead of the Game:
Blueprint for Reform of Australian Government Administration. The Blueprint’s primary elements
of building a highly capable workforce, providing strong leadership and strategic direction
and enabling high performance are all outcomes shared by the focus of AMSA’s workforce
development approach.
Mick Kinley
Chief Executive Officer
October 2014
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Contents
1.
2.
3.
Overview
7
1.1 AMSA’s role
7
1.2 Our business priorities
7
1.3 Our business context
8
Our workforce context
10
2.1 Highly skilled “can-do” workforce
10
2.2 High levels of employee engagement
10
2.3 Market for employees in high demand is shrinking
11
2.4 Organisation growth and maturity
11
2.5 AMSA as a National Regulator
11
Key Themes
12
3.1 Career Pathways and Development
12
3.1.1 Identification and recognition of competency and key skill sets
12
3.1.2 Organisation Structure
13
3.2 Workforce Sustainability
3.2.1 Current trends in turnover and age of workforce
13
3.2.2 Attraction and retention of employees in high demand
14
3.2.3 Succession Management
15
3.2.4 Replacement/contingency planning for critical roles
18
3.2.5 Developing greater agility and responsiveness – review of resourcing
19
3.2.6 Improved management information 19
3.3 Developing and strengthening our leaders
20
3.4 Enhancing AMSA’s Employer Value Proposition 21
3.4.1 Supporting workforce diversity 21
3.4.2 Rewards and Recognition Program
22
3.5 Supporting Organisation Transformation 4.
13
22
3.5.1 A more systematic approach to change management
22
3.5.2 Building alignment and growing as ‘one AMSA’
23
3.5.3 Linking employee effort to corporate strategy
24
Summary of benefits
26
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1
Overview
1.1 AMSA’s role
AMSA is a relatively small Statutory Authority, accountable for a broad spectrum of regulatory
and response roles and diverse outcome areas. AMSA also has a strong international presence
working closely with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), International Association of
Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA), other member states and industry to:
• Shape international and regional maritime policy cooperatively;
• Co-design maritime safety, environmental protection and emergency response strategies;
• Coordinate effective response to search and rescue and pollution incidents;
• Monitor compliance and learn from those incidents; and
• Educate stakeholders, operators and community
1.2 Our business priorities
Over the next three years AMSA will:
• Assume the role of the national maritime safety regulator for all commercial vessels working
with stakeholders to implement maritime reform, including a modernised Navigation Act and
coastal shipping reform
• Anticipate and respond to environmental and sectoral changes, such as increases in shipping
traffic, by managing inspection resources and safety of navigation
• Play a leading role in the implementation of the Maritime Labour Convention
• Implement the recommendations of the National Plan to Combat Pollution of the Sea by Oil and
other Noxious and Hazardous Substances and the National Maritime Emergency Response
Arrangements
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• Review the effectiveness of our search and rescue system and implement new airborne
response arrangements and enhanced satellite detection services through medium earth
orbiting search and rescue satellites (MEOSAR)
• Strengthen our technical cooperation and regional assistance strategies
• Further improve our governance and the integration of our corporate, business and resource
planning with our Strategic Vision 2012 – 2027.
1.3 Our business context
There are a number of environmental factors which influence and have the potential to impact our
workforce capability and our success as an organisation:
•
Shipping patterns are changing and there is greater awareness of the potential for safety and
pollution incidents. There is particular focus on the increase of coastal shipping traffic and
competitive pilotage in areas such as the Great Barrier Reef, northwest Australia and the Torres
Strait.
•
The transition to a national maritime safety regulatory system represents a substantial change
to the scope of AMSA’s responsibilities as a statutory authority. One example is the expansion
of AMSA’s role in oversighting, quality assurance role and cooperative arrangements with the
jurisdictions and the MARPOL Convention to which Australia is a party. There will be more
reliance on AMSA from State and Territory authorities and AMSA’s engagement with other tiers
of government and industry stakeholders will be extended.
