Topic: Productivity
You’ll Be Interrupted — Why Not Plan for It?
A team of researchers weighs contingent planning against traditional time management
When Manufacturers Commence Exporting, They Become More Efficient
Looking at costs, in a sample of 5,000 plants in Chile, remarkable productivity gains occur
Too Much Free Time? Blame Solitude or Lack of Productive Activity
Even abundant free time, used in meaningful pursuits, brings happiness
Status among Team Members: Conflict and Productivity
Groups with unsettled hierarchies can benefit from disagreements that establish a pecking order
Startling Productivity Leap: an Algorithm, Not a Manager, Assigns Work
Warehouse pickers perceive process to be fairer
Quantifying Team Leadership Approaches: To Do, or to Direct Others?
In a field often ruled by personality, a rational model is proposed
Private Equity Boosts Nursing Home Staffing — When Compelled by Competition
But in uncompetitive markets, the financial owners cut staff
Picked All the Low-Hanging Fruit? Finding Opportunity in Mathematical Models
After management does its best, new analytical approaches take effectiveness up another notch
Not All Second Chances Are Good Ones
Hengchen Dai finds that hitting the reset button can help those who have recently struggled, but erodes the motivation and execution of top performers
Motivating Workers with a Sacred Symbol: Promise and Peril
A Chinese garment factory tidied up after golden coins were displayed
How Fashion Brands Can Best Ensure Worker Safety in Developing Nations
Collective action, rather than each brand working alone, appears more effective and costs less
How Companies in Big Cities Out-Export Those in Smaller Ones
Measure of export intensity raises questions about trade policy and housing restrictions
How Brands Can Anticipate Unauthorized Subcontracting of Apparel Manufacturing
A model predicts with 80% accuracy which orders get handed off
Green Initiatives — By Themselves — Won’t Boost Productivity
Environmentally conscious companies that also instill teamwork and quality enjoy higher output
Do Corporate Wellness Programs Boost Worker Productivity?
Industrial laundry gains 4% output; better health and better feelings toward employer could account for increase