Replying to LO30161 --
Jeff Miller wrote: I'm in need of a good article or two that does a nice
job of illustrating the concept of working harder vs. working smarter.
Without bogging you down with too much detail, I'm currently working with
a group that thinks pushing an already maxxed out staff will bring a
windfall of results... (sound familiar?).
Yes, this does sound familiar. Most businesses these days like to call
themselves "results-driven." In a typical company the primary concern is
on productivity and the bottom line. Hoever, this emphasis on results can
negatively affect employee well-being. By focusing on results without a
balanced attention to their well-being, employees may produce a great deal
during a long work crunch, yet burn out in the process. Optimizing results
does not guarantee optimal employee well-being.
The Dec./Jan. issue of "The Systems Thinker" has an article titled
"Boosting Productivity, Quality, and Well-Being." The article points out
how conventional measures used to boost productivity ignore the negative
effects that the drive for results can have on well-being. It proposes a
different measure that can simultaneously, continuously, and naturally
drive productivity, quality, and well-being -- our level of involvement in
what we're doing.
Obsessively focusing on results and the bottom line -- like playing tennis
by focusing on the scoreboard rather than the ball -- doesn't guarantee
optimal productivity or well-being, but focusing on improving
moment-to-moment involvement (focusing on the ball) does.
A longer version of the article appears on my website. Go to <A
HREF="www.manage-time.com">www.manage-time.com</A>, click on the "Time
Management Articles" link. Then click on
<A HREF="http://www.manage-time.com/involve.html">
What Guarantees Optimal Productivity and Well-Being?</A>"
Steve Randall, Ph.D.
Results in No Time - email: fathertime@manage-time.com
Time Management Supersite: http://www.manage-time.com
Includes complete time management courses
land: 1400 Carpentier St, #202, San Leandro CA 94577
home phone: 510-352-5391
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