Tommy Watson Pitjantjatjara people Walpa 2002 synthetic polymer paint on canvas click image to enlarge

Goal 6: Sustain an encouraging and productive environment for all staff

To provide an encouraging, productive and accountable environment in which all staff will have the opportunity to fulfil their roles and responsibilities and contribute to achieving the Gallery’s goals

Key strategies

• Encourage staff to be innovative and productive and to continue to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of administrative and operational processes
• Engage staff in the Gallery’s planning, delivery, monitoring, evaluation and reporting processes
• Promote a safety culture and continue to improve Occupational Health and Safety practices
• Continue to review, develop and improve people management policies and procedures, including the Individual Development and Performance Agreement system
• Emphasise leadership and management training in staff development
• Promote and recognise staff achievement and professional activity
• Integrate risk and opportunity management principles in the planning and delivery of Gallery activities

Our success will be measured by

• Timely delivery of activities/programs, within budget and specification
• Level of staff engagement in the planning and delivery of Gallery activities and performance monitoring and reporting
• Staff having an effective Individual Development and Performance Agreement and the percentage of staff achieving a satisfactory or better performance rating
• Achievement of a 4 star or better status through the National Safety Council of Australia
• 5 Star Health and Safety Management Program
• Degree to which staff undertake training with an emphasis on leadership and management
• Staff achievement and professional recognition
• Degree to which Gallery activities reflect risk and opportunity management principles

Our recent achievements

We have built on a positive and stimulating working environment by introducing Individual Development Performance Agreements which improves the alignment of our staff's endeavours with corporate objectives, provides performance feedback to individual staff and ensures staff ownership of professional development outcomes.

We share knowledge and consult widely on procedural and policy changes and issues through our communication and consultative forums including: Senior Managers Meetings, the Gallery Consultative Committee, the OH&S Committee, Council debriefs and other internal processes and practices. We also encourage staff to participate in planning and review processes.

Our staff have won industry awards in education, tourism, environment, design, publications and conservation. Our staff generously share intellectual and professional knowledge with others via internships, invitations to symposiums, lectures and special education events and make a broader contribution through their leadership roles and participation on various committees and fora.

Our Internship program provides training to university students from around Australia and assists them in making the transition from study to museum employment.

A safety culture is being embodied within the Gallery through participation in the National Safety Council of Australia 5 Star Health and Safety Management Program.

We promote staff functions that encourage networking within the Gallery and give staff an informal method of sharing information.

We have developed strategies that promote and recognise staff achievements such as:

• the Australia Day Achievement Award Scheme to publicly recognise and reward distinguished contributions
• professional development offered across a broad range of programs including the Cultural Management Development and Advanced Workplace Skills Program