Productivity Transformation

Whilst recently tidying up some paperwork, I came across a 1990 to current day timeline I’d put together of world events and technology changes. 

A range of incidents and activities have changed how we see the world and how we do business. We’ve seen transformation in energy as we look to sustainable alternatives such as wind and solar, as well as significant transformation in technology.

From mobile (cell) phones, to smartphones, apps and cloud computing, how we use, access and leverage technology has transformed, but personal productivity hasn’t necessarily increased. Which raises the question…Why do we seem to be doing more work?

Technology and process automation was designed to streamline workflow, reduce paperwork and increase efficiency.  Whilst there is no doubt the immediacy of being able to transfer information electronically from one side of the world to another is amazing, reality is the amount of work we need to do doesn’t seem to be decreasing.  In fact, many organisations have come to accept that the volume of email we deal with and the 24/7 connectivity is now “just the way it is” in business today.

As a productivity expert, I believe one of the easiest, most overlooked means to transform business lies in the productivity of its human capital.  I don’t mean the volume of work that is produced, but rather the effectiveness or quality of it.  Asking questions such as why does it take one team member 10 minutes to do a task compared to a colleague who takes an hour?  Do we really need this process, does it add value or is it redundant? Are there multiple teams doing the same thing when they could be collaborating and sharing to fast track deliverables?

Whilst many organisations believe they no longer have a corporate culture of silo mentality, reality is unless they have a culture of collaboration and a framework to maximise employee knowledge and capability, they are missing out on a great opportunity to transform productivity and engage, grow and retain their most valuable asset, their people.

What are you doing to transform your own and your team’s productivity? Donna Hanson is a productivity expert who works with organisations and their teams to leverage everyday technology for greater productivity, collaboration and engagement.  Her conference and in-house programs provide the framework to kickstart transformation in business teams.  To find out more about Donna’s programs visit www.donnahanson.com or call +61 39457