Artificial Intelligence is said to be set to revolutionise many sectors. Is this a force for productivity gains or just a threat to jobs? Well, as the Australian Productivity Commission said recently, technology has over

Modern workplaces seem antagonistic to efficient working and productivity.  They are noisy, stressful, full of constant chatter. constant interruptions from telephones, streams of emails and so on. Perhaps its time to turn the clock back. 

Most of us try to organise our working day to maximise performance and efficiency. Yet for many of us that day can be ruined before it really starts. If we rise and start worrying about

If you want the real secret to productivity development, it is ... Well, the most important factor is to always, always remember rule number 7 - train and develop your staff, and treat them well. 

We all know he importance of backing up the work we do on computer - even if we don't always practise what we know we should. We also know we should have some form of

When giving talks to people about productivity, I often express my amazement - and my worry - that governments spend a lot of time working on the wrong things. For example, in the UK at

I read a piece the other day on the use of productivity measures for academic staff. The measures were all about output quantity (presumably with the proviso that papers wouldn’t be published if they didn’t

This week is The Open Golf Championship - what Americans like to call the British Open but is is THE Open. The Open obviously has the best golfers in the world - and as with

I am quite used to seeing strange suggestions for improving personal productivity - often tied to an app someone is trying to sell me.  But the one I saw the other day 'takes the biscuit'.

Does technology improve productivity? Silly question, isn't it? Well no. If you could monitor what your staff are 'working' on all the time, you would find that many book holidays, contact their medical practitioner, look

Most of us believe that technology has a good track record in improving productivity. But there have been many promised futures that did not come about.  Think 'the paperless office' for one.  This was first

I think it was Mark Twain who one said that eating a live frog early every morning means you know the worst is behind you and you can get on with your day with confidence. 

We have seen lots of talk over the last few years by various governments about the need for more sustainable development - and less dependence on fossil fuels. Yet, the rise in the use of

All nations want to increase their productivity.  This makes them more competitive, brings rewards for citizens and allows society to develop. The problem is that no-one is quite sure how it can be achieved. There

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

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

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

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

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

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. 

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

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

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

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