Peak Human Workplace: Innovation in the unprecedented era

Like its title, this research report is unprecedented. It is the first of its kind to investigate the influence of both workplace learning and collaboration on innovation in Australian workplaces. Its timing helps to make it unique. Our survey of working Australians was conducted in late November 2019, measuring various forms of learning and types of collaboration in Australian workplaces. The respondents were blind to the objective of understanding the conditions for innovation in their workplace. With the arrival of COVID-19 in January 2020, the data took on new significance. It has become the most up-to-date, business-as-usual measure of culture in Australian workplaces without distortions from COVID-19. To make findings relevant for the post-pandemic era, we pay particular attention to learning and collaboration behaviours in rapidly changing environments within the Australian economy – and how these inform innovation. Within this report, we provide expert analysis and recommendations on how leaders can structure their workplaces to strategically align their organisations for complex disruption, how educators can reimagine learning to prepare future workers for the unprecedented era, and how we can reimagine the future of the physical workplace. This work builds on CNeW’s 2019 Peak Human Potential.