In the cutthroat world of business, increased productivity is a conversation that dominates leadership discussions. Whether you’re a seasoned manager or a fresh-faced team lead, the goal is clear: boost productivity.
The truth is, there’s no magic button for productivity. Boosting your team’s productivity is a direct result of hard work, dedication, and a dash of strategic thinking.
What is Team Productivity?
Team productivity is basically how much your team gets done. In other words, it’s the completion of projects and assigned tasks.
Ways to Boost Your Team’s Productivity
1. Quality Beats Quantity
Recognition is essential in the workplace. When acknowledging your team’s efforts, focus on quality over quantity. Give preference to the team member who manages fewer duties and receives a perfect satisfaction rating over the one who handles many jobs but has a low customer satisfaction score. High-quality work sets the bar for the team and is consistent with the company’s objectives.
2. Monitor Progress
Monitoring progress is essential to effective project management. Members of the team should be encouraged to contribute and to make little efforts toward bigger objectives. Monitoring development encourages responsibility and ownership.
3. Create a Healthy Work Environment
Persistent stress reduces output. Promote a work-life balance culture and encourage breaks. During one-on-one meetings, inquire about the wellbeing of your team and offer chances for socializing outside of the office. A revitalized crew is more energetic when they get back to work.
4. Ensure Effective Communication
Effective communication is the backbone of productivity. Foster an environment where team members feel free to discuss their work and seek support. Extend communication beyond individual teams to include cross-functional collaboration. Informed teams are better positioned to support each other.
5. Leverage the Right Tools
Ensure your team has the necessary tools to collaborate effectively. Platforms like Help Scout, Slack, or Asana offer visibility into individual and team progress. Be flexible with tool implementation, understanding that adaptation takes time.
In line with leveraging the right tools, seasoned Ghanaian entrepreneur Isaac Sesi has been sharing strategies that have worked for him and his organisation.
Isaac Sesi is a 27-year-old Ghanaian entrepreneur and innovator who has made significant strides in the world of technology and business. He is recognized by the MIT Technology Review as one of the top innovators under 35. Isaac leads teams of passionate change-makers, working tirelessly to build the next generation of technologies that uplift the most vulnerable Africans out of poverty. His commitment to innovation and social impact is commendable.
One of his notable achievements is the creation of the ZeroFly Hermetic Storage Bag, developed by his startup called Sesi Technologies. This sack is designed to preserve agricultural products by killing insects for up to two years. The bag incorporates a slow-release insecticide in its outer layer, effectively preventing any insects from penetrating it. Isaac’s work exemplifies the intersection of entrepreneurship, technology, and social good, making a tangible difference in the lives of farmers and communities.
He shared his thoughts on his official Facebook page:
Here are 10 free online tools that will enhance both your and your team’s productivity and streamline business management.
- Slack – Slack is like WhatsApp but for teams. It helps you and your team communicate in real-time, share files, and organize conversations neatly.
- Trello – Trello is a project and task management tool that uses a Kanban-style board to help your business organize and prioritize tasks and projects in a visual, easy-to-manage way.
- HubSpot – HubSpot is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform that helps you manage and grow your customer relationships, track deals, and more.
- Canva – Canva is a graphic design tool that enables you to create professional-looking graphics and designs for your company’s social media, website, and marketing materials.
- Google Drive – Google Drive is a cloud storage and file-sharing platform that enables you to store, share, create, and collaborate on documents, presentations, and other files with your team.
- Buffer – Buffer is a social media management tool that allows you to connect all your company’s social media accounts in one place, schedule and publish social media posts, as well as track and analyze their performance.
- WhatsApp Business – WhatsApp Business is a communication platform that provides you with business-oriented features and tools that help you interact more effectively with your customers.
- Oze – Oze is a business app designed for small and medium-sized businesses, providing digital tools for financial recordkeeping, payment processing, and access to capital with a focus on helping businesses in Ghana manage and grow their operations.
- Mailchimp – Mailchimp is an email marketing tool that allows your business to create and send newsletters, marketing emails, and other types of email campaigns.
- ChatGPT – ChatGPT is a language model that can understand and generate human-like text, making it useful for various business applications such as generating content, automating certain processes, enhancing customer interactions, and much more.
Tracking and Measuring Productivity
Measuring productivity isn’t an exact science, but it’s essential for improvement. Utilize tracking tools to monitor task completion speed and key metrics. Regularly check in with your team for qualitative insights on their perceived productivity. Remember, it’s a gradual process; avoid overwhelming your team with sudden changes.