QUT Winner
Runner-Up Best Presentation (National) Summer 2005
Who is TunnelLogic?
We are a team of six individuals from diverse backgrounds and ages (recent school leavers to mature age). From our first meeting at the initial QUT briefing, a sense of lightness, fun, and outspoken individual creativity has been the underlying energy that is at the heart of our team. Our vision for this project is one of the team functioning as a haven for the expression and integration of diverse strengths to create winning solutions for the client Brisbane City Council (BCC).
How did TunnelLogic function?
Upon team formation, the level of passion and determination for success seemed to preclude the need to create formal team conduct guidelines. This insight has proven to be correct, as we have all taken responsibility for contributing equally in our commitment to the vision of creating effective and winning solutions to the BCC’s problem. By self-managing our input and performance a sense of respect for self/others and confidence in each other’s ability has been generated. This high level of personal causation awareness has led to minimal conflict.
Our team has evolved in a somewhat organic manner, with no specific roles initially assigned. The freedom to kick ideas around, explore different options, make mistakes and share information and jobs has allowed all individuals within the team to act out some or all of the traditional ‘team roles’ at different times during the process. This approach has served to generate a large range of ideas and possible solutions by drawing on everyone’s input. Member risk taking was enhanced by the sense of trust and safety cultivated within the team.
Team member strengths, ascertained by engaging in team building exercises at the initial QUT briefing, have served as a useful resource reference. This plus a willingness to be flexible has created learning oriented norms and provided a platform for both learning and productivity to go hand in hand.
Key findings
1) Gap between what the target wants and what the BCC offers/communicates
Primary research into the target market revealed that perceptions of the BCC existed on an organisational level only, with 70% of respondents stating that they had little to no impression of the BCC as an employer. Of this market, only a small percentage of participants believed the key benefits offered by the BCC included job variety, career advancement and flexibility. However, when questioned on factors considered important when seeking employment, more than three quarters of participants ranked these same benefits as among the top five (of 10) most important factors for employment interest. This suggests a large discrepancy between what the youth market believes BCC offers, what it looks for, and what the BCC actually offers.
2) New ways of accessing employment information
Participants surveyed stated that accessing job vacancies and information about employers was conducted mainly by means of employment websites and word of mouth (personal contacts), and thus show movement away from traditional communication channels. This has highlighted a need for the BCC to respond to such trends, in order to increase awareness and image amongst these markets.
3) Relationships with high schools are insufficient
Phone interviews conducted by TunnelLogic revealed that high school career counsellors lack of knowledge of traineeship, apprenticeship and graduate recruitment programs offered by the BCC. Relationships with these schools must be fostered and maintained in order for valuable information to be provided and the true image of the Council to be reflected.
4) Target audience not aware of BCC employment benefits
Whilst the BCC offers many benefits as an employer, internal research found that young employees are often not aware of the full range. Based on these findings, a need for greater communication amongst internal employees can be seen, in order to increase morale, satisfaction and positive word-of-mouth to external parties. Similar research revealed that one third of former BCC employees believe their supervisor did not support requests for job rotation/acting. In addition to this, significant cultural differences have been noted between the under 26 age bracket and management, causing internal barriers, loss of motivation and dissatisfaction with team leaders. Efforts must be made to enhance the culture of the organisation and encourage integration employees.
Recommendations
A number of recommendations have been made by TunnelLogic in order to improve the overall image, access and awareness of the Brisbane City Council. It is expected through their implementation, the BCC will enhance their image as an ‘Employer of Choice’ amongst the youth market. Key recommendations are as follows:
1. Create and Distribute BCC Information Packs
By providing Brisbane schools with a package containing information on the BCC, greater access and awareness of the organisation can be established. The proposed package will include: Employment and career opportunities, general information about the Council, benefits and advantages of working for the council as an organisation, and in any chosen profession and up-to-date contact details of all relevant departments. This will aid in the formation and strengthening of relationships between schools, improving image and knowledge dissemination.
