
Why is productivity so important?
Work Smart Show daily blog.
Why do always hear about performance and productivity within business circles? Of course the obvious answer is that the greater the performance of a company or business unit the greater the business profit or benefit. But what I’m trying to address here is why is this something we need to focus on. Why is it that if you have hired a staff of 20, hiring a further 20 does not necessarily double your output. Why is is that some staff will exceed the work expectations while others struggle to meet this?
Of course there is a multitude of companies, management models, books, tools and resources to help businesses boost their productivity. Even we, the The Work Smart Show team, have a free Productivity Booster Sheet because there is so much demand. But why is there so much demand? Why does completing a good amount of quality work seem to need so much management?
I dare say that for management working to improve staff performance the reason for any sluggish results, outside of individual differences and preferences, is buy in. Staff often have less incentive to see their company succeed as they don't feel that this is ‘their’ company in the same way that an owner, director, CEO or even middle manager would do. Off course there are a multitude of effective methods to increase staff buy in but I want to look at personal productivity.
Is it fair to say that I could work a 9-5 job, in which I feel little to no loyalty towards the company, but come home and work, very productively, on my own side business? If the idea of buy in is correct then yes, you could improve your personal productivity by ensuring you know what your goal is and how this supports something you are heavily involved with or will benefit from.
Once you realise this of course it can easily be applied to anything, most notably back into your 9-5 where you realise that your buy in may be that ‘the bigger the company becomes, the greater the room for promotion, training or wage increases.’ It may simply be that your buy in is ‘the harder I work here, the greater my experience will be for another position, personally and professionally.’
If you can determine your buy in you can boost your productivity much more effectively than simply working on your individual actions. This is because a buy and goals can transcend those days that you don't have good results even with all of your best efforts. If you can improve your work habits and processes and build a buy in then you have a winning combination for increased productivity.
