Paradox Series V: The Productivity Paradox

Back in the 90s, there were many studies done about the “Productivity Paradox.” Primarily, these studies focused solely on something called the “Solow computer paradox.” According to Stanford based research, “…as more investment is made in information technology, worker productivity may go down instead of up.” Further, the researchers wrote, “This is highly counterintuitive. Before investment in IT became widespread, the expected return on investment in terms of productivity was 3-4%. This average rate developed from the mechanization/automation of the farm and factory sectors. With IT, though, the normal return on investment was only 1% from the 1970s to the early 1990s.”

Another article I found, Pistner, M. (2023, February 2). WHAT IS THE PRODUCTIVITY PARADOX AND HOW TO MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU, states that, “The easiest way to explain the productivity paradox is to say that investments in technology do not equal the reaped benefits in productivity.” He continues, “If you’ve struggled to choose the right app among a myriad of similarly looking apps or purchase the right subscription software package, you know what I am talking about…The more you try to be productive through technology, the more elusive it becomes…Is this an ongoing battle? I’m afraid the answer is yes.” Besides referencing the article here for credit, I would point out the Pistner has some really solid concepts that are worth considering if you’re a leader/manager at your facility, including:

• What Causes the Solow Paradox? (Positives and Negatives of Technology on our work)
• Modern Thinking on the Productivity Paradox
• How to Measure Effects of New Technology on Work Productivity
• How to Make The Paradox Work for You

Why worry about this? Good question.

Actually, it’s pretty simple and Pistner lays it out in the video (Team Productivity Hack – Stop Being Available 24/7! shared in the article above). As a leader, influencer, golf professional, client manager, coach, etc., increasing our productivity will benefit others (e.g. THEM, whoever they are being served, led, mentored or coached in the roles listed above.)

For example, we can be better time managers, “not available 24/7, but more present when we are available” for them (Pistner refers to this as “more reliably available”) the result should be increased productivity for us (more engagement for them) through “more focus.” This should drive “more results” that are meaningful to them and to others.

With all that in mind, now we can consider how we can apply the Productivity Paradox for our careers in the golf/hospitality business. As we approach the heart of another busy golf season, let’s consider how to utilize or respond to the “Four Factors That Influence Your Productivity” and address them one at a time. According to the team at Luxafor.com (a technology company), the four factors are: (Let’s consider each in the context of golf operations, club management, event management, programming and team leadership, etc.)

The right tools | Which tools to use? According to the article above, “The answer depends on your unique situation and needs…Everyone can also make good use of tools for managing schedules and tasks such as Google Calendar, Trello, Jira, and similar (so that you can) become more productive…using the available tools to organize, automate, and simplify your workload.”

Physical health | This one seems obvious when you give it any level of consideration. The authors of the aforementioned article wrote, “The second biggest factor affecting your productivity is your physical health, and, actually, mental health too…how can you possibly be productive at work or college when you are feeling stressed, anxious, or experiencing actual physical health issues?” Enough said, so give some focus to proper sleep and nutrition (the top two factors in day-to-day well-being.) After these, mental health is next, so don’t “cut corners” when it comes to this area either.

Workload optimization | “When your workload isn’t organized well, you can end up procrastinating, getting stuck on certain assignments, and experiencing a significant drop in your productivity. However, if you can optimize the load in the right manner, this can change everything.” The authors of this article suggest that we focus on:

• Prioritization of Our Work. To do so, we need to “order them objectively” with clarity to ensure we “get after” the ones that are most important AND most urgent (vs. simply urgent; often because we or others have procrastinated on “getting this S—-(stuff) done.” Maybe consider diving deeper into the “Eisenhower Matrix” (or the Eisenhower Box Technique) said to be developed by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower.

• Delegation of Our “Team’s Work”. So often, we likely choose to do what we enjoy first (for obvious reasons) early in the day/week, and maybe because we want to “check them off.” All too often, customers/members then come at us with demands (that generally are reasonable) but still pretty urgent. When that happens, the “important but not enjoyable” work get pushed aside until we are under a deadline. Perhaps, we could delegate some of these tasks that we don’t find so fun, that don’t recharge us or similar and delegate (not dump) them to someone on our team who will find joy, value and fulfillment in those tasks? Why not try to “win at that game?” (As often as possible.)

• Use Tech. I agree with this, but tech should never be used with activities that require “emotional intelligence” and “engagement with people” and “generosity from within our servant’s heart.” The issues that require an “emotional response” or are about creative ideas, design or similar need more than an email or text response―they need 1:1 in person or at least a phone call. Simon Sinek said in 2020, “What we need now, more than ever, is humanity.” In 2012, he stated that “…we sit at our computers…we solve problems by sending emails. Get up and go talk to somebody, it’s called human interaction…You know how you feel fulfilled at work? When you do something for someone else. It’s the only way we can get that feeling…100% of customers (and clients) are people. 100% of employees are people…if you don’t understand people, you don’t understand business.” As was mentioned earlier, using the right software can significantly simplify the process, save lots of time, and help you achieve the desired results faster.

Evaluate The To-Do List Objectively | Get back to the list of tasks regularly to evaluate the progress, evaluate the importance (vs. urgency) with a bit of ruthless clarity and amend the list. Should any of them go on the “Stop Doing List?” Should any of them get delegated permanently? Are any of them our “pet projects” that could be delegated but we haven’t wanted to give them up yet? If you’re a leader, is the list proportioned amongst the team evenly in terms of distribution? Is the list utilizing the right people’s strengths and experience?

Productive environment | According to the article linked above, “Numerous studies have found that the environment in which a person studies, works, or performs any other tasks has a direct influence on the outcomes.” Clearly, in our business, there are times when we must be “in the chaos” or the “center ring of the circus” as golf professionals. In those times, being productive cannot be about finishing a proposed budget, planning an event, or setting up a complicated event on GolfGenius. These times are about the people we serve, the team we lead and the connections we make, build, leverage and so forth to drive customer engagement (activation, retention and recruitment) that results in more spend from these customers and thus more top line revenue for our facility.

That may seem obvious, but to many of us, it often isn’t and instead it’s very fuzzy as we try to have 1-3 conversations while at the same time doing work that requires focus, thinking deeply, etc. Think about it, combining these two very different activities should not work and it never will work (and yet, I’ve tried to do it). In the end, I did both poorly and it showed. A great example of how to deal with this was shown to me by my mentor Gus Jones, PGA. He would set aside specific times each week, times that were “after member hours” where he would work with great focus (for 3-5 hours say from 10 pm – 2 am) on the “hard administrative stuff” without any distractions. At that time, he could return hundreds of emails, a few calls where leaving a voicemail made sense, do the “deep planning” and analysis that required focus, etc. Further, he would generally always carve out family time earlier in that same day so he could give “all of himself” to that family time for dinner, a movie, or whatever so that when he went in “after hours” he wasn’t missed and had missed nothing of his family.

In conclusion and as a final share, here’s a solid article from Lensa.com focused on PRODUCTIVITY METHODS TO MANAGE A HEAVY WORKLOAD: THE COMPLETE GUIDE Check it out!

In the next installment of this series, Paradox Series VI, we will look in depth at another paradox to be determined. As always, if you have some point that you find valuable, or you have a success story that you’d like to share with me, please reach out to me when you can. If you are seeking any help with your career or similar, please click on the “Book an Appointment on Monte’s Calendar” link below.