“When setting up the team it was important that members had ownership of who we are as well as what we do, they needed to be a part of the journey in building our culture. I see our team as more of a collective, we each bring along unique experiences and knowledge – so it is important that we are able to really leverage that to achieve great results,” said Skye.

When looking at the behaviours she wanted to see in her team, the Deparment of Finance, Services and Innovation (DFSI) values of Trust, Integrity, Accountability and Service were in the forefront of Skye’s mind, but she also wanted her team to think outside of the box, push boundaries and collaborate. With these behaviours in mind, she recruited a diverse team, with members boasting a range of backgrounds and different ways of working. Once together, all team members - including leaders -  went through a six week onboarding program that included everything from attending the DFSI orientation day to time out for ice-breaker activities.  They had IT and ergonomic support specialists on hand from day one, they ran DISC profiling with staff and scheduled team lunches – all mapped out on the wall like a board game that each team member gets to play.

The way the team works has been crucial to developing its culture. With the focus on trying to achieve the best result, the team has explored new and innovative ways of working. Understandably, innovation can sometimes bring with it some risks. Many people have heard the story of Walt Disney ,who had multiple failed businesses before launching Disney.  – The Centre works with new ideas in a similar way. If something doesn’t go to plan, the team will review what did and didn’t work, allowing opportunities to learn from mistakes and  adapt and change for the future.

With team members in Gosford and Sydney CBD, it’s important that the team works flexibly. Every team member has a laptop and uses a mobile phone rather than a desk phone. This way, they can work during the commute between the two offices and build better relationships with their colleagues by spending more time in the same location. It is a great example of how the team is using existing technology to support a new way of working.

The team has enjoyed building their own culture – it has given members a new sense of ownership in the way they work. The team now has its own collaboration whiteboards for sharing how team members want to work - for example, stop, collaborate and listen, and wearing pink on Wednesdays, among more traditional values like being known for producing great quality, sticking to promises and being accepting of others. The team also has a board to share pictures of families, friends, pets and hobbies allowing everyone to share who they are and what motivates them outside of the office..

Keep an eye out for more great things to come from the team