•
The future will involve regulation of vessels across both seagoing and coastal shipping areas
of operations. AMSA’s workforce will require a practical understanding of both contexts and the
capacity to facilitate skills transfer to others.
•
For AMSA employees, a potential shift is likely to be needed from actual conduct of regulatory
operations (surveying/inspection), to oversight, education, quality assurance and audit of
regulatory functions carried out by others.
•
The impact of significant policy changes and new directions. For example;
•
-
With the introduction of national legislation comes the development of a range of
new maritime orders, conventions and suite of compliance instruments. These imply
increased functions – possibly taking AMSA in to the realm of civil prosecutions – and
this will necessitate additional compliance resources and people skills to support the
added powers and responsibilities.
-
Policy changes flowing from the National Plan and the National Maritime Emergency
Response Arrangements (NMERA), review recommendations and the Montara
Interdepartmental Committee. These changes may initiate new directions in Australia’s
pollution response and casualty management arrangements.
The implementation of the National System from 2013, together with other reforms have the
potential over time to require significant organisational adjustment and change management,
both within and external to AMSA. In order to support and actively steer this change and
support the development of AMSA overall, employees will need strengthened communication,
facilitation and advocacy skills, greater resilience and practical appreciation of the human
factors associated organisational transition.
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•
AMSA is increasing its levels of engagement in international and regional fora to national and
international maritime regulation, search and rescue (SAR) arrangements and adoption of new
technologies.
•
There is a need to keep pace with emerging technology. Safety standards and regulatory
practice will need to reflect the scope of the technology and be underpinned by contemporary
skills, knowledge and an awareness of the technology’s limitations and inherent risks.
•
AMSA’s negotiation of an Enterprise Bargaining Agreement which successfully underpins
the aims of the organisation growth and development is critical to attraction and retention of
skilled employees. Desirable employment terms need to be matched by competent people
management and leadership skills which foster talent and build a harmonious and productive
work environment.
•
In execution of its safety education responsibilities, AMSA must be able to use and provide
access to multiple communication and social networking media and e-business strategies
(such as self-service kiosks and incident data), to facilitate delivery of critical safety education
information.
•
There are opportunities offered through a range of whole of Government initiatives such as
the reform of the Australian government administration (Ahead of the Game initiative), and the
Commonwealth financial accountability review.
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2
Our workforce
context
Current workforce strengths and challenges we face into the future:
2.1 Highly skilled “can-do” workforce
The AMSA workforce largely consists of accomplished individuals qualified in a range of disciplines
including aviation, engineering, air traffic control, search and rescue, hydrography, naval
architecture, law and of course, highly experienced mariners.
Our employees are characterised by passionate dedication to their work, a “can-do” attitude in
response to challenges, strong technical competence and a clear, dedicated focus on delivering
outcomes. This is all combined with a professional approach and a strong mindfulness of
managing risks.
2.2 High levels of employee engagement
The results of the most recent Employee Survey (2010) indicated exceptional levels of employee
engagement. As evidenced in its development programs and Awards, AMSA has a tangible
commitment to investing in its employees and is concerned with building strength not only in
delivery of services, but internally as an effective organisation.
The three main areas of focus for AMSA; coordinating search and rescue, ship and seafarer safety
and the protection of the marine environment, reflect intrinsic values and the dedication of AMSA
employees to their work. AMSA’s emphasis on operational capability – taking knowledgeable action
in times of emergency and upholding standards which are critical to ship safety and navigation –
confers employees with a real sense of purpose and belief in the work they do. Indeed AMSA offers
an extraordinary opportunity for its employees to directly contribute to Australian and international
communities, responding to significant events and often, in life or death situations. For individuals
seeking to make a difference in such a direct way, AMSA’s value proposition as an employer is
highly regarded, both within the industry and the broader community.
