Welcome to Amanda’s semi-regular blog, where she writes about how to improve business profitability
What a Faulty Laptop Can Teach Us About Productivity Culture
After 24 years as a loyal customer, my recent experience with a well-known business PC supplier has been nothing short of eye-opening. What started with a faulty laptop spiralled into months of back-and-forth troubleshooting, escalating costs, and a complete breakdown in customer care.
This isn’t just a story about a laptop—it’s a case study in poor productivity culture. The issues I faced highlight inefficiencies that are all too common in organisations with problematic cultures: rework, returns, refunds, and disengaged employees.
Understanding the Productivity Pyramid
A crucial concept from UNBLOCK: the Productivity Pyramid. This model encapsulates the four key drivers of productivity: People, Process, Promise, and Price. To reach the peak of productivity, you need to focus on all four areas.
The Four Productivity Drivers Explained
By focusing on four drivers—people, process, promise, and price—you can create a balanced and effective productivity strategy. For more detailed insights and practical examples, be sure to explore "UNBLOCK" when it launches.
When organisations lose their way
When we think about the promise, the commitments an organization makes to its customers, the very essence of for what it stands, it is hard to imagine a situation where nobody knows what this is.
Promise and expectation alignment
Every organisation, whether a membership organisation, a food manufacturer or a professional services firm, creates in its clients an expectation. It does this through the expression of its promise. This expectation may be written and specific, or unwritten and implied.
To overcome lethargy focus on promise
Improving productivity requires us to change what we are doing, and do things differently. As humans we resist change. We often like the idea, provided it doesn’t affect us.
What promise do you make?
Any business that has ever traded, will be known for something. Often, they are not known for the right thing. Your promise is at the heart of everything you do as a business. It is why people pay you; a form of contract, explicit or implied, that describes what you are going to deliver. If you live up to that promise, consistently, you will be loved, if you fail, it will result in unhappy customers, staff and suppliers.