How investing to improve crew culture and frontline leadership is benefiting forest manager Hancock Forest Management NZ

In 2012 Hancock’s health and safety performance had plateaued.  The company had already invested in improving systems and processes.  However, Hancock’s recognised they also needed to invest in improving the culture and leadership of the organisation.

At this point, Tawera Nikau from Team One was engaged to come work alongside staff and contracting crews to begin addressing the culture of the working environment.

“Where Team One was coming from was that people had experiences in their life (*lens scratches) that were influencing the ways they behaved – the culture.  Team One essentially gave them tools to address those and to move forward,” says Rowan Struthers, Operations Manager of Hancocks Forest Managment.

Five years on and Hancock’s have developed a culture where the biggest benefits of the training can be seen in the strong communication and engagement amongst all staff.

As  Paddy  Penwarden, Harvesting Forester, says in the above video “Everyone’s looking after everyone now, covering their back and they’re not afraid to say something”.

Congratulations Hancock we are thrilled to see the improvements and to have been a part of your organisational cultural transformation.

This study typifies why it is so important to invest and develop in the health and culture of an organisation.

*Lens Scratches -Just as we have lenses we can look through on the outside of our eyes, we also have lenses behind our eyes. None of us sees reality as it truly is.  All of us interpret truth and reality by filtering and viewing it through our hidden lenses. These are all shaped by all the past experiences – emotion, fears, dreams – and information that we have accumulated over time.  We consistently receive rave reviews of how addressing lens scratches, in our programmes, has positively impacted the personal & professional lives of course participants.