The selected organization is Beyond Blue, a not-for-profit organization that is committed to bettering the lives of Australians by reducing the impact of mental health disorders. Beyond Blue has a powerful force that sits on the board to help in everyday operations. This essay will discuss three powerful women who each hold important positions on the board. The first one is the Chair, Sam Mostyn, then the CEO, Georgie Harman, and Lisa Singh, one of the directors.
Ms. Georgie Harman is the CEO at Beyond Blue and whose attributes echo that of transformational leaders. In the article by Estrada and Carranza (2016), transformational leadership has four essential elements: charm, motivation, intellectual stimulation, and personalized consideration. Ms. Georgie exhibits most, if not all, of these principles, which is evident from the two interviews referenced below.
The first thing that stands out from her interview is her charismatic nature and inspirational leadership style. When she is asked to describe herself, she goes ahead to describe herself as enthusiastic, driven, and humorous, which are some of the traits of a charismatic leader (The CEO Magazine, 2019). Again, her energy and passion for the organization’s cause inspire confidence and admiration among her followers. She also emphasizes the need for visibility and personal accountability in leadership, which is an indication of her commitment to inspiring others through her actions (The CEO Magazine, 2019).
Next in line is Sam Mostyn, who is the chair of Beyond Blue and also has transformational leadership qualities. How so? Mostyn is committed to innovation, activism, and social change, as mentioned during her announcement of appointment by Julia Gillard back in 2023 when she chaired Beyond Blue (Boecker, 2023). Besides this, Georgie Harman acknowledged her vision and clarity, indicating her charisma and ability to inspire others (Boecker, 2023). Her extensive industry experience illustrates her intellectual stimulation, which fosters innovation and creativity. On the same note, her focus on partnership and collaboration indicates that she values different viewpoints and contributions, which is a part of this theory.
The final member is Lisa Singh, one of the directors with a history of supporting civil rights and social inclusion work (Beyond Blue, 2023). Such works indicate a dedication to empowering vulnerable groups. On top of this, her remarks about expanding efforts in increasing mental health support’s accessibility for all Australians are evidence of an inspirational leader who is intellectually stimulated (Beyond Blue, 2023).
With all these in mind, Beyond Blue is able to accomplish its mission of improving Australian citizens’ mental health outcomes through its theoretical ideas of governance. For instance, in the support mode, the organization encourages management and provides advice. This is evident in their dedication to listening and understanding the needs of their stakeholders, which the organization states in its vision and strategy. This approach is consistent with the stakeholder theory of governance, which considers the interests of different stakeholders (Bossio & Kaczur, 2021; Madiwalar, 2015). All of these efforts are enough testament to Beyond Blue’s commitment to supporting the community at large.
The second governance mode that stands out in the organization is stewardship theory. Beyond Blue leaders act as responsible custodians of the organization’s reputation and resources (Bossio & Kaczur, 2021. The organization’s leadership, led by its CEO Georgie Harman, showcases integrity and transparency in its operations. They do this through annual reports like the 2021-2022, which provide an account of every penny spent and an evaluation of the organization’s performance, which in turn ensures the resources are used efficiently to fulfill the organization’s mission ( (“Annual Highlights 21/22,” 2022); Bossio & Kaczur, 2021). This approach also reflects the scrutiny mode. Again, Beyond Blue ensures its long-term viability and credibility through good governance practices like strategic planning and risk management, as suggested by Madiwalar (2015).
Furthermore, the organization showcases elements of stretch mode through its continued efforts of improvement and innovations in its operations. This can be seen from their expanded services, like their Beyond Blue Support Service relaunch, which boasts improved features that leverage user feedback (“Annual Highlights 21/22,” 2022). Along the same lines, this kind of improvement fits perfectly with the elements of agency theory that seek to enhance shareholder interests through efficient management.
