The Business Case for a Courageous Workforce

The benefits of courageous workplaces are considered to include;

1. Increased innovation

Workplaces that encourage employees to try new ideas, make mistakes and understand risks are courageous workplaces. Consistent innovation occurs when employees are willing to bring different views and work together to create new products and services, even if that involves ‘starting again’.

2. Higher employee engagement

Employee engagement is concerned with employees who put discretionary effort into their work beyond the minimum required to get the job done.

Highly engaged employees feel connected with their colleagues and feel valued, respected and involved by the wider organisation, care about doing a good job and ensuring that the organisation is successful.

Engaged employees are more likely to take social risks in going beyond their job description in order to achieve their objectives i.e. are more likely to be courageous.

3. Greater brand recognition

Courageous workplaces have a clear and consistent set of values and purpose. Greater brand recognition comes because employees are typically prouder of their organisation and more publicly willing to support it.

4. Successful transformation change

Transformation is the process of a group or organisation creating a new way of working or culture, where the final outcome is planned for but uncertain. Successful transformation requires employees to work towards a shared vision or set of goals, recognising that the uncertainty of the final outcome breeds doubt and may require adaptation, but believing that it is the right thing to do. Courageous workplaces implement successful transformations.

For further details including measures, please see our whitepaper “Business case for workplace courage”.