Building psychological flexibility in the Australian Public Service

A large Federal Government agency engaged People Measures to design and facilitate a bespoke workshop on psychological flexibility to provide participants with practical tools to assist them to navigate a high-pressure operating environment.

Outcomes & impact

• Post-workshop evaluation data indicate that the workshop was well received and provided clear, tangible benefits for participants.
• All agreed or strongly agreed that they gained practical insights they could apply in the real world.
• 85% of participants agreed or strongly agreed that the content was engaging and thought provoking, and that the pace and structure of the workshop supported their learning.
• Participants valued practical demonstrations of concepts, having time to discuss and explore different perspectives with colleagues, and to practice new skills.
• The facilitator was rated by all participants as highly effective and knowledgeable.

Challenge

The team had faced numerous changes and challenges in recent times, and that was predicted to continue into the foreseeable future. Their operating environment was high-demand, sometimes low-control. Technical expertise and precision were paramount to their success within the organisation.

Project objectives

• To provide participants with practical skills to assist them to navigate their challenging operating environment.
• To bring the team together for an in-person development session to help foster trust and collaboration.

“Naomi was a great facilitator and I found her approach to be welcoming, inviting, and non-judgemental which was reassuring.”

Solutions

People Measures designed and delivered a practical and engaging half-day workshop that introduced participants to a structured, evidence-informed way navigate high pressure, low control, uncertain environments. An easy-to-remember model was shared and brought to life through experiential individual and group-based activities. Follow-up resources were provided after the workshop to enable participants to explore concepts in more depth.