Recorder player Alana has a long history of performing with groups large and small, and has researched identity, management and group processes in the musical setting.
Hannah demonstrates her skill on a different stage. At the tender age of 19, in 2021, the allrounder was named captain of the NSW Breakers, setting a new record in senior cricket, and she is known for tactical skills and leadership well beyond her years.
“Like musicians, each cricketer has a specific role to play, but those roles are inter-dependent,” Alana says. “In orchestral music, there is often directed leadership, with a conductor out front, but smaller ensembles can also be conductor-less, so decisions have to be made within the group by way of distributed leadership.
“We can describe the CEO of an organisation as its conductor, who directs individual efforts. Similarly, self-managed teams working on a shared project operate something like a smaller ensemble.”
As in cricket, members of a musical ‘team’ must have trust and respect for one another to be creative, to experiment and unafraid to offer new ideas. “We can consider other ways of working and building teams by looking beyond the business world, to find inspiration for our organisations, teams or projects to develop further,” says Alana.
The Future at Work Business Breakfast series is a partnership between UNE and the Parramatta Chamber of Commerce that brings together academic experts and business leaders to share knowledge and start conversations important to the Parramatta business community. Book for the latest breakfast, hosted by UNE Sydney (Level 4, 100 George Street Parramatta) from 7am-9am on August 17, at https://www.parramattachamber.com.au/events/details/the-future-at-work-business-breakfast-series-514
