Background
CEnet is a not-for-profit Information, Communication and Learning Technology (ICLT) services organisation
supporting Catholic Diocese networks that connect school communities across metropolitan, regional and rural
Australia. Created to deliver equitable access to technology and digital services, it plays a pivotal role in enabling learning and connection across dioceses. Evolving from a small startup to a sector-wide organisation, CEnet now supports thousands of educators and learners, helping close the digital divide and ensuring every child has the opportunity to benefit from quality educational technology.
CEnet’s purpose extends beyond technology – driving inclusion, participation and equity across Catholic education. Its shared systems allow schools to focus on teaching and learning with secure, consistent and future ready tools.
Since 2014, CEnet has partnered with Human Synergistics through Accredited Practitioner, Oliver Brecht of Workplace Options to measure and strengthen its culture, ensuring culture remains a key enabler of performance, engagement and service excellence.
The Challenge
In its early years, CEnet’s founders recognised the unique energy and innovation of a startup environment – but also
the need to embed this positive culture into the organisation’s DNA as it matured.
As the organisation expanded its reach and service offerings, the leadership team wanted to ensure the collaborative, mission-led spirit remained strong. They sought a way to not only measure culture but to maintain and evolve it through growth, leadership transitions and sector change.
The Approach
Oliver and Human Synergistics worked closely with CEnet to help the team understand both what their culture looked like and why it was that way – using the Organisational Culture Inventory® (OCI) and Organisational Effectiveness Inventory® (OEI).
The process began by defining an ideal culture and engaging people across the organisation to ensure shared
ownership and alignment. Every employee was invited to complete the OCI and OEI, with participation rates
consistently exceeding 95% – a testament to CEnet’s high levels of engagement and transparency.
Analysis showed a strong foundation of constructive thinking and behaviour styles, with opportunities to
enhance alignment, collaboration and role significance.
With a constructive culture already present, the focus shifted quickly to the OEI to uncover the systems,
structures and processes that could further strengthen performance.
The insights pointed to two key priorities:
- Building significance – helping employees see the direct impact of their work on the schools, teachers and
students they serve. - Strengthening alignment and collaboration – ensuring shared goals and rhythms across teams that reflected
both the organisation’s purpose and the fast-evolving technology landscape
“They knew they had a good culture – one that came from that
early startup spirit, but they wanted to ensure that as they
scaled, that culture remained part of their DNA.”
Accredited Practitioner, Oliver Brecht, Workplace Options
The Results
Over five culture measurement cycles, CEnet has sustained and strengthened its constructive culture —
earning multiple Human Synergistics Culture Sustainability Awards along the way.
The consistent use of the OCI and OEI has allowed CEnet to measure progress, align leadership behaviours, and ensure that its culture evolves in step with strategic goals. Each cycle, the organisation identifies focus areas and implements targeted initiatives – ranging from leadership development frameworks and collaboration programs to enhanced professional learning for managers.
The constructive styles remain a mainstay of CEnet’s success, directly supporting employee engagement,
performance and client satisfaction across the Catholic education sector.
New employees describe immediately feeling the organisation’s strong, values-led culture, underpinned
by visible, authentic leadership and a deep commitment to purpose.
The Journey Continues
Culture remains central to CEnet’s strategy and future. With leadership alignment, open communication, and
a clear focus on collaboration, the organisation continues to evolve while staying true to its mission:
delivering equitable, high-quality technology services that empower learning communities across Australia.
As CEnet continues to grow, the partnership with Workplace Options and Human Synergistics provides
an ongoing framework to measure, reflect, and act – ensuring its culture remains both constructive and
sustainable.
The Culture Sustainability Award
Each year Human Synergistics celebrate the Cultural Transformation and Sustainability
achievements of high performing organisations and these are announced at our Culture & Leadership Conference annually. In 2025, this was again awarded to CEnet.
Culture Transformation and Sustainability Awards recognise those organisations which have created a Constructive Culture or sustained a Constructive Culture on a subsequent remeasure using the Organisational Culture Inventory® (OCI).
Key Takeaways
- Culture was seen as a strategic advantage from the organisation’s inception.
- Regular OCI – OEI assessments provide deep insight and tangible action points.
- Consistently high participation demonstrates engagement and trust.
- Sustained constructive culture contributes directly to performance and sector impact.
- Leadership alignment and communication underpin continuous improvement.
Download the written case study for additional insight.