ANZSOG Report 2012 - Australia and New Zealand School of ...

DorisGibbAssistant Secretary, Cabinet and Ministerial CoordinationBranch, Attorney-General’s Department, CommonwealthGovernment Australia.What do you find distinctive about ANZSOGexecutive workshops?ANZSOG executive workshops provide targeted, up-todatethinking on public policy in the Australian and NewZealand context. Enriching this approach is the practiceof drawing on the extensive experience of the lecturersand the executives who attend the workshops. Theliterature to complement the workshops is also a veryvaluable take-away for future reference.How have the executive workshops helped your ownpersonal development?The executive workshops inevitably bring togetherANZSOG alumni, which is a highly valuable network.New networks are also created that provide supportand informal learning opportunities so that personaland professional development is enhanced. ANZSOGis an important part of my own personal andprofessional development. I would go as far as tosay that it has been instrumental in enhancing mypromotional and job opportunities.Can you give examples of frameworks and concepts youhave learnt from the workshops which you have beenable to implement in your work?Two particular workshops stand out for me. Womenin Leadership: Achieving and Flourishing, led byChristine Nixon, provided an environment to explorethe unique contribution women can make in theworkplace. Positive influence and modelling positiveleadership while holding true to your own values, wasa key theme. I took away a profound sense of thepower of being a leader and the responsibility thatcame with that. The other workshop was ManagingRisks to Integrity, led by Malcolm Sparrow, butwas really about complex problem-solving. Theframeworks encouraged out-of-the-square thinking.That is, finding a point of failure in the problem thatwould disturb the system rather than trying to solvethe whole problem. I have repeatedly used thelearnings from this workshop and mentored staff tothink like this. I have found that it is liberating for staffto be given permission to be innovative and creative inproblem solving.JennyStephensenDirector, StrategicWorkforce Planningand Development,Office of theCommissioner forPublic Employment,Northern Territory.How do you think that the Executive Education workshopshave benefited the public sector in the Northern Territory?Participants are able to work on real life local issues ina safe and collegiate environment. It has been a greatexample of joined-up government in action. The otherbenefit is that we have been able to provide moreparticipants the opportunity to attend workshops at acheaper cost than sending people interstate.12What are the benefits of an ANZSOG customisedExecutive Education workshop?The benefits of attending customised ExecutiveEducation workshops are far-reaching. In theNorthern Territory we have been able to partner withANZSOG to develop programs that are tailored tosuit the local environment. We would work with thefacilitators prior to the event to embed local contextand key strategic priorities of government. This reallystrengthened the learning outcomes for participants.Many of ANZSOG’s Executive Educationworkshops use case-based learning. In your experiencehave you come across this and, if so, how do you thinkthis aids the learning of the participants?The case-based learning is a real strength of theprogram because participants can leverage from thelessons learned in another context and apply thatlearning to their own dilemma. The cases are alwayscomprehensively researched and well presented in away that is conducive to extracting relevant information.