Our challenge for the future is to maintain and further enhance AMSA’s reputation as an employer
of choice, to ensure we continue to attract and retain high calibre employees.
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2.3 Market for employees in high demand is shrinking
AMSA faces increased competition for skilled workers in the narrowing maritime labour market.
AMSA’s demand for surveyors and other maritime professionals is growing as shipping traffic
increases and concern for safety and preservation of the marine environment intensifies. While
careers with AMSA offer attractive lifestyle options for seafarers and aviators, the increasingly
lucrative offshore market and escalating levels of remuneration now being offered internationally
amplifies the competitive challenge in an already shrinking local market.
The challenge for AMSA is to find ways to attract and retain such employees, reviewing our
existing approaches to sourcing, training and qualification pathways.
2.4 Organisation growth and maturity
AMSA as an organisation is growing beyond a smaller scale, tightly knit ‘community’ into an
organisation with an increasing span of influence and a growing presence across regional areas of
Australia. Such rapid growth in the scale of operations will demand periodic review of organisation
structure and resourcing levels.
Demonstrating sound governance throughout the organisation continues as an area of emphasis to
ensure organisational effectiveness and accountability. Similarly, the processes and various cycles
of planning are being aligned and further refined to ensure a collective focus across all divisions.
The relatively small size of the organisation currently provides good opportunity for individual
communication and interaction. As AMSA furthers its regional and international activity and
continues to expand modestly in Canberra, it will be important to invest in enhancing the
effectiveness of communication efforts to ensure employees continue to enjoy the same levels of
connectedness and engagement which have existed for many years.
2.5 AMSA as a National Regulator
In 2013, AMSA will become the national regulator for all domestic commercial vessels in addition to
its existing authority over internationally trading vessels.
For AMSA’s workforce, this introduces new dimensions in a variety of operational and strategic
endeavours. The transition period commencing in 2013 introduces remote management and
engagement of the full array of state based workforces, a new suite of compliance tools, revised
qualifications and training network, an extended scope for design of technical standards and the
overarching challenge of supporting the implementation of these new initiatives as part of the
AMSA organisation.
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3
Key Themes
3.1 Career Pathways and Development
3.1.1 Identification and recognition of competency and key skill sets
The ongoing challenges associated with being an effective regulator such as assessing and
determining compliance with standards – all of which must be applied in a highly practical
way - requires a refined blend of technical, interpretive and analytical judgements delivered
with communicative and diplomatic astuteness. A similar combination of skills can be found in
coordinating responses to emergencies in a range of contexts.
Such an array of competencies which comprise many roles within AMSA, highlights the need to
recognise and clearly articulate the primary skill sets that comprise core roles.
Identification of competencies and key skill sets will enable;
•
The design of career paths/options recognising the value of technical capabilities and those
focussed on achieving results through people
•
The establishment of a learning and development strategy for the organisation to address
anticipated skill shortages and enhance organisation capacity
•
Recognition of and ways to specifically encourage/reward desirable behaviours and those
consistent with AMSA’s objectives.
Comprehensive definition of skill sets makes it possible to more clearly describe options for and
plan career progression. For example, technical experts may advance to the highest levels of
seniority without necessarily acquiring people management accountabilities. Similarly, if leadership
aspirations are the focus, managing and achieving results through others introduces a new suite
of required competencies and interpersonal skills. These skills should be regarded as being core
to the demonstration of leadership potential and readiness for advancement. While recognising
that technical prowess and effectiveness in people management are not mutually exclusive, the
focussed and supportive development of required skills to complement technical expertise will
profoundly influence the success of such individuals in their leadership endeavours.
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3.1.2 Organisation Structure
In recognising the specific skills required for different roles, consideration of the organisation
structure is also needed to reflect the different job designs. In particular, review of existing
management structures to ascertain whether it is more appropriate to define and give prominence
to ‘senior technical specialists’, alongside traditional manager roles in order to ensure a more
effective balance in areas of operational and strategic focus will be required.
