Building leadership capability in a rapidly growing organisation
Andrew Gray A and Tony Peloso BA Arrow Energy Pty Ltd.
B Queensland University of Technology.
The APPEA Journal 53(2) 466-466 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ12077
Published: 2013
Abstract
A major challenge for Arrow Energy has been balancing rapid growth while continuing to operate as an effective business. To meet this challenge, this extended abstract looks at one of the strategies: a leadership program designed in co-operation with Queensland University of Technology (QUT).
The leadership program aims to establish a leadership culture that drives company performance and facilitates change, develops leadership networks to support Arrow’s business objectives, and strengthens the talent pool to help in succession planning through commitment to individual development.
Two programs were custom designed by QUT and launched in 2012: one for senior leadership and the other for emerging leaders at Arrow. Careful participant selection was vital to the program’s success. Both programs were designed to provide participants with a highly experiential learning approach, far removed from traditional training programs they had previously attended. Participants were immersed in exploring real issues and challenges facing the company, as well as looking at how well their leadership approach fitted the needs of a rapidly growing organisation.
The course design and use of innovative learning experiences have made the program successful. An important measure of this success has been the leadership development of each individual and the establishment of strong informal networks that are part of a mature organisation. Transfer of learning to the workplace was achieved by immersion in team-based leadership project initiatives, which reinforced the major theme of the program: leadership is a journey that requires sustained focus and development.
As learning and development manager at Arrow Energy, Andrew has responsibility for all areas of development from leadership to professional and technical through to health safety and environment. Starting as a technical trainer at Telecom, he transitioned to leadership development with Telecom’s cultural change program: Vision 2000. After 21 years at Telecom, he moved to Queensland Alumina at Gladstone where the focus was on the emerging National Training Agenda and Competency Based Training. This was followed by five years overseas with Kuwait Oil Company and EQUATE petrochemical where he ran the leadership team-development programs. On returning to Australia, he joined Santos to help roll out its competency-based training system in Queensland and SA. Finally, he worked in Townsville at BHP’s Yabulu nickel refinery, developing training material for the plant expansion before joining Arrow in 2008 as the inaugural training and development manager. |
Antony Peloso (PhD, QUT) is a corporate educator and lecturer at QUT, Brisbane. His teaching and seminar capabilities include marketing management, marketing research, corporate strategy, and strategic marketing. He develops and facilitates advanced leadership and strategy seminars for the QUT Graduate School of Business; he also teaches courses associated with the online executive MBA program at the ASU WP Carey School of Business, Arizona State University. His research and professional interests include strategies that drive employee and customer loyalty in service firms, the links between corporate social responsibility and employee engagement, and the processes underpin the achievement of long-term goals. |
