The New York Times reports, “Compared with the second quarter of 2008, productivity was up 1.8 percent, the most in a year.”

Following layoffs and cost cutting measures, companies are now seeing productivity increase. Without a doubt, improved communication and clarified performance management have both contributed to this rise in productivity.

Yet, with all these measures in place, additional efforts to improve productivity may still be necessary. Productivity expert, Jason Womak raises a question that suggests that one of  the main reasons humans are driven to become more productive is to have more time to do the things they want to do. Of course, financial compensation is a part of this.

However, this idea also applies to the workplace when we consider the following questions: Do we give employees the opportunity to gain experience? Do  we provide new learning experiences? Do we match employees with co-workers who can teach them new skills? Do we give employees the flexibility they require to achieve a reasonable work/life balance? Do we reward positive performance and strong effort with challenging learning opportunities?

The idea of capitalizing on personal motivation to help individuals achieve their goals is all-too-familiar. Think about how we motivate a child to eat his dinner - "you can play after you eat." Think about how we reward ourselves to accomplish something difficult - "I will buy myself a new dress when I lose ten pounds."

Is this the key to motivation and achieving maximum productivity? Consider, for example, Harvey’s effort to brand itself to potential employees using the terms "standard is lame." Harvey's promises to give employees more control over their career paths and learning and growth opportunities.

References:

Womak, Jason. “Why would you want to improve/increase your productivity...Really?” Your Best Just Got Better [www.jasonwomackblog.com]. Obtained August 19, 2009.

“Worker Productivity Grows at a Rapid Pace.” Bloomberg News. The New York Times. August 11, 2009.