Can the UK Fix its Health Service?
The NHS (National Health Service) in the UK is regarded by many British people as ‘the jewel in the crown’ - by far the most important public service. Over the last decade, though, there has been
What is the point of productivity?
Reading documents and even blog posts about productivity would lead one to believe that the only purpose of improving productivity is to raise profits. That is true at the level of the firm … but
America Leeds
Even though productivity has been rising slowly in the last few years, America still tops the international league table for productivity. Why is this? Well, possibly the most significant reasons are: Firstly, America is a high-tech
No Secret to Improved Productivity
There are thousands of articles, book - even blog posts - promising you the Top 5 (or 6 or 21) secrets to productivity. However, I have disappointing news.. There is no one secret, no magic bullet,
Where Can We Successfully Apply AI?
I am slightly sceptical about the great productivity gains suggested for AI. I hope I am wrong but I think it may take quite some time before the ‘intelligence’ of AI gives solid results. That is not
Healthy Employees are Productive Employees
Many employees, when asked in job satisfaction surveys, express the view that they are constantly tired and often under stress. Even in organisations with standard work hours, employees are increasingly expected to be available during
How Was The Pandemic For You?
It is apparent that many people gained a fresh perspective on their own lives during the pandemic. They now want the mix of home and work life they enjoyed when forced to stay out of
Speed is Still Not Everything
I wrote a week ago about the danger of thinking that (productivity) improvement is always about increasing speed. I thought this week about an example that sums this up quite nicely. I went recently to
Speed is not Everything
I have talked here before about the danger in concentrating on speed of operation as the primary focus of improvement efforts. It can, for example mean a drop in quality…. and it can mean a team
The Creativity of Ignorance
Sometimes when looking at problems or searching for innovation, it is a handicap to have too much knowledge of the context of the problem. For example, if you give the problem of spanning a river
Problem or Opportunity
I don’t like aphorisms such as “There are no problems, only opportunities”. This Is sometimes true but is so vague as to encompass real problems and disasters which require being treated as such, Can you imagine, "Houston,
Work Hard, Like The Rest of Them
If you work in an environment where everyone is busy and working hard you will tend to work hard yourself. There will be fewer distractions and your work level will be visible to others. At break
Does Money Motivate?
It is commonly accepted that money is a prime motivator for employed people [ie - they come to work earn money to live and will leave for another job if its pays more. Of course,
Not Mere Minutes
I was talking to a distant relative the other day who has been working from home for more than 2 years - and loves it. He told me about the various co-ordination meetings he had to
Oh No, Not Mondays
An online survey of American workers suggests that they feel at their most productive on Monday mornings. The week is new, memories of the weekend cast a rosy glow and the world feels good. So, why do
Communication Is Not Always Good
We are constantly urging firms to communicate effectively with their employees - letting them know what is happening … and why. This is particularly true of issues that affect those employees. Communicating should be easy as
Warehousing is a Productivity Success
Warehousing is one area where productivity has risen steadily over the last couple of decades.This has been partly due to the rise of the ‘super retailer’, the boom in online purchasing - and the boom
You Don’t Have To Finish Your Automation Project
When firms are looking at automation (or AI) to find other ways of changing and improving what they do), the approach should always be to look at what you do now and how you do
Whatever Happened to Common Sense
Most of us have been in a situation at work where rules have been enforced which are clearly stupid to anyone with common sense. If you doubt this, you need to read ‘Dilbert’ more. Do you
Does Manufcturing Matter?
Spoiler alert!. Yes, it does! Manufacturing, in spite of continual productivity gains over several decades, is a large employer. But it also employs a multiple more (often several multiples more) in the wider supply chain -
Take Action
Occasionally we see an organisation that has pulled itself back from the brink of extinction. There are two main routes to such survival - one is to find a different product/service (product innovation) ; the other
Perfection is Over-Rated
We all know people who are perfectionists. They strive in everything they do to be the best, to out-perform all others, to be number one. In some walks of life, this can be a great attribute.
Hand in Hand
I read a report recently which suggested that the workforce in Pakistan lacks both appropriate skills and the work ethic needed to significantly improve productivity. (This is not of course exclusive to Pakistan - it
If They Can Do It, So Can We
How does a government kickstart productivity improvement? Well one possible answer Is to benchmark and challenge. A government can set up benchmarking across specific sectors it thinks are important for future growth. It starts by