Scion/Ensis Programme
The Scion-Ensis programme is an 18 month programme beginning in December 2006 and ending in July 2008. 24 participants (the majority scientists) across Scion and Ensis NZ and Ensis Australia come together 6 times and have an extensive virtual learning programme over that period.
The primary aspirations of the Scion Ensis Programme are:
- To work with one of Australia's/ New Zealand's primary knowledge organisations in developing a leadership that confirms our continents' place in the forefront of advancing environmental, commercial and technological knowledge and practice.
- To build leadership capacity that capitalises on the opportunities embedded in being a cross Tasman (New Zealand and Australia), cross organisational (Scion and Ensis), and bi-focused (biomaterials and forestry) scientific site.
- To develop a leadership at all levels that is increasingly innovative, robust, reflexive and smart in terms of what it works on, how it works and who it involves.
- To draw on and add to international knowledge on leadership in professional/ knowledge organisations in general, and science organisations in particular, with a focus on the possibilities for environment and organisational change and transformation.
Scientists and those who work in scientific organisations have traditionally been seen as reluctant to move into an organisational and management imperatives, however increasingly they have to do so. Science and leadership however have been seen to share a similar ethos and practice as Zaleznik refers to here "It seems to be that business leaders have much more in common with artists, scientists, and other creative thinkers than they do with managers." ( Managers and Leaders: Are they different? HBR, 1992, March 126-135).
This in-house programme aims to draw on and extend the affinity between science and leadership skills in order to achieve both better science and better leadership.
We aim to provide learning whereby participants will gain a deeper knowledge of themselves, relationships and the organisational and contextual complexities that they face currently and in the future.
Science organisations face fundamental changes in the structural, environmental and relational dimensions in which they operate: this programme aims to create a leadership in Scion-Ensis that is proactive and confident about their future.
While that programme is closed to the participants already selected, Excelerator is looking for opportunities to work further in this sector.
