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PEAK PRODUCTIVITY - a technique to Grow your own Highly Productive Culture

By Fiona Anderson|15.01.2022

Pivotal? Agile? Disruptive? Crisis? Growth?... Whatever word(s) you used to describe the Pandemic, there is no doubt that it was a year that provided each and every one of us with the greatest insights and learning, both personally and throughout our business.

This resource provides a technique for you to use with your leaders, your teams, your Department and across the whole business.  We start by exploring productivity.

Why Productivity?

  • Productivity is associated with output and frequently linked to manufacturing.
  • Productive is an adjective that we use to describe our day – “I’ve had a really productive day today.”
  • Productive is used to describe our sense of how much we have achieved.
  • Productivity can be difficult to measure, to define and to tie down to an exact figure.

But what do we mean by productivity? The most useful definition that we have identified to date:

Productivity is: “Greater economic wealth for every hour we work”

Kamal Ahmed, BBC Economic Editor, BBC News, 20th June 2018

So how important is productivity to you in your business, every day this year, next year….?

To increase productivity, most businesses invest in technology and processes with attention often focussed on the Customer Experience. Many fail to recognise that it is their employee experience who deliver the technology, processes and ultimately their customer experience.

Why Peak Productivity?

Peak productivity:

  • Adds value to the bottom line
  • Is your employee experience that is mirrored in your customer experience
  • Is your brand, is your reputation that attracts and retains loyal people, both staff and customers

Highly successful businesses recognise that it is their people who create their USP. Many will focus on “what their people do,” their tasks and actions. Highly successful businesses focus on “how, their people are at work,” their behaviours, their attitude and wellbeing. *** As a result, these businesses create a high performing, highly Productive Culture that develops staff who retain loyal customers.  Both add value to the bottom line results.

A Highly productive Culture?

When the 3 Components that contribute to Peak Productivity are threaded and aligned throughout your business, you have the potential of achieving a Highly Productive Culture.

A Highly Productive Culture is achieved when:

 “leaders and managers create an environment

where individuals, teams and the company thrive and grow”

© 2019 My Change Expert ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 Business Culture is key because:

  • Your business culture is unique.
  • Your business culture is your DNA.
  • Your business culture cannot be copied.
  • Your business culture is your competitive advantage.

Our gift to you, a technique to grow Peak Productivity

To start to grow your own Highly Productive Culture, here’s a technique to grow Peak Productivity. Use this with your leaders, your teams, your Department and across the whole business.

Step 1:

  • Provide the context specific to your participants.
  • Introduce the 3 Components to Peak Productivity model and describe this technique.
  • Outline the purpose of your time together and how the outcomes will be taken forward.
  • Provide clarity. Are you asking participants to focus on their own individual productivity or the collective productivity of those involved?

Step 2:

Build a shared understanding. Invite participants to identify the elements for each of the components, for example and in no specific order:

People: behaviours;  attitude; commitment; skills and capability; physical health and wellbeing; mental health; knowledge;  personal and busines values; life purpose; motivation; engagement; loyalty to business; customer care; family; managers;  leaders;  employee experience;  employee engagement;  2 way communication;  working location and environment; diversity; culture ……

Process: vision;  strategy;  business plan;  budget;  finance; reporting;  induction; training; purchasing; reward and recognition; recruitment; exit interviews; people surveys; customer feedback;  complaints management;  talent management; personal development; governance; project management; marketing; performance management; grievances, compliance; health and safety; access to workplace;  Covid safety; return to work; individual, team and business wide communication channels;  annual leave;  sick leave; procurement; purchasing; legal; salary progression;  payroll;  pension;  employee benefits; reliable access to and security of business systems…..

 Technology: hardware;  software; systems architecture and platforms; aps; digital communication; mobile; video; online meetings and conferences …….

 Hints and Tips for steps 3 & 4:

  • Prompt and encourage participants to contribute “what “and “how” responses.***
  • Encourage contribution and multiple responses. Limit each response to one comment.
  • Place each response to align with the component it contributes to
  • Use colour to visually differentiate responses between Step 3 and 4

 Step 3:

Use a collaboration tool that allows participants to anonymously brainstorm their responses to:

“What am I/we doing that is having a positive impact on my/our productivity?”

When all contributions have stopped, collectively reflect and participate to:

  • Cluster responses to agree and label each key theme/topic emerging
  • Prioritise the outcomes by volume of responses for each theme/ topic or by voting
  • Further prioritise by asking the question:

“Which topics/themes will have the biggest positive impact on my/our productivity?”

Step 4:

Continuing with your collaboration tool, anonymously brainstorm participant responses to:

What am I/we doing that is having an adverse impact on my/our productivity?

When all contributions have stopped, collectively reflect and respond to:

“What do I/we need to stop doing?”

  • Agree how to stop each topic in this step.
  • Recognise how difficult it is to change our habits, agree how you could give each other feedback and hold each other to account?

Step 5:

  • To build peak productivity, develop solutions to integrate new ways of ways working identified in Step 3.
  • Define actions, owners and timescales including how you to review progress and continually to grow your own culture to support leaders and managers to “create an environment where individuals, teams and the company thrive and grow” ©

 

Need help to facilitate this activity?

Email us for your bespoke, 30 minute free tour of our expertise

hello@mychangeexpert.com

 

Further insights:

CIPD Guidance and exercises aimed at helping line managers support the health, wellbeing and engagement: https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/fundamentals/people/line-manager/business-case-for-people-professionals

Grow your own Highly Productive Culture – for a whistle stop tour watch our video of our recent CIPD event

 

Fiona Anderson

A culture catalyst, initially trained by PWC, Fiona Anderson has led and successfully embedded significant transformational change. Rooted in the belief that “your people grow your business” Fiona works with clients to Grow your own Highly Productive Culture

Coaching |Consulting | Mentoring | Facilitation | Training

www.MyChangeExpert.com

www.valuingYOU.co.uk

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