Improving productivity

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Improving productivity often brings to mind the thoughts of doing more with less (Rue & Byars, 2010). However, improving productivity is simply defined as “to produce more with the same amount of human effort” (Rue & Byars, 2010, p. 366). Improving productivity can be a positive experience if implemented correctly at the right time. Too often efforts fail because it was not based on realistic processes or implementation occurred at the wrong time.
Successful efforts start with understanding what motivates people. According to Reeve, 2009, “the four areas of engagement are behavioral, emotional, cognitive and voice” (p. 12). Behavioral engagement displays the persistence needed to accomplish the plan (Reeve, 2009). Emotional engagement allows the person to maintain interest and enjoy the process (Reeve, 2009).
Cognitive engagement creates self-regulation and personal strategies to meet goals (Reeve, 2009). The final aspect of engagement is voice. This area allows for self-expression which is vital to maintain participation (Reeve, 2009). While the supervisor will concentrate on behavioral and voice aspects with employees, knowing the basics of all areas will have an impact on productivity.
Another impact on productivity is trust (Covey, 2006). If trust is absent then the goal for increased productivity will not be realized to its full potential. Supervisors that create a high-trust working environment will reap the benefit of employee loyalty, increased innovation, and better collaboration (Covey, 2006). Investing the time to build trust will have a lasting benefit and will positively impact production and cost reduction by reducing absenteeism, tardiness, turnover and other areas (Covey, 2006).
Once the...

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...dollars. The change in product improved employee satisfaction as they did not have to wait as long for the product to work in the patient’s room.
In summary, an effective supervisor will build trust within the team and utilize the knowledge that they have. The supervisor cannot assume that what is being done today will be sufficient to meet the needs of tomorrow. Complacency will eventually lead to reduced productivity and increased cost. The supervisor needs to remain vigilant in the areas of productivity and cost reduction to remain effective.

Works Cited

Covey, S. (2006). The speed of trust. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, Inc.

Reeve, J. (2009). Understanding motivation and emotion (5th ed.). Hoboken, New Jersey: John
Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Rue, L., Byars, L. (2010). Supervision: Key link to productivity. (10th ed.). New York, NY:
McGraw-Hill/Irwin

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