2
FOREWORD—AN IMPERATIVE FOR
CULTURAL CHANGE
Personal reflections of Geraldine Lyons (formerly Rio Tinto
Kennecott Technical General Manager):
During the decade that saw two significant com-
modity prices shocks (i.e., the Global Financial
Crisis of 2008-9 and the commodity price crisis
of 2015–16), the business adopted a strong cost
focus and went through multiple re-organiza-
tions, which is not uncommon within the indus-
try. Following time in Operations, I rejoined the
Kennecott Technical group in mid-2020, amid the
COVID-19 pandemic. The Kennecott Technical
group, who supports the full value stream, saw
multiple changes during this time The impact left
what appeared to be a mixed remit and balance of
supporting day-to-day operations and the medium
to long-term strategic planning aspects of the busi-
ness. During this same time, there was also a loss
of technical talent, both in capacity and exper-
tise, depth, and breadth. COVID-19 had its own
impacts, one of which put a hold on what is a core
part of a professional’s development: participating
in conferences, site visits and ongoing education.
By 2021, there was definite frustration within the
team. Work-life balance, long to-do lists, sense of
helplessness, a perceived shift in the organization’s
commitment to the personal development of the
team and an ultimate sense that they were not
heard or valued and cared for. The role of the tech-
nical organization is vital and the need for change
was clear.
It is said that key attributes of a ‘healthy’ orga-
nizational culture is one where everyone knows
how they contribute to the mission, where there
is transparent and open communication, shared
goals, a commitment to the well-being and per-
sonal growth and development of employees.
There is also a multitude of papers, books and data
that speaks to the benefits and value to businesses
with a healthy organizational culture. Up to 84%
of the value of an S&P 500 company rests in the
talent, skills, knowledge, work ethic and even the
health of employees (Gallup, 2023). Here was
an incredibly talented team, people who came to
work to contribute, who were hungry to learn and
who really cared for one another and the business.
A team that had much more to offer. Having had
boots in Operations and Technical teams (I saw)
there were times when that tension that exists
left missed opportunities or had negative conse-
quences and often, a felt experience to individuals
and teams of not being valued. It wasn’t hard to
imagine the potential at hand.
Change starts at the top, and having the right
leadership team was an important next step for the
journey we were to undertake. Creating a vision
with a shared purpose: taking the time to re-think
and reassess our role in the organization. As a sup-
port team or a partner, we began to challenge and
shape what would become our anchors to move us
forward. What was getting in our way? What could
we do to start the journey whilst we took the time
to develop the vision and strategy for the team. We
often neglect the leadership development of tech-
nical professionals, professionals who lead others.
We introduced some core fundamental develop-
ment elements focused on communications, giv-
ing, and receiving feedback, critical thinking and
project management combined with basic routines
to start.
What is organizational culture to a team of technical min-
ing professionals who typically deal in numbers and logic?
In the book Walking the Talk, culture is defined as accepted
practices and ways of working in a community of people
(Taylor, 2015). Underpinning this are the values that are
important to this community of people. These values
manifest as behaviors, symbols, and systems that the team
employs. A technical team employs its own unique behav-
iors, symbols, and systems to effectively function. They
are partners with the execution of plans and have a chal-
lenging role of simplifying complex technical content to a
way anyone can understand for the shop floor to a senior
leader in the business to facilitate meaningful discussions
and decisions.
