The next area where we can innovate within our organization is workplace innovation. And the benefits of workplace innovation are well known and self evident. What is surprising is that many organizations don't seem to practice it very well. So some of the benefits of a diverse and flexible workplace, which bring along innovation with them are as follows. such organizations can attract people with valuable skills, who may be unwilling or unable to fit the normal work pattern, they create a more stimulating and enjoyable workplace. And I'm sure we've experienced that when working in a diverse team.

It's a more varied and interesting place to work than in a sort of monoculture. such organizations build diverse teams with different skills, backgrounds and prior experiences. And those teams come up with a better mix of ideas and solve problems faster. This means that the organizations can be more successful in it. wide range of markets and also improve customer service because they're more able to attune to the customer backgrounds and experiences of all their different customers. And finally, diverse workplaces innovate better.

To quote Mattel, the toy company, a culture rich in diversity is key to business success. It allows us to better understand the business opportunities in various markets around the world and develop products that resonate with consumers in diverse cultures. So how do we create the culture for innovation? Well, it's about trust. An organization cannot just declare that it's going to be innovative. That actions speak louder than words and creating an innovative culture is very much about building trust in the workforce.

Employees need to trust that they'll be listened to and taken seriously, that they'll be kept informed of what's going on including plans and actions and the reasons behind them that their concerns will be listened to empathetically and will be acted upon if necessary, that plans will be amended where concerns are found to be genuine. Where support structures and skills training are in place and provided to help people innovate and improve, and that time and resources will be made available to work on innovation and improvement. as Bruce Schneier said in 2005, technical problems can be remedied. A dishonest corporate culture is much harder to fix. In his book, fourth generation management, Brian joined a very perceptively said, our employees will not treat customers any better than we treat our employees. So workplace innovation is essential to improve customer service to improve processes and to give the organization a prospect of surviving in the longer term.

It's management to create the culture workplace innovation managers need to live and work by these principles, to be authentic, to listen, to seek to understand and to engage with everyone in the organization to focus their attention on improving customer value, and service sustainably, to lead by example, and demonstrate the importance of innovating and improving to make it safe to reveal problems without attaching blame to them. To recognize that problems are caused by a poor process, and not by the people working in it, to provide training and problem solving and improvement tools to communicate openly and frequently, welcoming feedback and questions and responding to them positively. respect people's efforts and reward supportive behavior, to encourage teamwork and pride in the success of the team and actively support improvement activity and to To seek advice on recruiting and retaining staff from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences and cultures, in order to get a real mix of ideas and thinking styles into the organization.

And there are five structures that organizations can put in place to help employees to innovate. The first is role clarity, that people understand what they're required to do, and for what reasons. The second is competence, that individuals are properly trained to do their job effectively to the standards required. And they're also trained in problem solving skills, so that they can participate in innovation and improvement. The third is feedback that managers provide regular feedback on how well each employee is doing and how they can improve. And this is an open two way discussion.

So that feedback comes down the organization and also goes up it's the fourth is opportunity that staff feel they're empowered To ask questions, to raise concerns and to submit ideas should feel supported and encouraged to take part in innovation and improvement. And finally, motivation employees must desire to do a good job and engage in innovation and improvement.