The top organizations in Canada in terms of employee engagement all foster a strong culture of innovation. What does this mean? How can we do that in our organizations? How do we do this in the public sector or not-for-profit sectors (as well as in our companies)?

1. HOW TO IMPROVE EMPLOYEE
ENGAGEMENT THROUGH A
CULTURE OF INNOVATION
Monthly Webinar Series
May 21, 2015

2. 2
Topic Agenda
Item Time
(min)
Introduction 2
The Link Between Innovation and Employee
Engagement: Chicken or Egg?
5
Where Organizations Struggle
15
Instilling a Culture of Innovation 10
Q&A 5
Norm Baillie-David
SVP Engagement - TalentMap
Monica Helgoth
VP Engagement - Western Region
Agenda

3. 3
15 years in business
7,000+ employee engagement surveys
since inception
1,000,000+ employees surveyed
500+ employee engagement surveys
annually
Only 1 Focus
TalentMap by the Numbers

4. 4
Sample Clients & Benchmark
Award Programs Technology & Engineering Not-for-Profit & Association
Financial Services
Health Sciences
Other

5. The (Critical) Link Between Innovation
and Employee Engagement

6. 6
An Innovation
Culture?
Employee
Engagement?
OR

7. 2%
6%
8%
2%
7%
5%
6%
8%
14%
20%
4%
17%
12%
19%
89%
80%
71%
94%
76%
83%
75%
Overall Engagement
Overall Innovation
Failure is viewed as an
opportunity for learning and
improvement.
We are committed to doing
high quality work.
We systematically adopt new
and improved ways to work.
Learning is an important
objective in our day-to-day
work.
There is a culture of innovation
at this organization.
Unfavourable Neutral Favourable
CULTURE OF INNOVATION RESULTS IN HIGHER
ENGAGEMENT
7
9%
14%
17%
6%
16%
10%
19%
19%
20%
24%
9%
23%
17%
29%
72%
66%
58%
84%
61%
73%
52%
Top 10% Other Source: TalentMap Benchmark
Database

8. Higher Engagement Leads to Greater Innovation
8

9. So, Why Do So Many
Organizations Struggle?
9

10. The Blame Culture The Because Culture
Why do Organizations Struggle?
10

11. AN ORGANIZATION STRUGGLING WITH INNOVATION 11
COMPENSATION
WORK ENVIRONMENT
PERFORMANCE FEEDBACK
PROFESSIONAL
GROWTH
WORK/LIFE BALANCE INFORMATION &
COMMUNICATION
TEAMWORK
INNOVATION
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
ORGANIZATIONAL
VISION
Strong
Engagement
Driver
Weak
Engagement
Driver
Worse Than
Benchmark
Better Than
Benchmark
MEMBER/CUSTOMER FOCUS
IMMEDIATE MANAGEMENT

12. +/- TM Benchmark
16
32
14
13
22
22
27
4
27
19
34
62
41
96
59
69
45
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Overall Innovation
Failure is viewed as an opportunity for
learning and improvement.
We are committed to doing high quality
work.
We systematically adopt new and
improved ways to work.
Learning is an important objective in our
day-to-day work.
There is a culture of innovation at this
organization.
% Frequency
Unfavourable Neutral Favourable
-7
-21
+9
-3
-6
-14
BOTH ‘CULTURES’ KILL INNOVATION 12
Data is rounded to the nearest whole number

13. 56 respondents selected a theme for this comment
How could your organization improve innovation?
36%
29%
25%
21%
16%
14%
9%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Satisfied with
innovation
More training
and
development
More freedom Clearer
direction
Better
communication
More
commitment
Other
%Frequency
Benchmark
INNOVATION: COMMENTS 13
“Remember that perfect is the enemy of good and there are more than one way to
do things. The <ORGANIZATION> needs to take risks, not always play it safe. Be
open to using social media and new technologies. Reward creativity. Respect staff
so they are not scared to innovate but encouraged to do so. Failure is NOT an option
at <ORGANIZATION>.”