The same principle is to be applied across operational roles. That is, in recognising the complexity
of a marine surveyor’s work, or that of search and rescue officer for example, an employee’s
technical expertise should be supplemented, where needed, with supportive development in areas
such as interpersonal communication, self awareness, diplomacy, engagement and negotiation.
3.2 Workforce Sustainability
3.2.1 Current trends in turnover and age of workforce
The rate of employee turnover in many job groups in AMSA is relatively low (less than 11% p.a.).
Recognising that many search and rescue, pollution response and maritime professionals come to
the organisation as a second career, AMSA also generally enjoys good length of service from these
individuals.
Finding the correct balance between low turnover and refreshing the workforce through acquisition
of new talent is an ongoing challenge. Employee receptiveness to change, growth and innovation
are central to AMSA’s capacity to develop and transform.
Fig 1: Age profile of AMSA workforce(overall) and those in “high demand” roles
As shown in Fig 1, the age profiles of certain job groups present obvious challenges to ensure
workforce sustainability during the next five years and beyond.
Acknowledging the demands associated with renewal and management of an aging workforce
points to the need for specific initiatives such as a ‘Transition to Retirement’ program. Such a
program will provide a systematic approach to facilitating effective knowledge transfer, capturing
the expertise of employees nearing retirement and offering work arrangements which encourage a
more gradual departure from the workforce.
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Meeting the challenge of describing realistically attainable career paths for employees who have
not originated from mariner/aviator and related careers will be greatly assisted by better definition
of competency and skill sets - as outlined in 3.1.1.
3.2.2 Attraction and retention of employees in high demand
AMSA faces an ongoing challenge to attract and retain the highly credentialed and experienced
employees needed for many of its core functions.
In the case of marine surveyors, the Australian market for supply of these employees continues to
narrow as AMSA competes in a shrinking and highly competitive local market. At the same time,
there is a sustained demand for additional surveyors in regional ports required in response to
increased shipping traffic. Additionally, the preparedness to support State Authorities transitioning
to a national regulatory system points to the need for focussed strategies to augment this part of
the workforce.
Responses to these and other high demand recruitment needs include:
•
projecting opportunities at AMSA to international markets
•
review approaches to immigration compliance
•
targeted marketing of opportunities in Australia promoting AMSA’s employer value proposition
and lifestyle benefits
•
explore opportunities for developing and transitioning part-qualified individuals
•
explore sponsored ‘cadetship’ or sandwich programs with educational institutions
•
review scholarship offerings to enhance attraction to careers at AMSA.
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3.2.3 Succession Management
Beyond simply being a tool for replacement, succession management secures future leadership
capability and is the cornerstone to the overall development of the organisation. Actively managing
succession is the key to strategic viability. It unlocks the potential for organisation transformation,
workforce sustainability, retention of talent and valuable corporate knowledge. It also has the
potential to build a formidable culture which will further AMSA’s reputation as being an employer of
choice.
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Efforts in succession management already underway in AMSA include a professional leadership
programme designed to strengthen core management and leadership abilities of existing people
managers. Additionally, the offering of development assignments, (eg acting in key positions,
secondments, projects etc), designed to prepare individuals for broader challenges, are an ongoing
part of AMSA’s operation.
This Plan will introduce the following initiatives to enhance succession management activities:
• Utilising key skills and information identified in 3.1.1, systematically distinguish teams, cohorts
and/or individuals demonstrating potential for capacity development, especially in relation
to leadership and people management. A similar approach is to be used to identify specific
‘technical’ vulnerabilities in the future workforce.
• Develop guidelines for the preparation and active management of transitions where potential
successors have been identified.
• Investing further in developmental activities primarily focussing on top-tier (Executive) and
Managers. Such activities must be specifically tailored to individual needs and may include one
or a combination of mentoring, job rotation, coaching, educational programs, special projects/
assignments, as well as formalised feedback processes. There is a need to explore alternate
means of providing learning opportunities and training delivery in recognition of the work
demands and mobility of managers at this level.
