Recently I was writing some course material on improving innovation and I suggested there that to make people more innovative, you need them engaged and you need to give them freedom to explore. Then I came across Gallup's new State of the Global Workplace report which suggests that only 15% of employees worldwide are engaged in their

n the UK, much attention has been focused recently on mental health issues - with a dawning of understanding of the sheer scale - and the growing impact - of various mental health conditions ... including the impact on workplace productivity. Now research by Curaiink Healthcare suggest that properly constructed and focused  Employee Assistance Programmes

As Peru prepares to celebrate the 2021 bicentenary of its independence, the government has set itself one major goal: to make Peru a full member of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The aim is to adopt public policies that meet established OECD standards and provide Peru with an important opportunity to strengthen its institutions and consolidate

There has been a debate in Trinidad yesterday about whether workers (and especially their poor attendance) is to blame for low productivity. Trades unions say 'No'. I agree with the unions. In my experience, poor productivity within an organisation is almost always a 'system or culture failure'. Either work is badly organised or the culture

I often say that I have built my career on asking stupid questions. Improving productivity is all about asking questions.  Why do we do it like that?  Who is responsible for this?  Why do it that way? Where should this be done?  Why do we do this at all? However, I have come to realise

India's economic performance over the last 15 years has been exceptional - matched only by China. But history is not what matters - how is India going to maintain, or even increase - growth over the next 10-15 years. Well, it currently performs well in quite a few areas - but not in innovation. its 

Supercar manufacturer McClaren is to create almost 200 jobs in South Yorkshire, UK manufacturing chassis which are currently made in Europe and sent to the UK to form the basis of the assembly process.  Why did McClaren choose South Yorkshire?  Because South Yorkshire (and Sheffield in particular) has a history of investing in Advanced Manufacturing

Australia's Productivity commission has slated the public sector for its poor productivity. Yet when you read the report what it is really saying is that the public sector, unlike the private sector, fails to measure productivity - and therefore is unable to know whether it is moving in the right direction. This seems a little

We are about to enter a New Year.  Many people at this time make resolutions (personal promises) to change some aspect of their behaviour - like giving up drinking alcohol, going on a diet, managing their temper better, or whatever. I suggest that instead of concentrating on the personal, you go external and think about

Data over the last decade suggests that labour productivity has been rising in developed countries but overall (or multi-factor) productivity has declined. This means that people are working harder but 'the system' is letting them down. We have been saying for 50 years that organisations need to work smarter, not harder. Now is the time