Productivity Concept for the Current Millennium

A. PRODUCTIVITY – EARLY VERSIONSinteraction between people and companies in
Productivity, from 1940s (just after the 2nddisparate locations). Key forces shaping this
World war), was considered as a domain of thedecade were the a global recession, due to the
Engineering faculty to analyse the relationships ofshift in the manufacturing process as well as the
the output that can be produced in a specifiedproduct delivery to remote locations,
period of time. It was related to the concept ofpopularisation of personal computers, boom of the
efficiency, which is the amount of outputdot-com and the drastic rise in the Internet
produced relative to the amount of resourcesactivities, particularly beginning from the early
(time and money) that go into the production.1990s.
Improved productivity, benefits a business byThe productivity in this period assumed a new
lowering the cost and increases the leverage todimension of a small physical output creating a
compete better and make profit.large value, while a large physical output creating
World labour and manufacturing organizationsonly a small value. As a result, everything which
standardised the concept of Productivity as thewere big or maxy prior to 1990s, started
ratio between the Physical output (Products) toassuming the dimension of mini. (Automobile,
the Physical input (Labour, material, power etc…)Camera, Computers, Mobile, TV etc…)
More output quantum with less input quantum,It was atake-off period for a Globalised
provides a higher and favourable Productivityproductivty. Increases in productivity also started
index.influencing the society more broadly, by improving
B. PRODUCTIVITY MOTIVATORS.living standards, creating income, and generating
More productivity index has a direct impact oneconomic growth. Because of this there were
lowering the Cost per unit of the Output product,drastic changes in patterns of social behaviour,
indirectly improves the profit of that product at aresulting from new communication technologies
constant price and universally assists theand changed/broadened male-female relationships.
continued existence and growth of the companies.This situation closed the gap between the
Hence, the companies made attempts to increaseProductivity and Management Decision process.
the productivity in a variety of ways. The mostE. MANAGEMENT DECISION INTEGRATION.
obvious methods involve automation andProductivity is an output emerging from the basic
computerisation which minimise the tasks thatmanagement decision, which prefixes the quantum
must be performed by employees. Recently, lessoutput as well as the selected quantum inputs.
obvious techniques are being employed thatProductivity is hence preceded by the Input
involve ergonomic design and worker comfort. Itmanagement decisions and the output
was found that a comfortable employee, canmanagement decisions. When the term
produce more than a counterpart who strugglesproductivity is globalised, then implicitly the term
throughout the day. In fact, some studies claimManagement Decision is also gets globalised. Hence
that measures such as raising workplaceboth Productivity and Management Decision should
temperature can have a drastic effect on officebe measured with reference to a common
productivity. Experiments done by the Japaneseglobalised unit.
Shiseido corporation also suggested thatC. CURRENT PRODUCTIVITY DIMENSION
productivity could be increased by means ofAs a result of globalization and internet links, the
perfuming or deodorising the air conditioningscope and the concept of Productivity has
system of the workplaces.broadened to a two dimensional unit, integrating
Till 1990, the productivity motivators werethe quantum productive needs of the corporate
constrained to the methodology, performance andsectors as well as the socio-economic status of
profitability of individual corporate sectors.the nation. Similarly the Management Decision
C. PRODUCTIVITY DEPLOYMENTmethodology is also broadened to the same dual
During the post-2nd world war period (1947 tounits.
1991) there was a Cold war situation in the world.Corporate survival now greatly depends on the
It was a geopolitical (Territorial superiority),National socio-economic survival, through the
ideological (Ruling startegy superiority), andbroadened E-business scattered globally, appealing
economic (International superiority) struggleand attracting international social groups. Also the
between the capitalistic United States and its alliesintangible factors of Psychological, Social,
(West), and the communistic Soviet Union and itsInternational and Universal dimensions have
allies (East). It lasted from about 1947 to theassumed a priority influence on the productivity as
period leading to the collapse of the Soviet Unionwell as the management decision of all the
on December 25, 1991.government and private sectors. Hence,
During this period, both the Eastern and Westernproductivity along with management decision has
nations in cold war, drastically increased aggregateto be measured through both the Quantum and
supply of various goods to prove their superiority.Socio-economic development units (SED).
The deployed various productivity optimisation01. Productivity = SED goals/Input > 1 &
techniques to get drastically more output with aSED goals/Output > 1 subject to Quantum
possibly less input.(Output/Input) > 1.
This inducted an increases in the aggregate02. Social rate of return is important than
demand for these goods in the internationalQuantum rate of return.
market, covering the neutral, developing and03. Intangible elements are important than tangible
under developed nations. These in turn, not onlyelements. (Psychological, Social, Inter national, and
decreased the unemployment situation in both theUniversal).
Eastern and Western nations, but attracted a04. Management decisions are optimum when
large scale immigration of labour from theSED goals/Input decisions > 1 &
developing and under developed world. As aSED goals/Output decisions > 1,
result, the international inflation remained stable.Subject to Output decisions/Input decisions > 1
D. PRODUCTIVITY TAKE-OFF05. This is universally applicable to all developed,
Just after the end of cold war, during 1990sdeveloping and under-developed nations.
(from 1990 to 1999 inclusive) there was an06. This proved through an Algebraic Model.
economic expansion in the United States leadingMore details and the mathematical derivations on
to a massive increase in worker productivity andthis new concept is available in “A Redefined
globalisation (complex series of economic, social,Productivity and Socio-economic Development
technological, cultural and political changes withoriented Management Decisions" at
increasing interdependence, integration andDR.VSRS.