Bold ideas | Engaging people | Influential, enduring solutions Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report The University of Queensland 26 February 2013 The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | i | This page is intentionally blank. © Nous Group The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | ii | Contents 1 Executive summary ............................................................................................................................ 3 2 Context: The University of Queensland engaged Nous to conduct a survey of their organisational culture ................................................................................................................................................ 4 3 Process: Nous employed the Organisational Culture Inventory (OCI) survey tool, supplemented by employee consultation ...................................................................................................................... 4 3.1 4,306 UQ employees provided their views on UQ’s culture ................................................... 4 3.2 Focus groups added richness to the survey data and allowed us to explore the drivers of UQ’s culture .......................................................................................................................... 11 3.3 Individual discussions enabled some people, who otherwise would not, to share their stories .................................................................................................................................... 12 4 Findings: While many people have positive experiences, the data presents some challenging findings about the University’s culture ............................................................................................ 14 4.1 Staff describe many positive aspects related to the work environment .............................. 16 4.2 Staff also describe some difficult experiences ...................................................................... 17 4.3 Staff responses to the values statements support the findings about UQ’s culture ............ 18 4.4 Staff describe a preferred culture of openness and excellence, enhanced by supportive leadership .............................................................................................................................. 19 5 Discussion: The drivers of the University’s current culture must be understood if the University is to move to its preferred culture ...................................................................................................... 21 5.1 Some of the drivers of the University’s culture are in common with other universities… ... 21 5.2 …however, the mechanisms to keep them “in check” are not working ............................... 21 5.3 The findings about UQ’s culture have implications for the institution’s ability to achieve the strategic intent set out in the UQ Advantage ....................................................................... 23 6 Recommendations: The University of Queensland can continue to achieve great outcomes in a more constructive way .................................................................................................................... 24 6.1 Develop and implement a culture strategy incorporating a clear vision, leadership capability and supportive systems and processes ................................................................ 24 6.1.1 A clear vision for the University and for its desired culture .................................... 25 6.1.2 Defined and well-developed leadership capability to enable and sustain the desired culture ......................................................................................................... 26 6.1.3 Systems and processes that support the desired culture ....................................... 27 6.2 Develop and implement a communication strategy, commencing by sharing and discussing the findings with all staff ....................................................................................................... 28 The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 3 | 1 Executive summary The exploration of the University of Queensland’s (UQ) organisational culture suggests that while many staff experience a positive work environment, others experience a more challenging cultural environment. These findings arise from the Organisational Culture Inventory (OCI) survey, focus groups and individual consultations undertaken from October to December 2012. UQ’s organisational culture refers to the shared values, behavioural norms and expectations that influence how people at UQ go about their work and interact with each other. In this report we present findings about UQ’s current and preferred culture, as well as the drivers that underpin the current culture. 4,306 fixed term and continuing UQ employees completed the “OCI actual” survey, reflecting a 57% response rate. Nous supplemented the survey with focus groups to delve below the surface of the survey diagnosis and explore the deeper assumptions and drivers of the manifest behaviours. 91 participants self-selected to attend these focus groups, from an invitation from the Senior Deputy ViceChancellor to all fixed term and continuing staff. 25 individual discussions were also conducted with staff who were either unable to attend a focus group, or felt more comfortable expressing their views in a ‘safe’ environment. The findings in this report provide the springboard for change. They outline the positive aspects of the work environment, which should be retained, while highlighting less constructive behaviours, which are creating a trying work environment for many and threaten UQ’s ability to achieve its strategic goals for 2012-2016. The positive aspects include the physical work environment, the presence of friendly, supportive and high calibre work colleagues and flexible working conditions. The challenging experiences manifest as inactive or ineffective management, high levels of bureaucracy, the perception of a tolerance of bullying, aggressive competitive behaviour and the challenges of navigating a political and hierarchical environment. UQ’s culture will be critical to the University’s future success and the ability to thrive in the competitive and constantly changing higher education landscape. As such, the culture should be viewed as equally as important as other strategic and operational drivers, with committed leadership to shape a consistently constructive culture across the whole University. While many aspects of UQ’s culture, and the associated drivers, are common to universities, feedback from the extensive consultation indicates that these characteristics play out more strongly at UQ. The mechanisms to keep behaviours in check are not working as effectively as they should be at UQ. This is exacerbated by the lack of a clear, consistent set of behavioural expectations across the University. There is a clear call to action arising from the exploration of UQ’s culture. The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 4 | 2 Context: The University of Queensland engaged Nous to conduct a survey of their organisational culture Culture is widely recognised by leaders, HR professionals and academics as a key driver of organisational performance. The right culture aids the execution of strategy,1 lifts productivity and innovation,2 and in doing so provides organisations with a form of competitive advantage which is very difficult to replicate. In the past decade, the University of Queensland (UQ) has grown dramatically and achieved great success across the broad portfolio of activities. In the next decade UQ will need to adapt to an environment characterised by globalisation and greater competition.3 UQ understands that current and future challenges will affect culture.4 It is equally important to recognise that UQ’s culture is integral to its ability to succeed in overcoming these challenges. The way in which organisations execute strategy trumps any strategy itself.5 Against this backdrop, the University engaged Nous to help understand:  UQ’s culture: existing and aspirational  the behavioural norms that underpin the current culture  any gaps between the current culture and the University’s strategic intent, encapsulated in the UQ Advantage strategic plan.6 3 Process: Nous employed the Organisational Culture Inventory (OCI) survey tool, supplemented by employee consultation We explored UQ’s current organisational culture through the use of a proven survey tool, as well as holding focus groups and individual discussions with UQ staff. 