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EGL's mission is to bring accurate data and objective analysis from educational research to organizations.

We are a research institute dedicated to improving policy and decision making through research and analysis



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Developing the storytelling methodology

Our storytelling method involves distilling knowledge and experience through reflective practice and repackaging these insights using new and powerful communication tools to share them with others. The impact of the method lies in how two fundamental communication elements combine to enhance traditional storytelling ideas: firstly it eliminates real time pressures over public speaking, leaving the communicator ample time to refine and articulate their message and secondly its digital outputs lend themselves to far and wide dissemination.


Examples of the storytelling methodology we used in the following domains:

Sharing role model stories to enhance peer learning amongst youth
Sharing definitions of 'Good Lives' to give a voice to Disabled people
Sharing stories to encourage peers to consider leadership roles
Scientists sharing ideas to accelerate the commercialisation process
Scientists describe their ideas to raise profile with investors
Storytelling to evaluate the results of an educational project
Sharing lessons learnt to build tacit knowledge amongst upcoming leaders
Sharing teacher knowledge to change teaching practices
Prototype - farmers sharing knowledge to build on peer learning
Sharing conference learning

Sharing role model stories to enhance peer learning amongst youth
A Todd Foundation funded project carried out in collaboration with AIESEC New Zealand, showcased by the Race Relations Commission, interviews with role models about how they overcome difficult times are shared with a wide audience of young students and their educators. These interviews form a unique repository which each user group can adapt to their needs and concentrate on different playlists.


Sharing definitions of 'Good Lives' to give a voice to Disabled people
The screenshot below represents a playlist of a series of interviews during which a sample of Disabled people and their family members define what a 'Good Life' is to them. People working for the Disability sector also share experiences relevant to this topic. This list represents the start of a pilot study to characterise what the 'Good Life' concept. Impact will be measured long term with the experiences of people using this funding stream.


Sharing stories to encourage peers to consider leadership roles
Women leaders in the NZ dairy sector produced a number of inspirational stories and spurred a national demand for leadership movement (see screenshot below). Watch over 30 women dairy farmers and regional convenors interviews on this playlist. The Dairy Womens Network has used these stories to inspire more of their members to engage in the leadership pipeline.


We are currently developing models for elearning based on the collection, analysis and distribution of tacit knowledge - as shown by the prototype screenshots below:



Scientists sharing ideas to accelerate the commercialisation process 
Lincoln University and the University of Canterbury are collating stories that are offered via electronic channels to their students (see commercialisation channel here). Impact: These stories are used as curriculum in two Universities where students can learn from this unique and innovative curriculum 24/7 via ipods/ipads or mobile technologies.


Scientists describe their ideas to raise profile with investors
Members of the national KiwiNet commercialisation forum use scientists' interviews on their website and social network fora to facilitate virtual introductions of inventors to investors and enrich the content of their innovation database. Impact: The interviews include elements tested for their value to investors and bridge the 'uncertainty' gap to facilitate first contact.



Storytelling to evaluate the results of an educational project
Funded by New Zealand Trade and Entreprise, this evaluation project assessed the performance of E4E (Education for Enterprise) practices in primary and secondary schools as they impacted on early leadership development, risk taking and innovation. The visual research report for this project was also recognised as a examplary resource in the education domain. Please contact us to receive a DVD relating the main aspects of the research.

Sharing lessons learnt to build tacit knowledge amongst upcoming leaders
The Innovators Online Network is a virtual community created in 2001. At the time it was the only virtual communication platform for innovators. It also hosted projects to facilitate the integration of migrants innovators to New Zealand by offering them a vehicle to widen their social network. This project attracted funding from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise ECSA funding for Enterprise Culture Skills and Activities amongst other. The project grew into the New Zealand Leadership Pathway (below). The latter was funded by the Royal Society of New Zealand and New Zealand Trade and Entreprise to collect, analyse and disseminate leadership knowledge in the commercialisation of science and innovation. The first part of the project produced a series of lessons learnt shared by leaders (image below).


An e-learning prototype to disseminate tacit knowledge about success in innovation and commercialisation (screenshot below) has been used by lecturers to teach over 15,000 tertiary students in New Zealand in the past decade.


This leadership archive enables leaders and companies to collect and analyse their leadership stories for online dissemination. E-learning modules create the conditions for participants to experience 'triple loop' learning (Argyris) and in the process create new organisation leadership knowledge. This knowledge architecture is used in over 40 organisations by over 15,000 learners. Impact was described in a number of articles published - such as: Janson, A., & McQueen, R. J. (2007). Capturing leadership tacit knowledge in conversation with leaders: A developmental model. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 28(7): 646-663. 

Sharing teacher knowledge to change teaching practices
A multimedia e-Leadership Learning Object for Microsoft New Zealand, Partners in Learning Project to help teachers and principals build leadership for the education sector. The Ecosynergy Group Ltd (egl) has been supporting Partners in Learning New Zealand, through an extensive research programme aimed at deepening the understanding of the role technology can play in Education. The research is applied so that we document how technology can help teachers develop their teaching practice and students learn better. We have developed and tested methodologies aimed at capturing, analysing and distributing the tacit knowledge of educational experts through video via different electronic means. The distribution of targeted knowledge is gaining in importance since we learn from all our life experiences. The results are published both in peer-reviewed publications and in journals aimed at educators; we also share our experiences and publications via our blog which you can access here:



Over the years, the Ecosynergy Group has carried out research in a wide variety of settings, studying innovative teachers, students and schools while delineating the role of educational leadership into the twenty first century. Our research is carried out in the context of the New Zealand Ministry of Education curriculum outlining the five key competencies (Managing Self, Thinking, Relating to Others, Using language, technology and symbols and Participating and Contributing) and published in a variety of journals (see our publication list).

Prototype - learning platform for the dairy sector

Sharing conference learning
Groundwork Consultants used video technology to capture the buzz at the Tools to Farm Within Limits conference in June 2012 (see screenshot below here).