Success Through Innovation in the Workplace: innovateworkTO

Innovation can be defined simply as the introduction of something new, such as a new idea, method, or technology.  However, the true importance of innovation can only be understood when one relates it directly to progress, success and even survival, particularly in the business world and the workplace.

With this critical understanding of the role of innovation, Verity was pleased to sponsor the second innovateworkTO event, “Shape the Future World of Work”, on June 20, 2017.  The close to 200 attendees were from a variety of fields, including human resources, technology, and talent management.  The speakers presented innovative, trailblazing approaches that are changing the workplace for the better in many organizations, while participants were able to network, share ideas, and begin building new relationships.

For Christine Miners, Verity’s Managing Director, Talent Management, this event was a productive forum that brought the HR leadership and business communities together to network and incubate new ideas.  It was an opportunity for Verity to reach out and interact with attendees around the role of technology as an additional tool to enhance talent and succession management and help solve business problems. These insights will be leveraged to inform Verity’s continuing innovation around the talent management space.

The event featured a panel discussion, followed by three guest speakers, as well as formal networking breakouts.  The initial panel discussion, “The Future of Talent Acquisition is Now”, saw four HR professionals talk about how the recruiting experience is changing and, just as importantly, how the candidate experience is changing.  While the panelists discussed how technological innovations may contribute to a more effective talent acquisition process, they also strongly emphasized that technology is not a substitute for connecting with candidates directly, making their experience in the process positive and meaningful, and building your employer brand in the market.

According to Jeff Welton, Verity’s Managing Director, Coaching, this sentiment has already been incorporated into the approach to Career Care at Verity through a maintained emphasis on engaging and assisting people and organizations through human-to-human interactions, leveraging technology as an enabler to the process but not as the main solution.

Following the panel discussion and a networking break, three HR professionals spoke about different topics as part of the “HR Leader Series”:

1. the importance of creating a coaching culture that involves not only the giving but also the acceptance of feedback;
2. the changing physical workplace and how it influences the way we work; and
3. how freedom can lead to a culture of accountability.

Bob Binns, Executive Advisor at Verity, took special note of the statistic that the majority of employees prefer constructive feedback over praise.  While they still crave approval, these people are seeking concrete opportunities for growth and development through critical feedback.

Although it is a given that technology will continue to shape innovation in the workplace of the future, when the question was asked about how talent management is changing, Melissa Hartley, senior talent consultant at Verity, was impressed to hear that the general consensus is that it is not technological tools per se that ensure success, but rather the overall approach that companies adopt to support their talent in achieving business success.