3.1 4,306 UQ employees provided their views on UQ’s culture The OCI surveys were conducted online from 15-31 October 2012. The “OCI actual” survey, which asks about UQ’s existing culture, was sent to all 7,613 fixed term and continuing staff. The “OCI preferred” survey, which asks about the culture UQ should have, was sent to the cohort of 88 senior staff who have been engaged in developing UQ’s draft vision and values. 4,306 fixed term and continuing UQ employees completed the “OCI actual” survey, which reflects a 57% response rate. Respondents comprised:7 1 Becher, J 2012, Culture eats strategy, Management Innovation eXchange, 1 November 2012, http://www.managementexchange.com/story/culture-eats-strategy 2 Boedker, C, Vidgen, R, Meagher, K, Cogin, J, Mouritsen, J, Runnalls, M 2011 Leadership, Culture and Management practices of High performing Workplaces in Australia: The High Performing Workplaces Index, Society for Knowledge Economics. 3 The University of Queensland, 18 May 2012, Expression of Interest: Exploring Organisational Culture at the University of Queensland. 4 ibid 5 Becher, J 2012, Culture eats strategy, Management Innovation eXchange, 1 November 2012, http://www.managementexchange.com/story/culture-eats-strategy 6 The University of Queensland, 18 May 2012, Expression of Interest: Exploring Organisational Culture at the University of Queensland. 7 Counts reflect the number of respondents who identified themselves in the nominated demographic category. The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 5 |  157 Gatton employees, 287 Herston employees, 56 Ipswich employees, 3,106 St Lucia employees and 700 employees who did not disclose their location  1,374 academic staff, 2,240 professional staff and 692 staff in other role types8  2,288 faculty staff, 634 institute staff, 961 portfolio staff and 1,218 staff who preferred not to identify their area9  449 staff with less than one year of employment, 3,322 staff employed for one year or more and 535 staff who did not indicate their length of tenure Respondents to the “OCI actual” survey also provided a total of 11,400 comments in answer to four free text questions. This reflects an average of 2,850 individuals responding to each of the four questions. A further 63 of UQ’s senior staff cohort completed the “OCI preferred” survey, which reflects a 72% response rate. Demographic data about this group of respondents were collected but not reported, because of the relatively small population size and the high degree of intensity (low standard deviation) in the response data. The survey output data are presented in the findings section of this report (section 4). The OCI is robust, reliable and valid Human Synergistics is a highly regarded international research and development company. For more than 20 years, Human Synergistics has been dedicated to designing effective tools for the measurement of individual, group and organisational culture and performance. Higher education institutions around the world have used Human Synergistics’ products, as summarised below. Higher education institutions that have administered Human Synergistics’ tools USA  Northwestern University and, in particular, the Readership Institute  Ohio State University, Medical Center  University of Michigan  Dow Leadership Program at Hillsdale College  Keller Graduate School of DeVry University  Dominican University in California  University of Colorado  National-Louis University Europe  IMD, Switzerland  University of Bradford, United Kingdom Asia  Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology  Seoul National University  Hanyang University 8 These 692 respondents indicated they were either Vice-Chancellor's Executive, TESOL - Language Teacher, Other, Prefer not to respond or skipped the question. 9 Some staff identified as working in more than one faculty, institute and/or portfolio. The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 6 | The OCI has been completed by more than 2 million individuals globally.10 It is highly regarded internationally because of its reliability and validity as an organisational research tool. For example, in a factor analytic study of four organisational culture questionnaires, the OCI was found to be the most reliable. It was also reported to have strong validity (based on the four OCI sub-scales – satisfaction, security, task and people – corresponding to five cultural dimensions that were common across the questionnaires).11 In another study, five tests (internal, inter-rater and test-retest reliability as well as tests of construct and criterion-related validity), conducted on data provided by 4,890 respondents, led the authors to conclude that the inventory is a dependable instrument for assessing the normative aspects of culture.12 The OCI tool stems from the ideas and research of many academics. The academics whose work influenced the development of the tool are depicted in Figure 1. This is presented visually to indicate the particular style(s) of the OCI culture circumplex that each set of ideas and research influenced. Figure 1: The OCI circumplex and underpinning research This research underpins the Human Synergistics theory of how organisational culture works, which their tools, including the OCI, are based upon. The theory is depicted in Figure 2. 10 Human Synergistics International, November 2012, The University of Queensland: Organisational Culture Inventory Feedback Report. 11 Xenikou, A, Furnham, A 1996, ‘A Correlational and Factor Analytic Study of Four Questionnaire measures of Organisational Culture’, Human Relations, vol. 49, no.3, pp.349-371. 12 Cooke, R, Szumal, J 1993, ‘Measuring normative beliefs and shared behavioural expectations in organizations: the reliability and validity of the Organizational Culture Inventory – Research appendix’, Psychological Reports, vol. 72, pp.1299-1330. Horney Stack-Sullivan McClelland Rogers/ McGregor Maslow Rogers Rogers McClelland McClelland McClelland/ McGregor Stack-Sullivan Stack-Sullivan/ Horney The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 7 | Figure 2: Human Synergistics' theory of how culture works © Human Synergistics International. Research and Development by Robert A. Cooke Ph. D. And J. Clayton Ph. D. The OCI measures and describes organisational culture in terms of three clusters of behavioural styles: Constructive, Passive/Defensive and Aggressive/Defensive. These are described in Figure 3. Figure 3: The OCI – three clusters of behavioural styles Individual Motivation Performance Satisfaction Stress Group Teamwork Co-ordination Co-operation Organisational Quality Service External Adaptability Espoused direction & vision Philosophy Mission Goals Strategies Values Structures Influence Empowerment Involvement Systems Selection and training Appraisal / rewards Goal setting Technology Job design Interdependence Skills / qualities Communication Leadership Bases of power Actual culture © Human Synergistics International. Research and Development by Robert A. Cooke Ph. D. And J. Clayton Ph. D. To what extent are people expected or implicitly required to: Constructive styles • Pursue a standard of excellence • Maintain personal integrity • Be supportive of others • Cooperate with others Passive/defensive styles • Go along with others • Not rock the boat • Please those in positions of authority • Wait for others to act first Aggressive/defensive Styles • Oppose new ideas • Play politics to gain influence • Compete rather than cooperate • Appear competent and independent The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 8 | More specifically, there are 12 distinct patterns or styles of behavioural norms and expectations that staff might be expected to adopt in carrying out their work and interacting with others (four styles pertaining to each of the three clusters). These 12 styles are: Style Description Achievement Members are expected to set challenging realistic goals and solve problems effectively Self-Actualising Members are expected to gain enjoyment from their work and produce high-quality products/services Humanistic-Encouraging Members are expected to be supportive, constructive, and open to influence in dealing with others Affiliative Members are expected to be friendly, open and sensitive to the satisfaction of the work group Approval Members are expected to agree with, gain the approval of, and be liked by others Conventional Members are expected to conform, follow the rules, and make a good impression Dependent Members are expected to do what they are told and clear all decisions with supervisors Avoidance Members are expected to shift responsibilities to others and avoid being blamed for mistakes Oppositional Members are expected to gain status and influence by being critical and constantly challenging one another Power Members are expected to take charge and “control” others, and make decisions autocratically Competitive Members are expected to operate in a ‘win-lose’ framework and work against their peers to be noticed Perfectionistic Members are expected to avoid making mistakes, work long hours, and keep “on top” of everything The OCI tool measures the extent to which staff are expected or implicitly required to behave in each of these 12 styles through a 120-item survey. Survey respondents are asked to rate the extent to which they are expected to behave in a given way, in order to ‘fit in.’ Combined scores are then transferred to a circular graph called a circumplex, as shown in Figure 4. This forms a visual profile of the organisation’s culture, in terms of the relative dominance of each of the 12 styles of behavioural norms. The Circumplex is generated by comparison to a norming sample, which comprises the results of 921 organisations that Human Synergistics approached as part of their research. Unadjusted or raw total scores are converted into percentile scores, which enable the identification of relative strengths and opportunities for development in terms of 12 behavioural styles. The 50th percentile is where half the population of the norming base falls, and is represented by the bold circle on the Circumplex. Where UQ’s results extend outside that bold circle, it means UQ’s scores on that behavioural style are higher than 50% of the norming sample. It is desirable to achieve this result in the Constructive styles (represented by blue shading), whilst it is desirable to score below the 50th percentile in the Defensive styles (represented by red and green shading). The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 9 | Figure 4: Human Synergistics' Circumplex © Human Synergistics International. Research and Development by Robert A. Cooke Ph. D. And J. Clayton Ph. D. Benchmark and comparison data Human Synergistics recommends that all organisations benchmark their OCI results against the Constructive Benchmark. The Constructive Benchmark represents 19.7% of organisations in the Human Synergistics norming sample, or 172 organisations, that have predominantly constructive operating cultures – that is, those organisations that score above the 60th percentile in the Constructive styles and below the 50th percentile in the Defensive styles. The norming sample is a research sample, not an aggregate of results from organisations that have chosen to administer the OCI. That is, Human Synergistics has selected the organisations, rather than the organisations approaching Human Synergistics to examine their culture, in order to eliminate self-selection bias.13 Research identifies a positive correlation between predominantly constructive operating cultures and organisational outcomes, where organisational outcomes include, but are not limited to, reduction in controllable operating costs, reduction in staff turnover, decrease in absenteeism, less industrial action, net profit growth and improved customer satisfaction.14 Australian and New Zealand higher education data are available for comparison, but should not be considered a reliable benchmark. The data are an aggregation of Human Synergistics’ OCI data from clients in the university/college sector within Australia and New Zealand (not specific to the Group of Eight and may include TAFEs and private colleges, noting that due to privacy considerations, Human Synergistics cannot reveal the composition of group circumplexes). The aggregate higher education data are presented in Figure 5. This profile may reflect exaggerated extensions on the Passive/Defensive and Aggressive/Defensive styles as it is based on client data and therefore represents organisations that have elected to undertake the survey, typically because they may not have the optimal culture. 13 Due to the privacy and commercial agreements Human Synergistics has with the organisations in the norming sample, information about their size and nature cannot be revealed. 14 Jones, Q, Dunphy, D, Fishman, R, Larne, M & Canter, C 2011, In Great Company, Unlocking the Secrets of Cultural Transformation, Human Synergistics, Australia. The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 10 | In addition, the higher education data comprise fewer responses than were received in UQ alone (3,034 in the aggregate profile, compared to 4,306 at UQ). To the best of our knowledge, there are no higher education institutions in Australia and New Zealand that have investigated their culture in such a rigorous and thorough manner as UQ, using the OCI. Figure 5: Higher education aggregate client data Source: Human Synergistics International (2005), Research and Development Robert A. Cooke Ph.D. and J. Clayton Lafferty Ph.D. UQ’s customisation of the OCI survey UQ chose to add nine supplementary questions to the standard OCI, in order to give all staff the opportunity to provide free text comments, and to leverage the opportunity to survey all staff about the draft UQ values statements. The nine supplementary questions are captured in Figure 11. Australia/NZ University/College sector Actual survey N = 3034 The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 11 | Figure 9: UQ's supplementary questions 3.2 Focus groups added richness to the survey data and allowed us to explore the drivers of UQ’s culture Nous conducted focus groups with UQ staff to delve below the surface of the survey results and explore the deeper assumptions and drivers of the manifest behaviours.  In your recent experience, what are the most positive aspects of the UQ work environment?  In your recent experience, what are the least positive aspects of the UQ work environment?  What are your three to five expectations of UQ's senior leaders (senior leaders at both the University level and in your organisational unit)?  In your view, what characteristics describe the organisational culture that UQ should have? To what extent do the following descriptions accurately reflect your experiences working at UQ?  “We strive for excellence in all our endeavours, seeking to apply the highest standards, and influence and benefit our communities”  “We support intellectual freedom and expect intellectual courage. We will support good ideas and encourage the pursuit of opportunities”  “We act with integrity and professionalism and uphold the highest ethical standards. We are committed to transparency and accountability. We make balanced decisions that ensure responsible stewardship of the university’s resources, reputation and values”  “We welcome and embrace diversity in our community – through our people, ideas and cultures. We create a vibrant, inclusive environment in which ideas flourish and the next generation is empowered, welcoming the best regardless of opportunity. We respect our colleagues and provide opportunities to work together for the pursuit of knowledge.”  “Our people have the opportunity to enrich their lives and pursue their goals. We create an inclusive and supportive university community in which successes are celebrated and achievements rewarded. We respect the safety and wellbeing of our people.” The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 12 | We held ten sessions from 12-16 November 2012, at each of UQ’s four main campuses. 91 participants self-selected to attend these focus groups, in response to an invitation from SDVC Deborah Terry to all fixed term and continuing staff. More specifically, this sample comprised 71 professional staff, 16 academic staff and 4 staff whose role type was not identified. Each focus group ran for two hours, and covered some or all of the following questions:  Background to the OCI  Conversations in pairs to discuss each of the 12 styles of the OCI framework, and real life examples of how each style plays out  UQ’s overall OCI results  What do you think the predominant style or styles are for UQ? Which styles characterise the culture?  UQ’s overall Circumplex results shared with focus group participants  Is this surprising? Why?  