Lesson 1.1 – Overview of Inclusive Innovation in the Workplace
Introduction
This first lesson introduces the goals and content in the Enabling Inclusive Innovation in the Workplace set of learning resources and activities. For maximum benefit from these resources, it is ideal that learners will already have developed initial capability for employee-led workplace innovation at the levels outlined in the text box below (based on the eCampus Ontario learning resources and activities on Understanding Workplace Innovation).
Suggested Prerequisite Capability in Understanding Workplace Innovation:
Prior to engaging in the lessons and activities in this resource, learners will (ideally) have:
- Developed knowledge of the basic concepts of employee-led workplace innovation as a social process of creating value in the workplace by mobilizing new ideas. A guiding principle is to aim for improvement in both organizational performance and employee quality of work for employees.
- Engaged with exemplary workplace innovation practices to develop your skills in a progression of project experiences of increasing complexity, team size, uncertainty, and potential impact.
- Reflected on your own innovation mindset, including your identity, motivation, and capability as an innovator (in the workplace, but also in other roles as a community member and global citizen)
Outcomes of the learning resource Enabling Inclusive Innovation in the Workplace
- Learners will broaden their capability in workplace innovation across more diverse activities and employee teams by:
- Expanding their knowledge to include additional employee-led innovation activities and examples of the exemplary practices that have emerged to increase their effectiveness and impact.
- Engaging with the growing body of research evidence which is helping organizations to provide a supportive infrastructure that encourages, enables and leverages employee-led workplace innovation.
- Explore the emerging job roles of Workplace Innovation Catalysts (employees with special expertise in helping other employees increase the effectiveness of their innovation projects, e.g., by providing leadership for multi-employee innovation projects, serving as innovation project managers or facilitating the social processes involved in innovation teamwork).
- Explore opportunities for Innovation Catalysts to facilitate the dissemination and adaptation of research insights and exemplary practices into new workplace contexts, as a catalyst for innovation knowledge mobilization by experiencing this role through an extended Applied Project, which will prepare learners for an external workplace project either in a work-integrated learning placement (for traditional students) or as part of an ongoing job (for working learners).
- Apply Enabling Inclusive Workplace Innovation learning in other organizational roles such as:
- an employee looking for the optimal practices and insights to support your own involvement in employee-led innovation projects in your workplace; or
- a workplace leader or manager seeking to develop a supportive infrastructure to advance employee-led workplace innovation in your organization.
- Recognize the value of their learning from the modules in this resource when seeking employment to engage in inclusive workplace innovation by being prepared to
- understand and identify organizational policies; and
- support practice for inclusive workplace innovation by assessing the fit between their goals, strengths, and needs, and what the organization can and will provide.
Overview
Innovation is not neutral; it has both a rate and, crucially, a direction. The style of innovation frequently touted as the answer – the ‘move fast and break things’ Silicon Valley version is often not inclusive at all – it can increase existing social and economic inequality and have unintended environmental consequences.
Strategies for Supporting Inclusive Innovation, United Nations Development Program (UNDP 2020)
Note the phrase “Inclusive Workplace Innovation” in the Introduction above. Inclusive Innovation addresses a broader range of social goals for innovation and asks both who participates in – or is excluded from –innovation activities and who benefits – or experiences loss – from innovation (Dutz 2007). This phrase is beginning to appear in Canada to highlight how our adaptation of the European concept of employee-led workplace innovation links to the larger body of research and practice on Inclusive Innovation beyond the workplace.
Bringing these two concepts together frames our workplace innovation activities in a larger context, working towards innovation that advances human well-being and the well-being of all life on Earth. This capsule summary is expanded upon in Lesson 1.2 and returns to specific topics in later lessons to highlight additional ways for employee-led Workplace Innovation to promote more inclusive workplaces (and for learners to serve as catalysts for more inclusive innovation).
Overview of Learning Outcomes
In this learning journey, the goal is for learners to develop their knowledge, skills, experiences, and personal mindset to support inclusive workplace innovation. These outcomes will be achieved through a variety of experiences as described below.
I. Learners will develop their knowledge to support inclusive workplace innovation by:
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- recognizing a broad range of components, issues, roles, and resources for Enabling employees, and organizations, to engage effectively in inclusive workplace innovation.
- developing an in-depth knowledge of one workplace context with its own distinctive combination of components, issues, roles, and resources by completing an Applied Project.
II. Learners will develop their skills and experiences to support inclusive workplace innovation by:
- applying their inclusive workplace innovation knowledge in an external work-integrated learning placement or an ongoing employee role, adding value to workplace innovation capability (e.g., through adaptation of research insights & exemplary practices).
- mobilizing their knowledge via scouting, curating, sharing, and adapting knowledge as well as evaluating impacts and planning further activities.
III. Learners will develop personal mindsets to support inclusive workplace innovation by:
- using their workplace experience in Inclusive Innovation to expand their own capability and career planning/pathways (e.g., “Personal Mindsets that will enable graduates to proactively act and adapt in diverse workplace situations – current and future” (Carey et al 2023)), and in their other roles as community members and global citizens).
- using knowledge, skills, and experiences to build a foundation for further development in professional learning or a field work internship.
- Note: outcomes could apply equally to career paths enabling employee and/or organizational roles and capability (e.g., for B.A. and B. Comm. students respectively)
References for Lesson 1.1 Overview of Inclusive Innovation in the Workplace
Carey, T., Baregheh, A, Nobis, F. and Stevenson, M. (2023). Leveraging a Diverse Collaboration in Tertiary Education to Develop Capability for Workplace Innovation. European Journal of Workplace Innovation 8(1),105-135.
Dutz, Mark A.. 2007. Unleashing India’s Innovation: Toward Sustainable and Inclusive Growth. © Washington, DC: World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/6856
United Nations Development Program (2020). Strategies for supporting inclusive innovation: insights from South-East Asia. Report for UNDP by NESTA UK. https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/publications/UNDP-RBAP-Strategies-for-Supporting-Inclusive-Innovation-2020.pdf