Productivity tips...

An online dictionary defines productivity as the quality, state, or fact of being able to generate, create, enhance, or bring forth goods and services. Management students and professionals aim to achieve a maximization of productivity, efficiency and effectiveness, and, this can be further broken down into variables including cost, quality of work and timeliness of delivery.
Nevertheless, we all know that objective setting is merely the first step towards achieving organizational aims, and, one has to underline common mistakes made by companies in not understanding the effectiveness of their workforce and failing to exploit its potential:
1. Not providing sufficient training and research time is a "no go" for knowledge-based work.
2. Not having a positive attitude and not being an effective leader.
"If you're lucky enough to do well, it's your responsibility to send the elevator back down."
Kevin Spacey quoted at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/k/kevin_spacey.html#gyyDjb6SCVQ0MOjf.99
3. Having a toxic personality or ways of leadership which are too conventional, conservative and restrictive may give rise to conflicts with your people and in this respect people management skills are becoming increasingly important until you decide to do away with all humans and invest in capital-intensive robotics within your enterprise. Everyone must realize that "we are all humans" as the President of Malta was quoted to say on public media (Dec 2014). 4. Not respecting the privacy and the personal work-life balance of your team members. There is a clear definition of the contract of work and we should avoid being rude or invasive in our requests, leaving the rest for coffee time, if we are into socializing.
5. Avoid the kind of attitude where you focus solely on your work without contributing to the work that you may be a stakeholder of in the future i.e. do not be short-sighted and collaborate, it is not lost time but time spent in learning the environment.
6. Avoid talking bad about your colleagues especially behind their back, what comes around turns around. Office politics create lack of harmony, as the majority of my previous colleagues realized and some of the consequences can have legal repercussions.

7. Productivity is important, however, one has to take into consideration appropriate documentation and training that allows a task-based, organized manner of working, whether under or without supervision. Performance can be measured at the individual level and at the team level, and, reward-based bonuses might motivate, although money does not resolve all your organizational problems, professional managers need to look beyond and think wide these days.
8. Manage your working tools whether they consist of a toolbox or your email, a search engine helps, and putting effective tips in practice in a standardized and uniform manner may be a good way to start working your way towards achieving ISO certification for quality (e.g. ISO 9001).
9. We tend to believe that inconsistencies confirm the fact that someone else is in error, however, do we ever question our own assumptions?
You may contact Jon on camilleri.jon@gmail.com if you want to avail from more tips and hints on how to manage your day to day productivity, and, for other business consultancy services.