The General Manager set out to be deliberately different in the manner in which the people were treated, valued and regarded.

He wanted the Mine to be an employer of first choice in the region.

In the belief that the only way to control the future is to invent it Our Strategic Team developed the Mission Statement, Personal Commitments and Safety Creed which shaped the culture of the company and set up the foundation for establishing a Socio-Technical System of work design.

The underlying belief being that: "The only true and sustainable competitive advantage is achieved through people".
 
Put another way:

"In the long run all costs (fuel, labour, equipment, and shipping) are the same for all those in the market. Thus the only real opportunity to make a difference is through the people and without a happy, satisfied work force the promised efficiencies and productivity of the plant and equipment will never be achieved."

The desired Employer Brand of being an employer of first choice and to be the safest and most productive operator in the region was achieved within the first 18 months.

The real measure of success was that many of the competitors in the region attempted to emulate this model. A few came close but most failed because they lacked the fundamental understanding of the underpinning motivational theories.