“Making Sure the Path Is Safe”: A Case Study of the Influence of Aboriginal Elders on Non-Aboriginal Organisational Leadership

Tiana Culbong, Uncle Albert McNamara, Aunty Irene McNamara, Uncle Peter Wilkes, Aunty Sandra Wilkes, Adrian Munro, Anne-Marie Eades, Margaret O’Connell, John Fielder () and Michael Wright
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Tiana Culbong: Looking Forward, School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Perth 6000, Australia
Uncle Albert McNamara: Elders Co-Researcher Group, Looking Forward, School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Perth 6000, Australia
Aunty Irene McNamara: Elders Co-Researcher Group, Looking Forward, School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Perth 6000, Australia
Uncle Peter Wilkes: Elders Co-Researcher Group, Looking Forward, School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Perth 6000, Australia
Aunty Sandra Wilkes: Elders Co-Researcher Group, Looking Forward, School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Perth 6000, Australia
Adrian Munro: Richmond Fellowship, Perth 6107, Australia
Anne-Marie Eades: School of Midwifery, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney 2000, Australia
Margaret O’Connell: Looking Forward, School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Perth 6000, Australia
John Fielder: Looking Forward, School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Perth 6000, Australia
Michael Wright: Looking Forward, School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Perth 6000, Australia

Social Sciences, 2024, vol. 13, issue 4, 1-13

Abstract: The question of how Aboriginal Elders influence the leadership of non-Aboriginal led service organisations when working biddiya to biddiya (boss to boss) emerged while conducting a qualitative analysis as part of the evaluation of the Looking Forward Moving Forward project. This project brought together non-Aboriginal service leaders, Aboriginal Elders and Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal researchers to implement and evaluate a framework for engagement to promote organisational change and transform the way in which services respond to Aboriginal people in need of mental health and drug and alcohol support in Perth, Western Australia. This paper uses a case study to demonstrate how Elders on Nyoongar Country have influenced one non-Aboriginal service leader. At the heart of this case study is a close examination of a recorded, semi-structured, in-depth focus group exchange between a non-Aboriginal leader, Elders and co-researchers. This exchange foregrounds the Elders’ and co-researchers’ voices, capturing the dialogic nuances and interplay of the interaction to provide a more detailed picture of how building long-term relationships with Elders influences leaders. A key theme to emerge from the data was the developmental change in leadership approaches resulting from the biddiya to biddiya working relationship between Elders and this non-Aboriginal leader. The data show that, along with their deepening relationship, the leader demonstrated an openness and humility to be teachable. This leader demonstrated how he applied his new learning, integrating new ways of working into his leadership practice to change the way his organisation responded to Aboriginal people seeking support and to enhance the organisation’s cultural safety.

Keywords: Aboriginal; leadership; Elders; organisational change; social and emotional well-being; relationships; relational methodology; yarning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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