scholarly journals Measurements of workplace productivity in the office context

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 281-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon Bortoluzzi ◽  
Daniel Carey ◽  
J.J. McArthur ◽  
Carol Menassa

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive survey of workplace productivity key performance indicators (KPIs) used in the office context. Academic literature from the past 10 years has been systematically reviewed and contextualized through a series of expert interviews. Design/methodology/approach The authors present a systematic review of the literature to identify KPIs and methods of workplace productivity measurement, complemented by insights semi-structured interviews to inform a framework for a benchmarking tool. In total, 513 papers published since 2007 were considered, of which 98 full-length papers were reviewed, and 20 were found to provide significant insight and are summarized herein. Findings Currently, no consensus exists on a single KPI suitable for measuring workplace productivity in an office environment, although qualitative questionnaires are more widely adopted than quantitative tools. The diversity of KPIs used in published studies indicates that a multidimensional approach would be the most appropriate for knowledge-worker productivity measurement. Expert interviews further highlighted a shift from infrequent, detailed evaluation to frequent, simplified reporting across human resource functions and this context is important for future tool development. Originality/value This paper provides a summary of significant work on workplace productivity measurement and KPI development over the past 10 years. This follows up on the comprehensive review by B. Haynes (2007a), providing an updated perspective on research in this field with additional insights from expert interviews.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Bortoluzzi ◽  
D. Carey ◽  
J.J. McArthur ◽  
C. Menassa

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to present a comprehensive survey of workplace productivity key performance indicators used in the office context. Academic literature from the past ten years is systematically reviewed and contextualized through a series of expert interviews. Design/methodology/approach – The authors present a systematic review of literature to identify Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and methods of workplace productivity measurement, complemented by insights semi-structured interviews to inform a framework for a benchmarking tool. 513 papers published since 2007 were considered, of which 98 full-length papers were reviewed, and 20 were found to provide significant insight and are summarized herein. Findings – Currently, no consensus exists on a single KPI suitable for measuring workplace productivity in an office environment, though qualitative questionnaires are more widely adopted than quantitative tools. The diversity of KPIs used in published studies indicates that a multidimensional approach would be most appropriate for knowledge-worker productivity measurement. Expert interviews further highlighted a shift from infrequent, detailed evaluation to frequent, simplified reporting across human resource functions and this context is important for future tool development. Originality/value – This paper provides a summary of significant work on workplace productivity measurement and KPI development over the past ten years. This follows up on the comprehensive review by B. Haynes (2007a), providing an updated perspective on research in this field with additional insights from expert interviews.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Bortoluzzi ◽  
D. Carey ◽  
J.J. McArthur ◽  
C. Menassa

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to present a comprehensive survey of workplace productivity key performance indicators used in the office context. Academic literature from the past ten years is systematically reviewed and contextualized through a series of expert interviews. Design/methodology/approach – The authors present a systematic review of literature to identify Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and methods of workplace productivity measurement, complemented by insights semi-structured interviews to inform a framework for a benchmarking tool. 513 papers published since 2007 were considered, of which 98 full-length papers were reviewed, and 20 were found to provide significant insight and are summarized herein. Findings – Currently, no consensus exists on a single KPI suitable for measuring workplace productivity in an office environment, though qualitative questionnaires are more widely adopted than quantitative tools. The diversity of KPIs used in published studies indicates that a multidimensional approach would be most appropriate for knowledge-worker productivity measurement. Expert interviews further highlighted a shift from infrequent, detailed evaluation to frequent, simplified reporting across human resource functions and this context is important for future tool development. Originality/value – This paper provides a summary of significant work on workplace productivity measurement and KPI development over the past ten years. This follows up on the comprehensive review by B. Haynes (2007a), providing an updated perspective on research in this field with additional insights from expert interviews.


2018 ◽  
Vol 67 (9) ◽  
pp. 1764-1791 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jalil Heidary Dahooie ◽  
Mohammad Reza Ghezel Arsalan ◽  
Ali Zolghadr Shojai

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a new method for knowledge worker productivity measurement which is based on valid principles and appropriate viewpoints. Design/methodology/approach Based on an extensive and thorough literature review the elements that need to be taken into consideration, while designing a method for knowledge worker productivity measurement, are determined and divided into principles and viewpoints. These elements must be incorporated into the design of knowledge worker productivity measurement methods so that the correctness and accuracy of these methods can be verified. The proposed model, which is based on appropriate principles and viewpoints, determines the outputs of knowledge work with respect to the tasks that a worker’s job includes. Considering nine measures, these outputs are evaluated using fuzzy numbers and, then, quantified. The inputs of knowledge work are knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) required to do the job. These inputs are identified and quantified using Job Element Method. Furthermore, fuzzy Data Envelopment Analysis is employed to model the productivity. Findings In this paper, the proposed method for knowledge worker productivity measurement follows both appropriate principles and viewpoints, simultaneously. In order to validate the obtained results and explore the applicability of the proposed method, a case study was carried out at an Iranian organization in electric power industry. Statistical analyses are employed to prove the validity of the results. Based on the obtained results, the productivity of a knowledge worker is said to be high when he/she delivers the expected amount of job outputs considering the values of his/her inputs (KSAs). Originality/value The originality of this paper is twofold. First, the extracted principles and viewpoints can serve as a guideline for the development of similar methods. Second, the proposed model offers an effective and efficient tool that can serve as the basis for the comparison among relative productivity of knowledge workers. Furthermore, the obtained results could form a basis to examine the productivity trend of each knowledge worker over different periods of time.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 163-175
Author(s):  
Guoqun Fu ◽  
Yang Li ◽  
Xianzheng Fei

