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
www.desertknowledge.com.au/desertleadership
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