Employee-driven innovation - an organisational challenge

Transcription

1 Employee-driven innovation - an organisational challenge ISA - World Sociology Congress, Yokohama July Anthony Kallevig, LO Norway Tone Merethe Berg Aasen, NTNU Trondheim

2 Employee-driven innovation Based on traditions Based on the social partners cooperation traditions and mutual trust - Top Management - Shop stewards. DUI - Learning by Doing, Using and Interacting. Increased creativity and shared responsibility enhances the innovation capability of the work place. Increasing Norway's innovation power and competitiveness, through competence development and broad involvement. Organizing existing competencies in new ways leads to new opportunities and innovations. Not just continuous improvements. A.Kallevig, LO Norway ISA - Congress in Yokohama July

3 Historical background EDI in Norway - An effect of Industrial democracy and the Nordic work life model 1960s Thorsrud and Emery The Cooperation project The Cooperation act - Social partners Basic agreement 1973 The Company act - Employee representation on the Board 1977 The new labour law - focus on psychosocial matters (STS) 1982 The Social partners joint enterprise development initiative Enterprise Development 2000 and Value Creation LO takes a leading initiative in promoting EDI in Norway 2008 EDI becomes part of the Governments Innovation Policy 2012 On going Norwegian and Nordic EDI - research initiatives. A.Kallevig, LO Norway ISA - Congress in Yokohama July

4 Employee-driven innovation a target area in the Norwegian innovation strategy Employee driven innovation is the systematic use of employees ideas, knowledge and experience to improve innovation capacity in the organization, resulting in new products, processes or services, developed in an open and including innovation processes. Anthony Kallevig, LO The challenge is how this idea can be successfully implemented in practice! A.Kallevig, LO Norway ISA - Congress in Yokohama July

5 EDI-research conditions and effects 1. Conditions 2. Effects direct and indirect Internal conditions: -Cooperation -Leadership - Autonomy -Innovation focus -Tasks EDI Productivity Operational costs Product quality Employee satisfaction Motivation Impact on business sustainability External relationships Change attitude Sickness absence Labour turnover Number of employees Impact on socio-economic factors A.Kallevig, LO Norway ISA - Congress in Yokohama July

6 The Norwegian EDI project A.Kallevig, LO Norway ISA - Congress in Yokohama July

7 Strategic and purposeful design industries enterprises persons A.Kallevig, LO Norway ISA - Congress in Yokohama July

8 What do we know about EDI? experiences from Norway There are many not one - best practices for EDI. Most companies use tools to capture and manage ideas, but there are companies lacking such structures which are equally good at EDI. Companies succeeding with EDI share certain cultural characteristics, such as trust and openness. The role of employee representatives and the working managers appears to be of particular importance to succeed with EDI. A.Kallevig, LO Norway ISA - Congress in Yokohama July

9 Conditions for successful EDI practices Professional roles Use & influence Means and tools Leader Employee Representative Influence Encourage & strengthen Cultural characteristics A.Kallevig, LO Norway ISA - Congress in Yokohama July

10 Tools and measures supportive of EDI Idea selection Tools for prioritizing of ideas, for further development and realization Arenas for communication Tools for widespread sharing of information and discussion about challenges and opportunities Idea capture Tools for registration and refinement of ideas EDI - Ideas and suggestions - Idea realization - Effect and profit Innovation culture and innovation focus Tools to motivate engagement and participation A.Kallevig, LO Norway ISA - Congress in Yokohama July

11 important factors A.Kallevig, LO Norway ISA - Congress in Yokohama July

12 Leaders should be very conscious that there are persons in every organization who have bright minds, clear ideas, clear meanings. I think the key is participation, - and to avoid «Yes, but» questions. 1.Leadership A.Kallevig, LO Norway ISA - Congress in Yokohama July

13 I feel that we don t really have a hierarchy here. I think everybody feels a great responsibility, and think that we have equal opportunities to contribute. Everybody realizes that it is us who create the company. 2.Employee autonomy A.Kallevig, LO Norway ISA - Congress in Yokohama July

14 We know that the work we do is the basis for making this company a good workplace today and in the future, and we do it because we think that it is of value. It is of value for us who work here, but also for society, and for the owners. 3. Cooperation A.Kallevig, LO Norway ISA - Congress in Yokohama July

15 If somebody is excited about an idea which is of a certain scope, it is reasonable that they also take an active part in the job to conceptualize the idea, and participate to see if it is actually valuable, or not. 4.Development orientation A.Kallevig, LO Norway ISA - Congress in Yokohama July

16 Profiting from EDI involves bridging internal and external knowledge sources widespread cooperative and creative skills general interest in improvement increased engagement in innovation reduced opposition to change improved coherence changing roles of leaders mobilization of middle management A.Kallevig, LO Norway ISA - Congress in Yokohama July

17 A.Kallevig, LO Norway ISA - Congress in Yokohama July