Exam 16: Control Systems and Quality Management: Techniques for Enhancing Organizational Effectiveness

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Individual employees, managers, and organizations all share responsibility for increasing individual productivity. Individuals contribute by proactively bringing their skills, energy, talents, and motivation to work on a daily basis. They also can increase productivity by engaging in self-development and organizational citizenship. This is most likely to happen, however, when employees work for supportive and talented managers. This is where managers enter the productivity equation.
Managers need to bring their "best selves" to work just like any other employee. Managerial behavior is a key input to individual productivity. It is essential for managers to take a learning orientation toward their jobs. This implies that managers will attempt to continuously improve their leadership skills. This might involve taking courses at a local college or university, enrolling in company-sponsored training programs, obtaining advice from an executive coach or mentor, or reading relevant books.
Organizations contribute to individual productivity by providing positive work environments and cultures that promote employee engagement, satisfaction, and flourishing. This ultimately involves investing in training and development for all employees.
Productivity can be measured using two methods:
Benchmarking is a way to measure something against a standard, the benchmark. Companies use internal benchmarks to set performance standards, competitive benchmarking to assess themselves against their competitors, and strategic benchmarking when they are ready to look outside their industry, such as when adopting Six Sigma, to learn from world-class performers wherever they are.
Best practices are "a set of guidelines, ethics or ideas that represent the most efficient or prudent course of action." Companies often develop best practices internally through managers' and employees' positive experiences on the job, and they sometimes adopt the strategies with which other companies have succeeded in similar situations. Some best practices are guided by laws and regulations; for instance, companies may not ask job applicants questions that would allow hiring managers to discriminate based on race or ethnicity, sex, age, or religion. So a best practice in hiring is to know the law and ask only allowed questions.