6 Important Factors That Can Negatively Affect Your Organisation's Productivity

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Organizational productivity refers to the efficiency with which an organization converts inputs (such as labour, materials, and technology) into outputs (such as products or services).

In other words, it is a measure of how well an organization is able to use its resources to achieve its goals and objectives.

In today's fast-paced and competitive business environment, it is essential for organizations to maintain high levels of productivity in order to remain competitive and successful.

The challenge is that in order to meet targets and rack up impressive numbers, some organisations focus on input and output alone and this blinds them from properly identifying and catering to the main drivers backing the indices.

Can an organisation be said to be truly productive when its people are not fulfilled and talents not developed?

Your organisation is not productive if your corporate culture is extinct, employee morale is low and there is high staff turnover.

The factors shared are also as important as the traditional indices used to measure productivity in an organisation.

1. Corporate Culture

Corporate culture refers to the shared values, beliefs, and practices that characterise a company and guides its employees in their behaviour, interactions and decision-making.

Your corporate culture is the foundation of all engagements within and outside the organisation.

A positive corporate culture can foster a healthy and productive work environment, while a negative one can lead to a toxic and demoralizing atmosphere.

Some cultures inadvertently create gaps in communication and barriers that might frustrate innovation and affect productivity in the long-run.

Jesus speaking in John 15: 5(MSG), said I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing.

As the scripture above highlights, your corporate culture should foster an intimate and organic kind of relationship that creates a sense of safety.

According to Simon Sinek in his book titled: Leaders Eat Last, "To human beings, the safety a strong tribe provides its members, makes the tribe stronger and better equipped to deal with the dangers and uncertainty of the outside world.

"The reason good leaders do well in hard times is obvious. Their people willingly commit their blood, sweat and tears to see the tribe, the company, advance and grow stronger. They do so not because they have to but because they want to."

Carry out a periodic audit of your corporate culture to ensure it is not hindering productivity in any way.

2. Lack Of Trust

For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 

And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey - Matthew 25:14-15.

The master in the parable you just read trusted his staff enough to hand over certain responsibilities to them.

In your organisation do you trust your team members enough to allow them take initiative and innovate?

If team members feel they are not trusted, it will not motivate them to put in their best or look for ways of solving problems.

It is the duty of team leaders to boost the confidence of team members, impart knowledge and help them develop skills.

They should also know when to take the backseat and trust that their team members are competent and will carry out their duties.

In an organisation where this level of trust is absent, high-handedness, spying and suspicion will be the order of the day and this might give rise to workplace stress and anxiety.

3. Rivalry

The synergy in an organisation is weakened when there are internal disputes thereby making it almost impossible to galvanise resources to achieve goals.

According to Mark 3:25 (KJV), if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

When team members are focused on competing with one another, they may be less likely to collaborate and work together effectively.

As long as individuals in an organisation start concentrating all their efforts on outperforming one another, they are more likely to engage in unethical behaviours, such as withholding information or sabotaging the efforts of their colleagues and this will affect productivity.

According to the bible, where envying and strife are, there is confusion and every evil work - James 3:16.

4. Unconducive Working Environment

When team members work in an unconducive environment, it gives them the impression that they are not important to the organisation.

Team leaders and managers should ensure that the working environment promotes the psychological, physical and overall well-being and comfort of employees/team members.

Doing this will give them a sense of belonging and they will be motivated to also make the organisation enjoy a return on investment in their comfort.

An unconducive environment can lead to several health conditions including physical and mental exhaustion.

It can also lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness, a decrease in overall happiness and a negative outlook on life, which can cause an individual to become depressed.

The Parable of The Sower in Matthew 13:8 shows the positive effect of investing in a conducive work environment (the good ground).

It says: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

5. Poor Training System

If there is no system put in place to ensure that skills, expertise and experience are intentionally replicated, then you will spend more time and money to train new people when the old hands get tired or are unavailable and that will have a negative impact on the organisation's efficiency.

In Matthew 13:5, talking about the Parable Of The Sower, the bible says: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth.

The seed died because it had no proper contact with the earth. In other words, when your people lack depth in knowledge, skill and expertise, ideas die and processes will fail.

6. Poor reward system

A well-organised reward system is a crucial component of any organization's success because it motivates employees to work hard and achieve their goals, and it also helps to create a positive and productive work environment.

When employees are not recognized for their hard work and achievements, they may become demotivated and lose their drive to perform at their best. This can lead to a decrease in productivity.

Also, employees who feel undervalued and unappreciated may begin to look for other opportunities where they can be recognized and rewarded for their contributions.

This can lead to high turnover rates and decreased job satisfaction, which can have negative effects on the overall performance of the organization.

I pray like Apostle Paul, that your eyes of understanding will be enlightened to know God's perfect desire for your life and enterprise in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen!

Thank you for your time and Merry Christmas in advance.

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