Introducing the mwah. Think and Do Tank.
mwah. and Peoplecorp partnered, to bring together a small group of senior HR and Business Leaders to explore work in a different way. We call it a think and do tank.
This “Think-&-Do Tank” aimed to create a space to explore new thinking and design practical strategies that address two really challenging topics;
- The role of HR in Society and Social Change; and
- Designing organisations and teams in an environment of transformation.
With participants from the Banking, Construction, Consulting, Manufacturing, Media, Supply Chain, Technology, Not-for-Profit and Mining sectors; national and global organisations; start-ups, SME’s and large corporate, there were a variety of unique perspectives to draw from when designing new and better ways forward for the future.
So, how does a mwah. + Peoplecorp Think-&-Do Tank’s work?
First, we started each session with a building of current context.
We then introduced a range of challenging stimulus from a mix of expert guest and in-group speakers, to shape a future context to be considered in new thinking and design.
Then we got to the really hard part, and explored some ‘big hairy’ questions, like…
- Does business really have a role to play in society or should they focus on profit and shareholder value?
- Should HR have a say in the things that matter to employees outside of the organisation – like the environment or education?
- What would happen if there was no longer hierarchy in organisations?
- How could we build organisational structures that are dynamic and collapsible, without losing all history and leaving the workforce on edge?
These questions led to significant robust debate, challenges, the sharing of different perspective across the group, and ultimately a landing on where we could sit as both business leaders and HR professionals.
This is where most think-tanks stop – at the big ideas to change the world.
But at mwah., we are obsessed with this kind of thinking being real, practical and simple for people to use in their businesses and careers. So, we took the ‘think –tank’ one step forward to also incorporate a ‘do’ aspect, where we worked with the group to create practical strategies to achieve the big ideas.
These will strategies will be published into a ‘Playbook” for the cohort to take back into their own environments.
Here is a taste of some of the great stimulus, ideas, insights, strategies and thinking they came from the sessions.
The role of HR in Society and Social Change
- Strong agreement that business sits squarely in the middle of society, and therefore has a significant role in social change
- An opportunity for business to collaborate with others to drive meaningful large-scale change in the things that really matter (D+I, environment, technology, education)
- A key role of the HR profession is to support leaders to shape and support the workforces of tomorrow, but within and outside of their organisations.
- A clear understanding that the way business are built and run now, is not aligned to what is needed for the future. A call to action for a fundamental rethink of work, leadership and business
Organisational Design in an Environment of Transformation
- The creation of the ‘Ten Commandments’ of org design, including Thou shalt know why and what on earth we are doing and how we do it – i.e. a business linked to purpose
- Agreement that collaboration and creativity cannot always harmoniously co-exist, but both are important & have a place in organisations
- Teams require genuine positive relationships and a need to connect as ‘humans’ beyond job roles
- Collapsible organisational design is the way for a business to keep up transformation. But this needs great people, amazing leadership and strong support to thrive
If you would like more information on the discussion or insights from the Think-&-Do Tank, please contact Sonja Ankucic via [email protected].
Thank you again to the incredible team who attended the event. We were blown away with the outstanding positive feedback and the level of thinking and insight from the group.
Both mwah. and Peoplecorp is looking forward to seeing the practical strategies designed by the group implemented in your organisations and careers.
You can find out more about our Partner Peoplecorp here – http://www.peoplecorp.com.au/