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the evolution of wedding-related consumption of urban families in China during the past 50 years. Design/methodology/approach This study used qualitative and quantitative approaches to collect and analyse data from 157 families in China. Data collection occurred through semi-structured interviews and questionnaire surveys. Findings The findings are as follows: average wedding expenses per family have increased, mainly as a result of the substantial growth of indirect wedding costs; the percentage of total wedding expenses represented by direct costs pertaining to the ritual is trending downwards; the percentage of total wedding expenses borne by the groom’s family is much higher than that borne by the bride’s family, and the gap is enlarging; the proportion of newlyweds living with parents was more than 50 per cent in the 1970s and 1980s, decreased to 10 per cent in the 1990s and began slightly increasing again after 2000. Research limitations/implications The authors used signal investment theory to explain the fact that the groom’s family bears more of the wedding expenses than the bride’s family does, but more evidences are needed to verify the theory. Originality/value This study contributes to the understanding of evolution of wedding consumption of urban families in China, as well as how social and economic factors influence wedding consumptions in different ages, an area with limited previous research. The authors also propose signal investment theory as an alternative explanation to current wedding consumption theories to justify the phenomenon.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
José María González-González ◽  
Francisco D. Bretones ◽  
Rocío González-Martínez ◽  
Pedro Francés-Gómez

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the psychological strategies as well as the rhetorical and discursive arguments developed in organizations and by individuals when they have to cope with the paradoxes and changes related to CSR.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses the perspective of the paradox as an analytical framework to parse strategies developed in organizations as they cope with tensions and changes related to CSR. The authors conducted 50 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders and the authors performed a qualitative analysis with the information compiled.FindingsThe main strategies for dealing with CSR paradoxes and changes consist of developing perceptual and motivational biases as well as explicative heuristic ones through which, from a discursive perspective, a coherent and conciliatory framework is presented with rhetoric that play a fundamental role in justifying CSR as a present hope over a future illusion regardless of the past reality.Originality/valueThe lesson to be drawn from the exploration is the following: managers and CSR officers need to leave behind fear, anxiety and defensive attitudes and accept the paradox by re-contextualizing the tension as a stimulus for conscious and reflexive confrontation with emotional equilibrium, this being defiantly motivating as a sensemaker. In this way, the approach to the present inconsistencies in CSR should not involve a dismissal of conflictive situations but rather the development of the capacity to transcend the tension emanating from them and to learn to manage organizations from this paradoxical reality.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Quba Ahmed ◽  
Muhammad Saleem Sumbal ◽  
Muhammad Naseer Akhtar ◽  
Hussain Tariq

Purpose Drawing upon the theoretical underpinning of knowledge worker productivity, this study aims to examine the relationship between abusive supervision and knowledge management (KM) process (creation, application and sharing of knowledge) and its impact on the knowledge worker productivity in knowledge-intensive organizations. Design/methodology/approach Hypothesis were tested through PROCESS Macro in IBM SPSS v.26 on a sample of 204 employees working in banking sector of Pakistan. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to test the model fitness through AMOS v. 26. Findings The results showed that the relationship between abusive supervision and KM process (creation, application and sharing of knowledge) is negative and highly significant, i.e. greater the abusive supervision in the banking sector, the lower is the engagement in KM processes. Furthermore, there is a positive and highly significant relationship between the KM process and knowledge worker productivity. Finally, the study indicates the negative impact of abusive supervision on the knowledge worker productivity through the mediating mechanism of knowledge management processes. Research limitations/implications A key limitation is that the study is cross-sectional, and the findings may only be generalizable to developing countries context. Originality/value Previous studies have focused on supervisor–employee relationship but not in the context of knowledge worker productivity. This article fulfills this gap through understanding the impact of abusive supervision on the knowledge worker productivity in relation to KM processes (knowledge creation, sharing and application) by drawing upon the theoretical underpinning of knowledge worker productivity.


