As the Industrial Revolution swept America in the late 1700s to the early 1800s, managers started to become more interested in productivity. Over the coming decades, Congress passed safety regulations that sought to improve working conditions and put a cap on the amount of hours that employees could work each day. At the same time, sociologists began studying exactly what influences productivity — and their experiments continue to shape the way we work centuries later. All of this research has revealed some timeless insight into human behavior, motivation, and how these factors affect productivity. The Hawthorne Effect One of the most famous studies on productivity set out to pinpoint exactly which variables influence individual performance. Researchers began with two groups: a control group, and a group whose environment they adjusted. Over time, the researchers improved lighting, altered working hours, moved break times, and shuffled other environmental factors. What they found was that whenever they made a change, productivity increased — while the control group held steady. Perhaps more interesting was the fact that any change, whether positive or negative, led to greater productivity. This held true even when all the environmental factors were returned to their original state. As it turns out, worker morale was boosted by the simple fact that the company was interested in making changes and showed concern about their work environment and well-being. Even if employees didn’t necessarily like the changes, they were bolstered by the fact that managers were trying to make improvements, which directly improved their productivity. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs In 1943, psychologist Abraham Maslow published a paper that outlined a 5-level hierarchy of individual needs. The idea was simple: if a person’s simplest and most basic needs weren't being met, they wouldn't feel motivated to achieve at a higher level. You have to start at the bottom and meet every need along each rung of the ladder in order to encourage high performing employees. The 5 Levels Physiological: in the workplace, this means food, water, and a comfortable place to work. Safety: this goes beyond immediate safety concerns and also involves financial security, health, and well-being. Belonging: feeling connected to others in the workplace and forming friendships. Esteem: feeling confident in their abilities and respected by others. Self-actualization: feeling that they can achieve anything and reach new levels of success within the company. Addressing each level of this hierarchy creates a happier and more productive employee. Expectancy Theory The Expectancy Theory takes a close look at motivation and what drives workers to try and reach their full potential. In 1964, Victor H. Vroom theorized that people make choices based on whether they think the results of their behavior will lead to desired outcomes. Essentially, all our choices come down to three basic elements: Expectancy: the belief that the effort you put in will result in your desired outcome. This is often influenced by individual confidence levels and the perceived difficulty of the desired goal. Instrumentality: the belief that you will be rewarded if you meet expectations. Valence: how much value you place on the reward. Workers need to believe that they will be acknowledged and rewarded with something valuable if they meet or exceed productivity expectations. Employers have to determine what rewards employees truly want, clearly communicate what those rewards are, and be consistent in handing out rewards for excellent performance. Higher Pay Doesn’t Increase Productivity It would be easy to assume more money equals stronger incentive, increased productivity, and greater work satisfaction — and more recent studies tend to focus on that relationship between money, rewards, and happiness. Somewhat surprisingly, however, the research shows that while happiness does affect productivity, money isn’t a large part of the equation. Some compelling statistics to consider: 87% of workers are disengaged at work Unhappy workers are 10% less productive Unhappy, unproductive workers cost companies around $500 billion a year Happiness improves productivity by 12% So how can companies create happier employees — and boost the bottom line in the process? The answer is to invest money in employee support programs instead of just raising wages. We are seeing this trend across the nation as more employers offer benefits like paid family leave, unlimited paid vacation days, health and wellness centers, and work from home opportunities. Essentially, this is another example of the Hawthorne Effect at work. When employees feel like their well-being is a priority, they are more productive. All of these theories distill down to a single simple truth: workers, no matter what industry or century, want to feel safe and appreciated. If companies make an effort to invest in their workers' happiness and well being, they will improve productivity. Investing in better benefits, increased employee support, and improved workplace conditions rather than simply handing out raises yields a bigger return on investment, because time and time again, studies prove that happy employees are more productive employees. Author Bio: Mike Hanski writes for Bid4papers. His productivity secret is simple: do what you like. And ear plugs. In that order. You can find Mike on Google+. Productivity Tips for the Modern Workplace Browse our collection of research-backed productivity tips, then put them into action and boost your team's productivity with a free trial of Wrike. Related Reads: 50 Productivity Tips to Boost Your Brainpower (Infographic) 20 Top Productivity Apps For Your Mobile Device How Writing a Journal Helps Increase Personal Productivity
There are dozens of tools out there for every facet of marketing team productivity, but in this article, we’ll just look at the top tools that every member of your marketing team can use to boost their effectiveness. Here are the top 40 tools for maximizing the productivity of your marketing team.
Ever wonder how successful project teams make it seem so easy? Every team member is engaged, every deadline is met, and every project is a breeze.... Today on Elizabeth Harrin's popular blog, PM4Girls, our CEO and productivity-lover Andrew Filev teaches everyone how to instill new team productivity habits. Read it now and make other people wonder how YOU do it. Andrew's guest post gives us 5 easy steps to move team members from habit denial to habit acceptance as quickly as possible. He writes: "Your team’s productivity habits are the magic ingredients to your project's success. If you have the right recipe, your team will complete the project on time and collaborate in a hassle-free way... Motivational speaker Brian Tracy said, 'Successful people are simply those with successful habits.'" If you want to build better productivity habits for your project team (and who doesn't want better productivity?), and invest in a resources planning tool, read Andrew's advice on PM4Girls right now.
Welcome back to the weekly Work Management Roundup, where we bring you the latest and greatest reads from around the web in an effort to help you work smarter, not longer. This week, we kick things off with productivity, mobile devices, and team dynamics. Read on! Released: 2016 Mobile Productivity Report (Wrike): Did you know? 44% of workers use their mobile device for work more than 20 times a day. This and more stats regarding how mobile devices affect work productivity are in our 2016 Mobile Productivity Report. Read it! 9 Unexpected Ways to Ramp Up Marketing Productivity (Jeff Bullas): Not just for marketing, by the way. This list of 9 life hacks backed by scientific studies can help you get more done in less time. 5 Things You Should Never Assume About Your Teammates (Todoist): Five hard-learned lessons on what assumptions you should never make regarding your teammates. We especially like #1: Don't assume they use the same tools as you do. Wow, How, Now: Writing a Killer Sales Pitch (Wrike): An effective sales-pitch email is really half of a deal. The goal is to explain why your client needs your product and why he needs it right now. Using three words, “WOW, HOW, NOW,” can make your sales pitch a winner. The Fragmentation Problem (BCS.org): With so many communication options, today's workers are faced with a fragmented workplace where they have to deal with emails chats, document revisions, and more — all living in different systems. 21 Experts Share Growth Strategy Tips for Scaling Up Your Business (Indigenous.io): A group of startup leaders were asked " What advice would you give someone trying to grow and scale his business?" The quotes are gold. More Work Management Reads Think About This: The Difference Between Content Curation and Content Creation (Crate) Help Your Team Manage Stress, Anxiety, and Burnout (Harvard Business Review) How To Save Yourself From Bad Startup Ideas That Look Good (Medium) Go Try This: How to Work With Difficult People [Infographic] (Hubspot) What are the most effective and proven time management techniques? CEO Brian de Haaff's answer (Quora) 15 Uses for Binder Clips in This Four Minute Video (Quartz) A Little Known Hack from Japan to Get Your Notebook/Journal Organized (Highfive) Browse The Work Management Roundup on Flipboard If you use Flipboard on your mobile device, you can check out these links via The Work Management Roundup magazine. View my Flipboard Magazine.
Some might argue that music helps the hours go by faster and keeps you focused, while others argue that music is distracting and makes it harder to concentrate. When considering whether music is more constructive rather than destructive for work, it's important to consider the type of work being done.