Productivity follows planning

Another word foreign to many of us and to government is productivity, which means having the power or quality of producing especially in abundance. Productivity yields results, benefits, or profits by making use of resources allocated. It takes into consideration rate and quality of production.
Any top organization, whether private or government, considers the quality and quantity of productivity as a measuring stick of its effectiveness. Productivity is something that all organizations should be constantly trying to improve. Unless we consider productivity as an integral part of any organization or government, we will be squandering resources without realizing it.

Because some companies and the government deal basically in service (an intangible item), productivity can be difficult to measure. For instance, the government will know where and how efficiently its financial and personnel resources are being utilized is by judging how the general public feel about the service they receive.

By attending public hearings, you will hear the same song sang by government agencies when asked how they can improve their services. “
Give me more money and more personnel and I will produce better.” Rarely do they present plans seeking ways to improve with what they have on hand. Training or implementing latest techniques for improving personnel performance is rarely discussed. It is always, “give me more money and more people.”

As an exception to the above, I mention and give credit to Dr. Rita Inos, COE, of the PSS who has taken drastic steps to downsize personnel in the system. She has somehow managed to operate more classrooms with a smaller budget. She has braved much criticism for her deeds, but she is running a tight ship. What other agency has done a reduction in forces while expanding? Her example of productivity control should be studied and emulated by other government agencies.

Currently the public is clamoring that teachers be accountable for their teaching performance. If they turn out educated students, they keep their jobs and in some states may even receive a bonus. What a splendid idea. Now, can we include government workers and insist on measuring their productivity also?

Several years ago, two buzz words in large corporations were “re-engineering” and “restructuring.” The companies realized that they had become slovenly. After studying their productivity methods they realized they could do more with less. As a result thousands of employees were terminated or “re-engineered.” The result: the companies increased productivity and increased profits simultaneously.

These large firms realized that it isn’t how much one spends or how many personnel are involved, but it is the quality and wise use of allocated resources. Once an organization begins to accept that fact, productivity will increase using less resources.

One other ingredient is necessary for good planning to be effective and to increase productivity. A good monitoring system must also be implemented. As we plan and strive to reach goals which include better productivity, someone must monitor the process. In sports we call them coaches. They observe and then instruct. It is a never ending learning process.

By the intelligent use of these two major words- planning and productivity- our personal lives and our organizations will greatly improve. The key point is not to work harder but smarter. In school we instruct students to improve their grades, not by the amount of time spent studying, but by the quality of the time spent. The wise person, company, or government who has mastered the art of planning will realize a higher productivity with less resources. It behooves everybody to plan and to get the most from its limited resources. Planning and productivity is a never ending process.