Confiance was engaged to help a mining company integrate a new underground workforce while preserving the existing open-cut culture. Confiance conducted interviews with open-cut employees to understand the culture and characteristics of successful workers. They found the culture valued work-life balance, respect among all levels, and was characterized by openness and trust. Confiance then used these cultural traits to develop selection criteria focused on behavioral attitudes rather than just skills. Strategies were created to integrate new underground hires in a way that strengthened rather than eroded the culture, such as using open-cut staff in hiring and having job rotations. This allowed the company to build an underground workforce that fit within and enjoyed the existing cultural values.

1. CLIENT CHALLENGE
Over the last few years, a client embarked on developing a new underground mine. The mine was to be
developed adjacent to its successful and long term open cut mine. Management was keen to preserve what is
seen to be a special and unique organisational culture in the development of the upcoming underground
project. Moreover, they were fearful that introducing a new workforce, working below ground rather than
above, would create an “us vs. them” culture, resulting in tension and opposition.
CONFIANCE APPROACH
Confiance was engaged to review the organisation and its existing workforce with the aim of understanding
the open cut culture and also understanding what characteristics make someone a successful employee.
Rapid expansion and employment of large numbers of people into an existing organisation is always risky.
Our client was worried that an “us and them” culture would evolve. Understanding this risk and developing
strategies to mitigate against this was also the intent of this review. Rather than sticking to conventional (and
often impersonal) culture surveys, Confiance met with a cross section of employees and contractors in one-
on-one sessions and in small groups. Participants included operators, electricians, fitters, coal loading facility
operators and various staff personnel. These people ranged from relatively new joiners to long serving
employees and contractors, including a small number who had left the company to experience other mines
and had subsequently returned. Topics discussed included generally what life was like at the company,
leadership capability and communication methods and styles, areas people felt were of concern, and
characteristics of successful employees. We also asked participants for their suggestions to help aid the
integration of a large number of new underground employees.
SOLUTION
Overall, employees gave a balanced and fairly consistent overview of the company culture and what they saw
as the major areas needing improvement. There were some unique aspects of the company which people
sought to preserve, such as the work life balance that the roster afforded and the fact that people at all levels
felt happy, motivated and respected.
Given the close proximity of the underground to the existing open cut operation, the review needed to examine
the key aspects of the culture and what sort of people would best fit into that culture. The results have defined
characteristics which were then used as selection criteria for the new workforce. These criteria were not the
usual experience or skill related characteristics but were all to do with behaviour and attitudes – such as
humility, sense of pride and willingness to learn. From this analysis we were able to develop strategies to
ensure that, as the company grows the culture is strengthened, not eroded.
With a culture characterised by openness, trust and friendliness dictated by an absence of bureaucracy and
rigid hierarchical reporting structures, people felt well cared for. With leaders well regarded and seen as
trustworthy, and communication processes being open and two way, the task of hiring people into the
underground became simplified. A cross section of personnel in the open cut were used in the selection and
induction processes, large numbers of inexperienced people (who came with no baggage or preconceptions)
were hired, experienced miners from other underground mines were carefully integrated – e.g., separate
crews, accommodation etc. A job rotation scheme was devised so that new underground workers spent time
experiencing (and appreciating) all aspects of the mine.
For more information please contact Jo Westh, Confiance General Manager on 07 3864 0500.
Case Study – ( The importance of culture)
Offices: Level 2, 11 Lang Parade Tel: + 61 (0) 7 3864 0500
MILTON QLD 4064 Fax: + 61 (0) 7 3864 0599
Email: info@confiance.com.au Website: www.confiance.com.au
OUTCOME
The company has a workforce who enjoy working together in a safe and productive environment and feel they
can share and talk about issues and problems as they arise. The culture is defined and communicated,
people live by the words, and the organisation’s leaders are committed to the ongoing measurement of the
culture and reinforcement of the behaviours that support it.