Unpacking UQ’s results – examples of how this plays out at UQ and why  What behaviours do you see at UQ that demonstrate these results? Why does that happen?  If you had to give advice to a new starter, what would you tell them? Why?  If you’re at a BBQ and telling someone you work at UQ, what words do you use to describe UQ?  What behaviours do you see that explain the differences between academic and professional staff?  Comparisons of UQ’s results  Is UQ’s culture consistent with other universities you have worked in? Why/why not?  Achieving cultural change at UQ  How can we change behaviour here? The data gathered through focus groups are explored in the findings section of this report (section 4). 3.3 Individual discussions enabled some people, who otherwise would not, to share their stories Nous also conducted 25 one-on-one discussions with staff, mostly by telephone, from 5 November to 5 December 2012. Participants in these conversations self-selected to talk to us, in response to the invitation from SDVC Deborah Terry to all fixed term and continuing staff. 10 professional staff and 15 academic staff participated in these conversations. We heard that a strong theme of mistrust and fear in these discussions. The clear majority of individuals indicated that their preference for a private conversation was due to a discomfort or staunch fear of reprisal if their colleagues knew they had spoken about their experiences. Others indicated that they preferred a one-on-one conversation because they wanted to contribute to the consultation data and were unable to participate in a focus group during the days and times offered. The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 13 | The sense of trepidation for some staff was also evident from the survey administration, in that:  7% of survey respondents who identified themselves as faculty or institute staff preferred not to respond to identify the specific faculty or institute in which they work15  41% of the survey respondents who identified themselves as division or organisational unit staff preferred not to respond to identify the specific division or organisational unit in which they work16  Numerous focus group participants reported that some of their colleagues did not complete the survey due to fear of reprisal. This trend was also seen when UQ administered the Voice Staff Engagement Survey in 2011, where:  Faculty or Division was “not given” by 576 staff (13%)  Academic or professional status was “not given” by 919 staff (21%). 15 This question included an option to identify “I do not work in a faculty or institute” to allow division and organisation unit staff to select-out from this cohort. All other responses to this question are counted in the total number of survey respondents who identified themselves as faculty of institute staff, from which this percentage is calculated. 16 This question included an option to identify “I do not work in a division or organisational unit” to allow faculty and institute staff to select-out from this cohort. All other responses to this question are counted in the total number of survey respondents who identified themselves as division or organisational unit staff, from which this percentage is calculated. The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 14 | 4 Findings: While many people have positive experiences, the data presents some challenging findings about the University’s culture UQ’s overall OCI results suggest a current culture where, mostly, people either avoid difficult situations or position themselves in the best light, often at the expense of others. The survey results are depicted in the overall OCI circumplex, which represents all 4,306 survey responses. See Figure 6. Figure 6: UQ overall OCI Circumplex – actual culture In UQ’s overall results, five of the 12 behavioural styles depicted by the OCI are above the median. They are: Conventional, Avoidance, Oppositional, Competitive and Perfectionistic. This means that in these five styles, relative to the norming sample,17 UQ’s scores on the related survey items are high and reflect strong expectations for these behaviours in the UQ workplace in order to fit in. These five styles are either Passive/Defensive (represented by the green shading) or Aggressive/Defensive (represented by the red shading), which are considered to be non-constructive ways of operating. That is, outcomes may still be achieved, but in ways that focus on lower order security needs (basic necessities to feel good about oneself) rather than focusing on higher order satisfaction (reaching one’s potential and valuing and motivating people to continue to achieve these outcomes). Conversely, UQ’s overall scores on all of the Constructive behaviours (represented by the blue shading), are below the median. This means that UQ’s scores on the related survey items are low relative to the norming sample, reflecting weak expectations for these constructive behaviours. A constructive culture is defined as one in which members are encouraged to interact with people and approach tasks in ways that will help them to meet their higher order satisfaction needs, not just their 17 The OCI results are generated by comparison to a norming sample of 921 organisations world-wide. The norming sample was derived through Human Synergistics’ research. It is not an aggregation of data from other organisations that have selected to use the OCI, as such as sample would be likely to be negatively skewed. (refer to section 3.1 under “Benchmark and comparison data”) The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 15 | basic security needs. Organisations with constructive cultures encourage members to work to their full potential, resulting in high levels of motivation, satisfaction, teamwork, service quality and growth.18 UQ’s culture can also be described as a low intensity culture. This means there is low agreement among survey respondents regarding expected behaviours. In other words, there is not a common set of expectations about behaviours and ways of working across the entire University. Nonetheless, this variation about agreed expectations does not relate to the area of the University in which people work. There are no statistically significant differences between any individual faculties, institutes or portfolios and the raw scores of the rest of the organisation (i.e. the overall results with the nominated cohort removed). It is possible that individual faculties, institutes or portfolios would be statistically significantly different when compared directly to each other. This comparative analysis has not been undertaken as it is important that the University focuses on ensuring a united and consistently constructive experience of UQ’s culture as a whole. The individual circumplexes and survey results pertaining to these subgroups can be found in the Human Synergistics full OCI report. Despite this variation in specific expectations (i.e. low commonality on individual survey items), in aggregate, UQ survey respondents indicate that they experience more of some styles (namely conventional, avoidance, oppositional, competitive and perfectionistic) and less of others. The most extended cultural norm is called the primary style. The primary style describes the predominant way in which members are encouraged to think and behave. The second most extended style is called the secondary style. This cultural norm typically works with the primary style or is expected when the behaviours of the primary style cannot be enacted. UQ’s primary style is Avoidance. Of the 12 types of culture measured by the OCI, Avoidance encourages the most security-oriented behaviours. Human Synergistics likens working in an Avoidance culture to working in a mine field; those who move are more likely to get hurt than those who do nothing. Such organisations are unlikely to move in new directions, learn from mistakes or adapt to changes in their competitive environment. The highest scoring survey items within the Avoidance cultural type at UQ indicate people:  Push decisions upwards  Take few chances  Make ‘popular’ rather than necessary decisions UQ’s secondary style is Conventional. Conventional norms encourage members to follow rather than lead. They emphasise following rules, procedures and traditions, regardless of their relevance, appropriateness or effectiveness. While this may help to ensure standardisation, consistency and reliability it prevents members from identifying new and better ways of doing things, taking