14. “Unfortunately, many leaders fail to create a safe
environment for employees to contribute ideas. Worse, they
create an environment in which new ideas are met with
rejection.”
The Blame Culture
14
Bob Kelleher , Employee Engagement For Dummies

15.  Managers and employees typically avoid taking
responsibility or initiative.
 Mistakes are hidden and damage escalates.
 “The Perfect becomes the Enemy of the Good”
 Micromanagement is rampant. Control is seen as
necessary to avoid being blamed for mistakes.
 Managers rationalize this behavior by (what else) blaming
“demanding” superiours, customers and stakeholders.
Ultimately: there is no environment for new ideas.
Employees do not feel heard. They disengage. The
engaged leave.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION HAS A “BLAME”
CULTURE

16. “Leadership teams that want to kill employee engagement
and initiative should simply tell employees that they can't do
something “because that's not how we do it here” or
“because we've tried that before” or “because
management will never accept that” or “because it isn't
policy.”
Bob Kelleher , Employee Engagement For Dummies
The “Because” Culture
16

17. Leaders have built a successful organization. They now
have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.
 Leaders (firmly, but falsely) believe that what got them
success will provide continued success.
 Leaders surround themselves with people who think like
them.
Empirical evidence shows these organizations have slower
growth and lower client satisfaction.
Ultimately: there is no environment for new ideas.
Employees do not feel heard. They disengage. The
engaged leave.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION HAS A “BECAUSE”
CULTURE
17

18. How do we Instill a Culture of
Innovation?
18

19.  Actively support someone who has made a mistake.
 Train/coach to focus discussion on the future, not the past.
• MOVE FROM:
• How did that happen? Who was responsible? Why did they (not) let
that happen?
• MOVE TO:
• Never mind who’s fault it was. What do we do now? How do we make
it right? How do we minimize damage? How do we learn and not let it
happen again?
Praise the employee by the benefits of coming forward
(time, $). Reward honesty and forthrightness that
minimizes consequences of error.
 Support and provide help.
MOVE FROM BLAME TO RESPONSIBILITY
19
http://www.vinehouse.com/how-to-reverse-the-blame-culture/

20.  Positive Framing:
• “Why Not?”
• “Yes, and…”
 Enforce the virtual suggestion box (aka crowdsourcing
innovation)
 Incentives: Publicly reward and recognize innovations and
improvements
 Make examples of and institutionalize these behaviours (it
helps if the CEO serves as the model )
MOVE FROM “BECAUSE” TO “WHY NOT”?
20

21. • Changing the activities involved in your job
by taking on more or fewer tasks, expanding
or diminishing the scope of tasks, or altering
the way you perform tasks.
•Examples: An accountant creating a new method of filing
taxes to make her job less repetitive. Or a machine operator
volunteering to design a new logo or his company.
Task
Crafting
• Changing the extent or nature of your
interactions with other people.
•Examples: A computer technician offering help to co-workers
as a way to have more social connections. Or a financial
analyst communicating with clients using video conferencing
rather than just email.
Relationship
Crafting
• Changing the way you think about the
purpose of tasks, relationships, or the job as
a whole.
•Examples: A hospital cleaner seeing his work as a means to help
ill people rather than cleaning space. Or an insurance agent
viewing her job as “working to get people back on track after a
car accident” rather than “processing car insurance claims.”
Cognitive
Crafting
MAKE SURE EVERY JOB HAS IMPACT THROUGH JOB
CRAFTING– the Concept

22. Turn Engagement into Innovation
by using Innovation to Engage.
THE REAL CHALLENGE
22
David Flammia, Sales Executive, LivePerson

23. Event Format Topic Date
Conference Board
“Engagement 2015”
Calgary NEW Research: 10 Years On – What Do
We Really Know?
May 25th
TalentMap Specialty
Webinar
Live Webinar Employee Engagement: Maintaining
Momentum – Part 2
May 28th 12:00pm
EDT
TalentMap Monthly
Webinar Series
Live Webinar
with special
guest
How Edmonton International Airport
Improved Employee Engagement – from
Survey to Implementation and Beyond
June 25th
12:00pm EDT
TalentMap Monthly
Webinar Series
Live Webinar Engaging your Employees through a
Compelling Organizational Vision
July 30th
12:00pm EDT
Upcoming TalentMap Learning Sessions

24. THANK YOU!
QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION
24
Monica Helgoth
VP Engagement – TalentMap West
mhelgoth@talentmap.com
1-888-641-1113, x515
Norm Baillie-David
SVP Engagement
nbaillie-david@talentmap.com
1-888-641-1113, x504