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Centre for Workplace Leadership

Centre for Workplace Leadership

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The Centre for Workplace Leadership is dedicated to excellence in leadership research, improving the quality of leadership in Australian workplaces, and developing individual leaders. We aim to bridge the gap between research insights and leadership practice.

  • The toxic spread of COVID-19 racism

    While the world grapples with COVID-19, reports of racism and racist attacks are on the rise worldwide. Everyone has a role to bring communities together instead of focusing on our differences.

    28 Apr 2020 Research
  • THE COVID-19 RESPONSIBILITY WE ALL OWN

    Call it common sense or call it ‘self-leadership’, as citizens, we all have a responsibility to heed the current health advice or risk increasingly severe government restrictions

    16 Apr 2020 Research
  • Making workplaces better for everyone

    New University of Melbourne conference highlights cutting edge research around gender harassment, LGBTIQ+ people, and women of colour in the workplace.

    02 Mar 2020 ...dustry and Society; Research
  • Ethical Enterprise Conference 2019

    "We do better through collaboration than working alone" - Associate Professor Ben Neville

    23 Oct 2019 Announcements

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The Centre for Workplace Leadership undertakes research that helps organisations lead workplace innovation and performance across the value chain.  Our work sits within three intersecting themes:

  • Leading Operational Excellence Across the Supply Chain

    Managing and sustaining operational excellence within the organisation and across extended supply chain networks poses considerable leadership challenges as well as opportunities for all types of organisations.

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  • Leading the Organisation and its People

    Organisations across all industry sectors are adopting new business models, restructuring their operations, offering different products and services, and applying new technologies that are profoundly reshaping the organisation of work and jobs.

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  • Leading Market Performance

    The ways in which organisations create value for customers is changing rapidly as firms experiment with co-creation business models and allow increasing external participation in the value creation process.

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  • The Ruthven Institute Hub

    The RI Hub is an alliance between the University of Melbourne and the Ruthven Institute centred on research and curriculum development to improve the profitability and sustainable success of Australian businesses.

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At the Centre for Workplace Leadership, we believe in knowledge that works.

  • Study of Australian Leadership

    The Study of Australian Leadership (SAL) is a national survey that provides a comprehensive picture of leadership in Australian organisations.

  • Custom Leadership Programs

    We create leadership development programs that produce meaningful impact for individuals and their organisations.

  • Leadershift

    LEADERSHIFT® is an online leadership assessment and development tool that will transform Australian workplaces.

  • Resources

    Our free resources provide you with the essential ingredients to create a higher performance workplace.

  • Academic Staff

  • Advisory Board

  • Research Associates and Assistants

The Centre for Workplace Leadership: dedicated to leadership research, improving the quality of leadership in Australian workplaces, and developing leaders.

Thomas Maak
Professor Thomas Maak

Welcome from the Centre Director

Welcome to the Centre for Workplace Leadership

Our mission is to produce knowledge that works in ‘real-world’ situations based on issues and challenges that face all Australian workplaces and leaders.

Our Vision is to develop world-class leadership capability in Australian organisations, working collaboratively at all levels to create productive, innovative and competitive outcomes.

Our Values

  • We believe in the power of knowledge and new ideas to transform leadership
  • We strive to be thought leaders in the area of leadership and workplace innovation
  • We are committed to working collaboratively with industry, government and academia
  • We have a public purpose

We work with government, large companies, Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs in cities, regions and rural areas, on workplace leadership challenges.

Our research focuses on

  1. Building the capability of frontline leadership
  2. Creating and sustaining a high performance workplace culture
  3. Transforming workplaces through technology and workplace innovation
  4. Workplace leadership for the future

Through our research

  • We share and translate Australian and global research insights on the leadership capabilities necessary for Australian organisations to meet critical leadership challenges such as globalisation, digital disruption, virtual teams, demographic change and the Asian century
  • We raise awareness of new ideas and Australian and international best practice on leadership
  • We add to the global body of knowledge on organisational dynamics and leadership success
  • We identify the leadership barriers to adoption of high performance work practices, innovation and productivity
  • We assess current leadership capability in Australian organisations and identify gaps and development needs
  • We create resources that are widely available and used by managers and organisations

Through our work with organisations

  • We help individual organisations, managers and teams meet organisational and innovation challenges, and work more effectively
  • We identify practices that can best help leaders tackle workplace challenges and harness their capacity to innovate and grow
  • We make evidence-based recommendations
  • We provide practical case studies and diagnostic tools that can be used by other workplaces
  • We help managers develop emerging and future leaders
  • We develop frontline and middle management leadership skills

Through our work with Government

  • We make evidence-based recommendations on policies, frameworks and measures to help Australian organisations be more productive, innovative and better places to work

Sources of support

The Centre for Workplace Leadership was established in 2013 as a joint initiative supported by the Federal Government and the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Business and Economics.

Annual Reports

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