risks and assuming responsibility for their actions. This is particularly likely at UQ given the primary style is Avoidance; that is, many people evade decisions as much as possible, then fall back on conformity when they are forced, thus precluding new ideas. The highest scoring survey items within the Conventional cultural type at UQ indicate people:  Always follow policies and practices  Make a ‘good impression’  Conform 18 Human Synergistics 2003, Organizational Culture Inventory interpretation & development guide, Human Synergistics, New Zealand. The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 16 | Finally, UQ’s OCI results show some similarity to other Australian and New Zealand universities, TAFEs and colleges who have also conducted the OCI. As noted in section 3.1 (under Benchmark and Comparison data), this aggregated higher education client data (Figure 8) may reflect exaggerated extensions on the Passive/Defensive and Aggressive/Defensive styles, because this profile represents organisations that have elected to undertake the survey, typically because they may not have the optimal culture. It is not a benchmark or standard in the higher education sector to which other institutions should necessarily aspire. Furthermore, it is important to note that the higher education data comprise fewer responses than were received in UQ alone (3,034 in the aggregate profile, compared to 4,306 at UQ). To the best of our knowledge, there are no higher education institutions in Australia and New Zealand that have investigated their culture in such a rigorous and thorough manner as UQ, using the OCI (due to privacy considerations, Human Synergistics cannot reveal the composition of group circumplexes). Figure 7: UQ overall OCI Circumplex – actual culture University of Queensland Actual survey N= 4,306 Figure 8: Higher education aggregate client data 4.1 Staff describe many positive aspects related to the work environment We also collected qualitative evidence from staff as part of this process. Many identified positive aspects of working at UQ. For some, UQ is like a friendly community. In the free text survey responses staff highlighted the positive aspects of the UQ work environment as:  Supportive  Flexible  Collegial  Friendly  High calibre of work colleagues Australia/NZ University/College sector Actual survey N = 3034 The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 17 | Moreover, during the focus groups, staff commented on the positive experience of working with their immediate team, where they felt supported and connected. However, they often contrasted their experience in their immediate team with their less positive experiences with other parts of the university. Comments within the survey also highlighted the physical environment and working conditions as positive. Many staff mentioned the beauty of the St Lucia campus, which makes it a lovely place to work. Also mentioned were the generous conditions such as superannuation and leave. Finally, staff spoke about the quality of students, UQ’s reputation and status and research opportunities as positive aspects associated with working at the University. 4.2 Staff also describe some difficult experiences UQ’s culture was also repeatedly described as akin to a feudal system: those with power and influence thrive, while others curry favour to get ahead or keep their heads down to maintain their security. The free text survey responses and focus group discussions highlighted the following aspects as the least positive:  Lack of, or ineffective, management  High levels of bureaucracy  Administrative burdens  Bullying  Competition  Politics Many of the examples about staff’s least positive experiences had ineffective or insufficient management at the heart of the issue. Bureaucracy and cumbersome administrative procedures also cause considerable angst amongst staff, particularly in the current fiscal environment. Many feel that they are being asked to reduce costs and increase productivity, yet a number of UQ systems result in highly inefficient use of their time. For some staff, this results in an unsustainable workload or feeling dispirited by the sense that they are not achieving outcomes. They also feel they are being punished for poor decisions made by others and are not trusted or empowered to make decisions themselves. Power, playing politics and nepotism causes significant unhappiness and unrest within workplaces. Staff comment that the power dynamic also stifles ideas, as people are either afraid of being seen to rock the boat, or apathetic because of historical preference for doing things the way they have always been done. And while the physical environment is a delight for many, for some the immediate work environment is less than ideal. Finally, a number of survey respondents and focus group participants suggested UQ places greater importance on image and reputation than service delivery to students and care for staff. The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 18 | 4.3 Staff responses to the values statements support the findings about UQ’s culture Survey respondents were also asked to indicate how accurately each of the draft UQ values statements reflect their experiences working at UQ. In the survey, these statements were identified as descriptions, rather than values, as the values have not yet been finalised and launched across UQ. Survey respondents were most favourable about Pursuit of excellence and least favourable about Honesty and accountability. That is, the greatest number of survey respondents indicated the Pursuit of excellence description accurately reflects their UQ experiences to a ‘moderate’, ‘great’ or ‘very great’ extent. The fewest number of respondents indicated that the Honesty and accountability description accurately reflects their UQ experiences to a ‘moderate’, ‘great’ or ‘very great’ extent. These data are presented in Figure 9. Figure 9: Extent to which UQ's draft values statements accurately reflect staff experiences The descriptions that were presented in the survey are provided in Table 1. The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 19 | Table 1: UQ draft values statements These findings are not distinct from the OCI results and qualitative data. Staff repeatedly raised that they seek greater transparency from their superiors, plus the prevalence of avoidant behaviour and consequent evasion of accountability mean it is not surprising that respondents rate honesty and accountability as the least accurate description of their experiences. As part of building a more consistently constructive culture at UQ, partly through the values, more investigation should be done to understand staff’s experiences in relation to these descriptions. Consideration should also be given to modifying these values statements in order to describe UQ’s desired culture, starting with consideration of the survey results for the ‘OCI Preferred’ survey, which are presented below. 4.4 Staff describe a preferred culture of openness and excellence, enhanced by supportive leadership 63 of UQ’s senior staff cohort completed the ‘OCI Preferred’ survey in addition to the ‘OCI actual’ survey. The ‘OCI Preferred’ asked these respondents to indicate the behavioural norms that should be expected of UQ staff. The corresponding preferred culture circumplex is presented in Figure 10. UQ’s senior staff report that UQ’s culture should be predominantly constructive, whilst maintaining a degree of oppositional behaviour where staff are expected to question and challenge each other’s ideas. Cultures that are characterised by a predominance of constructive behaviour find that these constructive norms keep the amount of defensive behaviour in check. Value Value statement Pursuit of excellence “We strive for excellence in all our endeavours, seeking to apply the highest standards, and influence and benefit our communities” Mutual Respect and Diversity “We welcome and embrace diversity in our community – through our people, ideas and cultures. We create a vibrant, inclusive environment in which ideas flourish and the next generation is empowered, welcoming the best regardless of opportunity. We respect our colleagues and provide opportunities to work together for the pursuit of knowledge.” Creativity and independent thinking “We support intellectual freedom and expect intellectual courage. We will support good ideas and encourage the pursuit of opportunities” Supporting our people “Our people have the