Taking on a cultural change to include more women in an organisation that is predominantly male and has a reputation for blocking women, Brigadier Gavan Reynolds AM of the Australian Army shared his tips on how they managed to bring on board potential blockers and change the culture resulting in a 12% increase of women in the Army over the past 12 months.
Speaking at the Women, Work and Leadership conference hosted by Macquarie University, Brigadier Reynolds said that firstly there was an identification that the Australian Army were proud to say they had respect for themselves, for leaders and the community although they felt they were still letting the nation down.
Why? Because there was a culture that was not supportive of female involvement and in fact there were blockers throughout the organisation.
Now that warfare is no longer on the ground but also includes cyber and air, this opens up more opportunities for women to be involved, he said.
There was a shift in their mission to be of: courage, initiative, respect and teamwork which have now become fundamental to who they are and what they do.
This new ethical style culture and leadership “is the basis of our ethical decision making which is crucial in combat,” Brigadier Reynolds said. “Ethical soldiers are our most powerful weapons.”
He outlined that the barriers faced in making this change came from those who have been in the organisation for many years. They feared change. They feared losing their jobs. Barriers also came from middle management resisting change who WILL block your initiative and you will go nowhere.
The steps taken to break down barriers and remove potential blockers were:
- Discuss the change first. Let them know about it and that it comes from the top down.
- Let them vent (find out why they feel the way they do)
- Ask them why?
- Reassure them why there is the change and that their jobs are safe and this can enhance the organisation overall
- Educate them. Blockers or potential blockers can be turned around into supporters if they are educated on why the there is positivity in a culture of inclusion and diversity of thought
“Our ultimate goal in the Australian Army is to have a job open to anyone as long as the job gets done,” he said.
Brigadier Gavan Reynolds AM graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1987 as an intelligence officer. He holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Geography, Master of Defence Studies and a Master of Business Administration. Postings have included; troop commander with the 16th Air Defence Regiment,aide-de-camp to the Chief of Army, S2 3rd Brigade, staff officer in the Defence Intelligence Organisation and tactics instructor at the Land Warfare Centre. Operational service includes the Gulf War (1990-91) in command of an RBS-70 detachment on HMAS Success, military observer with the United Nations in Lebanon and Syria, J2 of the Australian Joint Task Force in Iraq and most recently in Afghanistan with HQ ISAF.
