Assessment Task

This brief outlines requirements of the Australian Red Cross Blood Service (Blood Service) for a short term management assignment. I invite your student group to submit a proposal.

This letter outlines the scope and central question for the assignment that will support the development of a strategy, for consideration by Blood Service management.

Management assignment: How to identify and leverage the experience and knowledge that already resides within the organisation to improve organisation effectiveness

About the Blood Service

The Blood Service is a division of the Australian Red Cross and is responsible for the provision of blood products and related services to the Australian community.

The Blood Service is a not-for-profit organisation that is funded primarily by the Australian Govemment and state/territory governments to provide fresh blood components and plasma for fractionation - and it is the only provider of these components in Australia. The Blood Service also plays a role in promoting safe and appropriate blood transfusion practice through expert clinical and scientific advice, education and research - and is funded to manage a research and development program that extends across clinical, donor and community, and transfusion science research.

In addition to its primary role related to blood products, the Blood Service is involved in the broader solid organ and tissues sector, including performing diagnostic services in most states and territories as well as a range of affiliated agencies and other services, including hosting organisations such as DonateLife in Victoria, the National Organ Matching Service and the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry.

Background

The Blood Service's Strategic Plan -At the Leading Edge - outlines the key areas of future focus for the Blood Service and articulates what needs to be achieved to be at the top of our game. It focuses our efforts to continue to deliver improvements across the organisation and within the sector more broadly.

The plan recognises the extraordinary capabilities within our national network of assets and infrastructure, our skills and capabilities and sets out the plan to maximise their impact across the health sector.

More than ever, we understand that employees will have multiple careers in their lifetime and move between organisations and industries with increasing frequency. When new employees start with the Blood Service, they often bring skills and capabilities well beyond the scope of the position for which they are hired. While we expect people to deliver stunning results within their role, the hidden capabilities of employees have great potential to bring new value to the organisation.

When an organisation contemplates its growth strategy, this may include the development of new products and services, the development of new markets and identifying new customers, or both. Where can organisations source new capability needed to achieve this? Employees with expertise or experience in new these new areas may already be present within the organisation:

How to identify and leverage the experience and knowledge that already resides within the organisation to improve organisation effectiveness?