Fresh Thinking Labs
Fresh Thinking Labs the international open source movement for workplace innovation is your pathway to the best workplace practices and latest thinking from across Europe and beyond.
Read moreIntroduction
We began in 1997 because there were too few spaces where enterprises, employers’ organisations, trade unions, policymakers, professional bodies and researchers could come together, both to explore the future of work and organisations and to address the persistent “long tail” of those not making use of workplace practices that engage and develop the full talent and creativity of employees at all levels.
Since our foundation we have created a series of joint initiatives and projects involving diverse stakeholders, held regular pro bono events to share evidence and good practice, and has been a persistent advocate for national government and EU policies to promote better ways of working.
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Research and Evidence
Two things are clear.
Firstly there is a vast and growing body of evidence to show that workplace innovation practices which empower employees to make day-to-day-decisions, challenge established practices, contribute ideas and be heard at the most senior levels of an organisation lead to better business results as well as enhanced workforce health and engagement.
Secondly it is equally clear that most businesses are either unaware of this evidence, or that they are unable or unwilling to act on it. Successive surveys demonstrate a substantial gap between research evidence of “what works” and common workplace practice.
We work with diverse stakeholders to:
- Undertake high quality research into leading practice and emerging challenges relating to work and organisations. Current and Past Projects
- Build bridges between research and practice through publications, events and the creation of the EUWIN Knowledge Bank as the leading European source of case studies, articles and other learning resources on workplace innovation.
We have also established Workplace Innovation Limited as a consultancy arm to help companies and public sector organisations create new and better ways of working which build on a vast body of research.
Explore the site to learn more about our surprising range of activities.
the essential fifth element
The Essential Fifth Element is Workplace Innovation’s practical programme of support for building high performance and high levels of engagement. It draws on all the research evidence embodied in The Fifth Element, conceived by Peter Totterdill and Rosemary Exton as a means of building a bridge between theory and practice in workplace innovation.
The Essential Fifth Element is an integrated approach to workplace innovation, creating high performance, engagement and great places to work. It builds workplaces where people at all levels can use their knowledge, talent and creativity to the full.
It starts with the organisation as a whole, recognising that practices and cultures in one area inevitably have an impact on other areas.
The Essential Fifth Element brings together individual job design, teamworking, relations between different teams and department, systems and procedures such as performance management, opportunities for shared learning, improvement and innovation, how employee voice is heard in strategic decision making, and the role of leadership.
It draws on day-to-day experiences of the workplace, recognising that the stories people tell each other about their working lives can represent a fantastic, if often untapped, resource for improvement and innovation.
It also recognises that there is often a discrepancy between the ways in which senior managers see their organisations and the ways they are experienced by frontline employees.
Finally The Essential Fifth Element inspires, drawing on experiences and practices from some of the most exciting organisations in Europe to stimulate new ways of looking at workplaces and organisations, raising aspirations about what can be achieved.
It is The Essential Fifth Element. Talk to us at contact@goodworkplaces.net about how The Essential Fifth Element can transform performance and engagement in your organisation.
Knowledge Bank
EUWIN’s Knowledge bank, created by UK WON, is a rich resource for practitioners and researchers alike, including articles, case studies and practical guides.
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Workplace Innovation is an international company that bridges the gap between research and practice, spreading more productive and better ways of working across the UK and Europe.
We are the originators of The Fifth Element, an evidence based approach to workplace innovation and how it can transform your organisation.
Forthcoming Events
Latest News
Introducing Multi-Disciplinary Teamworking to Maternity Services The evidence has been around for a long time. Multi-Disciplinary Teamworking in healthcare leads to better clinical outcomes and experience for patients, and better quality of working life for staff. Yet it is far from universal. Multi-Disciplinary Teamworking challenges traditional professional roles and demarcations, and can be hard to achieve. While the general principles that characterise good clinical teams are well understood, their translation into specific clinical settings involves open dialogue, experimentation, learning from failure, and persistence. All of this must take place without any relaxation of day-to-day clinical pressures. This case study offers practitioners fresh insights into how Multi-Disciplinary Teamwork principles can be translated into practice. It is based on an eighteen month change programme led by Workplace Innovation in partnership with Southern Health and Social Care ..
Background Mental health problems are a huge issue affecting people and business. Statistics tell us (https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/News/mental-health-problems-at-work-cost-uk-economy-349bn-last-year-says-centre-for-mental-health) that 1 in 4 people will be affected by a mental health problem at some time in their life with the result that 72 million working days are lost each year, at a cost of around £3.4.9bn to UK employers alone. In recent years, policy makers and businesses alike have been increasingly engaged in the area of mental health and well-being in the workplace. However, the approach towards dealing with it is not necessarily the same as that for promoting mental health and wellbeing. For far too long the focus has been on treatment of mental disorders, and not on prevention, promotion and well-being. Well-being at work is defined as individuals’ ability to work productively and creatively, to engage in strong and positive relationship..
Friday October 6th 2017, IAA Conference Centre, D’Olier Street, Dublin 2. (8.30am-12.30 pm) Having been appointed as the exclusive Irish partner of Fresh Thinking Labs (FTL), a Europewide platform for facilitating workplace innovation and knowledge sharing between businesses and organisations, Dublin based Stratis Consulting is hosting a launch event on the morning of October 6th, 2017 as it seeks to build a unique network which offers opportunities to share knowledge and experience of workplace innovation. FTL is part of Workplace Innovation Europe Limited and its membership includes both large and small businesses including Aviva, E.ON, GE Transportation, Novozymes, and Saint-Gobain. Its extensive network provides a pathway for businesses to discover the best workplace practices and latest thinking from across Europe. The concept of FTL builds on 25 years’ experience of helping companies and public-sector organisations enhance their competitiveness a..
Gabriella Eberhardt, HR Leader at GE Mining, shares her impressions after our London event 'Transforming Culture at GE Mining'. Interested to learn more? Fresh Thinking Labs is the international platform for company networking and workplace innovation, On Line and In Person: www.freshthinkinglabs.com (http://freshthinkinglabs.com) Please contact us for further information!..
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Registered in Ireland and the UK
Tel: +44 (0)115 933 8321