innovations in intercultural leadership

Innovations in Intercultural Leadership

The Alice Springs Desert Leadership Program

John Huigen

CEO

Desert Knowledge Australia

Working harder at old ‘solutions’ won’t work

New thinking

new language

new approaches

needed

A new type of leadership needed

The peculiarity of desert /remote Australia

Desert Knowledge Australia

Desert Leadership

DKA Strategy

Guiding principles

Intercultural leadership…and consequences

Impact and opportunity

Discrete Indigenous CommunitiesAustralian Standard Geographical Classification

Remoteness Structure 2001

Desert Knowledge Movement

• Began late ’90s in Alice Springs

Key ideas:

– Desert knowledge has value

• New economies (knowledge economy)

– Holistic (commercial, social, environmental)

– Actively bring Aboriginal and other Australians together (new ways needed)

– Whole-of-desert (cross jurisdictional)

– Partnership & network model (partnerships not power)

– Public/Private/Government partnerships essential

What do we actually do?(and why?)

DREAM DECIDEDETERMINE DO

Harmony

Sustainability

Wealth creation

Social health

Environmental sustainability

Prosperity

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Stafford Smith & Huigen, 2009

Science of

Desert Living

Program

LIMITED LIVELIHOODS:Lack of diverse small business

and livelihood options

SCARCE CAPITAL:Low levels of financial, physical

and human investment

SOCIAL UNCERTAINTY:Unpredictability in or lack of control

over markets, labour, policy

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE:Limited research, local/traditional

knowledge more important

CULTURAL DIFFERENCES: Particular types of

people, cultures and institutions

CLIMATE VARIABILITY:Variability and extremes in primary

drivers (rainfall, other weather)

SCARCE RESOURCES:Widespread low soil fertility and

patchy natural resources

SPARSE POPULATION:Sparse, mobile and patchy human

population

REMOTENESS:Distant markets, business,

political centres, mental models

OBN

Desert Leadership

remoteFOCUS

Why?

The need and challenge

An initiative of…

In partnership with…

Approach

The team

Five guiding principles

Guiding principle 1:

Intercultural

Cultural Interaction Paradigm © Mark Yettica-Paulson

Guiding principle 2:

Stafford Smith & Huigen, 2009

Science of

Desert Living

Program

Systemic

SPARSE POPULATION:

Sparse, mobile and patchy

human population

SOCIAL UNCERTAINTY:

Unpredictability in or lack of control

over markets, labour, policy

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE:

Limited research, local/tradit -

ional knowledge more important

CULTURAL DIFFERENCES:

Particular types of people,

cultures and institutions

REMOTENESS:

Distant markets, business,

political centres, mental models

LIMITED LIVELIHOODS:

Lack of diverse small business

and livelihood options

SCARCE CAPITAL:

Low levels of financial, physical

and human investment

UNPREDICTABLE CLIMATE:

Variability and extremes in primary

drivers (rainfall, other weather)

SCARCE RESOURCES:

Patchy natural resources and

widespread low soil fertility

SPARSE POPULATION:

Sparse, mobile and patchy

human population

SOCIAL UNCERTAINTY:

Unpredictability in or lack of control

over markets, labour, policy

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE:

Limited research, local/tradit -

ional knowledge more important

CULTURAL DIFFERENCES:

Particular types of people,

cultures and institutions

REMOTENESS:

Distant markets, business,

political centres, mental models

LIMITED LIVELIHOODS:

Lack of diverse small business

and livelihood options

SCARCE CAPITAL:

Low levels of financial, physical

and human investment

UNPREDICTABLE CLIMATE:

Variability and extremes in primary

drivers (rainfall, other weather)

SCARCE RESOURCES:

Patchy natural resources and

widespread low soil fertility

Guiding principle 3:

Ethics and values

• Analysis

• Dissecting

• Synthesis

• Holding

• Analysis

• Separating

• Synthesis

• Building

Vectors of Leadership/Dispositions

- Synthesis vs. Analysis

Logistical

Tactical

Strategic

Diplomatic

Vector Ethics© Thwaites & Bartos 2007

Guiding principle 4: Enabling language

Enabling language

Guiding principle 5: Action/learning

Action/learning

Program 1: Adult Desert Leadership

Program partner sponsors

Corporate sponsor

Place sponsor

Place co-sponsors

in partnership with

Program 2: Youth Desert Leadership

in partnership with

Sponsored by

Impact• Evaluation

• Immediate anecdotal – individual

• Group…

• Community…

What next?

Contact:

John Huigen

CEO

Desert Knowledge Australia

Ph: (08) 8959 6009

john.huigen@desertknowledge.com.au

www.desertknowledge.com.au/desertleadership