Co-creating workforce capability solutions for Australian businesses and organisations: a sustainable university response

This context statement explores my professional practice as an educator, innovator and leader in the field of organisational learning and development. The principal public work that manifests this practice is Swinburne Industry Solutions (SIS), the commercial learning and development arm of Swinburne University in Melbourne, Australia. Over a period of 3 years as General Manager from 2012 to 2015, I led the rapid growth and development of the business, its people and processes, its products (courses) and services and, importantly, its engagement with its principal clients within the corporate sector. SIS now provides learning and development services for some of Australia’s leading businesses and organisations.
The principal public work discussed, SIS, is an organisation which is complex, dynamic and co-created. This statement explores my role as the key agent in the co-creation of this enterprise and of the individual public works that exemplify and embody it. In particular, the statement explores my role as a leader, a strategist and an innovator in creating SIS as a sustainable business. The discussion focusses on the two factors that, I argue, contribute most to the sustainability of SIS: quality of service delivery and product innovation. It is not possible to fully and deeply explore all of the programs and services that were developed during this period within the constraints of this statement. Consequently it will focus on one of the most successful and significant developments which I led: the coaching suite of programs and services. Through the lens of the coaching products, the statement illustrates and critically positions my own learning as a leader and professional in the field and demonstrates leading edge practice.
This statement also critically explores the relevant developmental themes, experiences and learnings which inform and underpin my approach to working with organisations, as well as the ontological and epistemological foundations of it. In particular it focusses on relevant influences from my early professional careers in higher education, vocational education and corporate consulting. The final presents an evidence-based model of practice that can be used by other practitioners in this field to design effective organisation learning program interventions.