About WCPS

This author has not yet filled in any details.
So far WCPS has created 638 blog entries.

Should you control the process – or the costs?

By |2020-03-19T22:43:24+00:00April 14th, 2018|

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

Be creative …. and productive

By |2020-03-19T22:43:24+00:00April 7th, 2018|

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

Multitasking doesn’t work

By |2020-09-04T03:44:49+00:00March 31st, 2018|

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,

Don’t worry about completion – look for achievement

By |2020-03-19T22:43:24+00:00March 24th, 2018|

We give ourselves a metaphorical 'pat on the back' when we complete another item on our 'to do' list ... and we do the same with our employees. We congratulate them for completing a task or project. What we should congratulate them for is their achievement - or the impact they have made. A teacher,

Crest of a wave?

By |2020-03-19T22:43:25+00:00March 17th, 2018|

McKinsey is suggesting that the recent sluggish productivity performance in the developed world might be coming to an end.  We might soon see productivity rises like we did before the economic downturn - of the order of 2% per year. Are they right? Only time will tell.  The time is right - but are the

Change employment practices – to retain talent.

By |2020-03-19T22:43:25+00:00March 10th, 2018|

The world of employment has been changing for some time - especially in developed nations.  More people work part-time, change jobs frequently and have multiple jobs and 'portfolio' careers. What are the implications for productivity? One obvious point is that it becomes more important to get people 'up to speed' very quickly - what is

Chicken or Egg?

By |2020-03-19T22:43:25+00:00March 3rd, 2018|

Do motivated employees create good work and higher productivity?  Yes! But this is a 'What came first? Chicken or egg?' scenario. I would argue that giving employees good work motivates them and leads to higher productivity. An effective business leader creates good jobs - and engages employees with regard to their role in the organisation. 

Why don’t we do it?

By |2020-03-19T22:43:25+00:00February 24th, 2018|

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

Is well-being good for business?

By |2020-03-19T22:43:25+00:00February 18th, 2018|

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

Peru leads the way

By |2020-03-19T22:43:25+00:00February 10th, 2018|

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

Go to Top