Yarnteen Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Corporation

Yarnteen is a not-for-profit organisation that supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with training and employment opportunities. Yarnteen have worked to build a strong internal culture between their board directors, managers and staff. Staff describe the organisation as ‘one big family’ and are committed to the organisation. Board directors:

• are open with communication
• have shared values
• foster care
• work effectively with their senior management.

Creating this strong internal culture has meant a low staff turnover and a sense of stability.

In 2006, Yarnteen’s board directors took part in a self-evaluation tool. This assessed their views on the board’s effectiveness. The results highlight the strength of Yarnteen’s organisational culture. Board directors:

• work well together to plan and steer a future direction
• have trust in the executive director’s abilities and recognise their value
• understand their roles
• respect the roles and responsibilities of senior management by letting them get on with their job
• make an effort to reinforce core organisational values
• recognise the culture of teamwork and individual commitment among staff
• deal with internal differences of opinions tactfully.¹Diane Smith, Evaluating governance effectiveness: a facilitated process with the Board of Yarnteen Corporation (Canberra: Case Study Report No. 2, Indigenous Community Governance Project, CAEPR, ANU 2006)