This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
CBI: 50 YEARS OF BUSINESS INNOVATION | A CHANGING SOCIETY


BEING PART OF THE SOLUTION TO SOCIETY’S CHALLENGES


KATJA HALL Deputy director-general of the CBI


A couple of years ago, the BBC screened Life on Mars, a television series based on the idea of a police detective who, after suffering near-fatal injuries in a car crash, awakes to find himself living in 1973. It shows starkly the UK of four decades ago through the eyes of a modern-day Briton: a hierarchical society, traditional work environments, smoky offices, a male-dominated world and some racist overtones. Of all the changes that have taken place


over the last 50 years, the transformation of Britain as a society has been one of the most dramatic. Not all of these battles have been won conclusively just yet, but if a senior business leader from 1965 was to be transported five decades into the future, they would doubtless be bewildered by the changes that have occurred in UK society. Some of the most important changes have taken place in the world of work. And although he – and it would almost certainly be a he – might recognise the players on the pitch, the way they play the game would probably take him by surprise. Trade union membership was higher back then and there was a more adversarial climate


112


of labour relations, with disputes between the two sides seen as a zero-sum game. During the 1970s, 12.9 million days were lost, on average, each year to industrial action.


PARTNERSHIP CULTURE Fast-forward to 2012, and the relationship between employers and employees is far more positive. Just 248,800 working days were lost in the UK from labour disputes. A culture of partnership is one of the huge positives to emerge out of the labour-market reforms of the 1980s and 1990s. Allied to that is a shift from collective to individual engagement between managers and workers, and the sense that it is better for that communication to be direct and personal rather than indirect and confrontational. This communication also helps to drive


business forward. Modern employers are keen to hear suggestions from employees on ways of improving the products and services the company offers. Many companies now offer opportunities for employees to innovate while they work. The most obvious example is the hi-tech company that creates space for


innovation where employees can take time away from the daily routine to develop new ideas. Another important element of change in the


workplace is the focus on diversity and inclusion. British society has become more inclusive over the years, and employers have worked hard to keep pace with these changes in the way they recruit and retain staff – helping to cement this inclusivity as the society norm in the process. There has been a radical change in the way that employers accommodate individual workers’ needs. In the past, a discussion about equality might have focused narrowly on part-time working for mothers. Now the debate is about flexibility for both men and women, about the gender pay gap and equal pay, and about rights for part-time workers more broadly. It’s also about widening access to work. Four years ago, we published a major report


called Room at the Top, which aimed to help ensure that more women who have the ambition, desire and talent make it to the top. Coming just after the global financial crisis, it pointed out how homogeneity at the top of organisations can lead to narrow thinking and a lack of proper challenge to chief executives. »


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164  |  Page 165  |  Page 166  |  Page 167  |  Page 168  |  Page 169  |  Page 170  |  Page 171  |  Page 172  |  Page 173  |  Page 174  |  Page 175  |  Page 176  |  Page 177  |  Page 178  |  Page 179  |  Page 180  |  Page 181  |  Page 182  |  Page 183  |  Page 184  |  Page 185  |  Page 186  |  Page 187  |  Page 188  |  Page 189  |  Page 190  |  Page 191  |  Page 192  |  Page 193  |  Page 194  |  Page 195  |  Page 196  |  Page 197  |  Page 198  |  Page 199  |  Page 200  |  Page 201  |  Page 202  |  Page 203  |  Page 204  |  Page 205  |  Page 206  |  Page 207  |  Page 208  |  Page 209  |  Page 210  |  Page 211  |  Page 212  |  Page 213  |  Page 214  |  Page 215  |  Page 216  |  Page 217  |  Page 218  |  Page 219  |  Page 220  |  Page 221  |  Page 222  |  Page 223  |  Page 224  |  Page 225  |  Page 226  |  Page 227  |  Page 228  |  Page 229  |  Page 230  |  Page 231  |  Page 232