Citation
(2006), "Eliminate time wasting to raise productivity", International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Vol. 55 No. 3/4. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijppm.2006.07955cab.004
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2006, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Eliminate time wasting to raise productivity
The Proudfoot 2005 international productivity report found that almost everyone was “busy doing the wrong things” to raise productivity. Thus, while executives (and ministers) think it is all a matter of capital investment, in fact it’s much more important to get the most out of existing resources – eliminating wasted time, for instance.
“The tendency to exaggerate the importance of new projects … is also reflected in over-optimistic expectations of cost savings and productivity gains from offshoring [and outsourcing],” the report adds.
The source of the ills can be narrowed down further. According to Proudfoot, three-quarters of the wasted time is down to poorly planned and managed work and inadequate supervision. Supervisors, Proudfoot found, were spending more than half their time on administration and non-value-adding activities; all managers overestimate their effectiveness.