I have seen reports recently that relate to the literacy levels of young people in some of the most developed nations. .. like the UK and Australia.  These reports suggests that these countries are moving in the the wrong direction in international league tables  Remember we are talking about 'developed' nations with a long history

I'm in Mauritius - working! This is a beautiful place, of course.  But when we look at such island paradises, we sometimes forget they too have to build an economy to look after their citizens.  Of course, tourism is a major focus of economic activity but it isn't enough.  They need other sectors to be

We want our staff to participate ... to take part in improvement projects and initiatives - even to initiate them. But we have to first engage them - we have to make them see why we want to improve , why it is in their interests, and why they should become involved. If we don't

On the LinkedIn group which I moderate (Productivity Futures) we have recently had a discussion about which come first - motivation or productivity. One side of the argument (conventional wisdom) suggests that we motivate staff (with exhortation. encouragement, rewards or whatever) and that motivation results in higher productivity and higher satisfaction for the workforce  The

In the measurement field.there seems to be an assumption that, if you set targets, people will - by default - be motivated to achieve them. However, clearly you need also to have a plan ... a sequence of activities that move you ever closer towards the target. The target is the easy bit. Establishing an

We often see statements that such and such an issue cost so many millions of money.  The latest case was the US government 'shutdown'.  I have seen various estimates of the cost to the economy. Almost certainly all are wrong. When there is, say, an industrial dispute at a small factory, 'losses' are often based

This week I have been at an event organised by RKW in Germany and involving representatives of the European Association of National Productivity Centres (EANPC) and the European Management Association (EMA). We have been discussing the current state of SMEs in Europe ... and what can be done to improve their contribution to the European

MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) are becoming fashionable. The World Confederation of Productivity Science can put an online course on our website and make it available to all free of charge. (and perhaps we should!) Is that a MOOC? Unlikely, because it might be found and accessed by a small number of people ... but

U.K. labour productivity rose for the first time in two years in the second quarter, led by manufacturing industry. Productivity measured by output per hour increased 0.5 percent from the first quarter according to the Office for National Statistics -  the first growth since the second quarter of 2011. Manufacturing productivity rose 0.7 percent and services

How much can you improve the productivity of a process without changing the underlying technology? Sometimes we look for the major changes that major process change can bring about.  However, real gains can often be achieved by simple changes to the way we plan, organise and control the process and the resources it consumes.  Measure