Camberwell Coal was the first single union coal mine in Australia. Being a Greenfield site it provided opportunities to develop a unique high performance mining culture never seen before.

Using the two factory theory of Frederick Herzberg, Theory Z of Abraham Maslow, the ABC of Management by Elliott Jaques and Socio-Technical Systems of Fred Emery, the work place culture was designed in such a manner that the following motivators were present:

• Variety and challenge

• Elbow room for decision making

• Feedback and learning

• Mutual respect

• Meaning

• Personal growth

• A Bright and certain future

The conditions of employment provided the following satisfiers:

• Fair and adequate pay

• Job security

• Benefits

• Safety

• Health

• Due process

Many other mines throughout Australia and in particular the Hunter Valley tried to emulate The Camberwell Way but they fell short through the lack of understanding of the above theories.

Reliable research reveals that 90% of all Strategic Plans are never implemented. In practical terms making the transition from what is to what ought to be, is rarely achieved.

Camberwell Coal was the rare exception and the necessary paradigm shift is embodied in the following set of work practices which collectively is known as the Camberwell Way.

Structure:

- One Company
- One Union
- Three levels of management

• The Foundation Team
• The Support Team
• The Winning Team

- A Meritocracy
- No Seniorority
- Single Point Accountability

Company Initiated Trust:

- No Bundy clocks
- No store men in the store
- Minimum Supervision

Recruitment Practices:

- Hire for attitude
- Peers and Report Managers on the interview panel
- Hire local, all employees should be local council voters
- Use a psychometric test (TAIS) that predicts behaviour under pressure

Career Development:

- Hire for attitude
- Train for Skills
- Promote on integrity
- Seniorority doesn't count

Safety:

- Safety is the first agenda item at all meetings
- No Safety Committee
- Everybody trained in First Aid
- Everybody is their own Safety Officer
- No safety bonus
- No safety payment in the Industrial Agreement
- The more the number of safety policies the less safe you are

Management Practices:

- Shoot your own dog
- Don't leave your brains at the gate
- No Dick Heads policy
- Your mother doesn't work here
- No foreign orders
- Company gear and equipment for company purposes only
- If the law applies then apply the law
- No job and finish
- Overt recognition
- Planned Spontaneous Recognition
- No waste
- No blame culture
- Sick leave is for sick people
- Accountable for your own actions
- Two way trust
- If you can't measure it then it doesn't exist
- No performance appraisals
- No points score evaluation of positions
- Your job is your incentive
- Celebrate small wins

Communication Practices:

- Input into matters that affect you
- Open and frank two way communications
- Open door policy
- Communications is a "whites of their eyes" exercise
- Monthly feedback on results that the Board receives
- Monthly business reviews
- Quarterly newsletter posted to the home of the Camberwell Team
- The more information you share with people the more they act as a team

Training:

- Train, Train, Train
- Everybody to be trained in first aid
- Five day culture induction program
- Trained according to the needs of the business
- Just-in-time training
- Trained to your true potential
- Competency based training
- Training is line accountability
- Sons and Daughters training scheme

Work Organisation:

- Everybody attends a five day cultural induction
- Cluster work model within a calling
- Pay a lot, expect a lot
- Planned Spontaneous Recognition
- Challenge the status quo
- More work than what there are people to do it
- Multi-skilled and flexibility of workforce
- No demarcation
- Can be asked to do any job provided that you have been trained and competent
- No performance related bonus
- Minimum supervision
- Trust is a company initiative
- Performance is line accountability
- People don't resist change, people resist being changed
- People join Companies
- People leave Managers
- Time off for pressing domestic need
- Re-engineer
- De-engineer
- De-contaminate

A SUMMARY OF THE NO's:

CAMBERWELL COAL BECAME:

• The safest mine in the Hunter Valley measured by LTIFR

• The most productive mine in the Hunter Valley measured by Tonnes of clean coal per employee

• The employer of choice

- Turnover rate of 5%
- Workshop T/O rate of 3% over 18 years
- Over 1600 applications per advertised position

• The most reliable supplier of coal in the Hunter Valley

        - 2.5 Local industrial days lost in 18 years
        - 2 Misconduct dismissals in 18 years (these two events are related

"A Reliable Supplier of Constant Quality Coal at Internationally Competitive Prices"