Factors That Impact Productivity

Dear Solid Foundation:

You pose an excellent question. In all, there are 20 total factors that impact output. They are:

1. A great manager
2. Effective plans and strategies
3. Clear and prioritized goals to focus the work
4. Rapid learning and “best practice” being shared
5. The correct motivators, rewards & engagement
6. The “right” employee skills
7. Two-way communications
8. Performance metrics
9. Quality team members from great hiring & retention
10. Collaboration for innovation
11. Employee is placed in the “right job”
12. The work environment is designed  for productivity
13. Enough time is devoted to the task
14. Identifying, and removing, barriers to productivity/innovation
15. Integrated talent processes
16. Information for decisions
17. The right tools/technology
18. Quality inputs/materials
19. Enough budget/ resources
20. Outside-of-work factors

Every organization is different, but the No. 1 factor that affects talent management is universal: managers.

Think of it: poorly skilled managers are the primary cause of low productivity, low innovation, low engagement – and high turnover. The next most powerful impact factors are rapid learning and being permitted to "do the best work of your life." Firms like Apple Corp. are highly successful, despite a relatively harsh and secretive management approach, simply because the work itself is so important and exciting.

Many surveys also list unclear career paths as key factor in engagement, although firms like Apple and Google Inc. are productive and innovative despite having notoriously imprecise career paths.

It’s also true that the performance-appraisal processes is mentioned as being too subjective, but this is true at almost every firm (except in the rare cases where managers rely on metrics and data, rather than opinions in their assessment) The Gallup organization has a list of 12 productivity factors that have been developed over many years which many people find to be quite accurate.

SOURCE: Dr. John Sullivan, San Francisco State, September 4, 2013