#005 – 2006 Spring
I recently spent three weeks in New York, with the development of international alliances starting an exciting new phase for Tribe Research.
In this edition we uncover the Sexual Health of Generation Y; explore Tribe Research’s recent success at the 2006 Work Cover NSW Work Safe Awards; examine the “Your Views Count” public awareness campaign for Australian research; and announce the launch of our inaugural Innovation Report, which will focus on the biggest barrier to innovation in organisations: developing an innovative culture.
Happy reading!
Kate Tribe
ask@triberesearch.com.au
T | +61 2 9264 4432
Tribe Research News
Sexual Health of Generation Y
Tribe Research and Summer Survival have collected the sexual health views of almost 1,000 Gen Y’ers over the past few years*. The results are being used to develop sexual health services and education programs. Here are some of our findings:
- In 2004, 32% said they would go to a doctor or nurse for information about sexual health issues. In 2006 about a fifth of the participants had discussed recreational drug use, mental health issues and/or sexual health issues with a local doctor.
- The average age for first experiencing oral sex was 14.5, and for sexual intercourse it was 14.8.
- The most common response for number of partners was 2 to 4, for both oral sex and sexual intercourse.
- Over 50% of those who have had sexual intercourse use condoms always or most of the time.
- There was an increase in the proportion reporting they’ve had sex while affected by alcohol or drugs from 2004 to 2006, even though participant average age decreased in the period. Other than alcohol, the main recreational drugs were cannabis and ecstasy.
* The Sexual Health Survey is conducted every 2 years [2004 n=455, 2006 n=532] by peer educators from Waverly Area Youth Services [WAYS] and Shire Wide Youth Services Inc [SWYS]. It is funded by South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service’s HIV/AIDS and Related Programs Unit. The sample is collected through a convenience methodology and therefore analyses of bias can’t be undertaken. The survey is also collected in social environments and it is possible that some participants were influenced by peer pressure.
More information email: Carolyn Murray
Tribe Research and Age Communications project Highly Commended at the…
WorkCover Safe Work Awards 2006
… in the Best Solution to an identified workplace health and safety issue category.
The SAAP (Supported Accommodation Assistance Program) Client Risk Assessment Tool and Process consists of a six step process of Trigger Questions, Follow-up Questions, Severity of Risk, Risk Management Strategies, Decision and Evaluation. It has been implemented through training programs across NSW.
The primary impetus for the project was the 2004 Ombudsman’s Report, which identified issues hindering access by homeless people to services funded under SAAP.
The project was funded by NSW DoCS with a steering committee of HomelessnessNSW.ACT, Women’s Refuge Resource Centre, Youth Accommodation Association of NSW, NGO Training Unit, and NSW Council of Social Services.
Your Views Count in So Many Ways
The Australian Market and Social Research Society (AMSRS) and the Association of Market and Social Research Organisations (AMSRO) have launched a campaign called Your Views Count.
Every day, researchers like the Tribe Research Explorers work on behalf of clients like you to find out what people think about:
- Improving products and services
- Important social issues that can have a big impact on:
- How the Government develops policies and makes laws
- How social agencies provide services
Key Issues for research organisations:
- Perceived low value in research participation
- Fewer respondents in reach, in cooperation and in contact, creating a 3% pa decrease in response rates (Bednall, 2000)
- Commissioning clients unaware of the negative impacts when requesting short timeframes and cost
- Cynicism from general public due to telemarketers masquerading as research
- Less than positive, or inconsistent experiences when respondents are contacted by research companies
- Reduced working hours for interviewers
- The changing lifestyle and expectations of the consumer
More information at: www.yourviewscount.com.au
Tribe Research explores and uncovers to drive change
Where has your Tribe Research bag been?
Each week a new photo is displayed on our home page and we’ll email you to let you know when your photo is the current one.
Email: bags@triberesearch.com.au
and we’ll post a bag to you.
Feature Article
How can you build a more innovative culture?
The universal key to staying ahead of the competition is to continually gather and develop new ideas. The success of companies like Virgin and Google is often attributed to their innovative approach; but innovation is important for every type of organisation, whether you are a small business, not-for-profit or a large multi-national corporation.
Foster ideas through all levels of your organisation
So how can you improve innovation in your organisation? The first step is to identify the specific areas where you fall behind, and overcome the barriers that are holding you back. To do this, you need to consult your staff – innovation starts with them.
It is an Innovative Culture in need of development holding you back
The focus of our inaugural Innovation Report (March 2007 release) is Innovative Culture. It is the lowest area of performance on our Innovation Benchmark 3 Factor® (IB3) and therefore the greatest barrier to innovation and creativity.
Develop an explicit and well understood innovation strategy
The area with the greatest need for attention is the development of an explicit and well understood innovation strategy. Interestingly, employees are more likely to perceive that there is such a strategy than managers/leaders.
Even the best ideas need a receptive culture
New ideas need to be discussed and developed. This often requires the managers/leaders to facilitate or encourage the exchange of ideas between different departments and teams. It also means that innovation needs to be explicitly valued and talked about at most meetings.
Some strategies to develop an innovative culture
Create a regular ideas forum (eg monthly), where new ideas are shared throughout the organisation at all levels, and people outside of any one problem are invited to contribute their ideas. Getting a wide range of perspectives from people with varied backgrounds means that you can combine new and different ideas with the traditional approach, and come up with a better solution than you would have otherwise.
Identify “out of the box” thinkers who can see the world differently from others and can come together on a regular basis, keep track of projects, and help remove any barriers – these people will create future revenue growth streams. It works best when, for large organisations, they are in different departments, or if you are a small business owner, form a group of like minded colleagues in different industries who can meet in a similar way.
Establish an internet/intranet forum, such as IdeaSpaceTM (developed by The Idea Centre) to enable everyone to share ideas online where they can be captured, shared, developed, reviewed, tested and implemented.
Develop an explicit and well understood innovation strategy by articulating where the business is now in terms of innovations, where it is headed and how to get there. This includes defining how you will measure innovation success: new product development, sales increase, improved staff satisfaction, increased market share.
The keys to innovative success
Create great ideas, support these and test them quicker than the competition. If you would like to find out more about the IB3 or are interested in a tailored assessment of innovation in your organisation, please contact us.
The Innovation Benchmark 3 Factor
The IB3 is a joint initiative of The Idea Centre and Tribe Research. The IB3 represents a validated, reliable and comprehensive assessment of staff perceptions of current performance for the three key innovation driving factors in any organisation:
Idea Development: Continually developing a pipeline of big, new ideas to draw on.
Market-Place Orientation: Proactively searching the market and other industries for new ideas.
Innovative Culture: Being open to new ideas, approaches and solutions from all levels of the organisation.
The IB3 has grown considerably since its launch in 2004, and now contains 656 individuals from a wide range of industries. This includes a private health insurance company, the Australian division of an international packaged goods company, the Australian division of an international manufacturing company, Australian division of an online company, a travel company, an architectural firm, a public relations company, a retail chain, and a state government authority.
Innovation Report: To be launched in March 2007
The report will provide detailed analysis of the specific aspects of Innovative Culture and the many differences between perceptions of organisational groups:
- employees v managers/leaders,
- males v females
- large organisations v SME’s.
We will keep you updated on the launch of our Innovation Report.
