If you’re working in a leadership position, there’s a high probability that improving employee productivity is one of your biggest objectives. Show
Don’t worry, you’re in good company. According to a study in the UK, the average employee spends less than three hours a day doing actual work. Similarly, companies in the United States are losing an estimated $550 billion every year to low productivity, leaving managers scrambling to find ways to ensure work is being completed on time. Yikes. The common solution to low productivity is efficiency. If employees can work more efficiently, they can maximize the time they have. This makes sense considering how research indicates that our brains maintain concentration in cycles, which is why many psychologists and productivity specialists suggest taking scheduled breaks for a much needed mental recharge. There’s even a productivity system based on this ideology known as the Pomodoro Technique. But what if we’re focusing too much on efficiency when we should be looking at effectiveness as well? In this post, we’re going to look at the differences between efficiency and effectiveness as well as how you can leverage both to help your teams maximize productivity. Get started with monday.com Head to head: Efficiency versus effectivenessEfficiency and effectiveness are both related to productivity, but in different ways. Efficiency refers to how we execute our tasks. When we work efficiently, we use less time, resources, and/or human effort to do our job. Effectiveness looks at the quality of the results we achieve. If an employee is effective, they’ll consistently reach goals and objectives like delivering high quality-work or making sales. Think of it like this:
It’s possible to work inefficiently and still be effective. An employee may deliver a report that’s filled with valuable data that can help your department make more informed decisions (effective), but if they missed their deadline because they wasted time during the research process, that’s inefficient. On the other hand, one can also be efficient and ineffective. An example of this would be an employee who came up with a system for responding to emails more quickly (efficient), but failed to include important information in those emails (ineffective). You can probably see why efficiency and effectiveness are both important traits. After all, what’s the purpose of optimizing resources if you’re delivering subpar work? And how effective are you really being if your work is consistently behind schedule? Real productivity isn’t achieved without first striking the right balance between efficiency and effectiveness. Efficiency or effectiveness?Achieving the right level of efficiency and effectiveness starts with the leadership. Everyone from company executives to junior leadership plays a role in setting the company culture, and when your primary goals are to cut costs and minimize turnaround time, you prioritize efficiency over effectiveness. Conversely, when you’re encouraging teams to follow rigid work guidelines that reduce errors, but end up wasting a lot of time along the way, you’re not creating a culture of efficiency. Neither of these scenarios are good for your business.
If either of these scenarios reminds you of the team you’re managing, you’ll need to make some changes. The good news is promoting better efficiency and effectiveness isn’t rocket science––it’s not even that difficult. You just need to create and maintain a workplace environment that values both. Get started Tips for improving efficiency and effectivenessAs a team leader, it’s your job to ensure your employees are achieving company goals and objectives. If they’re not reaching those goals, you should put a system in place that helps them work more efficiently and effectively. Raluca Apostol, the co-founder of tech company Nestor, says that efficiency and effectiveness take some serious work–and that employees often need help getting on the right track. “If your team members lose your focus quickly, help them build healthy habits in maintaining it, like using time management tools, having an accountability partner, or by using productivity systems like Eat that Frog,” she said. But it’s not enough to encourage your team to be more efficient and effective–you need to take some extra steps to set them up for success, too. Most workers aren’t intentionally being inefficient and ineffective. They just need a little extra help with improving the way they execute and complete assignments. Here are some ways you can give them a nudge in the right direction: Incentivize efficiencyRewards are an excellent way to motivate employees to work more efficiently. Reward efficient (and effective!) work via bonuses, extra vacation days, or anything else you can think of that would make for a compelling incentive. You can even reward your entire team with a half-day if everyone meets their efficiency goals. Keep the training process ongoingDon’t limit training to the onboarding stage. Hold scheduled training events to discuss ways to work more efficiently and effectively. This is a great way to help employees get refreshers on important information they might have forgotten, and you can use this time to introduce new concepts they can use to help make work easier. Introduce a team Kanban boardKanban boards bring more accountability and transparency to the workplace by showing who’s working on which tasks and how long it’s taken to complete those tasks. This can give your employees a sense of ownership over their assignments, which can motivate them to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of their work. Get started Create a positive work environmentHappy employees are far more efficient and effective than unhappy ones. You can boost the mood around the office by:
Oh, and stop micromanaging. Let your employees know what’s expected of themThis is important. If you want your employees to work more efficiently, let them know. Tell them how much work they should complete within an average shift and give them tips for delivering that work efficiently. If there’s a problem with their effectiveness, point out the issues and explain to them how to improve the quality of their work. Getting the most out of your teamOnce you’ve implemented a system for improving effectiveness and efficiency, set up weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly meetings to measure your team’s progress.
