At White Associates we’re setting out on a major new journey in our approach to how we do business. Inspired by the Broader Outcomes put in place by the Government as it seeks to drive better outcomes for more people in New Zealand, we have been digging into the core principles of our business – what we do, how we do it, why we do it, and what we want to leave behind us.
“When we started to think about it, many of the principals that underpin the Broader Outcomes also feature centrally in our approach as a business,” says Michelle Pou. “We were using outdated language around it, but the fundamental concepts of kaitiaki or custodianship are critically important to us. We see them not only in the work we do to help clients develop and build projects that will stand the test of time, but also in the approach we take to how we work; sharing knowledge, building our whanau and improving our wellbeing as individuals and as a team.
“When we really started to drill into the four outcomes that the Broader Outcomes seek to make reality, we realised that there are four areas in which we make a genuine difference as a team and in our work with our clients:
- Socially – providing skills and training, not only to our people but more widely through the cadetships and partnerships we already offer, increasing our reach out into the communities that surround us and increasing wellbeing and safety
- Environmentally – already a motivator for our people as they increasingly seek out environmental initiatives for company involvement, we are also working to help our clients consider and cost sustainable materials and designs into their projects
- Culturally – as a multi-cultural business we have so many opportunities to share and develop knowledge that improves us all as a whole. Having already begun a cultural Māori world view awareness programme within our team, we look forward to stepping forwards on this journey
- Economically – not only do we contribute centrally to New Zealand Inc.’s success through supporting reliable projects budgets and dependable project outcomes, but we have the opportunity to influence procurement processes to manage cost and increase participation in the industry.
What’s next? Having identified the core categories and workstreams that underpin our approach to the legacy we want to leave, we are now working to identify initiatives to add to our existing work. Expect news and stories as we progress along this important pathway.