PART A:

The Australian Red Cross is governed by a council of the Australian Red Cross Society and

the Australian Red Cross board. The board has 16 members who oversee the chief executive

officer (CEO) role. They include the President, the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood Chair

Deputy President, Youth Member, the Audit and Risk Committee Chair, Chair or nominee of

each of the eight Divisional Advisory Boards from each state and territory, and up to three

Additional Board Members. These members have a rich experience in humanitarian services

and volunteering. For example, James Birch, the current chair Australian Red Cross

Lifeblood, has a long history running South Australia’s Human Services and Health

Department, and Dr. Garry, the Victoria division-appointed board member, started his

humanitarian service journey as a volunteer with Red Cross in the Whittlesea community

after the 2009 Victorian bushfires (Australian Red Cross, 2022).

All the board members understand the role of Red Cross as a humanitarian service provider.

They embody the mission “To reduce or prevent human suffering wherever found,” and the

vision to improve the lives of vulnerable people in Australia and internationally by mobilizing

humanity power. They have been appointed to those positions based on their demonstrated

commitment and passion for serving humanity and their leadership can be explained by

traits leadership theory (Australian Red Cross, 2022).

Traits leadership theories isolate traits that distinguish between leaders and non-leaders.

Robbins et al, (2019) established 7 traits that leaders demonstrate: drive, desire to lead,

integrity and honesty, self-confidence, intelligence, job-relevant knowledge and

extraversion. One of the common traits among the board members of ARC is drive. Most of
them began their humanitarian service at an early age, demonstrating an internal drive to

help. The president leads by example and volunteers 40 hours weekly to harness assets and

liaise with executives daily. This way, he demonstrates high consistency between word and

deed, a critical aspect of honesty and integrity (Robbins et al., 2019). These leaders are also

transformative in inspiring and stimulating followers to achieve extraordinary outcomes

(Siangchokyoo et al., 2020) and responding to humanitarian crises under challenging

situations. The president leads the board to support teams, members and volunteers to

achieve client needs (Australian Red Cross, 2022).

PART B

Junian established the five modes in which organisation boards operate. The members must

know about the different models and when they are operating in each. The modes include:

a) Support Mode: Here boards encourage management and provide advice (Hudson &

Rogan, 2009). The ARC board provides support to the management team in a

number of ways. For example, the board provides advice on strategy, risk

management, and financial planning. The board also supports the management

team by providing them with the resources they need to be successful. The

president himself takes over 40 hours weekly volunteership to mobilise assets for

the organisation. The board also approves budget to make resources available for

meeting organisation needs(Australian Red Cross,2023).

b) Stretch mode: The board challenges management to make improvements (Hudson &

Rogan, 2009). The ARC board challenges the management team to make

improvements in a number of areas. For example, in 2022, the board challenged the
 management team to develop a new plan to reduce the ARC's environmental

impact. The board also regularly reviews the ARC's performance against its strategic

goals and challenges the management team to achieve better results, especially on

sustainability (Australian Redcross,2023).

c) Security mode: Here, boards examine propositions and hold management to account

(Hudson & Rogan, 2009). The audit and risk committee in ARC handles this. It

ensures the society meets its essential audit and risk compliance requirement.

d) Stewardship mode: The board's work here is to guard the organisation’s assets,

reputation and long-term future (Hudson & Rogan, 2009). This aligns with the work

of the audit and risk committee (Australian Red Cross, 2022).

e) Strategy mode: The board here consults widely and makes big decisions that affect

future direction of an organisation(Ferreira et al., 2018). In 2021, the ARC board

approved a new strategic plan that sets out new strategic priorities and goals for the

next five years. This plan captures the aspirations of donors, government,

community groups and other stakeholders on the future direction of ARC.

The ARC board remains committed to good governance evidenced in the transparent,

accountable and participatory nature that guides all activities. Guided, by the principles of

humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntarism, unity and universality, the

board keeps the organisation moving (International Committee of the Red Cross, 2015). For

example, in 2021, the organisation raised $242 million in donations for black summer

bushfires and spent the money for the purpose and published the expenditure for

accountability (Priest, 2021).

