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An insider’s account of the transformation—and recovery from potential ruin—of Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), this book details how the iconic research agency reinvented itself through its National Flagship Initiative. In 2001, facing the threat of funding cuts and potential loss of reputation, the CSIRO set out to achieve the changes necessary for its survival, wrestling with nearly every aspect of its identity and culture, and this record tells the story of the dramatic, successful program that brought together the nation’s greatest minds to tackle some of its biggest challenges, including water, energy, and the future of food. The frank and unflinching account documents the result of the biggest shake-up in the organization’s history: extra funding and the highest accolades at the Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Sector Management. The true story of a national agency’s struggle to find its way in a changing political and financial environment proves to be a fascinating read and is sure to appeal to managers, strategic planners, and academics.

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