How much you can get done with the least available resources can determine how smooth your trip to the top of the industry is. Besides that, the quality of what you can get done with the resources available also matters. This is the model for measuring productivity.
You should be able to measure your productivity level by the performance standards of your industry, your competition’s outputs and what you have been able to squeeze out of what is available to you.
Meanwhile, where your resource level isn’t enough to deliver a degree of performance that matches up to the competition, optimising what is available presently will produce results that expand overtime to generate outputs that should attract further inputs from investors and supporters. It isn’t always that simple though anyway. But it is worth giving the suggested model a try.
The questions right now are what is available to you, how have you been able to utilise the resources available currently (network, talents, funds, time, insights, machine etc.) to scale performance?
It is possible to keep scaling gradually with a strong focus on getting the best out of what you have available and expand impressively to draw in more inputs. As the maths goes, if you can do so much with so little, you will do well with so much.
Now productivity is in levels. Personal productivity involves the ability to consistently accomplish tasks and goals within a set time while utilising resources efficiently. You won’t have been labelled productive if you deliver tasks with so much misuse of resources.
Take for instance, a team member gets 2 done from 1, and another member of the team does 2 done from 2. Yes, both team members have delivered double outputs, but the first person has been able to utilise the resources available to him efficiently compared to the second. The second team member’s productivity is questionable because he hasn’t been effective with resources. Efficiency and consistency are key factors for measuring productivity levels.
Meanwhile, when productivity at the personal level is well-guided it spills into a huge result at a broader level. This is why we have personal productivity, business productivity, organisational productivity, and national productivity. Whatever the individuals can achieve will always snowball into a big impact at the business, organisational and national level.
In business, the focus should be on getting the best out of the individuals and networking the abilities of everyone on a team to achieve cohesion while ensuring the availability of materials suitable to tasks. Where the skillsets of the individuals making up an organisation and resources are up to par, the only factor that can hinder performance is culture. Putting a strong organisational structure in place will help blend work activities to achieve set goals.
Therefore, here are a few ways to achieve productivity in your business:
- Communicate the objectives effectively – It won’t do you any good to leave your team in the dark regarding what you want and where you want the organisation to be within a set time.
- Ensure skillsets match tasks – Putting round pegs in square holes will clog performance. People may have to be trained and retrained but ensure everyone on your team has the skillset necessary to deliver the tasks.
- Make resources available – You may not have the capacity to compete, improvise, tweak, and innovate as the big industry players. Do whatever is required to ensure that your team get the minimum required capital (finance and infrastructure) necessary to deliver competitive results. You should aim at scaling performance at your level overtime until you are big enough to row with the big firms.
- Motivate the team – Motivate the team consistently. Don’t stay aloof. Lead by example and provide the right environment for them to flourish.
- Work on culture – Build a company culture that engenders performance, teamwork, friendship, collaboration and efficiency.
Driving consistent business productivity is essential for revenue growth. Revenue growth will boost organisational morale. It will inspire further growth as the business can put funds into acquiring more talent, providing better infrastructure and shoring up the knowledge bank through manpower training and retraining efforts. So hit the productivity buttons to take your business to where you want it to be within the shortest time.
