Just Do It

Some folk make new year resolutions.

For many, its the same ones every year ... the things they know they ought to do, but don't want to.

Business can be like that. There are things we know we should do to improve our productivity ... but something (we always have an excuse) stops us.  The time is not right, we have other priorities, it will disrupt production, and so on.

Well, for a change, this year ... think what you ought to do .. and put some time in your diary to actually do it ... or allocate the project to someone you know will deliver.

You know it makes sense!

The Model Employee?

Over the next 24 hours, millions of presents will be distributed to children around the globe by one man and a team of reindeer (admittedly with some help from elves in the supply chain).

Can we find out this man's productivity secrets ... and harness them in other areas?

Attractive productivity?

A recent research study of golfers on the US women's tour suggests 'attractive' golfers get lower scores and more prize money ... and suggests that this phenomenon of a 'beauty premium' is not uncommon in other sectors.

It also suggests that if an attractive female employee is better rewarded per unit of production than her less attractive co-workers, she might increase her productivity.

Does anyone have evidence of this phenomenon in practice?

Get the right things right

Lifting productivity and driving export growth is the focus of the (New Zealand) National Party's primary sector policy, says Agriculture spokesman David Carter.

"A key plank is increased water storage and irrigation, and National recently announced that it will provide up to $400 million from the Future Investment Fund to support the construction of well-designed irrigation schemes.

"Water is one of New Zealand's greatest competitive advantages, but we are not making the most of it. Developing water storage and irrigation has huge potential to unlock economic growth and prosperity for the primary sectors, and for all New Zealanders."

Who needs productivity?

Governments - especially European governments - are concentrating on climbing out of the pit of the financial crisis. All that is on their mind is quantitative easing (printing money), interest rates and debt reduction.

All this is necessary ... but not sufficient.  In the longer-term, the only solution to the problem is increased productivity.  But governments don't have time.  They are fighting the fire, not refilling the extinguisher.

No sex please, we are productivity experts

In the UK, a man was recently reported by his girlfriend for secretly filming their sex sessions.

His 'explanation' was that he was a 'time and motion expert' and was undertaking research.

 It shows my 'take' on the subject by the fact that what amazed me was the use of the term 'time and motion' ... a term I haven't heard used for many years.

 This profession of ours has been through many job titles ... and sometimes with some justification.

The term 'work study' was the wrong term when one realises that, often, the most important thing to look at is the 'non-work. It is generally 'systems', processes and procedures that are 'inefficient', not workers.

So, now we end up with industrial engineers and lean practitioners ... with slightly different toolsets ... but with the same general approach. The secret is to ask enough questions until you uncover and understand the 'truth' .. and then to start improving it.

Generally the people skills are much more important than the technical skills.

 So, call me what you want. I'm still going to have fun doing what I do.

Governments keep out!

Governments do have a role to play in improving national productivity.

But it is all about policy, infrastructure and direction. What governments must not do is 'meddle' at operational levels.

This was brought home to me (once more) by a recent report that the Nigerian Minister of Power, Professor Barth Nnaji directed the management of the 18 successor companies, created out of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to start paying staff a 50 per cent salary increase effective from September, 2011.

In a memo to the Chief Executive Officers of the successor companies, the minister indicated that the Federal Government had agreed to pay the outstanding first three months of the new salary package which took effect from June 2011.

Now if there were a rational economic reason for this directive, it could perhaps be understood.

But it actually goes counter to earlier comments expressed by the same government a week earlier when they expressed dissatisfaction with the productivity of the PHCN workers, saying they generate less than half of their wage bill.

Of course, these successors companies are supposed to be independent, private companies with supposed liberty to formulate their own wage structures — based on fairness and productivity of staff.

But the government has crippled their decision-making ... and their future productivity.

So, my advice to other governments is ... do what you need to do at the macro level ... and you do need to do it ... then get out of the way.