Small Fixes That Can Increase Efficiency
In the business world, time equals cost. In a personal sense, time also equals cost.
We only have a finite amount of minutes on this planet. How do we want to spend that time? Ideally doing things that are useful, meaningful, and that we enjoy. In reality, however, for many of us, we get bogged down with menial tasks that frustrate us and hoover up our time.
So, what can we do to increase efficiency?
Automate as many tasks as possible
We all look forward to the day when our robot Executive Assistant does three-quarters of our work, but until then, there are several ways in which we can automate daily time-consuming tasks.
Whether it is finances and bookkeeping (Xero, Quicken, Freshbooks), or deciding what to have for dinner (Blue Apron, Hello Fresh), there are a myriad of options for streamlining your life. Take advantage of technology to free up some time from repetitive tasks, so that you can focus instead on activities that require your brainpower and creativity. Or use the extra time to spend with your family, doing a hobby or some exercise.
Open communication
Do your team members feel comfortable sharing dissenting ideas? Think back to your last meeting. If you’re the boss and everyone agreed with you, then the answer is probably no. That doesn’t mean that you don’t have great ideas, but fostering a culture where dissent is ok, and in fact, encouraged, can lead to improvements in efficiency and employee engagement.
Groupthink is a term coined by social psychologist, Irving L. Janis, which refers to the phenomenon that “people strive for consensus within a group”. Why? It’s difficult to be the person who goes against the grain, therefore most people with contradictory ideas keep them to themselves. This fosters consensus and harmony, but does it lead to the best decision or idea? In many instances no. Left-field ideas can lead to innovative solutions.
So, what’s the solution to make better group decisions? Try getting everyone in the group to write down their ideas at the beginning of a meeting, before any discussion begins. That way, people are able to voice any left-field ideas before being swayed by a consensus.
Schedule daily standup meetings
Standup meetings, otherwise known as ‘daily scrums’, are designed to be short; ideally 15 minutes in length, at the same time every day.
At Vistasuite, we use the following questions as an agenda for every daily standup:
1. What did you do yesterday?
2. What will you do today?
3. Are there any roadblocks standing in your way?
This allows everyone on the team to voice any challenges that they may be facing, which could potentially be solved by another team member. It enables people to know what everyone else is working on and to ensure that the team is moving in the same direction.
Adopt an Agile or Lean methodology
The central concept of Lean is about continuous improvement. It focuses on streamlining business processes to maximize customer value while minimizing waste by using fewer resources. Lean was originally developed by Toyota as part of the Toyota Production System, but it is a method that can be applied to any process and any industry to improve efficiency.
Lean helps to reduce costs, improve productivity, and ensure quality while boosting employee engagement and morale.
If you’re interested to read more about Lean, including examples of how it can be applied to other industries, click here to read our interview with Melania Santoro Lyons, Corporate Strategist at Jaguar Land Rover, on how to use the Lean method to improve your business’s productivity.
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