In response to constant change and siloed teams, this government department is developing a ‘cultural passport’ to reconnect its people to organisational purpose, policy and performance.

When change feels constant, it becomes easy to lose sight of the bigger picture and fall into BAU rhythms.

In this large and complex government organisation, with employees working across multiple agencies and functions and throughout various regions – this reality is manifesting as cultural drift and siloed teams, according to Fleur Bowler CPHR, Assistant Director and People Business Partner.

The growing gap between employees and broader organisational values is leading to strategic misalignment, with high stakes.

“A lot of people are caught up in their individual business objectives, which is creating a lack of connection between the department’s strategic priorities,” says Bowler. “This includes people policies, resources and procedural instructions, and broader strategic priorities.” 

With a diverse workforce, shifting government priorities and a need to invest in public sector capability-building, Bowler says the impetus to ensure an engaged and aligned workforce is paramount.

Bridging the gap boils down to fostering a renewed sense of community, so culture isn’t abstract, but tied to tangible business outcomes, she says.

“What does [connection] entail? Often, it’s investment in a collective, and understanding the ‘why’. It encompasses overarching strategic objectives. Those are what we are all working towards.” 

This prompted Bowler, who sits within the Department’s People Division, to develop what she calls a ‘cultural citizenship passport’, an initiative designed to realign culture and business strategy together and re-energise employee engagement.

A cultural and strategic enabler

The passport will function as both an overarching framework and reflection tool provided to leaders and managers across the department. 

It collates important people policies, guidelines and procedural instructions from within the organisation into an accessible homepage, with the goal of helping managers and employees better understand how workforce initiatives fit into broader organisational objectives.

Users of the passport, known as ‘travellers’, are guided through ‘checkpoints’ which represent the department’s key values, policies and strategic goals. These directly ladder up to the department’s overarching workforce strategic objectives.

“The idea is that employees familiarise themselves with the overarching organisational strategies by progressing through the relevant policies and documents. When they’ve completed all of the different checkpoints, they are granted a passport,” says Bowler.

“People who obtain their passport early can use it as a good refresher to review their knowledge and ask, ‘Is this [value] still current or has this changed?’”

According to Bowler, the purpose of the cultural citizenship passport is more than an abstract ideal, it’s about investing in future-fit teams.

“The organisation is run by people and if the culture’s not right, then that’s going to impact people’s ability to deliver on objectives.” – Fleur Bowler CPHR, Assistant Director and People Business Partner

For instance, the checkpoints are designed to help leaders and managers model and nurture desired behaviours and values among their teams. 

She says the leadership group’s substantial investment in culture has made the passport an easy proposition to champion. 

Designing for change

Staying flexible and open to change has been essential to developing the passport, as priorities shift, technology advances and stakeholders come and go.

For instance, Bowler says the department’s broader agenda has reshaped the passport’s checkpoints, with an earlier HR plan being superseded by an updated workforce strategy. Similarly, the department-wide transition to a new digital platform has pressed pause on designing the passport’s interface.

“Remaining agile and adaptable has been crucial throughout the design phase of the passport. 

“In large organisations, change is both inevitable and continual, underscoring the need for a framework that is inherently scalable and amendable as strategic priorities evolve.” 

Accordingly, the passport is a malleable framework that can be adapted to specific agency portfolios and teams, whether that’s for employees working in a policy function to those in operational areas. 

“If people are considering a change or an initiative within their business area, [the passport] will help them link it to those broader priorities,” says Bowler.

Another key purpose of the passport is helping to surface resources that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. 

“We have procedural instructions and people strategies and policies that sit there, and people may not know where to find them or be aware that they even exist. It’s also about pulling them out.”

She also recognises that a common challenge with cultural initiatives is that they can feel imposed from the top and disconnected from the employee experience. That’s why helping the workforce understand the ‘so-what’ factor will be key. 

“It’s going to be about how [the passport] is positioned – not as another online learning module that people have to do, but as a tool for people to enhance their capability,” says Bowler. “The idea is that people want to gain more strategic insight into what’s happening across the department.”

To put this in action, the passport will be embedded into everyday conversations and performance discussions so that the checkpoints – and values they stand for – become modelled and lived on a day-to-day level.

“The passport could potentially be attached to performance development agreements, as a way to demonstrate [to leaders] that they’re across the organisational priorities.” 

It also serves as a valuable resource for new starters, helping them grasp the department’s strategic priorities and understand how their role contributes to the broader organisation’s objectives, says Bowler.

Next destination

Following strong support from the Department’s executive team, the next steps for Bowler and her team will be undertaking a pilot of the Cultural Citizenship Passport with new starters across the department’s regional Queensland workforce, where it would then be refined based on feedback.

At the heart of it, getting the cultural and strategic alignment right is about investing in future capabilities and strong service delivery, she says.

“It is the people who make it all happen. The organisation is run by people and if the culture’s not right, then that’s going to impact people’s ability to deliver on objectives.” 

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