Case Study: Building one team across two organisations

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority & Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service

The Situation

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (federal government) and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (state government) jointly deliver a permissions system for the Great Barrier Reef, assessing permit applications from tourism operators, researchers, commercial fishers and others.

This work involves collaboration across multiple teams, disciplines, government jurisdictions and organisational systems, creating a highly complex operating environment.

Over 30 staff from both agencies came together to develop a shared vision for delivery of the permission system, and identify opportunities to improve how the work is delivered collaboratively.

The approach

Renée guided the group through a structured, full-day workshop designed to bring people together and translate discussion into practical outcomes.

Renée’s workshop approach included:

Reviewing the internal work already done by the team to build on existing insights, rather than starting from scratch.
A short pre-work survey to gather key themes from all attendees and ensure focused, efficient discussions on the day.
Guiding the group through a structured process to build shared understanding, identify priorities and develop practical solutions.
Mixing participants and disciplines across organisations to encourage cross-team collaboration.

The session concluded with a practical discussion of how the solutions and actions would continue beyond the workshop, ensuring shared ownership and ongoing momentum.

The Result

The workshop created a strong foundation for more aligned and effective collaboration across both organisations, including:

A shared vision for delivery of the permissions system.
Greater understanding of roles, processes and priorities across individual teams.
A set of practical, agreed actions going forward.
Clear ownership by the group of future progress and implementing actions.

Renée also provided a detailed post-workshop report, giving the team a practical reference point to support ongoing work.

“The day was not rushed and there was a good balance of activities and discussions. All people seemed positive and well engaged.”
“The group activities sparked meaningful discussions. I enjoyed working together.”
“Solution-focused discussions with good contribution from all participants.”
“We’ve identified problems and come up with tangible solutions. We now have an action plan for how we’re going to move forward.”
“I enjoyed feeling like one team instead of two.”
– Workshop attendees from Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service

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