The key to managing a team that’s both efficient and effective is to set the example. You want them to improve their productivity, then show them that you’re committed to helping them make the improvement. That way, you’re creating a culture that actually encourages your employees to grow and build their skills. Get started TEST BANK: Daft, Richard L. Management, 11th ed. 2014 Chapter 18 Chapter 18--Leading TeamsChapter 18--Leading TeamsStudent: ___________________________________________________________________________1.A team is defined as a group of two or more people who interact and coordinate their work to accomplish a specific objective.TrueFalse2.A group and a team are interchangeable terms.TrueFalse3.A team shares or rotates leadership roles while a group has a designated strong leader.TrueFalse4.Teams run efficient meetings, whereas groups run meetings that encourage open-ended discussion.TrueFalse5.Social facilitation is the tendency for the presence of others to influence an individual's motivation and performance.TrueFalse6.A formal team composed of employees from different areas of expertise and from different levels in the organization's formal chain of command is called a vertical team.TrueFalse7.Horizontal teams are created by the organization as part of the formal organization structure.TrueFalse8.A task force or a crossfunctional team is a group of employees from different departments formed to deal with a specific activity and existing only until the task is completed.TrueFalse9.A special purpose team is basically the same as a problem solving team.TrueFalse10.A free rider is a person who benefits from team membership but does not make a proportionate contribution to the team's work.TrueFalse11.A common dysfunction of teams is to be results oriented.TrueFalse12.Work team effectiveness is based on two outcomes--productive output and marketplace acceptance.TrueFalse13.Self-directed teams consist of 5 to 20 multi-skilled workers who rotate jobs and produce an entire product or service.TrueFalse14.Satisficing is a team's ability to meet personal needs of its members and hence maintain their membership and commitment.TrueFalse15.Productive output pertains to the team's ability to meet the personal needs of its members.TrueFalse16.Employee involvement started out simply with techniques such as information sharing with employees or asking employees for suggestions about improving the work. Gradually, companies moved toward greater autonomy for employees, which ultimately led to self-directed teams.TrueFalse17.A multidomestic team is a work team made up of members of different nationalities whose activities span multiple countries.TrueFalse18.Team members take the responsibilities of scheduling work and vacations and ordering materials in a self-directed team.TrueFalse19.One of the primary advantages of virtual teams is the ability to rapidly assemble the most appropriate group of people to complete a project, solve a problem, or exploit a specific strategic opportunity.TrueFalse20.Global teams can pose a problem for team leaders with regards to language, technology, and belief differences.TrueFalse21.Although diversity contributes to higher levels of agreement in a team setting, it also results in reduced creativity.TrueFalse22.Self-directed teams are empowered with decision-making authority, allowing members to have the freedom to select new members, solve problems, spend money, monitor results, and plan for the future.TrueFalse23.Research studies have confirmed that both functional diversity and gender diversity can have a positive impact on work team performance.TrueFalse24.Two common behaviors of the socioemotional role are energizing and encouraging.TrueFalse25.As a general rule, large teams make need satisfaction for individuals more difficult.TrueFalse26.Norms begin to develop in the first interactions among members of a new team.TrueFalse27.The storming stage of team development is marked by conflict and disagreement.TrueFalseDuring the norming stage of team development, individual personalities emerge causing conflict and disagreements.TrueFalseThe five stages of team development are forming, storming, reforming, performing, and adjourning.TrueFalseThe stage of team development in which conflicts are resolved and members focus on problem solving is called reforming.TrueFalseIn the adjourning stage of team development, task performance is not a priority.TrueFalseIndividual personalities emerge during the performing stage.TrueFalseDiet Soda Company has teams with high cohesiveness. Additionally, the teams are normally focused on their commitment to quality performance. This combination can be expected to result in high productivity.TrueFalseWhen a team is in moderate competition with other teams, its cohesiveness decreases as it strives to win.TrueFalseTeam cohesiveness does not necessarily lead to higher team productivity.TrueFalseMaking explicit statements about the desired team behaviors is a powerful way leaders influence norms.TrueFalseThe four common ways in which norms develop for controlling and directing behavior are critical events, primacy, carryover behaviors, and