Worker productivity: Worrying Slide Continues

- Worker Productivity Slide -
3 Experts Weigh in with Answers

WORKER PRODUCTIVITY SLIDE CONTINUES

Worker productivity in America declined 1% in 16Q1.  It's the fourth decline in the last six quarters.  It continues a decade of poor productivity growth that has had profound effects on American society.  The result has been flat wages, stagnant living standards, and the rise of populist political themes that led to the rise of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders.

WHY INNOVATION MATTERS

A return to the productivity growth would do far more to improve workers' fortunes than any change in trade balances or redistribution of income.  Is it any wonder that organizations are putting so much effort into improving innovation and efficiency?

THREE GREAT SPEAKERS ON INNOVATION & PRODUCTIVITY

Three D'Amelio Network experts are standout speakers for event and conference planners.  Their fresh ideas help organizations ramp up innovation, increase efficiency, and build a capacity for leadership:

POLLY LaBARRE just spoke for a top financial service firm and used this great example of Whirlpool whose innovation initiative has helped them make every single process a catalyst for innovation.  At Whirlpool, worker productivity and engagement is increasing.  Here’s a video link.

GEOFF COLVIN – check out his column about the robot that entirely stitched together a pig’s intestine – on its own - perfectly.  The implication of this groundbreaking news reminds business leaders that soon they’ll have to confront the question of which employees must be replaced by technology and which must not.  Worker productivity isn't an issue where artificial intelligence is involved.  Here's another link to a new piece Geoff wrote on artificial intelligence.

MIKE ABRASHOFF – Mike’s new talk: “No Limits: Unleashing Breakthrough Performance” has been a perfect choice for people looking at the productivity and innovation challenge.  Here’s is a video link -- description below:

NO LIMITS – UNLEASHING BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE

Sometimes in our professional lives we are focused on the wrong goal.  Instead of beating an adversary or a competitor, we might really be in competition with ourselves. When Mike Abrashoff took command of a near-worst performing ship in the U.S. Navy, his goal was to get to average. He initially set average goals and expectations for himself and his crew until one day it struck him: his ship could be better than average.  Mike's eureka moment was that they had to stop putting limits on what they believed was possible. Once they did, they accomplished one of the most remarkable turnarounds in business – chronicled by the Harvard Business Review, Fast Company magazine and his New York Times' and Wall Street Journal bestselling book,  IT'S YOUR SHIP.