The output of a production line is governed by its design and once it reaches maximum capacity, additional power or input will not increase output but likely break it.
Unfortunately, many businesses and managers see people as a resource who they can put more work and pressure on to increase productivity, i.e. “make 100 sales calls per day now instead of 80”. They have no regard for an individual’s natural capacity – both physical and mental – the result of this behaviour is employee fatigue and burnout. This is then seen as a weakness rather than poor management and resource planning which will actually result in reduced productivity as sick days increase and people leave.
An autocratic management style is likely to lead to these problems with work passed down the chain with little understanding of what the team are already doing. The perfectly balanced business not only understands each individual’s impact but also considers workload and resource allocation.
No-one likes to fail and human nature is to say yes and pick up the additional workload, far better to appreciate how your business works and plan effectively.
A company may have a great vision but unless a strategy is built around its people then this vision will never be realised; mapping your internal talent is one of the first steps enabling you to:
- Understand the present reality
- Create structure
- Recognise your people
- Provide learning and development opportunities
- Highlight skills shortages
Understanding productivity within your business then allows you to make commercial decisions around other factors such as flexible working and benefits. Too many businesses insist on everyone being in the office because they don’t actually understand how their time is utilised.
