1/ Focus on productivity, not efficiency.
A few thoughts on "doing more with less" vs. "doing more with the same":
A few thoughts on "doing more with less" vs. "doing more with the same":
2/ 12 hours.
That's how long it took to build a car before 1913.
Over the next several years, Henry Ford reduced the time-consuming process to an impressive 2.5 hours.
The efficiency mindset embraced by Ford dominated the marketplace all the way into the early 2000s.
That's how long it took to build a car before 1913.
Over the next several years, Henry Ford reduced the time-consuming process to an impressive 2.5 hours.
The efficiency mindset embraced by Ford dominated the marketplace all the way into the early 2000s.
3/ While Ford’s story is inspiring, today’s business environment requires a different worldview — one focused on productivity over efficiency.
I analyzed the reasons in detail in my latest essay here: medium.com/swlh/focus-on-…
I analyzed the reasons in detail in my latest essay here: medium.com/swlh/focus-on-…
4/ Efficiency is about doing more with less, productivity is about doing more with the same.
Today’s most successful organizations are the ones who nurture productivity in the workplace.
Today’s most successful organizations are the ones who nurture productivity in the workplace.
5/ Over the last 12 years, focusing on productivity (not efficiency) has helped me significantly to grow @JotForm to over 4 million users.
In the article above, I tried to share some of the productivity practices we have found helpful.
In the article above, I tried to share some of the productivity practices we have found helpful.
6/ Take the "Team Productivity > Individual Efficiency" practice:
We could get all our designers to sit in one room and developers in another.
Similar to how Ford did it, we could ask each person to take on one job at a time and move on to the next right after.
We could get all our designers to sit in one room and developers in another.
Similar to how Ford did it, we could ask each person to take on one job at a time and move on to the next right after.
7/ This way, we could get them to work 100% of the time and become a super efficient organization.
But we don’t. At @JotForm, our 120 employees work in cross-functional groups of 5–6 people instead.
But we don’t. At @JotForm, our 120 employees work in cross-functional groups of 5–6 people instead.
8/ And instead of getting each person to work on one task at a time, our cross-functional teams work on one project at a time. Each team operates like a little company.
They come up with great ideas, execute and test them quickly, and constantly build new ideas on top of others.
They come up with great ideas, execute and test them quickly, and constantly build new ideas on top of others.
9/ Do we utilize our resources more efficiently? No.
But we do utilize them more productively. We boost creativity. And we'd have lost that team dynamic, product ownership & all the ideas generated from the discussion of people from different fields, had we chased efficiency.
But we do utilize them more productively. We boost creativity. And we'd have lost that team dynamic, product ownership & all the ideas generated from the discussion of people from different fields, had we chased efficiency.
10/ Switching from an efficiency mindset to a productivity mindset hasn’t happened overnight, but it’s been worth it.
Each change has produced significant gains in terms of happier employees, higher performance and increased profits.
And isn’t that what we all want?
Each change has produced significant gains in terms of happier employees, higher performance and increased profits.
And isn’t that what we all want?
