As the country’s principal revenue collection agency, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) employs more than 20,000 people across Australia.

Amid a significant change program, the ATO sought to upskill more than a thousand Executive Level leaders (EL1 and EL2), through what was to become the largest leadership development program in the country at the time.

Services

  • Program design
  • Program evaluation
  • Train the trainer

Challenge

With eight delivery days per group, delivered by a range of facilitators across the country, and the total program spread over nine months, this multi-faceted program was ambitious. Its success was pivotal to improving culture in the ATO. A large program like this requires sophisticated design, consistent delivery and careful quality control to ensure its objectives are achieved.

Solution

The contract for design and delivery of the program modules was awarded to a training provider with a national footprint. BEING CEO Siebert Neethling was separately appointed by the ATO to design the overall program architecture, incorporating key themes based on performance metrics and needs analysis, as well as connections to broader ATO programs and initiatives. He then shaped the content development in an advisory capacity, working with the training provider and the ATO Learning and Development staff. During the design and delivery phase of the program his remit included:

  • Provide an overall, strategic view of the program and its implementation in the context of the original intention and purpose.
  • Provide support for the planning of the various elements of the program.
  • Review of the content of each module.
  • Review of key communication about the program.
  • Review of the internal education process, specifically the orientation of Cohort Coordinators.
  • Monitor implementation, including part-attendance of some delivery days.
  • Support with reporting on the program, specifically to FAS and the ATO Executive.

Through training of those delivering the program and monitoring the implementation by visiting the course while it was being delivered, Siebert was able to ensure it was implemented to a high standard. He conducted program evaluation, and also ran training sessions with the program facilitators (train-the-trainer) to build capability and enhance the consistency of quality delivery.

Close on 2,500 leaders complete the program over two years, with more than 90% of them rating the program as excellent, very good or good.

The learnings from this project then informed further leadership development work for the ATO. Based on the success of this program, Siebert went on to work on more than thirty significant strategy and learning projects for the ATO.

Thank you for your support and input to the Management Development Program Siebert – it has been a great success because of your work.

Tracey Frey
Assistant Commissioner Learning & Development, Australian Taxation Office

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