PART TWO OF FOUR
The story behind the ‘one band seven detachment’ concept , which gave birth to a unified Royal Australian Navy Band.
Capability Statements, What We Stand For, Quality Statements, Signature Behaviours, Where We Are Headed, Statements of Intent, Strategic Imperatives
This blog outlines the leadership style employed by the Royal Australian Navy Band during my tenure as Director of Music Navy. The text is taken from a review that I conducted at the start of my tenure, which can be found at https://www.bandtuneupsolutions.com/_files/ugd/879e0c_d76758e505bd4f7d876e3332a438ee27.pdf
Capability Statements
The following capability statements outline the key capabilities that are required to be maintained by each detachment in order to enhance the band’s national marketing mix.
The Sydney detachment has a strong national focus and maintains versatile music capabilities specialising in the delivery of ceremonial music, traditional and contemporary wind music, and popular music products. Key capabilities of the detachment are its ceremonial ensemble (including its bugle, drum corps, and fanfare capabilities) and its wind orchestra. Built into its scheme of complement and extending its reach is a high-energy show group—the Admiral’s Own—a wind chamber ensemble—the Commodores, and the Sea Chanters Chorus:
The Admiral’s Own delivers jazz orchestra and big band repertoire, high energy rock group features, and small jazz ensemble capability. The Commodores deliver woodwind and brass ensemble repertoire.
The Sea Chanters is a mixed voice chorus comprising instrumentalists from within the detachment who are used as a chorus to enhance major concert performances.
The Melbourne detachment maintains versatile music capabilities specialising in the delivery of ceremonial music, traditional and contemporary wind music, and popular music products. This detachment has a strong metropolitan and regional focus with its reach extending to national tasks. Key capabilities are its parade band and concert band. Built into its scheme of complement and extending its reach is a high-energy show group—the Corvettes—and a wind chamber ensemble—Pipe the Side:
The Corvettes deliver big band, rock group, and a small jazz ensemble repertoire.
Pipe the Side deliver woodwind and brass quintet repertoire, and small vocal ensemble features.
The Reserve detachments are known as the Scrap Iron Flotilla and specialise in the delivery of ceremonial, popular music products and small chamber ensembles. These detachments maintain a strong metropolitan focus with reach extending into their local regions. Key capabilities of these detachments are their parade band, popular music ensembles (stage bands and rock groups) and small chamber ensembles.
What We Stand For
Management theory informs us that a lack of unity or harmoniousness in relationships will diminish team and individual performance due to the belonging needs not being fulfilled, and failure to fulfil the belonging needs of individuals is intensified when teams fail to achieve a given task. In order to align the individual and team to the task, it is my responsibility in close association with the other members of the band’s Senior Leadership Group to fulfil two primary responsibilities—establish the quality statements (Vision, Mission and Goals) and communicate them.
The advantages of creating an effective vision and mission include creating a sense of united purpose within the organisation; providing priorities for allocating resources; and providing a basis for primary objectives and tasking through the organisation. Management theory further informs us that an effective vision statement looks at the expected long-term achievements of an organisation, whereas the Mission Statement communicates to stakeholders answers to questions such as, What is our business?; Why do we exist?; and Whom do we serve? Our vision should be a statement that describes the principal direction and function of our band. Furthermore, our goals should be attainable, clear, measurable, challenging, time-based and provide us with a basis for planning and decision making.
In reviewing the band’s quality statements there was a strong level of input that recommended incorporating the band’s core business strength (its music and its music ensembles) into its Vision and Mission. I agree that the delivery of music services is a core area of our business; however, we actually do much more.
The Senior Leadership has decided that the Band’s Vision should be based around Navy’s Vision ‘an Australian Navy renowned for excellence in service to the nation; Navy’s Motto ‘Navy – Serving Australia with Pride’; which directly support Navy’s Mission ‘Fight and win in the Maritime environment’.
Quality Statements
(Vision, Mission, Goals & Signature Behaviours)
Our Vision is: We aspire to be an organisation with a worldwide reputation for excellence serving Australia with pride.
Our Mission is: Promote the Royal Australian Navy as a Navy renowned for excellence in service to the nation.
We will achieve our Mission by: Delivering high quality musical services to the Royal Australian Navy; Delivering high quality ceremonial services to the Royal Australian Navy; Delivering high quality public relations support to the Royal Australian Navy; and Providing effective divisional and team support to each other.
Our Vision, Mission and Goals will be achieved through our personal and collective commitment to Navy’s Values:
HONOUR HONESTY COURAGE INTEGRITY LOYALTY
Signature Behaviours
Importantly, our overall success will be underpinned by a guiding philosophy that all members of the band will be given equal opportunity to develop their professional and military skills in an environment that recognises and fosters both team and individual achievement. In order to deliver quality services, we each must give detailed thought to the best method of fulfilling our obligation the Australian people, to Navy, and to the people with whom we work. Navy’s Signature Behaviours15 are one way of assisting us to fulfil these obligations; however, it requires our individual and collective willingness to behave in an ethical manner.
To live the Navy values, we will:
Respect the contribution of every individual;
Promote the wellbeing and development of all Navy people;
Communicate well and regularly;
Challenge and innovate;
Be cost conscious;
Fix problems, take action;
Drive decision making down;
Strengthen relationships across and beyond Navy;
Be the best we can; and
Make Navy proud, make Australia proud.
When we act in accord with these signature behaviours, we demonstrate attention to People, Performance, and Professionalism.
When we act in accord with these signature behaviours, we demonstrate attention to People, Performance, and Professionalism.
Where We Are Headed
Our quality statements give us a sense of Who We Are and also Where We Are Headed. To enhance those statements of purpose and direction, the Senior Leadership Group has developed a set of Statements of Intent that reinforce the commitment by each member of the Senior Leadership Group towards meeting the band’s values. I have also provided a statement on what I see as key Strategic Imperative’s for our future performance.
Statements of Intent
We will honour our heritage.
In achieving this we acknowledge that our band has a strong history, enjoys a very good reputation throughout the nation and within Navy, and plays an invaluable role in keeping Navy in the public consciousness.
We will value each other.
In particular it is vital to look for new ways to recognise the unique skills of our people. We also acknowledge that the quality of our people along with the ‘depth of expertise’18 within the band and its strong history contribute significantly to the band’s image as an organisation worthy of the confidence of the people with whom it conducts its business.
We will balance the needs and aspirations of each other with the requirements of the Service.
We acknowledge that the band's ability to complete its mission is limited by its financial position. However, and despite those funding challenges, we are determined to complete our mission by balancing the needs and aspirations of our people with the requirements of the Service.
We are committed to Navy’s values of honour, honesty, courage, integrity and loyalty.
We will demonstrate that commitment by being truthful, by doing what we know is right regardless of the challenge, by displaying honesty and fairness, and by demonstrating a commitment to all of our people and to our duty of service.
Strategic Imperative’s
The Strategic Imperative program, which I implemented in 2004, has delivered nation best results in key areas of performance through a series of Benchmark activities and by embarking small musical elements in Major Fleet Units. This program will continue to be an important way for the band to achieve nation best results in key areas of performance, and to also continue the delivery of direct ceremonial and musical services to the Fleet. The Strategic Imperative’s will be expanded to give opportunity for the band’s jazz and classical specialists to further develop and to showcase their skills. The Strategic Imperative’s are:
Sustain the Sea Deployment Initiative; and
Enhance the Benchmark program of activities to include a recording that features our soloists and recital opportunities for our jazz and chamber ensembles.
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