Working to our Advantage A National Workplace Strategy Lucy Fallon-Byrne, Director, NCPP

Overview 1. Why our workplaces need to change 2. Emerging features of successful workplaces in a knowledge economy 3. Workplaces in Ireland today: An assessment 4. The New National Workplace Strategy

‘ Developing our innovation and technology base depends as much on improving the ability of workplaces to change and innovate as it does on research and development’ Working to our Advantage

The search for innovation

Changing Workplace Knowledge Economy –From Ireland’s growth rate in employment in knowledge-intensive services far outstripped EU neighbours New workers –Need up to 420,000 workers up to 2010 –150,000 from outside the State – 30,000 per annum –Need 300,000 with third level qualifications Learning –30% of current workforce do not have a Leaving Certificate –Ireland ranks 8 th our of EU 15 in relation to LLL

Why our workplaces are changing Transition to a knowledge economy –Rapid rate of change in structure of employment – shift from low skill to high skilled work –By 2015, human capital intensive sectors will make up 75% of total employment growth –By 2015 one in four people will be employed in knowledge intensive professions –Additional 300,000 employees with third level education required up to 2010 –80% of workfore in 2015 is currently employed

 Proactively diverse Proactively diverse  Continually learning Continually learning  Involved and participatory Involved and participatory  Highly productive Highly productive  Networked Networked  Responsive to employee needs Responsive to employee needs  Knowledge intensive Knowledge intensive  Customer – centred Customer – centred  Agile Agile Vision of the Workplace of the Future -

 Proactively diverse Proactively diverse  Continually learning Continually learning  Involved and participatory Involved and participatory  Highly productive Highly productive  Networked Networked  Responsive to employee needs Responsive to employee needs  Knowledge intensive Knowledge intensive  Customer – centred Customer – centred  Agile Agile THE WORKPLACE OF THE FUTURE WILL BE… Agile > All parts of the organisation and all employees are committed to the need for change and new ideas. Change is embraced willingly and all employees are constantly alert to opportunities for improvement and innovation.

 Proactively diverse Proactively diverse  Continually learning Continually learning  Involved and participatory Involved and participatory  Highly productive Highly productive  Networked Networked  Responsive to employee needs Responsive to employee needs  Knowledge intensive Knowledge intensive  Customer – centred Customer – centred  Agile Agile Involved and participatory > The organisation values and actively seeks involvement and participation by all employees. The culture,management systems and work processes are all designed to enable employees to become deeply involved in the search for sources of higher performance and innovation. THE WORKPLACE OF THE FUTURE WILL BE…

 Proactively diverse Proactively diverse  Continually learning Continually learning  Involved and participatory Involved and participatory  Highly productive Highly productive  Networked Networked  Responsive to employee needs Responsive to employee needs  Knowledge intensive Knowledge intensive  Customer – centred Customer – centred  Agile Agile Continually learning > Learning and experimentation are encouraged and there is an ongoing focus on training, skills and learning to increase the skill content in all work. THE WORKPLACE OF THE FUTURE WILL BE…

Second generation partnership  Repositioning partnership from  ‘something we do’ to ‘the way we do things’  Embedding partnership in core processes eg:  Strategic planning  Team working  Moving from an agenda that is focussed on ‘softer issues’ to a more strategic agenda  Ensuring that partnership becomes part of everybody’s job description not just a few  Using existing decision-making and communication processes rather than creating new structures

Assessment of Irish workplaces: Survey findings Under-utilisation of the workforce Under-utiliisation of women’s skills Low levels of information and consultation The opportunities divide in the workplace Linking innovation and change to job satisfaction and reduction in stress

Assessment of Irish workplaces: Survey findings Adoption of ‘bundles of practices’ associated with high performance is quite limited Information and consultation Employee involvement and participation Continuous training and upskilling Performance management and appraisal Innovative reward systems including financial involvement Puplic service poor at knowledge management, performance management and highly centralised Management and leadership needs to be improved.

Information flows - Private Sector Emerging areas for action

Percentage of employees consulted prior to decisions affecting their work

 Proactively diverse Proactively diverse  Continually learning Continually learning  Involved and participatory Involved and participatory  Highly productive Highly productive  Networked Networked  Responsive to employee needs Responsive to employee needs  Knowledge intensive Knowledge intensive  Customer – centred Customer – centred  Agile Agile From Vision to Action – Five strategic Priorities Commitment to innovation Capacity for change Developing Future Skills Access to the Workplace Quality of Working life

‘ ’ The key question is whether the same energy that was invested in Ireland’s economic transformation over the latter two decades of the 20 th century can now be brought to bear on Ireland’s workplaces in the 21 st century?’ Working to our Advantage