Collaborative Design & Ways of Working

I help teams, groups and partnerships design collaboration that is deliberate, practical, and sustained - whether that’s within a single organisation or across several.

The outcome: collaboration that is purposeful, well-governed, and capable of achieving more than the sum of its parts.

HOW THIS WORK IS APPROACHED

This work supports teams, partnerships, and multi-stakeholder groups whose outcomes depend on people working together across roles, functions, or perspectives. The focus is on shaping the collaboration itself - not just convening people, but designing how collective effort is organised, governed, and carried through over time.

Attention is given to how trust is built, how tension is worked with, and how shared intent is translated into action as the work unfolds. The approach is deliberate and grounded, creating enough structure to support momentum while leaving room for difference, emergence, and shared ownership.

This work is often sought where organisations want to be intentional about how people work together - designing collaboration where it adds value, and shaping ways of working to support strong outcomes.

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Abbey brings structure, insight, and integrity to the way she builds and sustains partnerships.

She is thoughtful and deliberate in how she establishes governance and accountability arrangements that enable organisations to work together with clarity and confidence.

Her approach fosters trust and mutual respect while maintaining a clear focus on purpose and outcomes. Abbey is skilled at navigating the dynamics of collaboration - balancing diverse interests and creating the conditions for partnerships to deliver genuine, lasting impact.

Mitra, CEO, Social Services and International Development Sector

PORTFOLIO

Selected examples of work.

  • Implementation of a Statewide Collaborative Governance Framework

    Sector: State Government

    Scope: Led the statewide implementation of a Regional Collaborative Governance Framework.

    Outcome: The framework strengthened cross-agency collaboration, built regional leadership capability, and created clearer pathways for regional intelligence to inform policy and program development.

    Focus:

    • Collaborative governance

    • System stewardship

    • Cross-agency collaboration

  • Co-Design of a National Impact Framework

    Sector: Not-for-Profit

    Scope: Facilitated the co-design of an organisational impact framework for a national child protection organisation, working across leadership and program teams.

    Outcome: Co-designed a clear impact framework connecting daily operations to long-term outcomes, and supported senior leaders to plan for implementation.

    Focus:

    • Impact measurement

    • Co-design

    • Child protection

  • Strategic Planning for a Primary Health Network

    Sector: Health / Commonwealth Government

    Scope: Led a strategic planning process for a Primary Health Network, working with senior leaders and staff across the organisation.

    Outcome: Supported the development of a future-focused strategy aligned with national health priorities, strengthening alignment around service delivery and performance.

    Focus:

    • Strategic planning

    • Healthcare facilitation

    • Outcomes-driven design

  • Co-Design of a Grants and Funding Framework

    Sector: Local Government

    Scope: Facilitated workshops to redesign a local council's grants and funding programs with staff and community stakeholders.

    Outcome: Co-designed an inclusive and transparent grants framework aligned with local community priorities, improving clarity and consistency in how funding decisions were made.

    Focus:

    • Community co-design

    • Funding strategy

    • Stakeholder engagement

  • Stewardship Charter Co-Design for a Deputy Director-General Group

    Sector: State Government

    Scope: Facilitated the development of a Stewardship Charter for a State Government leadership group.

    Outcome: Supported collaborative discussions on leadership values and system stewardship, resulting in a shared charter that clarified accountability and strengthened cross-agency coordination.

    Focus:

    • Leadership facilitation

    • Collaborative governance

    • System stewardship

  • Team Culture and Role Clarity Workshop

    Sector: State Government

    Scope: Designed and facilitated a culture and collaboration workshop between two interconnected government teams navigating shared responsibilities.

    Outcome: Supported teams to co-create a shared charter, clarify individual work preferences, and establish clearer accountability across shared roles.

    Focus:

    • Team culture and ways of working

    • Role clarity

    • Facilitation design

  • Design and Implementation of a Community Engagement Framework

    Sector: Local Government

    Scope: Led the design and implementation of a Community Engagement Framework for a local council, encompassing policy and governance mechanisms. 

    Outcome: Delivered the council's first organisation-wide engagement framework, establishing a consistent approach to community engagement.

    Focus:

    • Engagement policy and governance

    • Online engagement platforms

    • Framework design

  • Strategic Planning for a Women's Support Service

    Sector: Community / Not-for-Profit

    Scope: Delivered strategic planning workshops for a women's domestic and family violence support service, working across leadership and key stakeholders. 

    Outcome: Supported the organisation to clarify strategic priorities, plan service expansion, and develop a five-year roadmap for growth and impact.

    Focus:

    • Strategic planning

    • Facilitation for social impact

    • Roadmap development

  • First Nations Health Equity Strategy - Cultural Co-Design

    Sector: State Government / Health

    Scope: Facilitated workshops with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders and community stakeholders to support the development of a First Nations Health Equity Strategy.

    Outcome: Sessions grounded the strategy in community leadership and cultural knowledge, strengthening its legitimacy and relevance. 

    Focus:

    • First Nations engagement

    • Health equity

    • Cultural co-design

  • Co-Design of Culture Measurement Tools

    Sector: Health / Not-for-Profit

    Scope: Facilitated the co-design of culture measurement tools for a mental health peak body, working with leadership and staff across the organisation.

    Outcome: Developed tools that made organisational values visible and measurable, giving the organisation a practical basis for ongoing cultural alignment.

    Focus:

    • Organisational culture

    • Measurement framework design

    • Co-design

CONSIDERING THIS APPROACH

Each engagement is shaped in response to context, constraints, and ambition, and developed in close conversation with those involved.

If you’re exploring how collaboration or partnership could be designed more intentionally in your context, I’d be glad to connect.

Let's Connect
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