In this context, why is organizational culture worthy of
discussion to technical mining professionals? Good orga-
nizational culture is conducive to the retention of a more
engaged and effective workforce that delivers increased pro-
ductivity (Morgan, 2022). The relevance of organizational
culture transformation is underscored by empirical data at
Rio Tinto. Employee engagement, captured through bi-
annual people surveys, shows a direct correlation between
employee satisfaction and retention. Approximately 71%
of mining leaders acknowledge that a talent shortage ham-
pers their ability to meet production targets and strategic
objectives (McKinsey). Moreover, the work of McKinsey
and Company and Harvard Business Review accentu-
ates the significance of culture in daily operations and
FOREWORD—AN IMPERATIVE FOR
CULTURAL CHANGE
Personal reflections of Geraldine Lyons (formerly Rio Tinto
Kennecott Technical General Manager):
During the decade that saw two significant com-
modity prices shocks (i.e., the Global Financial
Crisis of 2008-9 and the commodity price crisis
of 2015–16), the business adopted a strong cost
focus and went through multiple re-organiza-
tions, which is not uncommon within the indus-
try. Following time in Operations, I rejoined the
Kennecott Technical group in mid-2020, amid the
COVID-19 pandemic. The Kennecott Technical
group, who supports the full value stream, saw
multiple changes during this time The impact left
what appeared to be a mixed remit and balance of
supporting day-to-day operations and the medium
to long-term strategic planning aspects of the busi-
ness. During this same time, there was also a loss
of technical talent, both in capacity and exper-
tise, depth, and breadth. COVID-19 had its own
impacts, one of which put a hold on what is a core
part of a professional’s development: participating
in conferences, site visits and ongoing education.
By 2021, there was definite frustration within the
team. Work-life balance, long to-do lists, sense of
helplessness, a perceived shift in the organization’s
commitment to the personal development of the
team and an ultimate sense that they were not
heard or valued and cared for. The role of the tech-
nical organization is vital and the need for change
was clear.
It is said that key attributes of a ‘healthy’ orga-
nizational culture is one where everyone knows
how they contribute to the mission, where there
is transparent and open communication, shared
goals, a commitment to the well-being and per-
sonal growth and development of employees.
There is also a multitude of papers, books and data
that speaks to the benefits and value to businesses
with a healthy organizational culture. Up to 84%
of the value of an S&P 500 company rests in the
talent, skills, knowledge, work ethic and even the
health of employees (Gallup, 2023). Here was
an incredibly talented team, people who came to
work to contribute, who were hungry to learn and
who really cared for one another and the business.
A team that had much more to offer. Having had
boots in Operations and Technical teams (I saw)
there were times when that tension that exists
left missed opportunities or had negative conse-
quences and often, a felt experience to individuals
and teams of not being valued. It wasn’t hard to
imagine the potential at hand.
Change starts at the top, and having the right
leadership team was an important next step for the
journey we were to undertake. Creating a vision
with a shared purpose: taking the time to re-think
and reassess our role in the organization. As a sup-
port team or a partner, we began to challenge and
shape what would become our anchors to move us
forward. What was getting in our way? What could
we do to start the journey whilst we took the time
to develop the vision and strategy for the team. We
often neglect the leadership development of tech-
nical professionals, professionals who lead others.
We introduced some core fundamental develop-
ment elements focused on communications, giv-
ing, and receiving feedback, critical thinking and
project management combined with basic routines
to start.
What is organizational culture to a team of technical min-
ing professionals who typically deal in numbers and logic?
In the book Walking the Talk, culture is defined as accepted
practices and ways of working in a community of people
(Taylor, 2015). Underpinning this are the values that are
important to this community of people. These values
manifest as behaviors, symbols, and systems that the team
employs. A technical team employs its own unique behav-
iors, symbols, and systems to effectively function. They
are partners with the execution of plans and have a chal-
lenging role of simplifying complex technical content to a
way anyone can understand for the shop floor to a senior
leader in the business to facilitate meaningful discussions
and decisions.
In this context, why is organizational culture worthy of
discussion to technical mining professionals? Good orga-
nizational culture is conducive to the retention of a more
engaged and effective workforce that delivers increased pro-
ductivity (Morgan, 2022). The relevance of organizational
culture transformation is underscored by empirical data at
Rio Tinto. Employee engagement, captured through bi-
annual people surveys, shows a direct correlation between
employee satisfaction and retention. Approximately 71%
of mining leaders acknowledge that a talent shortage ham-
pers their ability to meet production targets and strategic
objectives (McKinsey). Moreover, the work of McKinsey
and Company and Harvard Business Review accentu-
ates the significance of culture in daily operations and