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Hugh Lovesy tells the story of Littlefish-Pangaea for "Innovations in the Desert: Telling the Stories" project
Littlefish-Pangaea is a great success story of a small - but rapidly growing - business from Central Australia. Its success demonstrates that far from stunting growth, that the remoteness, isolation and tough conditions found in desert regions can be turned into powerful forces that produce excellence at the highest level. The company's core competencies are in the areas of governance and information flow, particularly in the area of financial management. In plain language this means helping people to understand how to use their money and resources better and knowing how to run a business or organization properly. These are areas that are a vital foundation for the success of every business and organization. Despite this they are areas that are very often neglected! Littlefish is based in the town of Alice Springs. Due to the town's central location, right in the middle of the Australian continent, it is a natural base for servicing very large areas of the inland. Being based in Alice Springs and the Northern Territory has been an important ingredient in Littlefish's success. The skills that the company possesses are unique and unmatched. This is because as well as being recognized nationally as leaders in the business community they have been recognized as leaders in cross cultural communication techniques. Littlefish were the first Northern Territory company ever to take out a national award in Australia's most prestigious small business awards - 'The Telstra And Australian Governments' Small Business Awards'. They were inaugural winners of the 2002 Telstra Countrywide 'Regional Incentive Award'. They achieved this from a field of about 4,000 entrants. The awards are open to businesses with 100 employees or less. The company has played an important part in supporting leading indigenous organizations to achieve high levels of self-management. Littlefish has had a long association with organizations like Katherine West Health Board and programs such as the Fred Hollows Foundation Indigenous Program which are considered to have set national standards of a very high level. One of Littlefish's key roles has been to help empower boards and committees within organizations and programs like these. In this context, good governance and the clear flow of financial information are critical. The original idea that underpinned the formation of Littlefish is its Financial Information Graphics System (FIGS). The original system called 'The Money Story'® was conceived by one of the co-founders of Littlefish, Hugh Lovesy, in 1985. It was developed as a means of accurately conveying information contained in standard financial reports by means of a sophisticated use of graphs, pictures and icons. The target audience were indigenous people in remote communities. The idea of computerizing the system was investigated in some depth, but in 1985 this was prohibitively expensive. The company has been operating from Alice Springs since 1994. Its core purpose is 'Designing and presenting clear information that inspires understanding between people'. It now has an advisory board which has a comprehensive mix of expertise drawn from leaders in areas that range from business to indigenous affairs. All except one of the advisory board live outside the Northern Territory. This is a powerful example of how 'Desert Knowledge' links to the mainstream. The company currently has 5.5 employees and services a wide area in the North of Australia. It's work force is expected to expand rapidly over the next 12 months or so as the Katherine, Darwin and Cairns offices come on line. The company is due to start projects in several southern states. It is currently negotiating export contracts in Asia and Africa.
Littlefish is a highly innovative company. It was founded primarily to support indigenous organizations achieve better levels of governance and self-management. As a critical first step to implement this the company focused on improving information flow - particularly financial information flow - to indigenous boards and committees. In order to do this it has developed software that converts standard numerical financial reports into graphics and icons that make such reports easily accessible to anyone regardless of their level of business expertise, or even their level of literacy and numeracy. The system is called The Money Story®. This forms part of the company's Financial Information Graphics System (FIGS). The company is currently undertaking further development work in the software field. The company has also built up a unique support program which greatly enhances the effectiveness of its FIGS system. The program covers areas such as governance and how to understand and make best use of core power information in an organization. This program is extremely practical, flexible and is suitable for use with a wide range of organizations. Littlefish's work has been very well received both a local and at a national level. Margaret Carroll, Financial Advisor, in her recently published book 'Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives'. (New Holland Australia Publishers Pty. Ltd. 2001. ISBN 1 86436 685 - in Chapter 11 p130) commented that FIGS is 'An idea brilliant in its simplicity and clarity - I can see its relevance to my own business'.
Working Across Cultures - Over a quarter of the population of the Northern Territory is of indigenous descent. Most indigenous people live in remote communities hundreds of kilometres from urban centres. The majority of them only speak English as a second or third language. There are many different language groups. The culture and way of living differ markedly from language group to language group. This has stimulated Littlefish to develop products that are robust and well received in a wide range of cultures. This has given the company a distinct advantage in the export market over other companies based in large population centres. Distance - Travelling a round trip of 2000 kms on dirt roads to visit a client is tiring, time consuming and expensive! This has spurred us on to develop electronic alternatives where ever they are appropriate. Isolation - This was a serious problem before the internet really got going and virtual nets became easy to operate. We make extensive use of the internet and are now linked directly to our Melbourne office. It is important to keep up to date with information and production techniques from all over the world. Getting Known - Our web site gets a lot of hits and we have generated considerable business from it. But it is also important to meet people in person. Alice Springs is now well served by airline flights to all major centres in Australia. This makes regular business travel to these centres convenient and trouble free. The Northern Territory is a great place to do business. Alice Springs is a vibrant town which punches far above its weight. The Desert Knowledge project is a great example of this. The unique conditions of Central Australia have fostered the development of a large number of highly creative people - both indigenous and non-indigenous. So Littlefish intends to expand nationally and internationally while keeping its base in Central Australia. For detailed information about Littlefish's products and services visit www.littlefish.com.au July, 2003. Littlefish Pangaea |
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