If, on reading this headline, your first response was “If I don’t multitask, how do I get through my long and varied To Do list?”, then read on. If you switch regularly snd swiftly between tasks, or even worse, try to do two things at one, (like handle your emails while in a meeting), you
Media pundits love to talk about the productivity crisis. (Well, let’s be honest, they love to talk about any crisis…. and if there isn’t a crisis to talk about, they will invent one.) The productivity crisis isn’t really a crisis. The decline and stagnation in productivity has been a general factor in the Western world for the
AI is certainly ‘the next big thing’ with many claiming it as a transformational tool. Whether it is or not, only time - and productivity statistics - will tell. However, the sheer volume of publicity being given to AI means that most organisations should be aware of AI’s capabilities and potential. Before you go running to
Organisational strategies obviously work at the corporate level - they are overarching, sometimes summed up as BHAGs - Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals. Such goals are useful in expressing the longer term direction for, and aims of, the organisation but they must be translated to make them fit for shorter term planning. Those within the organisation must
Clearly industry leaders havre difficult decisions to make at particular times and under particular circumstances. At all times, these difficult decisions should be informed by the overarching organisational mission and strategic plan. However, we are particularly interested in the productivity of the organisation. So where should this figure in the decision-making? The answer is very simple ….
There is an old saying that poor leaders can be summed up with the phrase ‘Do As I Say, Not As I Do’ meaning that leaders who do not ‘walk the walk as well as ’talk the talk’ are not likely to be successful in the longer-term. Perhaps nowhere is this more true than in
Technology has been a significant driver of enhanced productivity over the last several decades. Now many are predicting that AI will be the next major revolution. However, the current crop of digital tools (including AI) is, by and large, aimed at backroom tasks and personnel. Front line workers are certainly less well-served, even in service industries. This
Most people - including me - would answer immediately - and say ‘No’. However, things are not so simple. Think of recent large-scale innovation changes. Nuclear power for example. Or space exploration. Such massive innovations could not have happened without large-scale investment (and planning and coordination) from governments. Other innovations cannot be fully diffused into markets without
Bad title. There is no one key to productivity. Yet, research shows a strong correlation between mutual trust and performance in organisations. Mutual trust means that: Senior leaders trust employees Managers trust their team members Managers are trusted by their direct reports Employees trust their fellow team members The senior leadership team is trusted by employees
Many people like to listen to music while they work on their computer or carry out other individual tasks. Music can drown out the sounds of the task itself or the sounds of colleagues - especially when working in an open plan office. Others think music is a distracting influence and prefer to work in