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• Review and enhance processes in place supporting ‘acting’ arrangements to ensure meaningful
transfer of knowledge/skills leading to greater effectiveness of and learning through acting in
higher positions.
• Focussed development of internal leadership and executive education. Create a leadership
‘alumni’ of Professional Leadership Program (PLP) participants and senior managers/executives
and participation in regular events focussed on the development of leadership. This may include
guest speakers, facilitated workshops, strategy development exercises etc.
• Providing more focussed and developmentally meaningful feedback to existing and aspiring
leaders. Holding quality performance discussions and giving greater clarity in operational
and strategic accountabilities for senior managers. A review of the performance management
system is scheduled for 2012/13. The consistent application of and measurement against core
management accountabilities to be incorporated into the assessment of AMSA’s leaders at all
levels.
• Design a mentoring program considering opportunities for established leaders in AMSA to
support the learning of new and/or less experienced managers.
• A review of the existing Professional Leadership Program will also occur to ascertain the best
approach to this type of learning in light of the initiatives contained in this Plan.
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3.2.4 Replacement/contingency planning for critical roles
Various roles have already been identified within the organisation where the incumbent possesses
knowledge and skills which are crucial to an area of operation – but that are not replicated (even
in part), elsewhere in the organisation. The risks associated with this situation are clear. A more
systematic approach to addressing replacement planning for these roles, including the design of
development plans for teams to facilitate cross-skilling together with consideration of alternatives
(including technology), will strengthen AMSA’s potential vulnerability in this regard.
In situations where it becomes unrealistic or impractical to source replacement skills sets – or
replacement is unlikely as a result of changes in industry and / or technological advancement,
re-engineering the work activity or function needs to occur. Process and role redesign is an
organisation development activity supported by the People and Development team.
Finding new and alternate means to support operations will be key to future workforce planning
where the risks associated with relying on individuals possessing ‘unique’ skills/knowledge is
minimised.
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3.2.5 Developing greater agility and responsiveness – review of
resourcing
As AMSA advances its prominence in search and rescue coordination, as a national regulator
and as an increasingly influential player in the international maritime scene, the requirement of its
workforce to increase capacity for responsiveness and flexibility is further highlighted. Strategies
to specifically address and support AMSA’s ability to deliver against progressively diverse
expectations – within short timeframes – are needed as part of workforce planning.
AMSA’s Corporate Plan 2012 – 2016 points to the creation of flexible teams to achieve results in a
range of cooperative environments. Indeed this is already occurring in a variety of ways throughout
AMSA, however the resourcing implications of secondment arrangements and matrix teams (or
task forces), across the organisation has become a priority for consideration.
There is a need to systematically review the adequacy of resourcing in each division. While
resourcing levels should be determined in recognition of ‘business as usual’, operational
objectives, the additional capacity required to support secondment, matrix or task force
involvement and similar activities requires specific consideration.
It is widely recognised that there has already been considerable absorption of additional work
by the current workforce, especially in the areas of marine surveying, search and rescue and in
areas concerned with vessel tracking and pilotage. AMSA’s capacity to enable flexibility, mobility
and responsiveness in the workforce hinges on ensuring that resourcing levels are sufficient to
also recognise effort and time spent in non-operational tasks including learning and development
activities, planning and normal patterns of leave absences. Excessive accumulation of leave
balances in some areas may be indicative of resource imbalance.
A particular focus on organisational capacity will be required in the establishment of the Domestic
Vessel Division (DVD), which will lead and manage governments and industry in the transition to a
national regulatory system for all Australian commercial vessels.
