Modern manufacturing or service delivery systems produce lots of opportunities for collecting data which can be used to improve those systems. Many firms have recognised this and have installed a system of key performance indicators (KPIs) which help tell them where things are going well, and, perhaps more importantly, where they are not. However all this data
Volunteering generates a £4.6bn productivity boost to the UK economy each year, new research has found. A study by the think tank Pro Bono Economics, commissioned by the Royal Voluntary Service, estimates the UK benefits from annual productivity gains of more than £4,500 per volunteer working in professional and managerial occupations. The report, called A Pro
Many people seem to be suffering from burnout. They feel the organisation asks too much of them, that they are never completely off-duty. An organisation might respond with consideration by reigning back on some of the pressures, some of the ‘asks’. The problem is that then the employee think they are not achieving, not fully involved
Todays’ students are happy to use technology as part of the learning process. However, teachers and parents are worried about the distraction effect of technology when students go ‘off topic’ and start browsing and exploring subjects not relevant to their current study. Teachers do, however, understand the potential for technology to help create engaging
There is a universal truth that the private sector is always more efficient than the public sector - that the profit motive drives efficiency. Larger companies have the advantage of being able to negotiate e better prices with their suppliers and have the advantage of ‘economies of scale’ with their production and delivery processes However,
A focus on productivity, and its development is a good thing - indeed, an essential thing for all organisations. However, there is a danger that we over-focus and forget about balance. There is a tendency to bifurcate all activity into being either productive or non-productive. So, a worker operating his/her machine is (clearly) productive. A worker taking
The UK is technically in recession - it has had two consecutive quarters with negative growth. Worse, the economy has been at best stagnant for over two years and productivity has been falling. Our Prime Minister, when he got the job, gave 5 pledges, one of which was to grow the economy. He failed in four
SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) have a number of problems reaching optimum productivity when comported to ‘the big boys’. It is harder for them to achieve the same economies of scale and hard for them to put the same pressure on their suppliers to contain costs. They are less likely to employ consultants and advisers,
Silo mentality is one of the most significant obstacles to organisational success. It has become more severe and more common during the era of hybrid working and especially remote working. Because communication takes more effort, and is more subject to errors and misunderstandings. when people are not face-to-face, it means that employees are often not sharing information with
The Zeigarnik effect describes the way unfinished tasks remain active in our mind, intruding into our thoughts and our sleep until they are dealt with, much like a hungry person will notice every restaurant and appetising smell on their way home and then lose all interest when they’ve had their dinner. You may have noticed