implicit statements.TrueFalseTask conflict refers to interpersonal incompatibility that creates tension and personal animosity among people.TrueFalseGroupthink occurs when people are so committed to a cohesive team that they are reluctant to express contrary opinions.TrueFalseA common cause of conflict includes scarce resources.TrueFalseVirtual and global teams are particularly prone to communication breakdowns.TrueFalseThe compromising style of conflict management reflects a high degree of cooperativeness and a low degree of assertiveness.TrueFalseA competing style to handle conflict involves a high degree of assertiveness and a high degree of cooperation.TrueFalseAn avoiding style to handle conflict involves a low degree of assertiveness and a low degree of cooperation.TrueFalseAn accommodating style to handle conflict involves a high degree of assertiveness and a low degree of cooperation.TrueFalseThe process of using a third party to settle a dispute is called mediation.TrueFalseNegotiation is the process of using a third party to settle a dispute.TrueFalseA collaborative approach to negotiation that is based on a win-win assumption, whereby the parties want to come up with a creative solution that benefits both sides of the conflict is called integrative negotiation.TrueFalseDistributive negotiation is a collaborative approach to negotiation that is based on a win-win assumption, whereby the parties want to come up with a creative solution that benefits both sides of the conflict.TrueFalseA competitive and adversarial negotiation approach in which each party strives to get as much as it can, usually at the expense of the other party is called distributive negotiation.TrueFalseWhich of the following refers to a unit of two or more people who interact and coordinate their work to accomplish a specific objective?A.An organizationB.A teamC.A committeeD.A councilE.LeadershipWhich of the following is a component of a team?A.People in a team do not have to have regular interaction.B.Four or more people are required to form a team.C.A performance goal is shared between team members.D.Teams tend to be small groups, usually with less than 10 people.E.Each member tends to set his/her own goals for the team.Which of the following does NOT pertain to teams?A.Teams have a designated strong leaderB.Teams have individual and mutual accountabilityC.Specific team vision or purposeD.Collective work productsE.All of these pertain to teams_____ refers to the tendency for the presence of others to enhance one's motivation and performance.A.Public praiseB.Social facilitationC.Community motivationD.Social performanceE.Societal inspirationCommon types of formal teams are:A.vertical and diagonal.B.horizontal and diagonal.C.vertical and horizontal.D.horizontal and lateral.E.lateral and diagonal.Which of the following is a formal team composed of a manager and his or her subordinates?A.Functional teamB.Horizontal teamC.Self-managed teamD.Special-purpose teamE.Social teamTamika is a manager at Sleeveless Clothes, Inc. Recently, she was assigned a work team. She is in charge of the team and it consists of the subordinates under her authority. This is an example of a _____ team.A.horizontal B.functionall C.self-managed D.special-purpose E.social A functional team is also referred to as a(n) _____.A.command teamB.task forceC.special purpose teamD.horizontal teamE.interorganizational teamWhich of the following refers to a formal team composed of employees from about the same hierarchical level but from different areas of expertise?A.A special-purpose teamB.A cross-functional teamC.A self-managed teamD.A vertical teamE.A diagonal teamA _____ is a group of employees from different departments formed to deal with a specific activity and existing only until the task is completed.A.vertical teamB.command teamC.special purpose teamD.task forceE.functional groupA task force is sometimes called a(n):A.vertical team.B.cross-functional team.C.command team.D.special-purpose team.E.executive team.Which of the following teams are created outside the formal organization structure to undertake a project of special importance or creativity?A.VerticalB.CommandC.Special-purposeD.Cross-functionalE.FunctionalSelf-directed teams are _____ teams.A.temporaryB.permanentC.ad-hocD.task forceE.none of theseSelf-directed teams consist of 5 to 20 _____ workers.A.unionB.non-unionC.multiskilledD.low wageE.all of theseCarolyn is a member of a work team at Creepy Clown's Company. She and her teammates possess several different skills and are able to perform a major organizational task with little or no oversight from management. Carolyn is a member of a(n):A.union.B.self-directed team.C.project team.D.special-purpose team.E.bureaucratic team.Which of the following statements is true?A.Self-managed teams are empowered with decision-making authority.B.Self-managed teams still rely heavily on their manager.C.Self-managed teams have little access to resources.D.Self-managed teams will eventually develop into problem-solving teams.E.None of theseRandy is a team leader at Welldrilling.net. His team is made up of fifteen co-workers. Recently, he has noticed a tende |