CSIRO leader encouraging a positive culture

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has long been a jewel in the crown of Australia’s scientific progress.

The former director of the Land and Water Business Unit, Jane Coram, is an experienced organisational leader with a 30-year career in environmental sciences. She is passionate about helping people and organisations solve complex and intractable problems, including building positive work cultures.

“When people think of CSIRO, they might think about products like Aerogard, the permanent pleat in fabrics, polymer banknotes, or Wi-Fi technology. Others may consider its research in vast scientific fields, including space, agriculture, energy, and the environment. But CSIRO is also uniquely positioned as the national science agency to tackle big, multifaceted issues like climate change, where no single discipline or sector can solve them. CSIRO is vital in partnering, collaborating, and helping Australia understand the challenges and respond constructively,” said Coram.

What got her interested in the earth sciences?

As a child, Coram was always fascinated by the massive question of “Where did we come from?” She was intrigued by earth and planetary processes, and how they shaped the environment and human civilisation. But that fascination did not lead to an immediate decision to pursue an earth sciences career.

“As a student, I was tantalised by many potential science fields and career paths. Among other things, I explored earth and geological sciences,” she said. “I didn’t see it as a career at the time. Later, I realised I could build on my formal education to help understand and contribute to environmental management.”

One thing that Coram believes as she has moved through her career is that the rigours of the scientific process are vital to understanding complex environmental issues, as are having integrated biophysical, social and economic analyses. Excellent communication and engagement skills are also critical to ensuring that science has an impact and can contribute to tractable solutions. Coram’s belief underpins her commitment to applying an interdisciplinary approach to environmental challenges, borne from her involvement in many nationally controversial water-related issues.

Coalition of pathways between CSIRO and the water industry

CSIRO has been working on water security for many years, and Coram hopes that their work is well regarded by the water industry.

“Looking forward, I would say that we can contribute a great deal to the water industry through our work in combining biophysical modelling with social and economic insights”, she said. “We want to do that in partnership and collaboration with the water industry, building on our historical strengths with innovative digital approaches to remotely observing and predicting future challenges”.

“I think it’s pretty clear that the future is going to look different, and I don’t think there is much doubt that it’s going to be more challenging for water management in many ways,” said Coram. “However, different and more challenging does not necessarily have to mean bad. It could be the catalyst for finding better ways of managing water for people and the environment than we are doing right now, despite the enormity of climate change impacts.”

Women in STEM – Coram’s role

As a woman in the physical sciences, Coram understands the challenges of attracting and retaining women in STEM careers. Her interests include strategy and organisational leadership while facilitating the development of emerging talent and leaders, especially from under-represented diversity groups.

“As a senior STEM leader, one of my ambitions is to help create workplace cultures that inspire and support everyone to contribute and flourish,” she said. “And I think workplace cultures have improved dramatically since the early stages of my career, as have expectations around a robust organisation and good organisational behaviour.”

She pointed out that many organisations have adopted codes of conduct and devised behavioural expectations that encourage contributions from everyone, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, or creed.

“I’m optimistic that things will continue to improve in the coming decades as we have more conspicuous and influential female leaders,” she said. “However, I also encourage women to believe they have an important contribution to make to the water sector. It can be an amazing career. But they need to back themselves, take chances and seize opportunities – believe in the influence they already have and the contribution they can make.”

Helping women thrive in the water sector

While Coram has seen progress in identifying factors that hinder women from thriving in the water sector, it still remains male-dominated, particularly at senior leadership levels. Coram mused that the careers of capable women can still be adversely affected by unconscious bias and the absence of deliberate organisational processes to support diversity.

“There is scope for improvement. There are plenty of amazing women working in the water sector, and making opportunities for them to be visible role models for other women is important,” she said. “Showcasing what they are doing and celebrating the diversity of styles, thinking, and achievements of women and other diversity groups in the water sector will make a real difference.”

Importance of mentoring and role models

One area that Coram thinks is critical is mentoring. In her eyes, one of the impediments to women thriving in any career is their own self-limitation and unwillingness to take chances or back themselves.

“Mentoring can help overcome these personal barriers,” she said. “I do my best to be available as a mentor, and I’ve had some fantastic mentoring experiences where I have learned as much as the person I’ve mentored. But like other male-dominated fields, one of the challenges for female leaders in the water sector is that the demand on us for mentoring is incredibly high, and there are only so many of us available.”

With that in mind, Coram has had to consider more creative ways to share her experiences. She is in no doubt that sharing challenges and lessons learnt is vital to supporting women in the industry.

“I’m very aware that in my position, I’m a role model for female scientists and early and mid-career scientists. As a woman, I have to be authentic in demonstrating that it is possible to have a thriving and rewarding career in STEM,” she said.

Reflecting on her professional experiences in several science organisations, Coram believes it is essential to try and give people from every diversity group the opportunity to have visibility and speak in formal engagements for CSIRO.

“It’s that visibility and seeing the diversity that is very important for role modelling. So I encourage everyone to back themselves and be visible role models and active contributors to shaping organisational cultures where everyone can thrive. If we can get that right, we’re going to be far better placed to respond to the water-related challenges of climate change.”

For more information, visit https://csiro.au.