2. Form Creative Partnerships and Alliances with Tertiary/ Educational Institutions
Currently, the Queensland University of Technology Business Faculty has an affiliation with the Port of Brisbane (POB) whereby students use the POB as a case study to develop greater knowledge of the organisation’s operations for real-world applications of their studies. By developing a relationship of this nature the BCC can expect greater awareness and strong image building, particularly amongst the youth and graduate markets.
3. Develop an Australia wide inter-council exchange initiative
Research indicated that 82% of the target market name flexibility to be in their top five job desirability priorities, thus, a nation-wide inter-council exchange program should be implemented to increase employee morale through mobility and change. Our team’s vision for implementing this initiative consists of the following steps:
- Establish a centralised internet ‘in house’ bulletin board: Accessible to all Australian councils, this would list individuals wishing to engage in fixed term exchange with other individuals engaged in the same occupation and level in another council.
- Employees engage in self-management of exchange program: Managed by employees replying to each other, the exchange program will self-run, although permission to relocate must be approved by relevant superiors.
- Categorise Board Listings By State: Data including Name, Contact details, Council of origin, Position held and length of tenure therein, Preferred location to exchange with, Accommodation swap details if relevant, Information on permission granted and by whom, Time frame for exchange – 3 months minimum, 12 months maximum will be listed.
- Relocation occurs at the responsibility and cost of the employee: Depending on available funding some council contribution towards relocation costs could be considered.
- Councils of origin continue to pay their own employee: To prevent payroll mayhem each employee will be paid by their original employer.
4. Improve on-line presence
The propensity for the target market to use internet technology in its job seeking endeavours makes updating and modifying the BCC website contents a major priority in reaching those it most desires to communicate with. Through the establishment of links to the Graduate Program and the provision of information to other websites, the Graduate Program can be better promoted. Similarly, advertising on ‘Gradlink’, (where employers advertise available positions for graduates) or University websites (which have their own employment advertisement sections); the BCC is able to increase the level of awareness amongst the target market.
5. Conduct Future Advertising of Graduate Positions Using Individual Division Branding
The BCC should focus attention on the work of individual agencies, rather than the organisation as a whole to overcome negative perceptions which are held within the target market. Research suggests that the work of individual agencies, rather than the public service as a whole, is ranked higher because the image of these agencies is more positive than that of the general public sector. Using this strategy, possible examples of advertising campaigns include, ‘Be an Engineer for City Works’.
Team members' views
Hayley Angell
Course: Bachelor of Business (Public Relations) / Bachelor of Journalism.
Reason for participating in HEWSO 2005: My initial motivation for signing up for HEWSO was to expand my participation within the university community and meet and mix with individuals also looking to sharpen their focus on professional development. I hadn’t considered the extremely vocational nature of the program until orientation, so, once considered, my participation was driven by the challenge carry myself professionally and confidently within an unfamiliar commercial environment.
Project roles: Innovation, formatting and presentation.
What I have gained from the experience: Learning that I have a fresh perspective and something of value to offer organisations within a commercial setting. As a student, it’s often daunting as to whether the skills we’re developing will actually equip us for work come graduation and I think HEWSO showed that we do have the skills, abilities and commitment needed to be taken seriously.
Future goals: Public relations consulting leading to a strong in-house corporate communications role.
Regan Jones
“Well, being given quite a big problem for which we had next to no information and being asked to come up with usable recommendations to it was a big ask. To do this with 5 other people that you have never met and having to schedule around everything else… now there that was a challenge. I’ve personally taken a lot from this whole process but I think most of all I’ve learned to exercise some time management, tolerance and patience, all of which have never been my strong points.”
Course: Bachelor of Business (Management and Marketing)
Michael Lee
“HEWSO was an opportunity to solve a real life organisational issue. The most challenging aspect of the task was the uncertainty surrounding the question and the fact that no immediate answer could be found in a textbook. Synthesising the complexity of the problem and subsequently coming up with some practical solutions, was the most rewarding part. Working with a group of motivated people with diverse skill sets made the task easier.”
