Mining for fresh perspectives
Andrew Telburn, Partner, Reddin Consulting Group
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A diverse industry brings with it many benefits including fresh and even disruptive perspectives that propel us into the future.
n the face of our greatest challenges, it takes diversity of thought and perspective to keep the world moving forward through the toughest of times. If 2020 taught us anything - it was this.
This year we saw industries everywhere pivoting, doing things differently, finding new ways not only to survive, but to grow and thrive. The mining industry is one of the most innovative industries in the world, but more of the same will only get us so far. A diverse industry brings with it many benefits including fresh and even disruptive perspectives that propel us into the future. The benefits of diversity and inclusion Building a strong diverse workforce means difference in all its forms, including gender, age, cultural background, disability, religion, and sexual orientation. What follows are fresh ideas and new problemsolving skills that come with different life experiences. The flow effect is reputational benefits and the ability to attract, engage and retain top talent right through the value chain. All this sounds wonderfully sensible until we look at the reality of diversity in many mining organisations today.
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BBMC Yearbook 2020
Avoiding ‘more of the same’ While there are some large companies leading the way, the majority employ few women in top jobs. Most senior executives are mining engineers and very few people with a disability are employed. This means that the succession plans are simply ‘more of the same,’ raising the question; ‘how are we going to foster fresh thinking to move us into the future?’ and more importantly, ‘how do we safeguard ourselves from being left behind?’ This can seem like an impossible task, but the answer isn’t a light bulb moment or a dramatic shift in the way we currently do things. Rather, it’s small iterations and creative actions consistently over time that chip away at the old and usher in the new. It is the cumulative effect of many actions that lead to real and lasting change. The key is to continue to develop and roll out many things to build a diverse workplace; some big, some small, some successful, some not – and that’s okay. It’s all part of the journey. Remember, this isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon. Small steps that can make a difference, but you must be willing to start somewhere. Ask these questions:
• are we missing a whole spectrum of potential talent, including the graduate pool, by failing to look outside our industry? • are we missing out on top talent due to workplace inflexibility? (Ever heard of a Job Share?) • what would it take to make the mining industry an attractive prospect for top talent outside our normal and established recruitment pools? By asking some basic questions from the outset, you’ve already started that small iteration towards change. You’ve put a toe in the water. Finding the ‘fit’ When it comes to recruiting we’ve all heard that ‘fit’ is key to a winning team, but many managers view ‘fit’ in terms of their immediate team, forgetting the bigger picture and often ending up with people who are so like-minded that there is very little diversity of thought, resulting in compliance rather than challenge and therefore progress. While it may certainly seem to work in the short-term, research conducted by by the Saratogo Institute (now part
