Fiona Murphy has joined UNE as Director, People and Culture, after three years in similar roles at Charles Sturt.
Ms Murphy will elaborate on her role and its place in the UNE community in future Pulse newsletters; in the meantime, while she undertakes the daunting job of establishing who’s who at UNE, we asked her five quick questions.
What do you regard as the objectives of your new role at UNE?
I will be a ‘dot connector’, working closely with leaders and teams to enhance our employee experience, organisational culture and capability to deliver on the Future Fit Strategy.
Based on your past experience, what are the obstacles that can get in the way of a good organisational culture?
Fiona Murphy. Photo by David Roma
In times of uncertainty or change it’s easy to default to behaviours that don’t serve us well, like resistance, defensiveness and silos. Being respectful, looking out for each other and leaning into shared solutions will go a long way towards removing perceived obstacles.
What’s your ideal example of an organisation succeeding at “people and culture”?
Where empathy and shared values are at the heart of our ways of working. Fundamentally, we all want to feel valued. The golden rule says ‘treat others as I want to be treated’. I like the platinum rule of ‘treat others how they want to be treated to benefit from our diversity and different strengths.
What drew you to the role?
It’s an opportunity to bring strategy, communication and change together in ways that will help UNE staff and the students and communities we serve to thrive. I grew up in the bush and have personally seen the difference that access to education makes in the lives of rural and regional students and communities. I want to be part of UNE’s continued reputation and commitment to place-based learning whether locally, regionally or globally.
What does an ideal weekend look like?
A glass of red and cheese platter on a Friday night, any grounding activity like yoga, bushwalking or gardening, a good book and time with family and friends to reset before a busy week ahead. Looking forward to exploring the beautiful national parks around Armidale.