Characterisation of innovation and implementation rates across a South African mining organisation

Abstract

The aim of this study was to measure shopfloor participation in a corporate innovation program within a South African mining operation. Employees were categorised according to age, gender, years of service, and job grading. The rate of innovation response was measured and analysed in terms of the type of innovation as well as the trajectory. During the first 12 months of the program, from September 2023 to August 2024, a total of 1005 submissions were registered, with 826 (82%) conforming to the criteria set for the program. Sufficient data was obtained through which each of the five (5) research questions could be answered. The 35-45 years age group had the highest level of representation in the program at 26% of the category. A slight bias of female participants over males was noted. The >15 to <= 20 years of service category had the highest level of representation in the program, at 32%. Three Paterson grading categories contributed most to the program: Upper C (Specialists and Supervisors), Lower D (Superintendents), and Upper D (Managers), while B Band employees (unskilled & semi-skilled) reflected lower response rates. Demographic groupings that were relatively under-represented included <25 years age group, the <=5 and >20 years of service categories, as well as the contractor, student and B-band job gradings. Approximately one in ten ideas registered during the period were implemented, showing that ideation exceeded the capacity to implement. ‘Incremental’ innovation was the dominant type, representing 94.9% ahead of ‘disruptive’ innovation at 4.3%. In terms of trajectory, most innovations (i.e., 76%) were aimed at the ‘internal’ work environment, with the ‘production’ environment at 22% as the second highest domain. Return on innovation investment (ROII) was considered in terms of both tangible / commercial and intangible / soft benefits. The program delivered sixteen innovations with tangible financial returns of more than R100,000, while thirteen of these innovations had a return on investment above R1 million, and three had a return of over R10 million measured per calendar year. An analysis of intangible value addition by category showed that ‘operational approach’ was the most frequent intangible benefit at 38.5%, followed by ‘safety and health’ at 28.2%, and ‘maintenance approach’ at 17.0%.