Does Time Matter?
Of course it does! However, concentrating on squeeing every last drop of productive output from each day and multi-tasking to get more done can lead to burnout, to stress and anxiety and to a drop
A Lesson in Communication
Doug Conant was the CEO of Campbell Soups in 2001 when the company’s business was at rock bottom due to several organisational issues including a toxic culture. Among the many leadership strategies, Doug adopted, one of
Balance
I have talked previously about the need to balance the pursuit of efficiency with a need for resilience - we need to be able to cope with supply chain, labour or other problems. We have
How Good Are They?
Over the last couple of decades (before the pandemic) lots of middle income countries and middle-performing companies were integrated into global supply chains. Advanced nations and advanced companies had no choice as they needed new
Industrial Relatons
One of the ironies of modern business life is that whenever anyone uses the term ‘industrial relations’ they are almost certainly referring to poor relationships. Similarly, the ‘industrial relations industry’ is about handling (and dealing
Essential Inefficiencies
Productivity equals efficiency. Yes? Well, yes - by and large. But sometimes we need something else … something more. The recent problems with supply chains (after both the COVID pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine)
Let Them Laugh
If they see employees laughing, some managers make negative comments which can be summarised as ‘You are here to work, not to have fun’. However, humour has positive benefits form an organisation. It promotes and
Industrial Relations
One of the ironies of modern business life is that whenever anyone uses the term ‘industrial relations’ they are almost certainly referring to poor relationships. Similarly, the ‘industrial relations industry’ is about handling (and dealing
Mind the Gap
Firms who wish to be fully productive need a workforce that is engaged, motivated and fully skilled. Firms who do not have fully skilled employees are, in effect, giving away capacity.. Firstly, of course, employees who
Its Productivity Week
For most (all?) countries, at the moment, that headline could ha de been rewritten as ‘Its Productivity Weak”. Productivity, globally, has been fading as a result of general economic decline, the COVID pandemic, the war in
Who Trains Who?
Those managers and executives who have come through the ranks, maintaining their own diaries, typing their own words and creating their own presentations often find it difficult to adjust when they reach the dizzy heights
Is This The Future of Work?
Is the future of work to be similar to the hybrid forms we have seen emerge from the pandemic - with workers attending the workplace only 2 or 3 days per week (or even less)?
What about the Workers?
Over the last few decades there has been steady and continual divergence between productivity growth and pay rises, Analysis of historical data shows that productivity and compensation for ordinary workers grew in near lockstep from
Your Monday morning task
On Monday morning (or perhaps Sunday evening), ask yourself the following questions : What are the critical issues this week? What do I absolutely have to get done this week? What might come back to
How artificial, how intelligent?
Some people praise the potential of AI (Artificial Intelligence). Some are scared by it. Who is right? All of them. We know that all new technologies tend to be misused by unscrupulous and unprincipled actors. The
Small can be effective
In a changing world, business leaders are looking for more training options that provide greater flexibility and variety. They are looking for a mix of formats and delivery options, with a preference for short courses.
Re-Generation
In many countries, governments are raising the retirement age to contain pension and welfare costs. Today’s workers are going to have to work to a ripe, old age. (Since, generally, people are healthier and fitter than they
Digital Overload
We have all experienced sensory overload due to the deluge of emails we receive. This is even more so for those of us whose organisations have provided us with a range of helpful (?) productivity
In Retrospect
A new trend is emerging of organisations organising review and retrospection meetings - perhaps every 2 weeks or so to allow employees (collectively) to review what they’ve done, what they’ve achieved, what went well and
Where is the growth engine?
Lots of countries that expanded their productivity through the 1980s and 1990s have slowed to a crawl. Their 'growth engines' seem to have disappeared or been dismantled. COVID-19 may have been the final nail in
Continuity
Getting people back to the office is proving difficult for many organisations. Employees have got used to the flexibility, and to the lack of commuting, associated with home working. Many organisations have saved money by allowing users
Can I have some more, Sir?
We all need more food. The world population continues to grow. At the same time, however, we devote less land to agriculture as we create mega cities and urban sprawl. The only solution is increased agricultural productivity.
Let Them Laugh
I remember once walking past an office and the staff in there were obviously enjoying themselves. They were laughing - at what, I know not. My first thought was ‘How odd. Shouldn’t they be taking their work
Simple
A very simple way of thinking about productivity is to identify the things that block or slow down throughput and eliminate them. I know this is an oversimplification because in some case, removing a bottleneck