Increase productivity and reduce costs

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The March 2014 issue of Discover Magazine relates the findings of sensor-based research on worker productivity at Bank of America call centers. (Sensing Success) Researchers discovered that changing policy to enable co-workers to take breaks with others on their "team" increased productivity by 15 to 20 percent. Employee turnover dropped from about 40 percent to 12 percent. When employees engaged in informal gatherings of "tight-knit co-workers who spoke frequently with one another, they were not only happier in their jobs, they also got more work done, shared ideas faster and divvied up tasks more efficiently." 

A study of Xerox repairmen also documented the importance of enabling them to get together informally and swap stories. One key to productivity was that the repairmen interacted with the call center operators before and after each call to "train" them to recognize problems that they could handle directly. (HBR Archive) These informal meetings were dramatically more effective than the formal training offered by Xerox.

AT&T's legendary Bell Labs was convinced that physical proximity was everything. (True Innovation) If they expected innovation, phone calls alone wouldn’t do. Quite intentionally, Bell Labs housed thinkers and doers under one roof. They designed their facility and policies with open doors, wide halls and no elevators -- all to promote and enable ad hoc meetings and collaboration. The end results included such innovative products as the transistor, silicon solar cells, lasers, communications satellites, and cellular telephones.

Over the years I've returned with a myriad of practical solutions after informally interacting with other CEOs at my local Vistage meeting and CEO Club. These meetings were an essential tool for me as a CEO.

The above studies and experiences document the importance of creating an environment for informal collaboration. Promoting informal gatherings of small groups of people with common interests and problems builds trust and teamwork, and leads to practical solutions. The higher productivity and employee retention that results will add directly to your company's bottom line.    

Create a strategic plan with your team

"Plans are worthless, but planning is everything."
Dwight David Eisenhower

A well facilitated strategic planning process is a proven way to build a team with mutual understanding of the company-wide consequences of decisions such as setting targets. Implementing the yearly strategic plan provides a framework for creating and utilizing small, collaborative teams.

How long have you been saying that you are going to develop your strategic plan, but you haven't yet done so? Why? Perhaps it remains on your to-do list because it feels like a huge, laborious process and you haven't the time to spare to do it. Peak-performing companies have a clearly defined strategic plan…and it doesn't have to take long to create an effective one.

Your executive team costs you over a million dollars a year. Are you fully utilizing them? It's a waste of time and money to create a plan that they don't own and implement.

Want to learn how to create a strategic plan?

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Where the Hell Are We?
How to Implement Total Quality Planning

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