Besides all these, Beyond Blue operates in a strategy mode through its wide consultation stated before making important decisions that affect its objectives in its annual report (Beyond Blue, 2023). They also consider external trends and opportunities to influence constructive social change and improvements in their systems (“Annual Highlights 21/22,” 2022). This aligns with the resource dependency theory discussed by Madiwalar (2015), which centers on the strategic management of external resources to help attain an organization’s goals.
Just like in the for-profit organizations, employees at non-profit organizations continue to face challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. In the case of Beyond Blue the employees are likely to struggle with financial constraints, heavy workloads and insufficient resources. As earlier mentioned, Beyond Blue relies on government funding, which makes it susceptible to inconsistencies in these funds cause limited resources. This is likely to be translated to the employees and can cause financial stress, which can take a toll on employees’ mental health and productivity (Hutchinson, 2023). Similarly, concerns about job security and salary cuts can cause heightened anxiety and lower motivation.
Moreover, work at such organizations can be so demanding due to factors like increased service demands, staff shortages and high turnover rates (Richmond, 2023). This leaves employees with an increased workload, which can result in burnout and decreased job satisfaction. Without a doubt, when there are few colleagues, employees may feel overworked and overstretched, which can heighten stress levels and lower job satisfaction.
Therefore, the leaders at Beyond Blue can develop initiatives based on theories of motivation, like Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory. It includes elements like recognition and incentives to motivate employees. The leaders can acknowledge employees’ efforts in managing their workload through verbal praise, giving them performance bonuses and opportunities for professional growth (Mitsakis & Galanakis, 2022).
Apart from this, the leaders can ensure job enrichment for the employees through improving their internal drive. One way to do this is by involving them in decision-making processes and giving them freedom in their roles, which can boost their job satisfaction (Mitsakis & Galanakis, 2022). Also, the leaders can ensure the employees have a flexible work schedule, which can help boost their morale.
The last way to keep the employees motivated and avoid them leaving is through creating a supportive work environment. Beyond Blue leaders can implement staff support initiatives , advocate for work life balance and give employees acess to counseling and mental health services. Such gestires makes the workers feel appreciated and cared for which raises their motivation and their productivity.
Annual Highlights 21/22. (2022). Beyond Blue | 24/7 Support for Anxiety, Depression and Suicide Prevention. https://www.beyondblue.org.au/docs/default-source/about-beyond-blue/annual-reports/beyond-blue-annual-highlights-2021-22-v7-web_with-fins.pdf
Beyond Blue. (2023). Media releases. Beyond Blue | 24/7 Support for Anxiety, Depression and Suicide Prevention. https://www.beyondblue.org.au/media/media-releases/media-releases/new-directors-join-beyond-blue
Boecker, B. (2023). Sam Mostyn AO Replaces Julia Gillard as Chair of Beyond Blue. womensagenda.com.au. https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/appointments/sam-mostyn-ao-replaces-julia-gillard-as-chair-of-beyond-blue/
Bossio, V., & Kaczur, M. (2021). The power‐structure model of non‐profit governance. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 30(4), 442-460. https://doi.org/10.1111/corg.12417
The CEO Magazine. (2019). Beyond Blue CEO Georgie Harman on the Meeting that Changed her Life [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCKjO_A6Da8
Hutchinson, S. (2023, February 10). Financial stress worse than COVID-19, says beyond blue CEO. Australian Financial Review. https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/leaders/financial-stress-worse-than-covid-19-says-beyond-blue-ceo-20230209-p5cjbz
Madiwalar, M. S. (2015). Theoretical Perspectives of Corporate Governance. International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts. c, 3, 1.
Mitsakis, M., & Galanakis, M. (2022). An Empirical Examination of Herzberg’s Theory in the 21st Century Workplace. Organizational Psychology Re-Examined. Psychology, 13(02), 264-272. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2022.132015
Richmond, R. (2023, May 31). Non-profits, Tackling Growing Social Ills, Face New Challenge: Staff Shortages. lfpress. https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/london-non-profits-tackling-growing-social-ills-face-new-challenge-staff-shortages