opportunity to enrich their lives and pursue their goals. We create an inclusive and supportive university community in which successes are celebrated and achievements rewarded. We respect the safety and wellbeing of our people.” Honesty and accountability “We act with integrity and professionalism and uphold the highest ethical standards. We are committed to transparency and accountability. We make balanced decisions that ensure responsible stewardship of the university’s resources, reputation and values” The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 20 | Figure 10: UQ overall OCI Circumplex – preferred culture More broadly, 2,552 individuals used their own words to describe the characteristics that UQ’s culture should have. The majority of these comments referred to openness and transparency, leadership that is supportive of teaching and research at UQ, as well as a culture that fosters excellence from everyone. The specific words that individuals used are visually represented by a wordcloud in Figure 11. A wordcloud indicates the relative frequency of words by displaying more frequently cited words in larger font. Figure 11: Wordcloud of responses to "In your view, what characteristics describe the organisational culture that UQ should have?” The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 21 | 5 Discussion: The drivers of the University’s current culture must be understood if the University is to move to its preferred culture UQ has been very successful despite the non-constructive elements of the culture. Indeed some of the challenging findings about UQ’s culture arise from a picture that suggests that the “ends justifies the means.” We also recognise that some of the drivers of the culture are common to the university sector. Nonetheless, at UQ, these drivers have led to some deleterious outcomes. The mechanisms to keep them in check are not working as they could be. These issues pose a significant risk to UQ’s ability to achieve its strategic goals and continued success, as the institution faces an ever-changing environment. 5.1 Some of the drivers of the University’s culture are in common with other universities… There are some key drivers underpinning UQ’s culture. Some of these are common to the university sector, specifically:  The research funding model, which drives competitive as well as protective behaviours  The promotion system for academic staff, which rewards and encourages individual research achievement over teamwork and cooperation, drives competition at the expense of others (rather than healthy competition), incentivises individuals to dedicate their energy to managing up at the expense of managing down and encourages the use of power and politics to gain influence  The budgeting model and current government budget cuts drive competition as individuals and units strive to protect their patch. This also drives apathy as success focuses more on being liked and less about how well the job is done  A lack of job security for some drives conventional and avoidant behaviours, as people keep their heads down, don’t rock the boat and aim to please those who can influence their employment contract  The organisation’s reputation and opportunity to work with high quality colleagues drive people to put up with unacceptable behaviour. 5.2 …however, the mechanisms to keep them “in check” are not working The majority of UQ staff consulted in this process suggested that the effect of drivers that are common to the university sector is more extreme at UQ compared to other Australian and international universities in which they have worked. This stems from the fact that organisational mechanisms that should help to contain these impacts are not as effective at UQ as they could be. In particular, UQ has challenges around the effectiveness of line management, robustness of human resources (HR) processes and responsibility and accountability of senior staff. Effectiveness of line management Academics who take on manager positions undertake approximately eight hours of mandatory management and supervisor training, plus occupational health and safety training. Professional staff undertake slightly more hours of mandatory training courses. Many of these staff are first-time managers and supervisors of professional and other academic staff. The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 22 | Limited experience and training or development means that UQ’s managers are most likely to rely on learned behaviour from observing their direct manager. Where the manager’s leadership style is not effective, this perpetuates a cycle of poor leadership practice. Others avoid their people management responsibilities altogether. Effective professional development is best achieved through a learning strategy that locates formal training in a wider learning system. The 70/20/10 model, developed by McCall, Eichinger and Lombardo at the Center for Creative Leadership,19 indicates that learning and development occurs most effectively when:  70% of learning happens ‘on the job’ – through workplace tasks, stretch assignments, selfreflection and project work  20% of learning happens ‘through others’ – through manager one on ones, team meetings, observation, coaching and mentoring  10% of learning happens in ‘formal training’ – through seminars, workshops and accreditations. Many organisations structure their professional development in line with this theory. These organisations recognise that development is more holistic than formal training alone and that managers need ongoing support and development in various forms, beyond an initial course. Robustness of HR processes Our experience is that where line management is not strong, organisations have an even greater reliance on their HR processes in order to achieve a culture that enables success. The three sources of data gathered in this process – survey (comments), focus groups and individual conversations – all pointed to some flaws in the way UQ staff and managers implement HR processes. In particular:  Unequal support. Although we understand that this is not the case, there is a common perception that HR and other services (e.g. legal) support a more senior staff member at the expense of junior staff members.  Lack of fair and safe avenues for resolving grievances. The grievance process was cited as ineffective. There is a perception that it relies on access to the supervisor’s supervisor and there is fear of reprisal for going above your manager.  Opaque recruitment and selection process. The lack of transparency in recruitment and selection decisions leads many staff to perceive that UQ’s process is not followed.  Performance management does not incorporate management performance. UQ’s performance process appears not to incorporate feedback from a manager’s direct reports, or at least not in a consistent or routine way. As a result, for some managers, reports of their leadership and people management performance are based on self-report and not feedback from those who are the recipient of this performance. Responsibility and accountability of senior staff When managers are unaware of and/or ill-equipped to manage effectively, and organisation and HR processes such as development and performance management are not consistently applied or upheld, the outcome is inconsistent management responsibility and accountability. 19Lombardo, M & Eichinger, R 2000, The Career Architect Development Planner, 3rd edn, Lominger International, Minneapolis. The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 23 | UQ staff feedback gathered through this process suggests that this is the case in some parts of UQ. Many of the examples about staff’s least positive experiences had ineffective or insufficient management at the heart of the issue. Moreover there is a degree of cynicism, including amongst UQ senior staff, that there will be change as a result of the work to explore UQ’s culture. This perception was suggested by two data sources. Through the OCI–preferred culture survey, senior staff (n=63) reported that “top management” will only moderately support cultural change (the extent of support was scored at 3.4 out of 5 on average, noting that the mean is a rough measure with this small sample size). Secondly, a sense of doubt was evident from some staff comments in both the survey and in focus groups. Nonetheless some staff also shared their optimism that the thoroughness of this process, and particularly the level of staff engagement, is a promising sign that change will occur in future. 