Do you read the wise words of the business gurus, the management thought leaders? No, me neither. Of course these guys (for they usually are guys) must have done something right to get to where

The third Albion Growth Report, designed to shed light on the factors that both create and impede growth among over 1,000 UK SMEs, highlights significant regional differences in tackling the productivity gap: 54 per cent of business owners in

The World Productivity Congress is proving to be very interesting. Just before the event I read an article by Robert Gordon about the state of US productivity, the gist of which was that the major

I am in Halifax (Nova Scotia) for the World Productivity Congress (being held in partnership with the Big Data Conference). This gives me 2 (well, at least 2) opportunities. Firstly, I can meet up with

The World Confederation of Productivity Science promotes the concept of SEE - Social, Environmental & Economic Productivities - suggesting that long-term business sustainability and success  comes from  addressing all three.  Some have claimed that this

I was browsing some 'productivity blogs' earlier this week - I use the inverted commas because many of them use the word 'hack - or lifehacks - only using the word 'productivity in the strapline

Japan has a new government initiative to boost the adoption of intelligent machines and robots - as part of a drive to improve industrial productivity.  However, this has other benefits as well. Mechanised workplaces are

Companies have long used music to set rhythm for production lines - and to boost morale of employees.  Now a new study by the University of Illinois confirms that people do respond - positively in

On the Internet, you get lots of tips about productivity - and what are called ' productivity hacks' (really just more tips). However you and I know that what brings about higher productivity is structure

Is climate change happening? Yes. Is it man's fault - down to greenhouse 'emissions'? Possibly. It does not matter what the cause is - we have to accept it is happening. There are lots of

The Taiwan government is planning to spend NT$36 billion (US$1.12 billon) over the next nine years as part of its Productivity 4.0 project to elevate Taiwan's status in the global supply chain, Taiwan president Ma

All companies have limited funds to invest in new projects. (Well, perhaps Apple has all the money it needs.) And this inevitably means that those companies have to prioritise certain projects over others. Unfortunately too

Businesses seem to be unwilling to invest in new facilities and even new skills for their employees. I think part of the reason is that investors have become used to the rollercoaster of the tech

Last week I talked about the problem of national productivity measurement when we fail to count lots of 'intangibles. Musing further, I got to thinking  about companies like Google and Yahoo who give away many

In a recent paper, the governor of the Central Bank of Barbados said that even though Barbados is relatively prosperous as a Caribbean nation, it will only move up the international 'league table' by improving

In small businesses low productivity is rarely the fault of the workers - it is because the owner/manager has not set up production processes properly -or has failed to manage them effectively. Too many owner/managers

There has been discussion on the Productivity Futures LinkedIn group this week discussing whether productivity and innovation are natural enemies or bedfellows. Of course I chimed in - well, I can't resist - and my

I have started this blog before with words such as ..."I read a survey the other day..."  Sometimes reading the results of these 'business surveys' can be interesting .. but too often it seems the

Teams are sometimes more productive than the sum of their parts - because the 'chemistry' among the team is 'right'. We've all seen such 'chemistry' at work - in working teams and in personal relationships.

Productivity is a 'neutral' measure - it doesn't come with praise or blame attached.  To understand the reasons behind the figures we have to dig deeper, sometimes much deeper, than the headlines. For example, we

We all need a bit of ‘me-time’ … when we forget about all the tasks we have on our To-Do list, forget all our work pressures, forget our commitments and concentrate on ourselves.  ‘Me-time’ needn’t be

I've been doing a lot of writing recently.  I'm lucky - I find that words just come out - easily - in torrents.  My problem is not writing; its marshalling my thoughts and turning the

What will lead you to higher productivity in 2015? New products, new technologies, new structures? For most organisations, the answer is none of these.  Those that succeed in improving their productivity will do so by

I read recently that Coca-Cola has withdrawn its voicemail system from its Atlanta headquarters in an effort to improve productivity.  Callers now get a simple message suggesting they should use another means of contact. Voicemail