Productivity is a human challenge

Productivity is a human challenge

Productivity is a human challenge

I was at the Future of Construction conference recently, and something really struck me.

Construction has a serious productivity problem. Like most industries, the instinct is to look at automation, tooling, AI, and better systems to solve it. And those things matter.

But the most interesting conversations I had were about something else entirely. Again and again, both on the stage and in 1:1 conversations, people were identifying the human side of productivity as the real pain point (aka opportunity).

That’s not a construction industry insight. That’s a universal one.

In the 1920s, researchers at a Western Electric factory started experimenting with working conditions to see what improved output. They changed the lighting. Productivity went up. They changed it back. Productivity went up again. They adjusted break times, rearranged workspaces, tweaked shift patterns. Output improved with almost every change, regardless of what the change actually was.

It wasn’t about the lighting. It was the fact that workers knew someone was paying attention. That they felt seen and valued. Human attention drove the productivity gains, not the systems.

So what does the human productivity opportunity actually look like in practice? A few angles worth considering.

Motivation and ownership. When people understand the outcomes they’re working towards, and feel trusted to find the best way to get there, something shifts. They stop just completing tasks and start solving problems. Feeling 'all in' for shared success is where discretionary effort lives.

How people work together. So much time is lost in the gaps between people. Unclear handovers, duplicated effort, meetings that could have been an email. Better collaboration isn’t a soft skill issue, it’s a productivity issue.

Intentional work versus reactive work. When people are under pressure, they jump in and run. And when they run without a plan, mistakes happen. Rework is one of construction’s biggest productivity drains, and it’s one of the biggest drains in your industry too. Creating time to think and plan is not a luxury, it’s a productivity strategy.

Absenteeism, injury, and sick leave. The human body and mind are part of the equation. Organisations that treat wellbeing as separate from productivity are solving the wrong problem.

Even systems, processes, and AI are fundamentally human productivity challenges. The machine doesn’t operate itself. A new system only delivers results if people adopt it, use it well, and keep improving how they work with it. Technology is only as productive as the humans behind it.

In my work, I use four productivity pillars to identify where an organisation’s biggest opportunities are. The right focus will depend on your organisation, but in my experience, the biggest wins are rarely where people first look.

The first step is always the same: stop assuming you know where the problem is, and go looking.

Do you know what problem you should solve first?

Productivity Tip of the Day

• Before you invest in another tool or system, ask your team one question: “What’s slowing you down right now?” You might be surprised how human the answers are.

• In fact, our favourite part of the work we do is a Productivity Audit - this is where the magic happens.

• We literally dig into the question 'what's slowing you down right now' and uncover 30-40 concrete productivity opportunities, before prioritising which problem to solve first.