Welcome to Amanda’s semi-regular blog, where she writes about how to improve business profitability
Make progress visible
One of the key objectives for those leading long change projects, is keeping the team motivated.
Productivity isn’t about production
When I work with organisations, I frequently identify key areas that are having a detrimental impact on productivity, and it is rarely on the production line.
Productivity growth requires change management
Learning shouldn’t stop when we leave formal education
Measuring productivity
Productivity measurement is one of the most important factors in the success of a business. It is vital, and sadly very few people know how to do it.
The impact of lethargy on our economy
In order to increase our productivity we need to understand lethargy
Why are we so afraid of difference?
I recently engaged in the services of a virtual assistant. I had two really great candidates to choose from in the final lineup, and quite honestly could have engaged either one of them. In order to make a decision, I decided to pick the one that was least like me. Whilst it’s often tempting to recruit people like us, from a business and productivity point of view, recruiting for difference is often the smarter move.
Have you outgrown your current software?
If software had a sell-by date I’m sure that UK productivity would be far higher than it has been since 2008.
We’re rubbish at defining problems
Most of us are pretty rubbish at defining problems. We spend so much time in our heads ruminating the problem we shut down our ability to think expansively about it.
Stuck prices requires a leap
Many years ago, I ran a software development house. I and a team of 4 other developers wrote and supported bespoke software for a range of clients. We were writing what would now be called an ERP system, without the finance bit.
Around the time my second son was born, over 12 years ago, the company finances were in dire straits.
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.
Do you have a team of sherpas?
One of the challenges of growing a business is ensuring that the staff you employ are as productive as you used to be when you were delivering the products or services. I know when I used to run a software company, we were never as productive once I stopped writing code. There are so many reasons why this might be the case, and one of these lies in the engagement of the people in the business.
The impact of price
An often overlooked lever in productivity is price. The measure of productivity is a value (£), so price plays an important part. Productivity is not the same as efficiency.
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.
Are you a pyramid, a frustum or an irregular polyhedron?
The most productive companies understand their economic engine as Jim Collins refers to it, and have it turning faster and faster. Those running them can make decisions quickly and are energised by their businesses rather than shackled by it.
Visual Stories Drive Change
I believe we can drive organisational change faster if we harness the power of visual stories.