The last fifty years
have seen many remarkable breakthroughs in technology, but the question
remains: have we made comparable progress in human productivity? As managers
and training professionals, we are still charged with the responsibility of
boosting the productivity of individuals and teams. To do so, I believe there
are four fundamental productivity factors that must be considered:
QUALITY
How
Good The degree to
which the individual’s or team’s output meets or exceeds established
standards. |
QUANTITY
How Much and
How Fast The amount
produced in a given period of time. |
ECONOMY
How Practical
The costs,
benefits, and return on the effort. |
ACCEPTABILITY
How
Well-Received The degree to
which the output satisfies the expectations of others. |
Although a team or organization may agree on how to measure each one of
these productivity factors, research shows that there is great variability in
how people rate the relative importance of the four productivity factors.
In analyzing the
results of our LIFO® Style Surveys taken by managers and employees in Fortune
1000 organizations, 9% of the participants valued just one of the productivity
factors significantly more than the others; 55% placed high value on two of the
factors; 31% valued three of them more highly; while only 5% valued all four
equally.
The reason for this
variability is that each of us brings to work our own unique mix of values,
goals, and priorities. We may rarely speak about them, but they strongly
influence our decisions about what should be done, how and when it should be
done, and who should do it.
This can make it very
difficult for people to agree on exactly how to improve productivity.
For example, people
who place a high value on quality are committed to doing their very best. They
believe it is important to take as much time as necessary to meet their high
standards. It does not make sense to them to produce a product or service that
is not of the highest quality. Their underlying philosophy is: “Any job worth
doing is worth doing well.”
On the other hand,
people who focus on quantity want to see action, and plenty of it. They
approach work with a sense of urgency and an eye for the bottom line, eager to
take control and get quick results. For them, productivity means getting a lot
of things done. Quality is less important: “Just do it!” is their motto.
In contrast, people who value economy try to make the most of what they have.
They believe that productivity is a complex issue that requires analyzing
options, planning carefully, and selecting the most practical alternatives that
are most likely to pay off over time. Their perspective is: “A dollar saved is
a dollar earned.”
And finally, those
people who value acceptability more than the other productivity factors
emphasize flexibility, harmony, and adapting to make sure that others are
pleased with the outcome. To them, being productive means doing things that are
acceptable to others: “It’s OK with me if it’s OK with you.”
* This
topic and more is included in the LIFO® Method. Contact
us now to be LIFO® Licensed and start breaking productivity barriers.