Escape common business myths to unleash game-changing productivity
Written by Shingo Prize winner Jacob Stoller, Productivity Reimagined shows how most companies are constrained by deeply engrained myths that prevent employees from reaching their full productive potential, causing frustration, poor decisions, and disappointing results. Evidence is drawn from Toyota and dozens of other companies that have countered these myths to build strong collaborative cultures and achieve sustainable growth.
Arguments are reinforced by the latest science on human behavior and systems theory and supported by more than 60 interviews from prominent CEOs, consultants, academics, executive directors, and EVPs in the context of today's pressing global issues, including labor shortage, income inequality, job-related stress, supply chain instability, and climate change. In this book, readers will learn: - Why we are facing a global productivity crisis despite what the news media are telling us - Why frontline employees aren't to blame for low productivity, and that the boss doesn't always know best - Why the whole does not equal the sum of the parts, and that the past doesn't necessarily determine the future - Why a strong workplace culture is the essential enabler for high productivity, and how to instill it
As companies face the new realities of the global economy, Productivity Reimagined is an essential resource for forward-thinking executives, managers, and business leaders looking to solve the productivity puzzle and empower their workforces to perform at their best.
Written by Shingo Prize winner Jacob Stoller, Productivity Reimagined shows how most companies are constrained by deeply engrained myths that prevent employees from reaching their full productive potential, causing frustration, poor decisions, and disappointing results. Evidence is drawn from Toyota and dozens of other companies that have countered these myths to build strong collaborative cultures and achieve sustainable growth.
Arguments are reinforced by the latest science on human behavior and systems theory and supported by more than 60 interviews from prominent CEOs, consultants, academics, executive directors, and EVPs in the context of today's pressing global issues, including labor shortage, income inequality, job-related stress, supply chain instability, and climate change. In this book, readers will learn: - Why we are facing a global productivity crisis despite what the news media are telling us - Why frontline employees aren't to blame for low productivity, and that the boss doesn't always know best - Why the whole does not equal the sum of the parts, and that the past doesn't necessarily determine the future - Why a strong workplace culture is the essential enabler for high productivity, and how to instill it
As companies face the new realities of the global economy, Productivity Reimagined is an essential resource for forward-thinking executives, managers, and business leaders looking to solve the productivity puzzle and empower their workforces to perform at their best.
Table of Contents
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xv
Part One The Productivity Challenge 1
1 Productivity, Real and Imagined 3
2 The Productivity Toolkit 21
Part Two Shattering the Five Myths 39
3 The Myth of Segmented Success 41
4 The Myth of the Bottom Line 63
5 The Top-Down Knowledge Myth 87
6 The Myth of Sticks and Carrots 105
7 The Myth of Tech Omnipotence 127
Part Three Business Strategies for a Better World 143
8 Productive Strategies for Preserving Our Planet 145
9 A Prescription for Better Healthcare 161
10 An Entrepreneurial Approach to Breaking the Poverty Cycle 181
11 Rethinking the Meaning of Disability 197
12 Joy at Work 209
Part Four Moving Forward 219
13 We Can Do This! 221
Notes 247
About the Author 253
Index 255
