Are you like the UK?

The UK languishes at the bottom of most productivity league tables.  We seem to be a low skill, low performing country.  Lots of 'good' jobs have been taken out of the economy and replaced with part-time, low skill employment.

The UK must start to invest in skills - and skill-based employment sectors.  Otherwise it will continue its 'race to the bottom' - lots of jobs but no satisfying employment or careers.

How does the relate to yo ur business?  Are you upskilling your workforce? Does the work they do demand it?

If not, think about how you have organised the work.  H ow will you engage and motivate your workforce if they are in undemanding, low skill jobs?

Think WHY, then HOW

India has the highest population of livestock in the world and produces a whopping 147 million metric tonnes of milk, a number also  unsurpassed by any other country. However,  when it comes to productivity, it is way behind most other nations -  Israel’s productivity is 10 times greater.

India is starting to realise what it needs to do - but is not yet sure how to go about it.

This is really important.  Knowing WHY one needs to improve is the key catalyst in determining HOW to improve.  

Unless the will is there, the tools and techniques have no power.

So, expect to see improvements in India's agri-productivity in the next decade.  They are on the starting blocks.

The same is true of your business - you must understand Why you need to change and improve; the impact it will have on your operations and competitiveness.  This will force you to search for improvements methods and opportunities.

Think about your VISION - not how you get there (well, at least not yet).

Do you know WHY?

I saw a piece on the web the other day that suggested that sensible, progressive governments should offer incentives to organisations to improve their productivity.

But surely you - like those running other businesses -  want to improve your productivity because it reduces your costs, improves your performance and competitiveness and improves your profits.

If this is not enough of an incentive, I worry about the kinds of people running modern businesses.

You may not know HOW to improve your productivity but you should know WHY you need to.

So government support should be in that 'HOW' domain - offering guidance and support ... but more importantly, improving the infrastructure that supports higher productivity and creates potential for performance growth.

If you have any voice, that's what you should be asking for.

Do the figures matter?

The UK continues to languish behind the rest of the G7 in terms of its quoted productivity performance - yet my personal experience is that performance of the UK labour force has risen remarkable over the last few years.  This suggests that either I am mistaken (certainly a possibility as mine is only anecdotal evidence) or the official figures are in some way 'wrong'.

Official figures measures GDP per worker or per hour worked - but what happens to outsourced work.  Are those hours worked counted? Is that contribution to GDP counted? Do other countries count figures in the same way? Has anyone carried out any recent research into the compilation of these comparative figures?  How does a shift from manufacturing to services affect the figures?

Does this matter to you?

Yrs, because it affects the UK's economic position which has an impact on things like interest rates, credit standing and so on.  This can affect your profit!