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Management Focus
When executives grumble that their people are not getting things done fast enough - not implementing strategic plans, not following up on projects, not fully meeting the demands of their jobs, not adequately producing - I usually respond, 'Maybe you need to teach them how.' White-collar Productivity Barriers to Productivity While most executives want to practice 'management by wandering around,' they routinely complain that the overflowing in-tray & pending work consistently thwart their plans. Papers are often stacked so precariously high that they demand immediate attention. Consequently, managers find themselves trapped behind their desks instead of venturing out to visit their staff, facilities, or clients. Electronic Messaging. One would think that with the rising use of e-mail & other forms of digital communications, the need for paper would lessen. Unfortunately, this has not occurred. Rather, these electronic forms of communication only dramatically increase the volume & speed of communications. Past work methods will not suffice in dealing with this new technology. You have to be that much more effective simply to cope with the deluge of correspondence & information brought on by advanced technology. Information Retention. Most people keep too much information - so much so that it is nearly impossible to find what they need amongst all they have kept. After managers have been around a year or two, they have usually amassed so much 'stuff' that they can't retrieve something when they need it. This costs the company in many ways. Work systems. At the core of many problems confronting executives & staff are inefficient personal work systems & routines. Most people do not have their offices & desks sufficiently organised to receive, process, store, send out, or track communications. Manufacturing plants do not tolerate such disorganisation. Industrial engineers scrutinise every corner of facility to design efficient work processes. Yet, we leave our white-collar workers on their own to stumble through their makeshift procedures. The absence of organised systems designed to help process work causes people to expend as much energy thinking about what to do, as doing it. Procrastination. Most people know they shouldn't put off doing work that they find disagreeable or difficult: nevertheless, nearly everyone does. While that may be the chosen modus operandi at home, such poor time management should not be tolerated on company time. In routine jobs, you can usually monitor & measure poor working habits; however, in non-routine managerial & professional jobs which allow considerable discretion over prioritising tasks, procrastination is not easily detectable & thus discreetly stalls key projects & reports. Backlogs. The mere mention of the word 'backlog' provokes anxiety for many people. When they try to concentrate on a task, they become distracted by all the other work they haven't yet completed. If there are several unfinished projects piled around the desk, the tendency for distraction becomes so great that it drastically interferes with the person's ability to execute the task in hand. Planning. Many managers have inadequate planning systems. Some wit once said 'If you don't know where you're going, any route will get you there.' In the white-collar world of multiple responsibilities, shifting priorities & fragmented time, you must decide where you want to go, & then map out the best route to get there. Without tactical planning at mid-management levels, the strategic planning done at executive levels is not nearly as productive. Problems like these exist throughout the white-collar work force. Left to their own devices, employees will try to muddle through. But to be effective, most people need to be taught how to manage their work & their time properly. Until executives & managers develop efficient work skills, their companies' productivity will continue to lag. 8 Principles for Improving Productivity 2. Clean up clutter. Get everyone to clean out their offices, desks & files, both paper & electronic. You cannot implement new systems on a foundation of clutter. 3. Set clear guidelines for information retention. Most people ask themselves, 'Is it possible I will need this again?' Of course, it is always possible! The more appropriate question is, 'If I need it again, where can I get it?' Determine who is responsible for keeping specific information, & let everyone else throw away or delete their copies. 4. Set up communication management systems. Develop true systems, not ad hoc ways of handling paper. Keep trays for incoming, outgoing & pending work. Maintain lean files & set them up according to frequency of access. Store active files in the desk, reference files elsewhere in the office & archives in a central location. Label the files clearly so others can locate them in your absence. Process e-mail two or three times a day. Organise your computer files to match the paper file system you create. In other words, get the basics in order so you are ready to produce! 5. Institute planning routines. Ask to see your staff's weekly work plans & project action plans. If planning is not an integral part of your staff's routine, initiate the process with them. Make sure that the plans support departmental & organisational goals & that they will get the job done. 6. Make an appointment with yourself.
Regain control of your calendar. Unless you block out a few hours
each week for work on your critical projects, others, including
your secretary, will schedule that time for you. 8. Get away from your desk. Visit people while they work. See what they are working on & note how they are working. You can correct their inefficiencies once you identify them. Achieving personal efficiency is the key to improving white-collar productivity. Our clients tell us that while we focus on organising their offices, the result of our program is usually a dramatic improvement in implementing strategic initiatives such as quality control, customer service & business development. Getting people to work effectively provides the missing link between the creation of strategies & their rapid, effective implementation. My philosophy is quite simple: if you want people to get things done, you just need to show them how.
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