“She’ll be right, mate.” What is it really costing us?

In case you missed it, Australia is now ranked 23rd on the Global Innovation Index. And while our one-point drop from last year isn’t disastrous, it did stir up plenty of heated discussion inside our agency as to why we’re moving backwards. (That’s what happens when your colleagues include Organisational Psychologists and Econometricians…).

Lucky… or laid back? 

Back in the sixties when Australia first became known as the Lucky Country, notable national innovations included the Qantas inflatable escape slide, the first ultrasound scanner and… cask wine. Fast-forward half a century or so and, as we like to say at We Are Unity, innovation is now any disruptive new idea that changes business and the world.

With this in mind, 2020’s most innovative countries were dominated by Europe, with Switzerland and Sweden officially taking out first and second spots. The two ‘Uniteds’ –  as in the USA and the UK – were next. And if you keep scrolling, you’ll eventually find Australia nestled between Belgium and the Czech Republic. The question we’re most curious about is, does our slip in rank come down to the usual suspects of R&D funding or what’s being taught in schools? Or could there be a darker side to the national culture that also brought you global tech superstars like Canva and Atlassian?

The Feel-good Culture complex

When you’re in the business of organisational potential like us, you tend to witness a lot  of back and forths between HRDs and CEOs over the strategic relevance of those elusive 90% engagement scores. (And while we’re on the subject, the free ping-pong tables and macchiatos.) While we do know that 74% of Executives report their culture needs to change significantly over the next 3-5 years*, the fact remains that every workplace is unique and there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution. 

Having partnered with Australian organisations of all kinds, we’ve found that Feel-good Culture doesn’t always mean positive commercial outcomes. That there might even be a few clues hiding in plain sight amongst some of the most popular feel-good lingo out there. Don’t take our word for it though. Take a look at these examples and the next time you hear one, maybe listen out a little harder to see if your observations match any of ours?

Translating Aussie-isms into Commercial speak

“All good.”

Can look like reduced psychological safety and transparency, leading to a lack of contribution and fear of respectful challenge.

“No worries.”

Often interchangeable with “Too easy”, and commercially translated to mean an inability to prioritise and focus.

“She’ll be right.”

Could be a telltale sign of indecisive leadership. (Also known in industry slang as consensus culture.)

“It is what it is.”

More often that not, is in fact NOT the desired result it was supposed to be.

I could go on, but I’m pretty sure you get the point. Besides, let’s get onto what we can all do about it.

How to innovate the Aussie way

As the name suggests, feel-good comes with plenty of benefits. Things tend to get complicated with Feel-good Cultures that prioritise internal relationships over business performance. But since this is a conversation that’s much bigger than one article, the team and I have put our heads together to give you our top three takeaways for building a more innovative culture:

1. Challenge consensus culture and advocate psychological safety

Our recent Catalyst Conversations have included leaders in tech and mental health, where despite their differences in industry and insights shared, both Executives called out the need for employees to fail safely. Here at We Are Unity, we’ve certainly seen that a little more authenticity and vulnerability at work can unlock commercial benefits like increased diversity of thought and cross-functional empathy.

2. Come with an open mind and an agile approach

Buy or build, that is the question. Although unless your burning bridge and bank account is big enough, a billion dollar Unilever-style M&A is probably unrealistic. (And even that comes with the risk of how to protect an innovative culture once it’s part of the establishment.) The more sustainable, and much less expensive approach is a laser-focused strategy that builds and embeds a culture of innovation through accountability, continuous improvement and recognition aligned to your specific business objectives.

3. Bring in evidence-based decision making

Since not all innovation initiatives are created equally, it’s important to know when to push ahead and when to call it quits. We know that 46% of Australian leaders like to make decisions based on gut feel, and only 12% use predictive analytics in their decision making.* By shifting thinking to become more evidence based and by building data literacy in their people, organisations are better equipped to realise their full potential – and maybe nab a Top 20 spot in next year’s Global Innovation Index.

4. Hint: The Future of Work isn’t going anywhere.

Whether you tackle it solo, do it with the help of the We Are Unity team, or just do it for Australia, innovation needs to be on the agenda of every progressive organisation today. Not so we can aspire to become emotionless, bot-like workers programmed for 100% performance. But so we can keep that Lucky Country label of ours by continuing to bring the world Aussie-born awesomeness, like the streaming service democratising educational content for students, the US$3b Robo-taxi, or the cost-effective tech that’s cleaning up transportation and fossil fuels in China. In the words of Melbournian Tim Kentley Klay (2020 winner of the Australian Advance Awards that recognises Australians making an extraordinary impact on the global stage), “My companies are the engines that make great ideas happen.” 

I don’t know about you, but that feels pretty good to me.

Want to have a chat about innovation in your organisation? Get in touch here.