Jawun: 2015 Learnings and Insights

QBE became a Jawun partner in 2011, the same

year it launched its

corporate responsibility

platform, the QBE Foundation. It strives to make a

difference in key areas that align with QBE’s vision

and values, drive employee engagement and create

impact through philanthropic resources. Tim Plant,

CEO QBE Insurance, said:

The QBE Foundation is committed to supporting

the communities in which we operate and Jawun

gives us a terrific opportunity to share our

expertise, skills and knowledge to build resilience

in Indigenous communities. I was lucky enough

to take part in a Jawun Executive Visit and it

was fantastic to personally witness the positive

impact the locals and Jawun volunteers are

having in Cape York. Our partnership with Jawun

continues to provide our people with a unique

experience and opportunity to develop life-

changing skills that they can bring back to not

only the workplace, but their personal lives.

At Westpac, one of Jawun’s longest-standing

partners, Jawun is embedded within its

sustainability

strategy and underpins its

commitment to supporting Indigenous Australians.

Brian Hartzer reflected: ‘At Westpac, we have long

believed we have a responsibility to use our skills

and our connections in partnership with Indigenous

people to help bridge the disparities between

Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.’

Other organisations report that they are beginning

to understand broader opportunities for the

partnership to help

drive culture, inclusion

and

brand

and to support strategy in areas such

as attraction and

recruitment, procurement

(access to Indigenous supply chains) and

government relations

Value is unlocked internally

Jawun isn’t one-way traffic. It doesn’t just

benefit Indigenous Australia—it benefits

corporate Australia too.

BRIAN HARTZER,

CEO, WESTPAC

Jawun’s corporate and government partners

attest that the Jawun model creates value for their

organisations on many levels: as well as providing

an opportunity for organisations to successfully

engage with Indigenous Australia, it often results

in increased intercultural capability, people and

leadership development, a deeper connection to

organisational culture and enhanced corporate

social responsibility. However, it is clear that the

Jawun model is at its most effective when partners

recognise and maximise this value within their own

organisations. One organisation that recognises

a return on investment across the board is the

Department of Defence (see feature, pages 31–33).

Improved intercultural capability

drives inclusion

Global applications

Inclusive behaviours

Safe and diverse workplace

When an organisation is well populated by

individuals who are interculturally competent, it is

able to demonstrate ‘

intercultural capability

’ as an

attribute. This term refers to a ‘set of congruent

behaviours, attitudes and policies [which enables

organisations] to work effectively in cross-cultural

situations’.

The Jawun secondment program

has been shown to accelerate intercultural

development in individuals.

These individuals

return to their workplaces with altered attitudes

and behaviours, which helps an organisation to

operate more effectively.

In today’s global economy, intercultural capability

is a hallmark of an inclusive workplace and can

differentiate a company from its competitors.

The Australian Human Rights Commission

describes an inclusive workplace as:

An environment where everyone is treated

with dignity and respect, where the talents and

skills of different groups are valued, and where

productivity and customer service improves

because the workforce is happier, more motivated

and more aware of the many performance

benefits that inclusion can bring.

Building

inclusion

is identified as a priority by

CEOs who recognise the commercial return of a

high-performing workforce. To ensure a sustainable

and successful partnership with Jawun, Suncorp

identified two program outcomes that align with

their Diversity and Inclusion strategy: increasing

the diversity of the workforce and building an

inclusive culture throughout the business. ‘It’s with

great pride that we are witnessing our secondees

returning to the workplace better equipped to

build inclusive teams,’ said Leena Lim, Diversity

and Inclusion Manager at Suncorp. ‘They’re

demonstrating stronger cultural competency

and bringing new ideas and perspectives to

Suncorp’s community.’

34 JAWUN

2015 LEARNINGS AND INSIGHTS