How To Navigate the New Age of Productivity

Check out the top tips to redefine productivity in the new age of work.

March 15, 2023

How To Navigate the New Age of Productivity

How we do business has evolved far past the Ford factory of the 1920s. In the hybrid era, employee success is much more challenging to measure, meaning “productivity” has become obsolete. Linda Ho, chief people officer at Seismic,  explores why parameters for evaluating employee success have shifted in the digital age and how managers should encourage employees to be innovative rather than “productive.” 

Productivity Is Dead: Redefining Employee Success for the Digital Age

Productivity used to be an early indicator of employee success. The most productive employees were those with the most efficient outputs, which was easy to quantify in a tangible production environment like the Ford factory of the 1920s. As a proxy, some modern managers consider the time an employee spends in the office as a leading indicator of productivity.

But as the labor force shifted to become knowledge workers, and with more time spent in a hybrid environment, productivity has become an antiquated concept to articulate the value employees create in a digital-first world.

How, then, should we define employee success moving forward? And how can managers encourage a culture of excellence in the digital age? The answer lies in a deceptively simple buzzword: innovation. Let’s explore what innovation means for individual employees and how managers can cultivate it. 

See More: 5 Ways To Achieve Sustainable Productivity in the Year Ahead

Cultivating Innovation

When I think about the best, most “productive” teams I’ve been a part of during my career, I don’t think about the number of hours we worked – because that’s a measure of our activity, not our impact. Instead, I think about how we related to each other, how we addressed conflict, and how innovative and creative we could be. I think about our ability to communicate and collaborate and how we rowed seamlessly in the same direction, even when hiccups and disagreements arose. 

This type of success almost always comes from a shared vision, aligned values, or organizational purpose, something bigger than all of us that helps us rise to the occasion. Innovation is cultivated by:

  1. Purpose: Purpose is a critical differentiator in the marketplace, requiring complete and total buy-in from employees and managers alike. When organizations are aligned on purpose, magic happens: according to DeloitteOpens a new window , these companies report 30% higher levels of innovation and 40% higher levels of workforce retention than their competitors. When employees are scattered across time zones and lack solid in-person connections to their employer and co-workers, aligning on company purpose and values is imperative. 
  2. Alignment: Tying employee success to company success amplifies purpose and empowers employees, ultimately opening opportunities for innovation. Alignment between employee goals and those of the company means individuals can visualize how even the most minute day-to-day tasks impact the overall success of their organization. That connection can be incredibly motivating. Managers should thus be clear about individual objectives and key measures, linking them to value drivers for the organization.
  3. Conflict: Managers should encourage employees to have a healthy relationship with conflict. Disagreements and differences of opinion don’t have to be detrimental to team success – in fact, the opposite is true. If your employees can engage in healthy dialogue, radical candor, and debate freely and openly, that’s a key indicator of excellence. It means your teams discuss what matters most, work together toward alignment, and move forward with innovation and speed. 
  4. Flexibility: In a hybrid business environment, knowledge workers can integrate work into life and work when inspired. This means flexibility is paramount for cultivating creativity and innovation. In addition to flexible working hours, managers should ensure employees protect time to think, iterate, and learn to maximize their ability to focus on solving the most critical problems. 
  5. Belonging: Lastly, but most importantly, leaders play a crucial role in creating a psychologically safe environment where employees can feel a sense of belonging and the freedom to be their best, authentic selves. This is the accelerator to unleash innovation truly. 

Evaluating Performance in the Post-productivity Era

While the above is an enormous boon for those looking to modernize how they measure organizational success, it can throw a wrench in individual performance reviews.

In the digital age, managers and leaders should embrace new parameters for evaluating employee performance and shift the conversation away from activity. Focus instead on whether each employee is driven by the purpose of the organization, inspires their coworkers to engage in healthy conflict in the spirit of continuous improvement, and whether they consistently meet individual and team objectives. 

Furthermore, investing in the proper learning and coaching software will allow managers to set clear goals and measure impact. In addition to ensuring KPIs and OKRs are consistently met, the right technology can help managers identify and replicate the behaviors of top performers to empower continuous team growth. Technology that allows for virtual collaboration can also supplement these efforts. Tools like enablement software that help sort through different perspectives and surface real-time analytics on content can move teams and entire companies forward. 

That said, tech should not be considered the be-all-end-all solution for evaluating individual and organizational success. The shift to evaluating impact requires a joint effort between executives, managers, and employees.   

See More: How HR Analytics Can Help Improve Employee Performance

Redefining Success

When success isn’t defined by how much you produce and when but rather by innovation, we can anchor on holistic excellence. This vision requires a shift in mindset and approach. We must ensure alignment between individual and company goals while encouraging, embracing, and embodying flexibility. Above all else, managers must enable employees to be their best selves at work. Hence, they have room to experiment and co-create, deepening an ownership mindset and accelerating progress. 

Speed of innovation, at scale, is arguably the most critical success indicator in the digital-first world. Our world is far too complex to measure activity and hours worked. Productivity is dead, and employee success must be redefined by holistically evaluating its impact – on the company, the team, and the individual.  

How do you think organizations can rebalance work? Share your thoughts with us on FacebookOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , and LinkedInOpens a new window . We’d love to hear from you!

Image Source: Shutterstock

MORE ON EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY

Linda Ho
Linda Ho is a visionary C-Suite HR Executive with 20+ years designing data-driven talent strategies that accelerate business outcomes. She has proven success with start-ups, high-growth, and global companies, driving strategic business partnering, diversity, equity and inclusion strategies, and team effectiveness. Linda is an executive coach and leader who can influence all levels of the organization; advising CEOs/Boards on ESG, DEI, M&A, global expansion, scaling, and leading transformation amidst rapidly changing environments.
Take me to Community
Do you still have questions? Head over to the Spiceworks Community to find answers.