Saturday 30 June 2018

Most of us believe that technology has a good track record in improving productivity.

But there have been many promised futures that did not come about.  Think 'the paperless office' for one.  This was first mooted back in the 1960s and every decade or so, someone promotes the concept again (normally scanner manufacturers).

Well, mindful of stepping onto a burning platform, I think - finally - the time might be nigh.  Scanners - yes! but more so -cheap storage ... especially cloud storage, accessible from anywhere in the world - could be the real key.  Add in effective search mechanisms to find the documents in that cloud and we might have a winning formula.

Oh, and of course we have a generation of users brought up in the digital era - who are quite used to reading things off screens.

A perfect storm?

The same is true of technology in your business.  Beware the promises made by sellers of technology. You just have to wait till the time is right. And recognise the time - of course.

Saturday 23 June 2018

Eat the frog early

I think it was Mark Twain who one said that eating a live frog early every morning means you know the worst is behind you and you can get on with your day with confidence.  (Literary quotes are often difficult to attribute ... most of them have allegedly been said by Oscar Wilde or George Bernard Shaw.)

In your business life, the equivalent practice is to start the day with an unpleasant task - something you want to put off but know you shouldn't.  Get it out of the day while you are still fresh and still have energy ... you will tackle it better... and then the rest of the day is unsullied by this fearsome task.  You will work more productively without the threat of it hanging over you.

Saturday 16 June 2018

Exhortation is not enough

We have seen lots of talk over the last few years by various governments about the need for more sustainable development - and less dependence on fossil fuels.

Yet, the rise in the use of fossil fuels goes on - along with the associated pollution and environmental damage.

If most businesses over-promised and under-delivered to the same degree, they would be out of business fairly quickly.

So it must be our fault. we would stop buying from poorly performing companies, yet we continue to support poorly performing governments.

Because, like governments, we talk a lot but do little in the end we vote for what saves the money in our pocket, not what saves the planet.

Policy-makers need to find a way of motivating us to do the right thing.

So it is their fault - they pontificate about environmental performance but should be concentrating on consumer behaviour.  Sort us out - and we'll sort out the planet (if sufficiently motivated by appropriate rewards or penalties.

You, too, in your business need to find ways of motivating your employees to do the right things.  Exhortation is not enough

Saturday 9 June 2018

Simple answer?

All nations want to increase their productivity.  This makes them more competitive, brings rewards for citizens and allows society to develop.

The problem is that no-one is quite sure how it can be achieved.

There seem to be as many solutions (or strategies) as there are nations.

Is there a simple answer?

No!  It is right that each nation tackles the problem from their own context and their own starting point.

Beyond that there will be obvious similarities - build a macroeconomic environment that supports small businesses, build transport and technology infrastructure, educate and train the workforce, support innovation - all simple in principle but not quite a simple in practice, especially when scaled up to national level.

However, at least (and at last) we are seeing positive efforts to address the issue of productivity.

If you can address it in your organisation - and people like you - the collective effort might bear fruit.

Saturday 2 June 2018

You can't do it.

Several years ago, Peter Drucker noted that if most organisations increased their productivity by 10% it would double their profits.   At that time, 10% seemed achievable.  Now, firms are lucky to achieve 5% - and nations feel good if they move into positive figures.

What has changed?

Not a lot, actually - but firms seem to have lost the 'secret' to improving productivity.

By 'secret', of course I mean adopting a consistent, structured approach to planning and executing productivity improvement projects.  Where are the industrial engineers and work study engineers of yesteryear?  Gone!  Managers are expected to improve productivity as part of the day job.  But they are busy people - and they are too immersed in what is going on.  They cannot stand back and take a dispassionate view.  They cannot ask themselves the hard questions.

You need an independent expert who has the skills and the time to take the hard view, to ask the questions, to think about solutions, to evaluate those solutions and to draw up implementation plans.  This cannot be done in your spare time - it is too important.
EvanCarmichael.com