3.2.6 Improved management information
To better assist managers in their understanding of people matters, an enhanced HR
reporting regime will be implemented. This will include new and updated metrics which more
comprehensively reflect trends and influences occurring in AMSA’s workforce. Detailed reports
will be issued quarterly while the statistics that are currently issued monthly will continue to be
available as needed. Some development work is required on the current HR system to allow
accurate reporting of people metrics and to support the enhanced reporting as proposed.
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3.3 Developing and strengthening our leaders
Leadership is the capacity to see what is needed in a desired future, the ability to formulate plans
to get there and bringing people with you. Employees at multiple levels can be leaders, and every
AMSA leader should view themselves as a public professional. AMSA has made a commitment to
engage and develop the next generation of leaders by investing in the enhancement of technical
and core leadership/management skills and in, particular the behavioural aspects of effective
leadership. AMSA’s approach to strengthening leadership will reflect the significant percentage of
leader development which occurs through doing work and sharing experiences with others, rather
than placing a concentration on the classroom.
AMSA’s PLP already reflects this principle, focusing on the development of sound leadership
skills and shaping the AMSA culture through leadership behaviours. The PLP blends classroom
development with work based projects, sponsorship/support from the AMSA Executive and
executive coaching.
Other leadership development initiatives include:
• Participation in Executive Sub-Committees working from a ‘whole of AMSA’ perspective
• Higher duties, secondments and project placements
• Introduction of a mentoring/coaching program “coaching the coach” utilising senior AMSA
leaders and external specialists
• Reinvigoration of the AMSA Leadership Seminar Series
• Management forums to increase opportunities for interaction and development discussions with
senior AMSA leaders.
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3.4 Enhancing AMSA’s Employer Value Proposition
Enhancing and continually reinforcing AMSA’s reputation as an employer of choice is a critical
element for attraction and retention of all employees. It is important that we promote and give
high prominence to our employer value proposition – ie what we offer employees in terms of
meaningful/desirable work activities offering intrinsic personal and job satisfaction. Further, we
must continue to actively fostering an organisational culture of high performance, change readiness
and employee well-being. Specific mechanisms to support this include the Enterprise Agreement
2012 – 2015, learning and development programs designed to support employee progression
in key skill areas, recognition/rewards and career progression linked to desired behaviours and
achievement of valued outcomes.
AMSA already offers high social and environmental capital as an employer emanating from the
significant role it has in search and rescue coordination, environmental protection and seafarer/
ship safety. Our challenge is to ensure that our employees continue to enjoy a workplace which
consistently reflects its espoused values and delivers with integrity against this value proposition.
3.4.1 Supporting workforce diversity
The development of a Diversity Plan will increase the reach of AMSA’s current diversity initiatives,
including the National Indigenous Employment Strategy. Developed in consultation with
employees, the Plan will specifically address awareness issues and support for a diverse workforce
with a focus on identification and removal of barriers preventing participation and progression.
The inclusion of a Graduate and Trainee classification in the new Enterprise Agreement provides
support to the cultivation of career opportunities for younger employees.
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3.4.2 Rewards and Recognition Program
In complement to the strategic remuneration/benefits contained in the 2012 – 2015 Enterprise
Agreement, a rewards and recognition program/policy to emphasise and highlight individual and
team successes will be developed. This program will describe an organisational “language” for
saying thank you to employees who demonstrate excellence in their endeavours, who go the ‘extra
mile’, who achieve the extraordinary and who make specific contribution to the betterment of the
organisation. The program is not remuneration based and the different forms of recognition may
vary in kind and in scale, commensurate with the achievement.
3.5 Supporting Organisation Transformation
3.5.1 A more systematic approach to change management
The accelerating rate of change and the increasing ‘reach’ of AMSA as a national regulator and
responder to the spectrum of incidents requires enhancement of the specific capability of change
management across the organisation.
As with the principles of effective project management, the introduction of a change management
process (or plan), focussed specifically on supporting the ‘people’ aspects of change, will
strengthen AMSA’s ability to transform its business in line with its strategic objectives.
