When your team is more productive, you can achieve greater things in your company. If productivity is not there, then you will notice that sales will slump, employee turnover will be high, and business costs will inevitably get out of control. Productivity is the key to successful business growth and development. So, just how can you improve productivity, and what do you need to focus on?
1. Focus on Clear Communication
Within a team communication is essential and you must ensure that clear communication is maintained at all times. If communication is not clear, you will find that mixed messages will work their way into your team. Mixed messages leave room for doubt, and they leave room for error. Clear communication ensures that every member of your team is always on the same page. When everyone in a team is working towards a shared vision or goal, your business will be more successful. Clear communication helps to lay the foundations for your team, but it also helps to iron out any disparities, or confusion.
2. Make use of Software
As well as focusing on clear communication for productivity, you must also look at incorporating software into your business operations and processes. For example, a business productivity suite from CoAmplifi could mean that you no longer have to micro-manage team members. Software can give team members authority, responsibility, and a clearly defined role. Using software can save you time, and it can save you additional resources too. When you are looking at which software to incorporate, you need to establish what your business needs and requirements are.
3. Assign Roles and Responsibilities
You cannot expect to achieve productivity if your team members do not have clearly defined roles and responsibilities. When everyone knows what is expected of them in a professional capacity, you can then begin to move forwards positively. When you are establishing and writing roles and responsibilities, really think about what team members add and contribute to your workforce, and really try to take advantage of their skillsets and knowledge.
4. Give Ownership
As well as clearly defined roles and responsibilities, ownership must also be given. When you give team members ownership of a task or responsibility, you set expectations and you put trust into team members, and into the team as a whole. Ownership helps team members step up to the plate and it helps to bring out the best in all employees. If ownership is not identified and handed out, then team members may not feel equal. This may then have a knock-on effect on team working and productivity.
5. Set Goals and Monitor Efforts
Productivity within a team is a journey, it is a process, and it is something that will not happen overnight. If your expectations are too high, the team will feel under pressure, and this will affect how they work. Setting goals and continually monitoring efforts will help you to achieve productivity on many levels. It will also help you establish what key areas you should be working on, as well as when and why. Setting goals for team members, and for whole teams will help to positively push productivity.