5.3 The findings about UQ’s culture have implications for the institution’s ability to achieve the strategic intent set out in the UQ Advantage UQ has recognised, as laid out in its strategic plan, that in 2020 success will be measured by recognition and reputation, relationships with globally significant partners and by success in attracting philanthropic support. Aspects of UQ’s culture that will impede UQ’s ability to realise this success, include:  Low trust for colleagues – means UQ staff are less likely to accept or support changes in direction, such as to increase the professionalism and status of teaching and learning at UQ  High avoidance behaviour – this leads employees to shift responsibilities to others and to avoid any possibility of being blamed for problems or errors. It inhibits UQ’s ability to manage in challenging situations since staff seek to satisfy their security needs above all, and are therefore less willing to take risks and pursue bold research endeavours that garner international recognition  Conservatism and conformity – the prevalence of conventional behaviour, where staff follow the rules and are focused on making a good impression, which means that UQ staff are less likely to introduce new improvements and share ideas, preventing the institution from developing entrepreneurial initiatives as part of the University’s commercialisation ambitions. The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 24 | 6 Recommendations: The University of Queensland can continue to achieve great outcomes in a more constructive way UQ has experienced great success despite some of the limitations of its organisational culture and the prevalence of defensive styles of behaviour. Moving to a more consistently constructive culture will not prevent UQ from continuing this success. In fact a consistently constructive culture will enhance UQ’s success by harnessing the productive behaviours (for example the achievement side of competitiveness), at the expense of detrimental behaviours. That is, UQ can continue to be as successful as it has been, but do it differently. Creating lasting cultural change will not be a rapid process. The University’s senior leaders are committed to building a more consistently constructive culture at UQ. To do this, there are two major areas on which to focus in 2013 and beyond: 1. Develop and implement a culture strategy incorporating a clear vision, leadership capability and supportive systems and processes 2. As part of this, develop and implement a communication strategy, commencing by sharing and discussing the findings with all staff. Each of these is discussed in more detail below. 6.1 Develop and implement a culture strategy incorporating a clear vision, leadership capability and supportive systems and processes As much as possible, UQ’s culture should be expressed and influenced through existing mechanisms, in terms of how the organisation, and particularly leaders at all levels, undertake existing activities. All organisation initiatives, processes and systems will need to be aligned, otherwise inconsistent messages will destabilise cultural change. The culture strategy will provide the required cohesion and create and sustain cultural norms to deliver enduring change. The culture strategy also provides a mechanism to respond to the Voice Staff Engagement Survey and deliver on UQ’s workforce strategy of retaining excellent people through reward and recognition, enhancing development and performance management schemes and promoting wellness and active living.20 20 The University of Queensland, UQ Strategic Plan 2012-2016. The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 25 | UQ’s culture strategy should be comprehensive. At Nous, we consider six levers for shaping organisational culture, as outlined in Figure 12. Figure 12: Levers of cultural change Source: Nous Group There are three particular levers that UQ should emphasise in its culture strategy, to initially effect cultural change: 1. Values and behaviours – a clear vision for the University and for its desired culture 2. Leadership and accountability – defined and well-developed leadership capability to enable and sustain the desired culture 3. Practices and processes – systems that support the desired culture We provide further explanation of each of these below. 6.1.1 A clear vision for the University and for its desired culture As one focus group participant articulated, “if we have a shared vision and common purpose, we can make the change.” One theme evident from survey comments and reiterated in focus groups is the need for UQ to have a clear and concise vision that unites the workforce and provides direction on the organisation’s overarching goals. Without such clarity, people tend to fill in the gaps themselves and pull in different directions, or dedicate their time and energy to debating what their focus should be. In support of a UQ vision, the culture strategy must then define the culture that will enable UQ to pursue this vision. Currently, UQ describes this aspiration in a number of different ways, including:  “Commitment to a high performance culture”21  “The university strives to ensure… a culture that has excellence and opportunity at its core”22  “A culture of integrity must prevail”23 21 The University of Queensland, UQ Strategic Plan 2012-2016. 22 The University of Queensland, 18 May 2012, Expression of Interest: Exploring Organisational Culture at the University of Queensland. History (What’s inherited) Retold stories and myths, preserved symbols, acknowledged heroes and legends, lessons from past failures and successes, prevailing dispositions Lived experience (What’s experienced) Mindsets and behavioursin action Leadership & accountability (What’s modelled) The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 26 |  “A high performance workplace with integrity at its core”24 Without a consistent and clear message, linked to an organisational vision and backed up by corresponding action, these descriptions of culture are often interpreted as ‘public relations spin’ or ‘lip service.’ One vehicle for setting and communicating UQ’s desired culture is through organisational values. As senior leaders, the University Senior Management Committee (USMG) and senior staff have begun to develop values for UQ (refer to section 4.3 for related survey data) and this work should be continued. Through our experience in shaping organisational culture, we have found that it is not the vision or values themselves, but the conversations that they generate amongst people, and the living of these values, which changes culture. UQ’s leaders should therefore engage and seek input from staff across the University to complete the work in developing organisational values, inviting such conversation in doing so. To do this, leaders can leverage the proposed cascaded debrief of the Culture Survey results to all staff, which is described in section 6.2. 6.1.2 Defined and well-developed leadership capability to enable and sustain the desired culture A consistently constructive culture relies on having consistently constructive leadership at all levels of UQ. Staff take cues from their immediate supervisor, manager, Head of School and/or Executive with regard to how they go about their work and interact with each other, as well as how they feel they ought to behave given the standard set by leaders. These leaders have considerable influence over the way in which work is done. UQ has commenced thinking about the expected leadership capability at UQ, in the form of a capability framework. Aligning this framework to UQ’s clear vision, refined values, and taking into account the findings from this report, will be key. The leadership capabilities must reflect the desired culture and reinforce, but not conflict with, UQ’s aspirations. As a starting point, UQ’s leadership requirements should consider staff expectations. After all, leadership is often described as the ability to inspire others to follow. Survey respondents highlighted that they expect their leaders to act with integrity, provide equitable support to guide and help all staff to achieve their goals and demonstrate transparency in their dealings with others. This is visually represented in Figure 13. 