The secret to work efficiency? Redefining productivity | Slack

When a company prioritizes work efficiency, it usually means that its leaders are looking to reduce the amount of money, human labor and other resources ... SkiptomaincontentTableofContentsTableofContents4minread Confusionaroundpriorities,contextswitchingandaplethoraofdigitaltoolsoftenhindereffortstobeefficientandproductiveatworkeveryday.Infact,ourStateofWorkreport—whichsurveyed17,000globalknowledgeworkers—foundthatthesefactorsoftencontributetoalackofalignmentamongteamsintheworkplace. Ultimately,morethanhalfoftheunalignedworkerssurveyedinourreportsaidthattheircompanydoesn’thavethetools,systemsorstructuresinplacetoadapttoindustrychanges.Andinthisbusinessclimate,adaptationisthenameofthegame. That’swhy,inordertooptimizetime,moneyandemployeeengagement,businessleadersmustspendlesstimefocusingonworkefficiencyforitsownsake,andmoretimeprioritizingandreframingwhatproductivityonanindividualleveltrulylookslike. What’sworkefficiencyandhow’sitdifferentfromworkproductivity? Whenacompanyprioritizesworkefficiency,itusuallymeansthatitsleadersarelookingtoreducetheamountofmoney,humanlaborandotherresourcesrequiredtomakeitsproduct.Inthiscontext,theterms“efficiency”and“productivity”areoftenusedinterchangeably. Bothtermsrefertotheinput-to-outputcomparison,beitonanindividualororganizationallevel.Butworkefficiency,generallyspeaking,isabroaderbird’s-eyeviewontherelationshipbetweeninputandoutput. Considerthedifferencebetweenworkefficiencyandworkproductivityasadecisionbetweencrunchingandoptimizing.AsoneHarvardBusinessReviewarticleputsit,whenyou’refocusingonworkefficiency,youraimis“doingthesamewithless.”But,ifyou’refocusingonworkproductivity,you’relookingforwaystodo“morewiththesame.” Inotherwords,ifbusinessleadersarethinkingaboutefficiency,they’reprobablylookingsolelyatthenumbers.Thatcouldleadtodownsizing,whileholdingtheremainingemployeestothesameoutputexpectations.Butifleadersarefocusingonproductivity,they’relookingforwaystoimprovetheircurrentemployees’workflowtoseebetteroveralloutput. Readmore:Learneffectivetime-managementstrategiestoimproveteamefficiencyandhowtoincreaseproductivitybyoverhaulinginefficientbusinesssystems. ChooseabetterwaytoworkKeepcommunicationorganizedandyourteamonthesamepagewithSlack.Learnmore Thesymbioticrelationshipofworkefficiencyandproductivity Workproductivitycanimproveworkefficiency.Afterall,whenemployeesaregivenbettertools,theytendtoproducemoreefficientwork. Butwhenyoureverseitandexpectefficiencytoinspireproductivity,you’reriskingemployeescheckingout,orworse,seekinggreenerpastureselsewhere.Youcouldevenendupwithaworkforcethat’sextremelyproductive(gettingalotdone)whilealsobeingextremelyinefficient(notgettingtherightthingsdone). AndrewdeMaar,theheadofstrategyatDeloitte’sCenterfortheEdge,notesthatastringentfocusonefficiencycouldleadto“toomuchallegiancetoprocess,[which]canmakeeventhemosthigh-performingteamsmorepassiveovertimeastheycontinuetodowhatworksandoverlookwhatdoesn’t.” 3waystoimproveworkefficiencyandproductivity 1.Implementregularstand-upmeetings Encouragingmanagerstoimplementregularstand-ups(inpersonordigitally)canhelpensurethatprojectsfollowsettimelines,bottlenecksareaddressedimmediately,andfrequentcommunicationisnormalized.Justremembertokeepthembriefandtorunyourmeetingseffectively.Afterall,unfocusedmeetingsareknownforbeingthedeathofefficiency. Regularstand-upscanalsohelpteammembersnavigatepotentialinformationoverloadintheworkplace.ColumbiaBusinessSchoolprofessorSheenaIyengar,anexpertonchoice,estimatesthattheaverageknowledgeworkermustprocess—consciouslyorsubconsciously—theequivalentof174newspapers’worthofinformationeveryday. “Thecostofchoiceandinformationoverloadisthatpeoplegetdistracted,makemoreerrorsduetomultitasking,andarelessgoodatengagingincreativeproblem-solving,”Iyengarsays.Essentially,employeesaccomplishless,andstrategicprioritiesgetputasideforsmall,attention-grabbingtasks. 2.Minimize“busywork” OnesurveyinEntrepreneurfoundthat40%offull-timeemployeesendupwastinganhourormoreadayon“administrativetasksthatdonotdrivevaluefortheirorganization.”Forleaders,it’simperativetoidentifythoseadministrativetasksandfindtoolsthatautomateworkflowsandhelpstreamlinetaskmanagementwithoutrequiringemployeestoinvestmassiveamountsofadditionaltimelearningnewsoftware. 3.Encourageteamstofindtheirownrhythm Remember,differentteamswillhavedifferentneeds.Somewillrequiresolidtimeblockingtomaximizeproductivity,whileotherswillneedmorefrequentcollectivebrainstorms.Someteammemberswillfindtheirgroovewhentheyturnofftheirdevices;othersneedtobeoutoftheofficeandcheckinonmobile. Helpingyourmanagersfindtheirteams’idealbalancebetweenstructureandflexibility,focusandcollaboration,aswellasprocessandinnovationisthefirststeptowardgeneratingrealproductivityanddevelopinghealthyworkefficiency.VisittheworkflowexamplelibraryCheckoutpre-builtworkflowsthatyourteamcanusewithjustafewclicks.Browseworkflows EnterpriseTeamworkWasthispostuseful?Yes,thanks!Notreally0/600SubmitFeedbackAwesome!Thankssomuchforyourfeedback!Gotit!Thanksforyourfeedback.Oops!We'rehavingtrouble.Pleasetryagainlater!KeepreadingCollaborationHowworkplacetechnologyhasimpactedbusinesscommunicationsIdentifyyourbiggestpainpointsandinvestinthetechnologytoolsthatwillhelpyoureachyouruniquebusinessgoalsCollaborationCommunicationchannelstoconsiderforbusinessCombininganeffectivemixofelectronicandnon-electronictoolscanincreaseefficiencyandcamaraderieamongyourteamsCollaborationHowtoleveragetechnologyforbusinessgrowthin6stepsUsethesefoundationalstrategiestoidentifyandleveragetherighttechtoolstopropelyourbusinessforwardCollaborationWhatareexamplesofbusinesscommunicationmediums?MakethemostofalltheavailabletoolsandstreamlinehowyourcompanyengageswithinitselfandwithexternalpartnersescTrySlackwithyourteamforfreeGetstarted