PART C
The employees of the Australian Red Cross especially the humanitarian division currently

face several significant challenges. ARC admits that it is addressing a historical issue of

underpayment of pay, allowances, and other entitlements due to internal errors (Fair Work

Ombudsman, 2021). This has undoubtedly caused uncertainty, dissatisfaction and stress

among the workforce. Although the unintentional nature of the errors is admitted, the

prolonged duration of rectification has added to the challenges faced by current and former

employees. This affects their financial security and overall well-being.

Further, the nature of the organisation's work bears a unique set of challenges. Employees

are frequently exposed to the increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters. This

necessitates their response to events like floods, bushfires, and cyclones (International

Committee of the Red Cross, 2013). The response environment poses considerable physical

and emotional demands on the workforce, potentially affecting their mental health and job

satisfaction.

Moreover, community needs' dynamic and evolving nature makes their work more complex

(International Committee of the Red Cross, 2013). Employees must continuously adapt to

changing circumstances, learn new skills, and navigate complex situations. This adaptability

requirement can contribute to stress and job-related pressures. Furthermore, working in

challenging and dangerous environments, such as disaster zones and conflict areas, exposes

employees to considerable safety risks. This often affects their job satisfaction and well-

being, as they navigate the complexities of humanitarian work in environments.

The ARC leaders can use various strategies to keep their team motivated despite these

challenges. One pertinent approach is to leverage Frederick Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory.

According to this theory, there are motivator factors (job content) and hygiene factors (job

context) that affect employee motivation (Robbins et al., 2019). While rectifying the

underpayment issue addresses hygiene factors, leaders can focus on enhancing motivator

factors.

Some key measures include:

a) Recognising and appreciating employees for their continued dedication and good

work. Rewards can be a positive reinforcement, while giving them feedback

highlighting positive contribution can foster a sense of accomplishment (Robbins et

al., 2019).

b) Australian Redcross can also offer training and development opportunities (Robbins

et al., 2019) to help employees adapt to changing community needs and empower

them with necessary tools to excel in challenging environment.

c) Promoting work-life balance, mental support and stress management can be a relief

to encounter the demanding and unpredictable nature of humanitarian work.

d) Adopting a more participative style of involving employees in decision-making

especially on matters relating disaster response can cultivate ownership of the

results of decisions (Hudson & Rogan, 2009).

References

Australian Red Cross. (2022). Committees of the

Board. https://www.redcross.org.au/sites/annual-reports/2015/governance/

comittees/

Australian Red Cross. (2023). Australian Red Cross Board. Australian Red Cross

Board. https://www.redcross.org.au/governance/board-members/

Fair Work Obudsman. (2021, November 5). Red Cross signs enforceable

undertakings. https://www.fairwork.gov.au/newsroom/media-releases/2021-

media-releases/november-2021/20211105-Red-Cross-EU-media-release

Ferreira, J., Mueller, J., & Papa, A. (2018). Strategic knowledge management: Theory,

practice and future challenges. Journal of Knowledge Management, 24(2), 121-

126. https://doi.org/10.1108/jkm-07-2018-0461

Hudson, M., & Rogan, L. (2009). Managing without profit: Leadership, management and

governance of third sector organisations in Australia. UNSW Press.

International Committee of the Red Cross. (2013, December 6). Operational challenges in

carrying out humanitarian activities in a changing

environment. https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/resources/documents/misc/5udjv6.htm

International Committee of the Red Cross. (2015). The Fundamental Principles of The

International Red Cross And Red Crescent

MOVEMENT. https://www.icrc.org/sites/default/files/topic/file_plus_list/4046-

the_fundamental_principles_of_the_international_red_cross_and_red_crescent_m

ovement.pdf

Priest, E. (2021). Red Cross reveals what it has done with $242 million in bushfire

donations. https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/red-cross-reveals-
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essentials (4th ed.). Pearson Higher Education AU.

Siangchokyoo, N., Klinger, R. L., & Campion, E. D. (2020). Follower transformation as the

linchpin of transformational leadership theory: A systematic review and future

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101341. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2019.101341