What happens when the institutions designed to prepare our workforce for the future become the very systems holding it back? According to Jeff Griffiths, Director of Research at the Canada West Foundation, we're living in that reality right now.
With 25 years as a management consultant in workforce and organizational development, and a background in the Canadian Air Force that taught him the value of adaptability in uncertainty, Jeff has spent his career at the intersection of learning, labor markets, and policy innovation. Today, he's leading macro-level research that asks uncomfortable questions about why our post-secondary institutions can't keep pace with economic change.
Where Innovation Goes to Die: A Sclerotic System
Jeff doesn't mince words about the current state of higher education.
"I always say the post-secondaries, that's where innovation goes to die."
Consider this: When generative AI exploded onto the scene, transforming entire industries within months, how long did it take Canadian universities to integrate it meaningfully into their curricula? Two to three years, or even longer in some cases. That's the lag time built into our "natural monopoly" of traditional learning institutions; a delay that's catastrophic in today's economy.
The problem isn't the people within these institutions. Jeff is clear about that. It's the structure itself: outdated funding models, administrative labyrinths, and tenured resistance to change. The very systems designed to ensure quality and stability have become structural barriers to agility.
"They're simply constrained by the system in which they live. So we've been investigating what are the alternatives to that. What are the options?"
Competency Over Credentials: A New Recognition Framework
The solution, Jeff argues, lies in competency-based approaches that recognize learning wherever it happens – not just within the hallowed halls of traditional institutions. His current research collaborations explore how competency-based frameworks can drive tangible improvements in productivity and performance while also measurably improving on worker safety, product quality, and engagement.
This connects directly to an ambitious Regional Open Loop Network (ROLN) model proposed by Canada West Foundation's and their research partners and detailed in their Unlocking Productivity report. ROLN envisions a systemic ecosystem where human capital flows more freely, competency mismatches are addressed rapidly, and learning is recognized across multiple pathways.
Future-Casting 2035: The “Marvel Cinematic Universe” Approach
Perhaps the most innovative work Jeff's team is doing involves literally reimagining the future. In a recent presentation to the Open Epic Group, Jeff and collaborated with lead author Dr David Finch on workshops in Paris and Alberta using what Jeff calls the "Marvel Cinematic Universe" approach.
"They basically, you know, zoom them forward, it's now 2035, the laws have changed, this is now gonna happen. What, and how, do we adapt to this new universe?"
By bringing together participants from industry, government, and education in a future where policy constraints have been removed, they're generating solutions that would never emerge from incremental thinking. The European sessions reveal something fascinating: systems that already embrace alternative pathways like Erasmus are "a little more open" to radical change – a glimpse of what's possible globally.
The HeroX Connection: Crowdsourcing Agility
This is where platforms like HeroX align. Jeff's vision of open learning and alternative competency recognition, and HeroX's model of crowdsourcing solutions from a diverse, global community of nearly 400,000 solvers, run in parallel.
Whether it's NASA seeking breakthrough innovations, the NIH tackling complex health challenges, or the Edmonton Police Foundation finding community-driven solutions, HeroX demonstrates what Jeff advocates: looking outside traditional structures for talent and answers.
The Innovation Leadership Mandate
For innovation leaders navigating this transformation, Jeff's message is clear: you cannot wait for traditional institutions to catch up. The workforce agility your organization needs for the 21st century won't come from systems designed for the 20th.
Instead, explore the growing research from the Canada West Foundation and their partners in The Productivity Project, including their comprehensive series on Productivity and People, The Coming Storm, Untapped Potential, Finding People, and the Path to Open Learning.
Break the constraint. Recognize competencies, not just credentials. Build partnerships with platforms that connect you to global talent pools. Most importantly, stop accepting a system that constrains well-meaning people from creating the agile workforce we desperately need.
Ready to dive deeper? Watch the full conversation with Jeff Griffiths to explore the policy reforms that can future-proof your organization's talent pipeline, and discover how HeroX's global crowdsourcing platform can help you find agile, open solutions today.
