Innovation - good tool for employee engagement

I was involved with 3 events in my company and all related to innovation - process, product, services and business models.
To my great surprise I found that this year more and more employees participated. The award and cerificates were not big for them. They were just ready to showcase their talent, their innovative thinking and also how they are eager to help the organisation in the market place.
Another surprise camme to me was the second rung of the leadership and also the team leaders were ready to take risks and support innovations. Employees were proud to showcase their failures as the risk was getting appreciated.
This has enabled employee engagement in great way!
There were 3 events - first one, 160+ innovations and more than 450 innovators participated, second one, more than 200 innovations and 550 innovators and third one 170+ innovations and 500+ innovators participated. Yes, you can discount few numbers as there could be common entries but still it was amazing to see the level of particiaption and enthusiasm of employees.
I think most of the HR and Communication experts have not given the right thrust on this area....thinking that this is purely research or technical area. But promoting such events or waves in the organisation means unleashing the enormous talent we have in the organisation.
Yes, we do get lot of business opportunities through such events but more importantly look at the positive vibes it is creating among employees. It also brings peer presuure on the other employees in doing something and showing something to organisation.

36 years of service

Recently I had gone to one seminar where most of the younsters were present. My subject of talk was 'Ideation and how it can be used in proejct management'.
There were more than 125 participants and 80% of the crowd was below the age group of 30. Most of them were students and coming from Software background.
The Master of Ceremony introduced me to the audience and told them that I am working in my comapny for last 36 years! I completed my talk and presentation in 30 mins and as expected I got lot of questions on how to manage and nurture innovations and 'how not to kill ideas', etc.
We took tea break after that. During tea time, 3 / 4 youngsters came to me. They said that they heard it wrong...36 years in one company? They wanted to confirm the information was correct. I clarified them that the information was correct. Then came the question - 'Why you remained in your comapny for so long?'.
In India, people understand the Tata Group for their policies, benefits and services provided to their employees.
I just explained them that how our policies are there - Canteen facilities, Bus & transport facilities, Medical & health benefits and so many other things. I told them that these things are not written in your pay-slip. Most important that the status levle you get in the society. People come forward to help you as soon as they know that you are from 'Tata's! That is the diffrence and thats why I am still there in the Tata Group for so long - 36 years! It is a journey of my progress and my family too.
25 years back I was staying in rental house, today I stay in my own 3 BHK flat and own a car. I remember that when I joined first company in my life buying a cycle was great thing. I moved fast from 2 wheeeler to 4 wheeler. I could buy my own house with great support from my company without much fuss. There are so many things which my company did for me in last 3 decades. 
Today younster believe in moving across companies and look for fast growth. They do not claculate or consider such things when they leave any company. They just look for themsleves. They forget what good things their comapny did for them. They think that staying at place for long does not help them. I was talking to a young employee who want to leave his company. I told him to calculate such benefits before leaving the company. He soon realised that going to another company means missing first year appraisal, which means missing one year's rise in the salary/wages. He came back to me after 2 days and told me that he is withdrawing his resignation.
I also know that staying in one company and that too in one area for long is not really a good idea. You can job roate within the company and also look at the internal job postings for the growth.
Ah....after serving for long time in one company, I still feel that I just joined this company. Time fly. I still feel young, excited about the changes, parting with the knowledge I have to the newcomers, changing the processes and bringing in new initiatives. I am charged as ever to look for new opportunities to learn in the company.
    

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