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