Winners and finalists of the 2022 Indigenous Governance Awards talk about the importance of developing the next generation of leaders and how succession planning takes place in their organisation...
Sharing decision making across the organisation
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Home
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01 Understanding governance
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02 Culture and governance
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03 Getting Started
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04 Leadership
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05 Governing the organisation
- 5.0 Governing the organisation
- 5.1 Roles, responsibilities and rights of a governing body
- 5.2 Accountability: what is it, to whom and how?
- 5.3 Decision making by the governing body
- 5.4 Governing finances and resources
- 5.5 Communicating
- 5.6 Future planning
- 5.7 Building capacity and confidence for governing bodies
- 5.8 Case Studies
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06 Rules and policies
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07 Management and staff
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08 Disputes and complaints
- 8.0 Disputes and complaints
- 8.1 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous approaches
- 8.2 Core principles and skills for dispute and complaint resolution
- 8.3 Disputes and complaints about governance
- 8.4 Your members: Dealing with disputes and complaints
- 8.5 Organisations: dealing with internal disputes and complaints
- 8.6 Practical guidelines and approaches
- 8.7 Case Studies
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09 Governance for nation rebuilding
- Governance Stories
- Glossary
- Useful links
- Acknowledgements
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Sharing decision making across the organisation
07 Management and staff
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Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations are exploring ways to draw on all their staff knowledge, experience and ideas in order to make informed, credible decisions. Here are some tips from what they have tried.
- Regularity: Make staff consultation the standard rather than the exception. Engage staff in consensus building about issues when they are complex, and when their knowledge and expertise have the potential to boost the quality of the decisions.
- Early engagement: Involve staff in discussions at an early stage, rather than when a decision is all but made. Engage them in defining the problem, brainstorming possible solutions, assessing the risks, and choosing the best one.
- Clarity: At the outset clarify whether staff input is advisory or binding, and where staff input fits with respect to that of wider community members.
- Openness: Allow staff to raise valid concerns. Demonstrate a desire to learn and discuss issues, and a readiness to make changes based on sound decisions.
- Broad representation: Ensure that you hear not only from the ‘talkers’ (those who often dominate discussions) and the ‘biased’ (those who always express a personal ‘position’), but also from the ‘thinkers’ (quiet and insightful individuals, whose knowledge and ideas are often ignored).
- Efficiency: There are times to consult and there are times to get on with it. The desire to accommodate every view and hear everyone is laudable, but an effective manager knows when to stop ‘the talking’ and begin ‘the doing’.
- Follow-up: Integrate informed staff input into your decision making. But if you decide not to implement the group’s consensus or parts of it, let them know why, while expressing appreciation for their input. This is essential for team-building and morale.