Effectiveness at Workplace
rganisationsspendaconsiderableamountofresourcestorecruitrightcandidatestofillthe
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vacancies. The candidates go through a thorough and rigorous recruitment process and
finally get selected. The talent management team provides further training to the new
recruitstoenhancetheskillsandcompetencylevel.Afortuneisspentonacquiringthelatest
software, equipment and best of tools to do the job. After doing all this, we often hear
discussions about inefficiency and ineffectiveness of employees. It could be large
organisations, medium orsmall.Theinefficiencyorineffectivenesscanmanifestitselfeven
inaproprietaryorganisation.Thiscanbeseenorheardinthepersonallifeofindividualsas
well. So what causes this ineffectiveness while performing a task?
There are three important factors that determine effectiveness at doing any work.
1. Ability to Work
2. Willingness to Work
3. Environment,Process,Facilities, Tools & Equipment
The right balance of all the three ultimately determines the level of effectiveness.
Ability to Work
heabilityofapersontoperformataskisdefinedbytheknowledgeandexperiencerelated
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tothetask.Ireferto‘knowledge’andnoteducational‘qualification’becauseknowledgecan
be acquired in many differentways,formalandinformal.Todaythebusinessofknowledge
creation and distribution is schools and universities. With ever increasing speed of the
internetandemergenceofartificialintelligence,akeenlearnerhasseveralavenuesopento
acquire knowledge in a flexible way.
heexperiencecomesfromactuallydoingthejob.Inthetechnicalfield,it'snotuncommon
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for people to work as interns or apprentices for some time to learn how to apply the
knowledgeacquiredinanactualworkenvironment.Spendingtimeinanorganisationisnot
experience.Experienceinvolvesgainingknowledgebydirectparticipationintheworkorby
focussed observation of the work being performed by competent persons. Experience for
some involves acquiring the skills of contextual application of available knowledge.
In a formal organisation, in addition to an employee’s qualifications and experience, the
abilitytoworkisfurtherenhancedbyjobspecifictraining,documentedpolicies,procedures,
guidelines, work instructions, operational manuals etc. Whenever a new technology is
acquired or a new system is implemented, relevant employees are provided necessary
training. Good organisations encourage itsemployeestohavemembershipofprofessional
bodies relevant to their profession and upgrade their skills on a regular basis. Employee
exchangeprogramswithotherleadingorganisationsisalsoacommonpractice,wherebythe
identified employees spend a few months in other leading organisations to know the best
practices implemented there.
Willingness to Work
herethere’sawill,there’sawaytheysay.Willingnesstoworkisanotherimportantfactor
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and in a way,themostimportantfactorforeffectivenessattheworkplace.Evenifyouhire
the most knowledgeable person in the field, if he/she has no willingness to work, the
outcomewouldbemostdisappointing.Onthecontrary,ifthereisalessqualifiedpersonwith
alotofenthusiasmtowork,he/shewillfindawaytodotheworkorgettheworkdone,even
if it means taking help of another knowledgeable person, if necessary.
illingness to work itself is very complex. Itdependsoninternalandexternalfactors.The
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internal factors can be the mood of the person, the personality traits, self motivationlevel
etc.Theexternalfactorsincludetheworkenvironment,motivationprovidedbythesuperiors
or the organisation itself, fairness at the workplace, recognition and reward systems,
employee relations etc. It is important for an organisation to ensure that a proper work
environment is created to achieve willingness to work at every level.
Environment, Process,Facilities, Tools, and Equipment
he environment, process, Facilities, tools & equipment are enablers for achieving
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effectivenessattheworkplace.Theworkenvironmentmustbeclean,safeandconducive.A
best cardiac surgeon cannot be effective if there’s no operation theatre and necessary
equipment.Thetoolsandequipmentvaryfromjobtojob.Foradesignengineer,itcouldbe
the latestdesignsoftware,powerfulcomputer,andaccesstoarelevantknowledgebasein
the form of alibrary.Amusicianperforminginanorchestracannotonlybeineffective,but
bring down the whole orchestra with a faulty musical instrument. A painterneedscanvas,
paintsandvariousbrushestobringtolifetheimagehehasinhismind.Thisistrueforevery
profession.
he right processisanimportantaspecttoachieveOperationalExcellence.TheISO9000
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standardsstressontheprocessapproachforachievingquality.Standardisedprocessleads
toconsistentoutputsandoutcomes.Astandardisedprocessinvolvespropersequenceand
timeofdoingtheactivitiesofataskbytherightpersons,attherighttime,rightplaceusing
right material and using right tools and equipment. For enhancing the Effectiveness at
Workplace, a process must be documented. The article ‘D
ocumenting Policies &
Procedures’ provides further guidance on this topic. A process engineer or an industrial
engineerknowstheimportanceofestablishingtherightprocessandconstantlyimprovingit
toachieveimprovedqualityandefficiency.Apainterknowsthatusingredpaintonayellow
layer is not the same as using yellow paint on a red layer. For guidelines referthearticle
‘D
eveloping Effective Process & Procedures’ in thisblog.
he facilities include suitable buildings, well maintained utilities, accessibility within the
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campusorthepremises,convenientparking,roadconnectivityetc.Thedesignandlayoutof
thefacilitiesandeffectiveplannedmaintenancehasagreateffectontheproductivityofthe
employees.
rganisations are constantly on the lookout for new processes, new machines, latest
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computersoftware,moreefficientandprecisiontoolsetc.toimprovetheeffectivenessofits
employeesandstayastepaheadofthecompetitors.TheITindustryisthebestexampleof
technologyobsolescence,wherenewtechnologyisinfusedmorefrequently.Moviemaking,
videoediting,graphicdesignarefewothertaskswherepeoplearealwaysonthelookoutfor
newtoolstoincreaseproductivityandbecomeeffectiveinwhattheydo.Automobileindustry
is another classic example where the use of robots made people more productive and
improved quality.
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