3 November 2005

The Search for Innovation:The HR Challenge for Irish

Universities

Edna JordanNational Centre for Partnership and Performance

Leadership Through Change - Irish Universities ConferenceThe Helix – DCU

Overview

• The Search for Innovation• Strategic Challenges Irish Education• Workplace Innovation

– Forum on the Workplace of the Future– Vision of the Workplace of the Future– National Workplace Strategy

• HR Management: A source of high performance and competitive advantage

The search for innovation • Investment in technology

and R&D is only one part of a broader national system of innovation

• Establishing the institutional basis for innovation through linkages between government, industry, research and education

• Building capabilities in marketing and customer service

• Developing the capacity of workplaces to engage in innovation and harness knowledge

Workplace Innovation

“Developing our indigenous technology and innovation base depends, as much on improving the ability of workplaces to change and innovate as it does on investment in research and development.”

Education Sector - Strategic Challenges • Changing demographic situation – shrinking market• Maintaining and increasing student numbers• Improving student retention• Teaching and learning innovations• New opportunities in the market arising from life-long

learning • Changing political and economic circumstances• Change drivers in the education sector

– Cromien Report – increased devolution to education institutes

– OECD Report– Consultative process in charting a new vision for education– Calls for change from industry and thought leaders– Demands for increases in science and technology offerings– Legislation

Irish Universities – Strategic Challenges• To be more outward looking partners in the

development of the learning society• To provide leadership and service at local,

regional, national and global levels• To make efficiency gains, more effectively

management themselves to achieve performance targets in teaching and research, more accountable, transparent

• To maintain standards and high quality with reducing unit costs

• Demonstrate ability to obtain new and additional sources of revenue

• Increase infrastructure and capacity for R&D

Meeting the strategic challenge• The human factor

– Readiness to mobilise the enormous talent – Polices and programmes to bring in ‘new blood’ and

continuing development of existing staff– Harnessing the potential of new technologies in

teaching, learning, research, management information– Improved resource utilisation with consideration for all

members of the institution– Strengthening and broadening interpersonal links with

the wider community including industry– Maintaining morale of staff and rewarding performance– Enhanced staff capabilities for strategic planning,

performance targeting, monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching, research, work processes and practices

• A commitment to workplace innovation

Workplace innovation requires

• Organisational structures and processes

• Management capacity• Leadership values• Employee relations• Working arrangements • Human resource management

Forum on the Workplace of the Future

Forum on the workplace of the Future Why?

• Critical to our competitive and social ambitions• Unprecedented pressures • People’s lives are changing• Very little analysis of the workplace to date• Need:

– More and better information– More analysis– More dialogue– Better communication of the changes that are

needed

Forum model and activities

• Largest ever survey of Irish workplaces• Forum task force• Forum steering committee• Four expert / practitioner panels• Written and oral presentation• Six public conferences• Working to our Advantage: A National

Workplace Strategy

Gaps identified by the Forum• Limited adoption of bundles of work practices that

contribute to high performance– Performance management and remuneration– Training and development– Communication and participation

• Undertilisation of workforce – insufficient employee involvement and participation re

organisational performance and change– Uneven investment in workplace T&D– Participation in lifelong learning, problems with access to

workplace training• Opportunities divide

– Social class, educational attainment and gender– Barriers to exercising choice – women, single parents, and people

with disability• Quality of working life

– Scope to address employee satisfaction issues, stress levels more effectively

Proactively diverse We are better because we are diverse

Continually learning We are supported and expected to learn and develop

Involved and participatory We seek out and value all voices and ideas

Highly productive We continuously improve our ways of working

Networked We build internal and external relationships

Responsive to employee needs This is a great place to work

Knowledge intensive We search for and harness all sources of knowledge

Customer – centred Customer needs are paramount

Agile We are constantly changing

Vision of the Workplace of the Future

Proactively diverse

Continually learning

Involved and participatory

Highly productive

Networked

Responsive to employee needs

Knowledge intensive

Customer – centred

Agile

From Vision to ActionFive strategic Priorities

Commitment to innovation Capacity for changeDeveloping Future SkillsAccess to the Workplace Quality of Working life

National Workplace Strategy

• Build commitment to workplace innovation

• High Level Implementation Group• 42 Recommendations• Recognises the critical role of HR

management in improving organisations– Employee and student outcomes

Strategic HR

• Greater strategic HRM capability– Benchmarks, guidelines, financial incentives

• Professionalise HR function within Public Service• Accelerate initiatives for open recruitment and

promotion • Implementation of Information and Consultation

Directive opportunity to improve quality of I&C• Enhance approaches to dispute resolution and

avoidance and encourage • Enhance the critical role of front line managers

– Employee engagement, team working, understanding the needs of employees, information and consultation

HR ManagementA Source of Competitive Advantage• Positive relationship between HR and

high performance• Emphasis on utilising a system of

management practices giving employees– Skills, information, motivation and latitude

• Improves – Client outcomes– employee retention– productivity– innovation

High Performance Work Systems

• A system of HR policies/practices“A set of distinct but interrelated HRM practices used to select, develop, retain and motivate a workforce that has superior abilities, who apply these in their work-related activities, and whose work-related activities result in achieving superior (organisational) performance.”

(Huselid, 1995)

www.ncpp.ie

• Report of Forum on the Workplace of the Future– Arrangements– Presentations– Summary of Proceedings– Submissions

• Newsletter – Update (1 – 6)• Research/Case Studies

– International review benefits of partnership– 4 Irish Commercial Unionised Companies– Civil Service x 5– Local Government x 4– Health Sector x 6– Information and Communication Directive – High Performance Work Systems in Ireland – The Economic Case

• Tools– Learning by Monitoring – Competency Framework