23 ibid 24 The University of Queensland, October 2012, Culture Survey – welcome message. The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 27 | Figure 13: Wordcloud of free text responses: “What are your 3-5 expectations of UQ's senior leaders (senior leaders at both the University level and in your organisational unit)?” Once expectations are defined, it is important that leaders are given sufficient training and support to develop their capabilities. This applies to skills for managing people as well as leadership capabilities for guiding and representing the University. Leadership and management development may take the form of formal course-based learning, coaching, mentoring and specific job or role opportunities. We recommend that UQ invests in this for its most senior leaders (USMG) through to its influential managers at the Head of School level. We also recommend that UQ undertakes a leadership diagnostic with an agreed group of senior and influential leaders, so that these individuals can first understand their current leadership styles. We expect this cohort will draw participants from the layers of management that have the most significant leadership responsibilities, such as the USMG and Heads of School. UQ should consider where such an initiative will have the greatest effect. The value of undertaking the leadership diagnostic lies not only in the insight and understanding that senior leaders will gain, but in the symbolism to UQ staff that the organisation’s most senior leaders are endeavouring to understand how they can better shape UQ’s desired culture by looking at their own behaviours and ways of working. Such a diagnostic would entail leaders seeking 360-degree feedback about their leadership. One option for this diagnostic is the Human Synergistics Leadership Styles Inventory (LSI), as it is underpinned by the same theory as the OCI and offers consistent language about culture and behavioural norms at UQ. 6.1.3 Systems and processes that support the desired culture In addition to what is communicated and modelled, cultural change relies on individuals’ everyday experiences of the organisation to be notably different. Organisational systems and processes govern much of what UQ staff actually do and how staff work. As such, they can be leveraged to translate desired culture into people’s lived experience. The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 28 | UQ’s culture strategy must therefore consider its systems and processes and how they align to the desired culture. Resulting changes or new initiatives may include:  Demonstrating that recruitment and promotion is equitable and transparent by following an exemplary and publicly ‘by the book’ process for all selections. As part of this, make changes to membership of longstanding selection panels, to assist in moving from habitual practice to strictly procedural practice, and to symbolise change to this process  Reviewing formal and informal reward systems to identify ways to recognise and reward excellence beyond research achievements. For example, as an informal reward, UQ could establish a practice of running “staff O-week” bbqs and drinks evenings to welcome staff back each semester/year  Modifying UQ’s grievance process to ensure it is equitable, transparent and objective  Establishing a process for regular individual and team goal setting to focus on achievement. This could be introduced as part of the all staff engagement to debrief the Culture Survey results (refer to 6.2) by inviting staff to set their own goals for changing UQ’s culture  Streamlining internal administrative processes and forms (e.g. travel form and expense approval) with staff input to ensure the system is practical, whilst delivering required outcomes 6.2 Develop and implement a communication strategy, commencing by sharing and discussing the findings with all staff Strategic communication is one of the key mechanisms for shaping organisational culture because culture cannot be seen; it is the shared values, behavioural norms and expectations that influence how people at UQ go about their work and interact with each other.25 At Nous, we also refer to this as people’s ‘lived experience’ of their workplace (refer to Figure 12). Consistent and coherent messaging will be crucial to shaping UQ’s culture. UQ will need to plan and coordinate all communication to achieve this consistent message. The communication strategy should take into account all major UQ communication, and weave in the cultural element because culture is not separate from daily business but integral to how everything is done. We see the communication strategy as a sub-component of the overall culture strategy. The strategy should include plans for internal as well as external communication. The Australian media regularly publishes stories about the culture of iconic organisations such as the Australian Defence Force, and indeed UQ. Some universities also talk about their culture externally as part of their employee branding; for example, Harvard University publicises that “Harvard’s people are united by a culture that strives for excellence while at the same time supporting the needs of the individual and his or her family.” Examples of the initiatives that UQ could include as part of a communication strategy are:  Informing all staff about the Culture Survey results and seeking their contribution to the culture strategy (detailed below)  Debriefing the Culture Survey results with senior staff to unpack their influential role in shifting the culture and identify the personal action they must take (detailed below)  Incorporating messages about UQ’s culture and desired behaviours into as many existing staff communications from the VC and senior leaders as possible. One way to do this is to use UQ’s 25 Human Synergistics 2003, Organizational Culture Inventory interpretation & development guide, Human Synergistics, New Zealand. The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 29 | values to explain decisions, achievements and other news. This is an ongoing activity, whereby changes made over the coming months to shift UQ’s culture, would be messaged as part of future communications to staff  Developing a communication to explain UQ’s progress away from the initial “accountability and reform program” to a longer term, more proactive approach to shaping UQ’s culture  Contacting The Australian newspaper to generate a positive story and to profile more broadly UQ’s work in conducting the OCI on a University-wide scale. Inform all staff about the Culture Survey results and seek their contribution to the culture strategy In line with the University’s commitment to be transparent, and for relative immediacy, 1-2 members of the USMG should hold sessions that are open to all staff to share and discuss the Culture Survey results. The purpose of these initial sessions would be to disseminate the findings and start the conversation amongst staff about UQ’s cultural change, on a large scale. It is vital that staff see and understand the findings in order to:  Understand and appreciate the University’s commitment to addressing aspects of the culture  Recognise that UQ has listened to their contributions to the Culture Survey and consultation  Build staff commitment to, and understanding of, their role in changing UQ’s culture and empower them to start influencing change  Enable leaders of the cultural change to identify unanticipated obstacles, including resistance to change from staff cohorts and other roadblocks that staff identify. These information sessions would present the results and use this as a springboard for discussing how to achieve a consistently constructive culture at UQ, not to debate the findings. Only overall organisational data should be presented, given there are no statistically significant differences by area, and to maintain a consistent message about UQ’s united culture (“one UQ”) rather than creating separate and potentially competing sub cultures. A number of sessions should be offered, to provide as many staff as possible the opportunity to hear the outcomes. The University of Queensland Exploring Organisational Culture – findings report | 26 February 2013 nousgroup.com.au | 30 | References Becher, J 2012, Culture eats strategy, Management Innovation eXchange, 1 November 2012, http://www.managementexchange.com/story/culture-eats-strategy. Boedker, C, Vidgen, R, Meagher, K, Cogin, J, Mouritsen, J, Runnalls, M 2011 Leadership, Culture and Management practices of High performing Workplaces in Australia: The High Performing Workplaces Index, Society for Knowledge Economics. 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