Productivity Reimagined

Escape common business myths to unleash game-changing productivity

Written by Shingo Prize winner Jacob Stoller, Productivity Reimagined shows how most companies are constrained by deeply engrained myths that prevent employees from reaching their full productive potential, causing frustration, poor decisions, and disappointing results. Evidence is drawn from Toyota and dozens of other companies that have countered these myths to build strong collaborative cultures and achieve sustainable growth.

Arguments are reinforced by the latest science on human behavior and systems theory and supported by more than 60 interviews from prominent CEOs, consultants, academics, executive directors, and EVPs in the context of today's pressing global issues, including labor shortage, income inequality, job-related stress, supply chain instability, and climate change. In this book, readers will learn:

• Why we are facing a global productivity crisis despite what the news media are telling us
• Why frontline employees aren't to blame for low productivity, and that the boss doesn't always know best
• Why the whole does not equal the sum of the parts, and that the past doesn't necessarily determine the future
• Why a strong workplace culture is the essential enabler for high productivity, and how to instill it

As companies face the new realities of the global economy, Productivity Reimagined is an essential resource for forward-thinking executives, managers, and business leaders looking to solve the productivity puzzle and empower their workforces to perform at their best.

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xv

Part One The Productivity Challenge 1

1 Productivity, Real and Imagined 3

2 The Productivity Toolkit 21

Part Two Shattering the Five Myths 39

3 The Myth of Segmented Success 41

4 The Myth of the Bottom Line 63

5 The Top-Down Knowledge Myth 87

6 The Myth of Sticks and Carrots 105

7 The Myth of Tech Omnipotence 127

Part Three Business Strategies for a Better World 143

8 Productive Strategies for Preserving Our Planet 145

9 A Prescription for Better Healthcare 161

10 An Entrepreneurial Approach to Breaking the Poverty Cycle 181

11 Rethinking the Meaning of Disability 197

12 Joy at Work 209

Part Four Moving Forward 219

13 We Can Do This! 221

Notes 247

About the Author 253

Index 255

JACOB STOLLER is a speaker, consultant, and journalist who has published hundreds of articles about business management and technology. His Shingo Prize-winning book The Lean CEO, provides an executive perspective on the Lean approach to management that evolved from the Toyota Production System.

People by nature want to be productive, and companies want their people to be productive. Yet there's a disconnect between people's productive inclinations and what actually happens in most companies.

Productivity Reimagined shows how a revitalized approach, based on dispelling five common myths, is enabling leading companies to empower their people and establish productivity as a competitive advantage.

Evidence is drawn from Toyota and other forward-thinking companies that have successfully countered these myths and shattered barriers created by conventional command-and-control management, ending counterproductive practices such as reliance on false metrics, segmentation of purpose, and alienation of employees.

The key to breakthrough productivity growth is building team cultures that respect every person and engage them in continuous improvement. The book presents the latest science on human behavior and systems theory, supported by more than 60 interviews from prominent CEOs, consultants, academics, executive directors, and EVPs, representing a range of case study scenarios including Lean transformations, adoption of Deming principles, sustainability projects, technology adoption, and community development.

In order to help leaders overcome systemic roadblocks when trying to bring real change, Productivity Reimagined sets readers up with not just the knowledge of an alternate approach, but also the practical steps needed to implement a path forward.

As companies face the new realities of the global economy, Productivity Reimagined earns a well-deserved spot on the bookshelves of managers, executives, entrepreneurs, and all other business professionals looking for fresh perspective and a better way of running a business.

Praise for PRODUCTIVITY REIMAGINED

"In Productivity Reimagined, author Jacob Stoller draws on both the wisdom of the ages and the most modern ideas of workplace psychology using compelling examples to dispel the myths of what it means to be engaged and productive. He reveals a superior way of thinking that all of us can aspire to and draw on. If you've been stuck for a while now, this is the book to get you on the road to new levels of results."
—RICHARD SHERIDAN, CEO and Chief Storyteller at Menlo Innovations; and author of Joy, Inc. and Chief Joy Officer

"Productivity Reimagined paints a picture of the incredible outcomes possible when you create environments of caring, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Stoller's latest is an exceptional guide for anyone looking to improve output as well as the lives in their span of care!"
—BOB CHAPMAN, CEO of Barry-Wehmiller; and author of Everybody Matters:The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family

"Productivity Reimagined author Jacob Stoller does a stellar job of connecting the concept and the practices of productivity and identifying the misunderstandings that so often cause productivity initiatives to be counterproductive."
—JOHN SHOOK, Senior Advisor, Lean Enterprise Institute; and Chairman, Lean Global Network

"Stoller provides an exceptional blueprint for companies striving to solve the productivity puzzle and empower their workforce to excel in today's global economy."
—KERRY SIGGINS, CEO of StoneAge; and author of The Ownership Mindset

“In Productivity Reimagined, author Jacob Stoller draws on both the wisdom of the ages and the most modern ideas of workplace psychology using compelling examples to dispel the myths of what it means to be engaged and productive. He reveals a superior way of thinking that all of us can aspire to and draw on. If you’ve been stuck for a while now, this is the book to get you on the road to new levels of results.” —Richard Sheridan, CEO and Chief Storyteller at Menlo Innovations; and author of Joy, Inc. and Chief Joy Officer

“Productivity Reimagined paints a picture of the incredible outcomes possible when you create environments of caring, collaboration and continuous improvement. Stoller’s latest is an exceptional guide for anyone looking to improve output as well as the lives in their span of care!” —Bob Chapman, CEO of Barry-Wehmiller, author of Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family

“Productivity Reimagined author Jacob Stoller does a stellar job of connecting the concept and the practices of productivity and identifying the misunderstandings that so often cause productivity initiatives to be counterproductive.” —John Shook, Senior Advisor, Lean Enterprise Institute and Chairman, Lean Global Network

“Stoller provides an exceptional blueprint for companies striving to solve the productivity puzzle and empower their workforce to excel in today’s global economy.” —Kerry Siggins, CEO of StoneAge and author of The Ownership Mindset

“Imagine a business book that you can’t put down! Stoller is engaging, comprehensive and concise as he draws on a wealth of real-world examples to bring the transformative ideas of Deming and Ohno to a new generation of leaders and practitioners.” —Kelly Allan, Deming Practitioner and Principal, Kelly Allan Associates, Ltd.

“Whether you're a CEO, manager, or entrepreneur, this book will change how you view productivity and provide the roadmap to achieving it in a way that benefits everyone. Don’t miss reading it.” —Michael Ballé, author of The Gold Mine Trilogy, co-founder of Institut Lean France.

"Jacob Stoller is a true mythbuster as he navigates us through evolved mindsets and practices that show how productivity works in many contexts from the manufacturing shop floor to addressing social justice in a community.” —Jason Schulist, Chief Flourishing Officer, Generative Local Community Institute

"In Productivity Reimagined, Stoller uses excellent examples to expand the vision of what productivity means. I think it will be an important contribution to the discussion about productivity." —Orest Fiume, retired CFO at Wiremold, co-author of Real Numbers: Management Accounting in a Lean Organization.