RIO TINTO: INDIGENOUS LEADERSHIP
In the past decade, we have interviewed over 800 employees in mining. Of those interviews, proudly more than 50% were for our work in the Indigenous space. This has included having conversations with Traditional Owners and Indigenous Community Elders about the things that matter to them most. This work has given us an unparalleled and deep understanding of the need for inclusivity and diversity for Indigenous People across all industries.
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Rio Tinto made a commitment to increase Indigenous leadership within the organisation in order to improve strategic decision-making, change culture, help unlock the business value of relationships with Traditional Owners and help chart the future direction of the business.
After such a significant incident in 2020 their biggest challenge was how to authentically regain trust and at the same time attract, retain and grow Indigenous talent within the organisation.
Research
We worked hard to collect the dots before we tried to connect them. We spent countless hours interviewing both Indigenous and non-Indigenous employees to understand their felt experience within the organisation.
We knew from this research that we needed to do some truth telling and acknowledge the pain people were feeling in the business through story telling post Juukan Gorge. We also knew we needed to do a better job of telling the stories of the incredible Indigenous leaders within the business who believed the company had what it takes to achieve success and drive change from the inside out.
Brand Development
We created a brand for Indigenous Leadership within Rio Tinto that empowered the mission and set high expectations for all involved; acting as a badge of pride to drive forward the social change and business transformation the team is committed to achieving.
Our handcrafted logo was designed by Indigenous artist Lynicce Church, from the Ngunnawal, Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi tribes. The meaning is embedded into the design and acts as more than a mark - it is by nature a symbol of change for the business.
Finally, each of the colours in our final palette represent core elements of country; Pilbara red for the richness of the earth and the depth of the work being done to change, black for commitment, bright blue for the sky and endless opportunities, green for the colour of trees and growth and sun yellow to symbolise energy.
We Feel & We're Changing Content
Strategy: Rio Tinto employees had not had a chance to talk openly about how they felt after the Juukan Gorge disaster in 2020. From our research, we knew that in order to build a new future with bright Indigenous minds and empowered employees we needed to deal with the now, be vulnerable and show how "we feel" as real people of Rio Tinto. We did this through a series of short stories and one long form video that humanised the response to Juukan Gorge and gave hope for the future. Getting senior leaders who were involved in the delivery to tell the story of what has been done (and is being done) would also be the most powerful way to showcase progress.
The We Feel & We're Changing videos were played at the 2021 AGM in London and were widely received as a hallmark for success when it comes to authentic storytelling within the business.
Cultural Connection Content
We partners with the Cultural Connection team to create all the video content to go within their online training platform; aimed at increasing cultural education and capability within the organisation.
Heritage Awareness Team
The Heritage Team came to us with a challenge to turn their online education content into a video series. We partnered with them to deliver a series of 10 videos that are now being used to educate new starters (as well as the wider business) on what, when, how, why and where cultural heritage awareness comes into play within the organisation.
Weipa Seeds
This project celebrates the partnership Rio has with Indigenous Traditional Owners and Community to rehabilitate the land on which the business operates.
Two-Way Mentoring
An incredible initiative that partners Rio Tinto leaders with rising Indigenous employees, offering both the mentor and mentee the opportunity a learning opportunity. This was delivered as a content series featuring the mentors and their mentees discussing the value exchange of the program.
The Indigenous Leadership logo was created by Indigenous artist Lynnice Church from the Ngunnawal, Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi Tribes.
The “I” represents a person and the beginning of their leadership journey.
The circle represents our collective culture as Indigenous people and the importance of coming together to listen, learn and share. This process of sharing builds individual, community and organisational leadership skills, knowledge and experience.
The “S” represents the continuation of the leadership journey where individuals take their learnings and implement them at work and in the community. It acknowledges that each person's journey is different and unique, but an effective leader is able to create a shared vision and bring people along the journey with them.
