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How to recruit innovation into Europe’s SMEs

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How to recruit innovation into Europe’s SMEs
29 August 2011, By: Nigel Gibbons

The ICT sector is a very fluid and aggressive global market where technology is driving change, in fact it’s driving innovation across all sectors. There’s a huge amount of innovation coming from Russia and across the East. Look to Asia and you’ll see the Japanese ‘eBay’ coming our way which will undoubtedly put pressure on eBay. In the coming years we are going to see some global brands seriously threatened by new innovation and new people doing things differently. In the past ten years, we have witnessed fast-pace internet dominance by a bunch of bright young innovators in the States, but that’s not the end of the story. In America, staff are recruited in a less regulated and protective environment, yet this yield for employers a more committed and driven staff to help keep their business driving forward. Once employees get a job, they are self-motivated to maintain their own competitiveness, if they want to remain employed and progress. It’s that drive and energy that we need to nurture in Europe in some shape or form. So how can we foster the same spirit here? I believe we need a much more open and fluid employment regulatory landscape across Europe. There’s a too dominate attitude of ‘jobs for life’, which dissipates the energy and drive. In my view, job protectionism builds walls and complacency, ultimately supressing the latent potential that we aspire to tap. Today I recruit based on someone’s mind-set and not purely on skills. If I interview two programmers, I expect them both to be able to program and have some exposure to our core technologies. However if one has all the certifications, but doesn’t have the core go-getting mind-set, the flexibility and the hunger, I will take the person who does. Even I don’t know what skill-set my business needs in eight to ten months’ time, so I employ those who are ready to learn and adapt with my business as the business has to adapt to an increasingly agile market.

A mind-set approach will help stimulate that hunger and entrepreneurial drive in Europe for sure. Creating competitiveness in the mind-set of employees is the starting point; unfortunately we have a generational situation here in Europe where it’s not going to happen overnight. It’s going to require patience and vision, from the politicians to start making those changes now to realise the full potential of future generations. If we could create a more open employment environment, we can help encourage employees to compete more positively by showing a greater energy and drive, and then I think we would start to stimulate that creativity, that entrepreneurial drive, even at university level. Would be good to hear your views.

Summary
The ICT sector is a very fluid and aggressive global market where technology is driving change, in fact it’s driving innovation across all sectors. There’s a huge amount of innovation coming from Russia and across the East.

Description
Creating competitiveness in the mind-set of employees is the starting point; unfortunately they have a generational situation here in Europe where it’s not going to happen overnight. It’s going to require patience and vision, from the politicians to start making those changes now to realise the full potential of future generations.

Tags: Crowdsourcing, Europe, Innovation, SMEs

Posted by Benjamin Fossel

Sep 21, 2011 02:17 pm GMT Viewed 2282 times

Author: Nigel Gibbons Source

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How to recruit innovation into Europe’s SMEs

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