Several years ago, Peter Drucker noted that if most organisations increased their productivity by 10% it would double their profits.   At that time, 10% seemed achievable.  Now, firms are lucky to achieve 5% - and nations feel good if they move into positive figures. What has changed? Not a lot, actually - but firms seem

We hold innovative firms up to the light- as rare, glorious examples. Most organisations have a number of creative people - whether or not in avowedly creative roles. When these creative people come up with ides that could become innovations - the ideas tend to be evaluated too early and too harshly.  Evaluators look for

India is often cited as the next major economic powerhouse - perhaps even overtaking China.  This is based on India's recent record in moving up the international GDP league. However, look just below the surface and you will see that this impressive growth has largely been fuelled by widening employment participation.  India has been very

Coaching has become 'fashionable - the number of business coaches has multiplied dramatically over the last 10 years. However many of thee coaches are 'consultants' under a different name. What is the difference? Well, a consultant attempts to improve your business. A coach, on the other hand, is trying to improve you - so  that

Careers have been changing for some time. More and more people have portfolio careers, switching industries, roles and employers frequently to fit in with a more flexible lifestyle and give a better work-life balance. This means most firms have higher labour turnover and greater recruitment costs. It also means it becomes necessary to improve the

The US is imposing tariffs on a number of imports - notably steel and aluminium.  The aim is to protect US manufacturing by making foreign goods more expensive - thus making domestic products more competitive.  Now I haven't seen the details of the tariffs - but I do know that this is an area in

Sometimes, well-performing organisations move into 'coasting' mode - they know they are good, so they keep doing what they are doing, perhaps taking advantages of new technologies or 'obvious' improvements when they come along, but not actively striving for change and improvement. in such cases, the leaders of the organisation have to find some way

Business people who come from the product, manufacturing or engineering disciplines have a natural instinct to try to exercise process control to improve efficiency and profits. Those without such a background often aim at controlling costs. Some take one or other of these approaches to extremes. (Think Six Sigma.) The great advantage of the former

There is some debate about whether a concentration on productivity is bad for creativity.  However this is a fallacy. Over-concentration on quality - and especially compliance - can be bad for productivity, but productivity and creativity are natural bedfellows. So it depends on how broadly or narrowly you interpret productivity.  Rigid compliance to standard operating

Being able to do two things at once might seem like the epitome of efficiency - why waste time doing just one task when you can complete two simultaneously? However, famously there is a belief (myth?) that women can mulitask but men cannot - hampered by having a 'one track mind'. In the real world,