2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 346-361
Author(s):  
Gianpaolo Iazzolino ◽  
Domenico Laise

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose and discuss, from both a theoretical and empirical point of view, a methodology for measuring the productivity of knowledge workers, then giving a contribution to the question launched by P. Drucker at the end of last millennium. An application of the method on a real case of a knowledge-based firm is shown.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is both theoretical and empirical. At first, building also on Pulic’s theory of human capital efficiency (HCE) and on previous works by the same authors of this paper, a deep theoretical analysis is proposed. After, the explicit calculation of the knowledge worker productivity in a real case of a knowledge-based young firm has been carried out.FindingsFrom a theoretical point of view, an inter-theory relationship between Drucker’s approach of sustainable strategies based on knowledge and the theory of HCE, mostly attributable to Pulic, has been constructed. From results of the application on the case study, it emerges that the calculation of the productivity of knowledge workers can be achieved and furthermore the result of the calculation can be the basis for the policy of rewarding within the firm.Practical implicationsThe proposed methodology can support the s.c. knowledge-based firms to calculate the productivity of employees, a very practical problem for such kind of firms. Furthermore, the calculation of knowledge worker productivity is the basis for implementing a policy of rewarding employees.Originality/valueThe originality of the paper is to provide a practical methodology useful to calculate knowledge worker productivity. To do so, the link between Drucker’s and Pulic’s theories has been deeply analyzed and an inter-theory relationship has been constructed. The existence of such a relation, in the authors’ opinion, is necessary to provide a theoretical foundation for the methodology proposed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 178-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aino Kianto ◽  
Muhammad Shujahat ◽  
Saddam Hussain ◽  
Faisal Nawaz ◽  
Murad Ali

Purpose The productivity of knowledge workers is crucial not only for organizational innovation and competitiveness but also for sustainable development. In the context of knowledge-intensive firms, implementation of knowledge management is likely to increase knowledge worker productivity. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of knowledge management on knowledge worker productivity. Design/methodology/approach A research framework on the effects of knowledge management processes on knowledge worker productivity is established and empirically tested with data from 336 knowledge workers at five mobile network operator companies in Pakistan. Findings The results indicate that knowledge creation and knowledge utilization impact knowledge worker productivity positively and statistically significantly. However, knowledge sharing does not have statistically significant impact on knowledge worker productivity. Demographic factors (gender, managerial position and formal education level) do not moderate the relationship between knowledge management and knowledge worker productivity statistically significantly. Research limitations/implications The key limitations are the cross-sectional nature of the data and the geographic limitation to telecom companies in Pakistan. Practical implications Irrespective of gender, education and managerial position, implementation of knowledge management can increase knowledge worker productivity. Therefore, knowledge management practices should be implemented to enhance the knowledge worker productivity via fostering the knowledge worker’s engagement in and propensity to knowledge management processes. Originality/value This study is among the first to examine the likely influence of knowledge management on the productivity of knowledge workers conclusively while controlling for three individual demographic factors. This study also addresses the effectiveness of knowledge management in the little-explored cultural context of Pakistan.


2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kwaku Appiah-Adu ◽  
George Kofi Amoako

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how market leaders use marketing strategies to maintain strong performance in their respective sectors within different economic contexts in an emerging developing economy. Design/methodology/approach – Case studies of three consistent, high performing market leaders based on the Ghana Club 100 rankings over the past decade are conducted. This involves structured interviews with chief executive officers (CEOs) and chief marketing officers (CMOs) of the organisations studied. Findings – The findings indicate that irrespective of the country of origin of the firm, or the economic context in a developing country, effective marketing strategies can be used to enhance the performance of organisations in their respective sectors. Originality/value – The approach used in this paper enables the authors to address the effectiveness of the marketing strategies across the past three decades covering the periods of pre-, during and post-economic reforms, and to examine the influence of different types of ownership (local, mixed foreign/local ownership and a multinational) on the execution of marketing strategies in a developing economy.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Umar Farooq Sahibzada ◽  
Yan Xu ◽  
Gul Afshan ◽  
Roshi Khalid

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the associations among knowledge-oriented leadership (KOL), knowledge worker satisfaction (KWS), knowledge worker productivity (KWP) and organizational performance (OP). The study hypothesizes that the explicit mixtures, i.e. KOL, KWS and KWP can improve OP.Design/methodology/approachThe study sample was composed of 248 academicians and management staff of higher educational institutes (HEIs). The relations were tested through Smart PLS 3.2.9. The fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) method was also used for examining configurational paths.FindingsThe study found a substantial direct influence of KOL on OP. The findings revealed that KOL significantly affects KWS, and KWS enhances KWP, which ultimately improves the OP of HEIs. Grounded on the fsQCA, the outcomes exposed configurational trails to the enhanced OP.Originality/valueThere is scarce of studies that determine the connection of KOL, KWS, KWP and OP. This is one of the preliminary studies that examine the association of KOL, KWS, KWP and OP in HEIs. From a procedural viewpoint, the research subsidizes by merging symmetric and asymmetric tools to further understand structural issues. The use of fsQCA discloses numerous paths to improve OP and renders asymmetric relations. fsQCA also aids to comprehend the relations that might not be directly understandable via symmetric means.


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