ABOUT DON DUNOON

Don is a specialist in organisation development, leadership development and strategic planning and he established New Futures Pty Ltd in 1989. His vision in his work is to enable organisations, groups and individuals to increase their capability in clarifying and achieving their goals. Don approaches his work with a deeply grounded understanding of the dynamics of change and transformation and has high-level skills in helping his clients gain new insights into the problems they face and in devising strategies for moving forward.

Combining a strong academic background in organisational change & development with a focus on practical applications and achieving results, Don's consulting work has focused on:

• Providing guidance and facilitation to help senior executives and management teams determine their strategic direction and align the organisation towards it (includes, e.g. helping senior teams clarify shared vision and values, building senior managers' skills in strategic dialogue and productive communication, facilitating planning processes and advising on implementation strategies).

• Leadership development programs to build the capacity of middle and emerging managers to add value to the achievement of corporate and business goals, effectively apply leadership and management skills, and model desired behaviours. Don's programs commonly include skills building workshops, 360-degree/upward feedback, the use of self-awareness-raising tools, and a strong action learning component emphasising a focus on actual strategic and business issues and reflection upon experience.

• Customised employee opinion and client feedback surveys, conducted over the web or via more traditional means. Don is a believer in the value of quantitative and narrative data from employees, clients and other stakeholders as an essential aid in organisational improvement efforts. Since 1998 he has conducted specially tailored surveys for a range of organisations in the corporate and public sectors.

Clients for Don's various services have included NSW Audit Office, MTU-Detroit Diesel Australia, Australian International School Singapore, Dept of Treasury and Finance (Tas), NSW Treasury, Department of Education and Training NSW, Dept of Education and Children's Services (SA), Sun Microsystems, Gadens Lawyers, Sky Channel, Department of Veterans Affairs (NSW Office), Quality Wheat Cooperative Research Centre, the NSW Roads & Traffic Authority, Commonwealth Bank, IPAC Securities, Sydney University, Kincoppal Rose Bay School, BBC Hardware, the NSW Superannuation Administration Authority, NSW TAFE, City West Development Corporation and many others.

Don is a regular presenter of programs on leadership and change for the Association of Independent Schools, NSW, running regular and separate programs for secondary school executives, department heads and support staff. He also conducts customised in-school programs, often with a teambuilding component. Hundreds of people have participated in Don's AIS programs since 1998.

He has presented for the Australian Institute of Management, the Australian Institute of Police Management (over 5 years) and the Graduate School of Government at the University of Sydney . As well, he presented sixteen week-long leadership programs between 1995 and 2001 as part of the Public Sector Management Course in Tasmania .

Don is a regular speaker at conferences and seminars on leadership and organisational change-related topics and has presented at national and NSW seminars of the Australian Human Resources Institute and the Institute of Public Administration , Australia . In 1994 Don was the founding convenor of the Australian Human Resources Institute's (NSW) Organisational Change Network. He has also authored a variety of reports and articles on aspects of workplace change. His article, ‘Rethinking Leadership for the Pubic Sector', appeared in the September 2002 edition of the Australian Journal of Public Administration . In 2003 this article was the most frequently downloaded article from the Journal's website.

Don's academic training in Organisational Behaviour at the University of NSW focused on the dynamics of leadership development and organisational change. He was a visiting lecturer in the M Com program in Organisational Behaviour at the University in 1994 and 1995. In 1998 Don co-authored a masters-level distance education subject, The Innovative Organisation , at UNSW and this subject ran for 5 years as part of the Master of Business and Technology degree.

Prior to establishing New Futures, Don worked for five years with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation as their internal ombudsman on serious program complaints, as well as looking after the Corporation's community relations. With a statutory role under the ABC Act, Don reported his findings to Parliament on complaints alleging error or fact or invasion of privacy and the ABC was required to make suitable broadcast amendments when complaints were upheld. Don also acted as Head of Personnel (Television), HR Policy Manager, Controller Corporate Relations and Head of Ministerial (the last two being SES-level positions). From 1975 to 1984 Don worked in a variety of health services planning, project and policy roles in the then NSW Health Commission and Drug and Alcohol Authority.

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