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The concept of a change management plan is simple (see Fig 2 below).
Fig 2: Change Management is:
[Prosci’s International Change Management Learning Centre
Change management is the [application of] the set of tools, processes, skills and principles for
managing the people side of change to achieve the required outcomes of a project or initiative
The need to implement a change management process was identified as an action item in AMSA’s
last Employee Survey. While some change management initiatives are already underway, the
introduction of a system which is to be applied consistently across the organisation to help ensure
AMSA’s strategic aims are achieved is the objective of this plan.
3.5.2 Building alignment and growing as ‘one AMSA’
One of AMSA’s organisation strengths is its ability to be responsive and to ‘manage intuitively’,
promptly finding solutions to unique problems as a matter of course. Growth in organisation size
and diversity of responsibilities prompts the requirement to invest in ways to preserve consistency
and ‘connectedness’ throughout organisation.
The concept of connectedness, and being ‘one organisation’ is a cultural feature which is driven by
employee perception more than anything else. The ‘identity’ of an organisation has little to do with
structure, it is largely defined by the level of consistency of management and leadership actions.
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As AMSA develops and grows, it becomes increasingly critical that leaders at all levels are mindful
of precedents in decision making, equity in determination of employee matters and conscious
of the cross-divisional impacts of ‘local’ decisions. ‘Think global, act local’ is an apt summation
of thought processes required in support of this. Attention to this aspect is critical as success
ensures continued and strengthened employee confidence throughout AMSA’s transformational
development.
3.5.3 Linking employee effort to corporate strategy
To reinforce the alignment of employee focus with strategic intent, ways of establishing clearer
linkages between employee efforts with the outcomes sought by corporate strategies and
objectives are to be embedded in performance measurement. A precursor to this, with work on
refining cycles of planning already underway, is the development of better consistency across
divisions in approaches to planning, governance, people management and communications.
With regards to planning, the outcomes of the current review will provide a framework around
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which to develop a more formalised means of ‘cascading’ corporate and divisional objectives
through to individual performance agreements. In this way, every employee of AMSA will be able
to understand their specific contribution to outcomes sought by the organisation. This initiative is
fundamental to establishing AMSA’s capacity to respond to the challenges of the future.
An Implementation Plan to ensure delivery of programs and specific initiatives in support of the
directions outlined here will lead to;
•
Enhanced capacity of AMSA to reliably achieve its strategic ambitions, corporate outcomes and
operational efficiency.
•
All employees become more closely aware of organisational direction, their role in achieving
outcomes and confidence that individual contribution will be assessed on merit and recognised
commensurately
•
Leadership increasingly focussed on strategic direction supported by managers capably
managing operations
•
A cohort of high potential future leaders contributing strength in the overall management of the
organisation
•
Improved information, systems and tools to better support people management
•
High performing, highly engaged workforce aligned with organisation goals
•
Enhanced ability for AMSA to attract and retain employees in competitive markets
•
Greater capacity to deploy ‘expert’ teams and task forces while maintaining high performance
on ‘business as usual’ operations.
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4
Summary of
benefits
An Implementation Plan to ensure delivery of programs and specific initiatives in support of the
directions outlined here will lead to;
• Enhanced capacity of AMSA to reliably achieve its strategic ambitions, corporate outcomes and
operational efficiency.
• All employees become more closely aware of organisational direction, their role in achieving
outcomes and confidence that individual contribution will be assessed on merit and recognised
commensurately
• Leadership increasingly focussed on strategic direction supported by managers capably
managing operations
• A cohort of high potential future leaders contributing strength in the overall management of the
organisation
• Improved information, systems and tools to better support people management
• High performing, highly engaged workforce aligned with organisation goals
• Enhanced ability for AMSA to attract and retain employees in competitive markets
• Greater capacity to deploy ‘expert’ teams and task forces while maintaining high performance
on ‘business as usual’ operations.
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AMSA 1056 (10/14)