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

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

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

3. ‘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

4. The search for innovation

5. Changing Workplace • Knowledge Economy • From 1997- 2002 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 8th our of EU 15 in relation to LLL

6. 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

7. Vision of the Workplace of the Future - • Agile • Customer – centred • Knowledgeintensive • Responsiveto employeeneeds • Networked • Highlyproductive • Involved andparticipatory • Continually learning • Proactivelydiverse

8. THE WORKPLACE OF THE FUTURE WILL BE… • Agile Agile > All parts of the organisation and all employees arecommitted to the need for change and new ideas.Change is embraced willingly and all employees areconstantly alert to opportunities forimprovementand innovation. • Customer – centred • Knowledgeintensive • Responsiveto employeeneeds • Networked • Highlyproductive • Involved andparticipatory • Continually learning • Proactivelydiverse

9. THE WORKPLACE OF THE FUTURE WILL BE… • Agile Involved andparticipatory> The organisation values and actively seeksinvolvement and participation by all employees.The culture,management systems and workprocesses are all designed to enable employeesto become deeply involved in the search for sourcesof higher performance and innovation. • Customer – centred • Knowledgeintensive • Responsiveto employeeneeds • Networked • Highlyproductive • Involved andparticipatory • Continually learning • Proactivelydiverse

10. THE WORKPLACE OF THE FUTURE WILL BE… • Agile Continuallylearning> Learning and experimentation are encouraged andthere is an ongoing focus on training, skills andlearning to increase the skill content in all work. • Customer – centred • Knowledgeintensive • Responsiveto employeeneeds • Networked • Highlyproductive • Involved andparticipatory • Continually learning • Proactivelydiverse

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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.

14. Emerging areas for action Information flows - Private Sector

15. Percentage of employees consulted prior to decisions affecting their work

16. From Vision to Action – Five strategic Priorities • Agile Commitment to innovation Capacity for change Developing Future Skills Access to the Workplace Quality of Working life • Customer – centred • Knowledgeintensive • Responsiveto employeeneeds • Networked • Highlyproductive • Involved andparticipatory • Continually learning • Proactivelydiverse

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