Mind the Gap

The premise of Innovation: Mind the Gap was to uncover the linkages in Australian organisations between innovation and productivity and/or increased profitability.  The report as a whole is subdivided into three main sections, namely, People, Working Environment and Technology.

People

Finding the right people at the right time and in the right place is harder now than it has ever been and given these and other challenges facing Australian businesses, it was surprising to find that Australian business seemed to be all talk and no action when it comes to innovative practices which help people live more fulfilled lives and be more productive employees.

Working environment

Ninety per cent of employees surveyed considered that innovation in their working environment had saved their organisation money, however, only 43 per cent of respondents in management positions agreed.  Interestingly, however, 70 per cent of those employed in financial positions agreed that the organisation had in fact saved at least some money from the environmental innovations they had introduced.

Technology

64 per cent of the survey indicated that technology had been used by their organisation to increase productivity.  Unsurprisingly, the internet, at 79 per cent of respondents, was the innovative new technology which was considered to have the greatest impact upon increased productivity at work.  With 15.3 million active internet users in Australia and a penetration rate of over 70 per cent, it is not surprising that the internet is seen to be so beneficial to business.