"People are your most valuable resource." True or false?? That quote can be found in just about every business text book in print. The problem is, not everyone in business believes it and unfortunately, in many cases there is good reason they don’t. Some managers have even expressed the view that we would be better off if we could replace all workers with machines. Ouch! I don't think machines are the answer but if we really get candid it would read “some people are a company’s most valuable resource…. others, not so much.” The question is, why are some people so valuable and others are not?
To put it quite simply, with the right influences and guidelines people can learn, adapt and grow and their value to the company appreciates over time, whereas machines cannot do any of the above and only depreciate overtime. Also, machines can become obsolete but people can just be retrained and develop new skills.
Quite frankly if a task can be produced mindlessly without any or very little human thought it probably should and eventually will be automated. However, a machine will never imagine new methods that can enhance performance or ways to eliminate work. So, before we go outsourcing all our “automated looking tasks,” think carefully about the potential for innovation in cost savings, process improvement and new product ideas that you're removing from your asset column.
Too often we make the mistake of thinking profits come from production (the more we can produce more money we will make). However, the late great management authority, Peter Drucker contends in his book “Innovation and Entrepreneurship,” that all true profit comes from innovation (production is a part of profit but not the root cause). If that is true, then developing your workforce with innovation tools and skills and redesigning work scopes to include accountability for value adding innovation will have a far greater impact than just eliminating some payroll and adding machines. There’s hardly a task in business that cannot be improved and with consistent focus from people and overtime results can be spectacular.
Now for the “not so valuable worker,” if we only look for production from workers then overtime decline sets in and performance deteriorates. Let’s face it, there is a little lazy in all of us and without a consistent (not once a year) emphasis = (training and development) on growth and improvement we are far more likely to work on auto pilot, get bored and coast.
So, instead of “people are your most important resource,” it should more accurately read, “learning focused and productive innovators are a company’s most valuable resource!”
By: Kevin Minne
InnovationGrowthSystems.com
720-354-0291
Rocket Boost Redesign! Bring work scope redesign and innovation expertise to your organization and rocket boost your profits!! Click this link to set up a free consultation today!
To put it quite simply, with the right influences and guidelines people can learn, adapt and grow and their value to the company appreciates over time, whereas machines cannot do any of the above and only depreciate overtime. Also, machines can become obsolete but people can just be retrained and develop new skills.
Quite frankly if a task can be produced mindlessly without any or very little human thought it probably should and eventually will be automated. However, a machine will never imagine new methods that can enhance performance or ways to eliminate work. So, before we go outsourcing all our “automated looking tasks,” think carefully about the potential for innovation in cost savings, process improvement and new product ideas that you're removing from your asset column.
Too often we make the mistake of thinking profits come from production (the more we can produce more money we will make). However, the late great management authority, Peter Drucker contends in his book “Innovation and Entrepreneurship,” that all true profit comes from innovation (production is a part of profit but not the root cause). If that is true, then developing your workforce with innovation tools and skills and redesigning work scopes to include accountability for value adding innovation will have a far greater impact than just eliminating some payroll and adding machines. There’s hardly a task in business that cannot be improved and with consistent focus from people and overtime results can be spectacular.
Now for the “not so valuable worker,” if we only look for production from workers then overtime decline sets in and performance deteriorates. Let’s face it, there is a little lazy in all of us and without a consistent (not once a year) emphasis = (training and development) on growth and improvement we are far more likely to work on auto pilot, get bored and coast.
So, instead of “people are your most important resource,” it should more accurately read, “learning focused and productive innovators are a company’s most valuable resource!”
By: Kevin Minne
InnovationGrowthSystems.com
720-354-0291
Rocket Boost Redesign! Bring work scope redesign and innovation expertise to your organization and rocket boost your profits!! Click this link to set up a free consultation today!
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