Culture of Equality is Powerful Multiplier of Workplace Innovation – New Accenture Research

New research from Accenture shows that a culture of equality— the same kind of workplace environment that helps women advance to higher positions— is a powerful multiplier of innovation and growth.

Published today in the company’s “Getting to Equal 2019” report, Accenture identified six factors that affect an employee’s ability to innovate and the research found these factors to be significantly more present in companies with a culture of equality than in least-equal companies.

In Ireland, employees’ innovation mindset—their willingness and ability to innovate—is over six times higher in companies with a robust culture of equality, where everyone can advance and thrive, than in least-equal companies. Employees in these environments see fewer barriers to innovating at work with 45% of Irish respondents working in a culture of equality saying “nothing stops me from innovating” and 74% saying “I am not afraid to fail in pursuit of innovation”.

“The business case for diversity is well-known and already well-established. While diversity drives business performance, innovation is a key competitive advantage, so the two must come together. The next step is a true culture of equality, where all members of a diverse workforce feel equally empowered to innovate. The Getting to Equal 2019 research makes it clear that harnessing the power of workplace culture is essential for Irish companies to unleash innovation across their organisations,” said Alastair Blair, country managing director for Accenture in Ireland.

Across all companies surveyed in Ireland, 91% of employees said they want to innovate but just 29% feel empowered to. The Accenture findings show that a feeling of empowerment, typical in a culture of equality, drives an innovation mindset above all else.

Business leaders recognise that innovation is vital and employees want to innovate but the findings highlight a disconnect: while 76% of leaders say they regularly empower employees to be innovative, only 29% of employees agree. It seems that leaders mistakenly believe that some circumstances encourage innovation more than they actually do.

For instance, they overestimate financial rewards and underestimate purpose. Pay is considerably less effective than culture when it comes to driving innovation: the impact of workplace culture factors on an innovation mindset is 21 times greater than that of an increase in average pay. In a more equal culture, the strongest factors underpinning an innovation mindset also include providing relevant skills training, flexible working arrangements and respect for work life balance.

Accenture’s new research is based on a survey of more than 18,000 professionals in 27 countries and a survey of more than 150 C-suite executives in eight countries, including Ireland, and a model that combines employee survey results with published labour force data.

High economic stakes

The new research found that an innovation mindset is stronger in fast-growing economies and in countries with high labour-productivity growth. The opportunity is enormous: Accenture calculates that global gross domestic product would increase by up to 7% over 10 years if the innovation mindset in all countries were raised by 10%.

“Culture is set from the top, so in order to drive innovation, a culture of equality must be a strategic priority for the C-suite,” said Dr. Michelle D. Cullen, Managing Director and Head of Inclusion and Diversity at Accenture Ireland. “If people feel a sense of belonging and are valued by their employers for their unique contributions, perspectives and circumstances, they are more likely to advance and feel empowered to innovate.”

Read the global report at accenture.com/gettingtoequal.

International Women’s Day

This is the 15^th consecutive year that Accenture have hosted an International Women’s Day event in Dublin. This year’s programme brought together some of the leading figures in business, sport, technology, Government and media to reflect on how equality and inclusion have evolved in Ireland. Speakers included:

–       Brenda Romero, BAFTA award winning game designer;

–       Pat O’Doherty, CEO, ESB;

–       Frances Fitzgerald, T.D.;

–       Katie Mullan, Captain, Ireland Hockey Team

–       Brid Horan, Co-Chair Better Balance for Better Busines