Course: Bachelor of Business (International Business and Management)
Reason for participation in HEWSO 2005: HEWSO was an opportunity to work with a group of motivated individuals from different business disciplines. This provided the opportunity to see how other disciplines approached the same task. HEWSO also provided a chance to work with an organisation on a real issue, giving a practical aspect to the theory learnt at University.
Project roles: Presentation and research.
What I have gained from the experience: Confidence in presenting in front of organisations, a greater appreciation of the positive aspects of team work and time management skills.
Future goals: Post graduate studies and then consulting, specialising in corporate risk management.
Irma Maierhofer
“This has been an insightful and challenging process. The short time frame made me anxious to get it all down immediately, however I quickly realised that I did not have to lead this team as we were all leaders with various skills and levels of experience. So the challenge was to let things evolve, learn to share the workload, relax and enjoy the process because the support within the team was so great. It has been a pleasure to apply various aspects of knowledge gained during the course of my degree to a real life situation, as well as learning from my compatriots about their areas of expertise. Being part of a collaborative evolving team has been an enriching experience for me. I wanted stimulation and contacts and I got it.”
Course: Bachelor of Business (Human Resources)
Reason for participation in HEWSO 2005: My intention in participating in this project was to gain direct experience in the application of knowledge gained during my course of study, to make industry contacts and to gain stimulation.
Project roles: Report writing, research, editing, and whatever else was necessary.
What I have gained from the experience: I have gained a more in-depth perspective on how various elements of the material studied during the course of my degree relate to the problems to be encountered in real world situations. Being part of a collaborative evolving team has been an enriching experience for me. The challenge and opportunity was to grow and stretch on many levels with new friendships made along the way. Bonus.
Future goals: My aim is to work within the field of business/life-coaching consultancy.
Sarah McCarthy
“Participation in the Higher Education Skills Workplace Olympiad has allowed me to greatly enhance my experience in business situations whilst providing me with a wonderful opportunity to work with a diverse range of students. Working within a team has enabled me to strengthen my communication with colleagues whilst highlighting the different methods of problem solving and approaches each individual uses. If I have gained one thing from this experience, I would have to say it would be learning the importance of time management and focus in any project. With this in mind, I hope I have not been the only one who benefited from participation. I hope we have been able to provide fresh insight and inspiration to the organisation so that they may be able to achieve their goals successfully.”
Course: Bachelor of Business (Marketing)
Reason for participation in HEWSO 2005: I decided to participate in HEWSO in order to gain experience in applying the knowledge and theory I have learnt to a real world company and situation. I was also very interested to meet and work with students in other disciplines.
Project roles: Problem identification, solution development, consumer research and editing.
What I have gained from the experience: Working with the TunnelLogic team was a particularly enjoyable experience. Not only did it enable me to strengthen my communication skills, HEWSO gave me the opportunity to realise the different methods of problem solving and approaches each individual uses. In addition, it provided me with a greater understanding of business life and the challenges faced by companies. I would also like to the participation in HEWSO has given me a chance to demonstrate my strong enthusiasm and passion for the marketing discipline, which is my area of interest for future employment.
Future goals: In the future I hope to use my marketing and advertising experience to work as a media planner of advertising co-ordinator in a large advertising firm. I would like to be involved in the research tasks required for planning and executing advertising campaigns.
Patricia Torbey
“The HEWSO experience was more interesting and educational than I expected. The initial information day was informative and interesting as I now have a better understanding of the dynamics of group work. Working intensively over the last few weeks with group members from an array of disciplines has broadened my knowledge on areas for which I had little knowledge and minimal experience. I t has given me the opportunity to develop report writing skills and acquire new skills in dealing with real issues of a large professional organisation. I have learnt that team work is the essence of success, without everyone working together for the same purpose has proven to be nothing other than detrimental. Overall, new friendships, skills and knowledge acquired have made the experience rewarding.”
Course: Bachelor of Law/Bachelor of Business (International Business).