Ottawa takes the show on the road with 35 regional innovation summits
With the help of a Canadian business think-tank, the federal government is moving forward with a plan to make Canadian organizations more innovative and competitive.
During this summer and fall, a series of 35 regional summits will be held across Canada, eventually culminating in a national summit in Toronto by November, Industry Minister Alan Rock announced, last month.
The objective of the summits is to develop “clear, actionable plans,” that will make Canada more innovative.
“If we are going to improve our competitive position, we need all regions and all sectors of our economy to identify actions that remove barriers to innovation and push Canada toward a common goal of being one of the most innovative countries in the world,” Rock said.
Earlier this year, Industry Canada and Human Resources Development Canada released two broad strategy papers that outlined goals but no specific actions for Ottawa’s long-anticipated innovation strategy. An important plank in the agenda is ensuring Canadian workplaces have a sufficient supply of highly skilled workers (see link below, "Ottawa unveils national T&D strategy" for more).
Jane Stewart, minister of HRDC, also intends to conduct a series of meetings and will participate in the national summit.
On the same day Rock announced the summits, the Conference Board of Canada released The Road to Global Best: Leadership, Innovation and Corporate Culture, the first in a series of “challenge papers” that will be produced in the next few months.
“By publishing these papers over the next few weeks, we hope to complement the federal government’s innovation strategy, and ensure that the national consultations unfold as more than a mere commentary on the government papers,” said Anne Golden, CEO of the Conference Board of Canada.
The Conference Board will soon unveil an Index of Corporate Innovation to measure an organization’s performance.
Innovation will only spread when Canadian business leaders in the private sector actively promote the need. “If an innovation index was accepted in the broad marketplace, it would gain the attention of the capital markets and shareholders,” the report pointed out.
The first paper asks a series of rhetorical questions, it highlights current problems and suggests possible courses of action. For example, Canadian firms in general, and especially small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), dramatically under-invest in training and development, states the report.
“What if corporations across Canada at least doubled the time and resources devoted to employee training and development? What if (as in Europe) governments at all levels provided increased funding and assistance to SMEs for training?” the report asks.
The paper also includes a simple innovation audit — a series of short, leading questions designed to help business leaders stay on an innovation track.
Company leaders should ask some of these questions when considering a new initiative or reviewing an existing one.
The Innovation Audit
•The vision test: What is our global vision? What will we be global best at?
•The benchmarking test: How will we know we’re global best? What technology, foresight and competitive intelligence are needed? Should we follow best practices or lead with “next practices?”
•The awareness test: Why should we invest in innovation? How will innovation help our organization flourish?
•The smarter-not-harder test: Have we considered smart solutions before costly ones? Have we explored creative solutions in addition to resource-intensive ones? Are we prepared to “kill” ideas or terminate projects?
•The groundwork test: Do we have the right “stuff” to innovate: the right people and business processes, the right structure and reward systems?
•The sustainability test: Can we sustain our capacity to innovate — economically, culturally and environmentally? Are we investing in the next quarter and the next generation?
•The perverse policy test: Does a new policy (or practice, product, process) inhibit innovation in any way? Do any corporate policies or practices inhibit innovation?
During this summer and fall, a series of 35 regional summits will be held across Canada, eventually culminating in a national summit in Toronto by November, Industry Minister Alan Rock announced, last month.
The objective of the summits is to develop “clear, actionable plans,” that will make Canada more innovative.
“If we are going to improve our competitive position, we need all regions and all sectors of our economy to identify actions that remove barriers to innovation and push Canada toward a common goal of being one of the most innovative countries in the world,” Rock said.
Earlier this year, Industry Canada and Human Resources Development Canada released two broad strategy papers that outlined goals but no specific actions for Ottawa’s long-anticipated innovation strategy. An important plank in the agenda is ensuring Canadian workplaces have a sufficient supply of highly skilled workers (see link below, "Ottawa unveils national T&D strategy" for more).
Jane Stewart, minister of HRDC, also intends to conduct a series of meetings and will participate in the national summit.
On the same day Rock announced the summits, the Conference Board of Canada released The Road to Global Best: Leadership, Innovation and Corporate Culture, the first in a series of “challenge papers” that will be produced in the next few months.
“By publishing these papers over the next few weeks, we hope to complement the federal government’s innovation strategy, and ensure that the national consultations unfold as more than a mere commentary on the government papers,” said Anne Golden, CEO of the Conference Board of Canada.
The Conference Board will soon unveil an Index of Corporate Innovation to measure an organization’s performance.
Innovation will only spread when Canadian business leaders in the private sector actively promote the need. “If an innovation index was accepted in the broad marketplace, it would gain the attention of the capital markets and shareholders,” the report pointed out.
The first paper asks a series of rhetorical questions, it highlights current problems and suggests possible courses of action. For example, Canadian firms in general, and especially small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), dramatically under-invest in training and development, states the report.
“What if corporations across Canada at least doubled the time and resources devoted to employee training and development? What if (as in Europe) governments at all levels provided increased funding and assistance to SMEs for training?” the report asks.
The paper also includes a simple innovation audit — a series of short, leading questions designed to help business leaders stay on an innovation track.
Company leaders should ask some of these questions when considering a new initiative or reviewing an existing one.
The Innovation Audit
•The vision test: What is our global vision? What will we be global best at?
•The benchmarking test: How will we know we’re global best? What technology, foresight and competitive intelligence are needed? Should we follow best practices or lead with “next practices?”
•The awareness test: Why should we invest in innovation? How will innovation help our organization flourish?
•The smarter-not-harder test: Have we considered smart solutions before costly ones? Have we explored creative solutions in addition to resource-intensive ones? Are we prepared to “kill” ideas or terminate projects?
•The groundwork test: Do we have the right “stuff” to innovate: the right people and business processes, the right structure and reward systems?
•The sustainability test: Can we sustain our capacity to innovate — economically, culturally and environmentally? Are we investing in the next quarter and the next generation?
•The perverse policy test: Does a new policy (or practice, product, process) inhibit innovation in any way? Do any corporate policies or practices inhibit innovation?
