Carriageworks: Culture Change
INDUSTRY: Creative
Carriageworks stands as a key hub for Australia’s creative industries, celebrated for its lively cultural programs, performances, and exhibitions. Located in an historic railway workshop in Sydney on Gadigal Country, it provides a dynamic space for contemporary art, theatre, music, and dance. Through collaborations with prominent local and international artists, Carriageworks is a hub of creativity within its unique industrial setting.
The Challenge
The Covid-19 pandemic had a severe impact on many Arts organisations. At Carriageworks, the reduction in revenue was so significant and immediate that the organisation entered a period of Voluntary Administration in 2020. While the public rallied hard for the organisation, its return to business still saw major restructuring, considerable employee turnover and deep emotion associated with change.
In response, Carriageworks created a new 5-year strategic plan that prioritised consolidation, agility and resilience in the post-Covid landscape. The Board invited Interchange to design a multi-phase cultural transformation that equipped the organisation with the capability to move into this new phase.
The Solution
To gain a deep understanding of the situation, Interchange launched the project with a comprehensive cultural review.
We conducted live interviews and facilitated focus groups to capture broad insights and real-time examples. This approach created a platform for open and honest conversations to engage across all levels, from C-suite executives to casual employees. With a trove of rich data, Interchange analysed Carriageworks’ cultural dynamics to create a breakdown of the organisation’s cultural themes. On top of this, Interchange was able to define an aspirational future state and a game-plan for the creative hub.
Interchange operates based on the idea that change happens from the head down. To address the recurring cultural themes at Carriageworks, the work started with the leadership team to rearticulate and simplify the organisational purpose, strategy and values.
To create lasting change, trust, and alignment between the leadership team – and in turn extend that through to Carriageworks’ entire employee-base – Interchange designed a series of creative values-based workshops. These were delivered to a variety of cohorts and included:
Executive coaching sessions
Alignment and Team Effectiveness sessions with Executive Leadership
Values-in-action workshops with all staff
Casual workforce engagement workshops
Feedback sessions
CARRIAGEWORKS VALUES-IN-ACTION WORKSHOP
The Outcome
As a result, leadership capabilities were strengthened, enabling leaders to drive change with clarity and confidence. A unifying purpose aligned the team, fostering a sense of shared direction and commitment.
The organisation now operates with a clear, well-integrated strategic vision, supported by actionable values and a collectively designed charter of behaviours. Stronger accountability has been embedded at all levels, reinforcing ownership and responsibility.
With an uplift in team morale and a noticeable positive culture shift, the organisation is better equipped to sustain meaningful change and thrive into the future.