Productivity has taken a hit and decreased by 1.3% in the last 12 months. New McKinsey research estimates that employee disengagement and attrition could cost a median-size S&P 500 company between $228 million and $355 million a year in lost productivity. Not a good sign if your organization is undergoing a period of change and you need to do more with less!
But there is a solution.
You can maximize productivity during times of change by balancing these three priorities:
- Increasing efficiency in processes
- Upskilling and developing high-performing teams
- Creating a culture of continuous improvement
- Balancing all three areas is the key to ensuring new equipment and processes (like automation, predictive machinery, digital twins, etc.) are supported by knowledgeable teams who are in turn supported by a culture that promotes continuous improvement for both processes and – most importantly – people development.
You need to come from an angle of giving to your workforce, rather than taking from them during periods of change.
More than anything, this will help maximize productivity by removing any negative, fear-based reactions to doing more with less. Failing to make it clear to your workforce that you’re committed to providing them with the tools they need to succeed and deliver could impact your ability to remain competitive and risk your potential future market share.
Strategies to maximise productivity during the change process:
Restructuring your processes to maximise productivity can be challenging though, and little details can slip through the cracks.
Build capabilities regularly
When investing in automation or transformation, you need to invest in your teams’ capabilities too. Your workforce is trying to do more with less and needs the right tools to deliver on their targets.
Those tools could be literal like hardware or software, or they could be knowledge based. They need to know how to use the new equipment, maintain it if it breaks down, recognize the signs of malfunction, etc. If your planned technology implementation radically changes the production process, they need to understand what impact it has up or down the line.
It can be tempting to limit investments in training and upskilling during times of change when budgets are tight, but to maximize productivity you need to show your teams new ways of working that are more efficient. Regular training is your ticket to increased productivity, reduced waste, and greater efficiency.
Many organizations are experimenting with VR as a way to unify their training procedures, injecting fun and engaging formats to increase knowledge uptake and retention.
Improve the workplace environment
When lots of things are changing in your organization and you want to maintain productivity, your employees need a workplace that supports productivity. In terms of processes, you will need:
- Clean environments
- Clear walkways and workspaces
- Good lighting
- Clear equipment, tools and supplies management and storage
And to support employee wellbeing:
- Quiet spaces where employees can take their breaks
- Accessible amenities like kitchens, WCs, etc.
- Using the 5S System can support your efforts here in ensuring a clean, safe, standardized work environment for your employees to reach peak productivity in.
Communicate
Communication is important for two reasons:
Setting clear goals and objectives for your teams so you can measure productivity
Ensuring everyone knows what is expected of them during the change period
Lean principles of visual communication are important for quick information uptake on the frontline, and on lights are the best example of this for day-to-day communications. But your employees also need to know what direction the company is taking overall, and how this will impact them long-term. They also need to know what changes are coming and when, and when they can expect training.
Invest in a culture of Lean
Every organization is unique and has its own ways of doing things, but many will agree that Toyota and the Toyota Production System is a benchmark for best practice. Their culture is founded on, as Dr. Jeffrey Liker put it, two pillars of:
- Continuous improvement
- Respect for people
This means Leadership empower their workforce to really observe the processes around them and make improvements based on scientific thinking and PDCA. Leaders become coaches, teaching their employees to see where improvements can be made, to identify waste themselves and embrace the changes that they propose.
What if virtual reality was the solution to bring your teams together during times of change?
We’ve looked at some of the ways you need to realign your priorities towards efficiency, your approach to employee development, and even your company culture to support productivity. Training and upskilling are going to be your keys to unifying everyone’s efforts, but what’s the fastest and most cost-effective way to train multi-national teams?
We’ve looked at some of the ways you need to realign your priorities towards efficiency, your approach to employee development, and even your company culture to support productivity. Training and upskilling are going to be your keys to unifying everyone’s efforts, but what’s the fastest and most cost-effective way to train multi-national teams?
Virtual reality (VR) gives you a platform where you can bring your teams together from anywhere in the world, they just need a headset to access training resources and sessions, attend immersive Town Hall meetings, and much more.
Test out virtual reality for yourself with a Masterclass or deploy enterprise-wide VR training programs with Gemba.
