In the framework of INNovaSouth project JO Consulting and Institute of Entrepreneurship Development, developed an “Online Manual of Good Practices on Workplace Innovation”. The Online Manual is a useful tool for those SMEs that need practical advice on possible innovation actions to implement within their companies to improve their organizational processes and increase their competitiveness. It allows Southern European SMEs to find simple, immediate and innovative solutions to increase their employee’s motivation and productivity, which will be eventually translated into added value for the business and more benefits for the entrepreneurs.

The Model of Good Practices on Workplace Innovation is being exemplified through an online manual which illustrates four main pillars as they are defined in the “Guide to Workplace Innovation” published by the European Workplace Innovation Network in 2016:

• Pillar 1. Jobs and teams which focuses on innovative approaches by exploiting the soft skills of employees and employers and by creating strong relations and space for expression.
• Pillar 2. Organizational structures, management and procedures which includes administrative and managerial innovations.
• Pillar 3. Employee driven improvement and innovation: creating opportunities for reflection and improvement which includes training, coaching and life- long learning actions.
• Pillar 4. Co-created leadership and horizontal structure: hearing the employee’s voice which focuses on giving voice and responsibilities to the employees, by sharing companies’ vision, enhancing communication and evaluation procedure.

The benefits of the implementation of the workplace innovation practices for companies and SMEs are various, among the others, the most important include:

• Improvement of the company’s productivity and efficiency.
• Promotion of the company’s overall innovation in products / services development.
• Enhancement of the employees’ well-being and their work-life balance.
• Improvement of the company’s financial performance.
• Improvement of the company’s and employees’ resilience, enabling a faster adaptation to economic, social and environmental challenges.

To do so, a Call for Proposals will be launched in the first months of 2020, offering Sicilian and Thessalian SMEs vouchers at a value of € 8.000 to be spent on workplace innovation activities, goods, tools and best practices, to encourage and motivate local SMEs to effectively adopt these solutions within their organizations and increase their competitiveness.

STAY TUNED and follow us to obtain the voucher and start your pathway towards innovation!

The “Online Manual of Good Practices on Workplace Innovation” is now available! Discover it HERE.