Analysis of Productivity and Time Management: A Report

This report analyzes productivity and time management within a company, focusing on leadership strategies to improve employee performance. The report addresses the challenge of explaining to staff the importance of time management, and how to improve productivity. It also explores the issue of managers' reluctance to delegate tasks, proposing solutions such as fostering confidence, providing motivation, and improving communication. The report suggests methods to enhance communication, outlining the importance of clear priorities, and flexibility. Additionally, it recommends focusing on high-value activities in a high-tech environment and details how to measure productivity after implementing time management approaches. Finally, the report highlights the importance of monitoring performance, diagnosing problems, and supporting innovation to ensure continuous improvement in time management.

Running head: PRODUCTIVITY AND TIME MANAGEMENT 1
PRODUCTIVITY AND TIME MANAGEMENT
Name
Student ID
Institutional Affiliation

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1. Considered this can be a delicate situation, how are you going to explain to the staff that
they are not making the most of the time they are in the company? (Note that most people
will only “warm” up to a change should there be a positive outcome for them)
When employees do not make the most out of the time they are in the company, it is easy for
managers to get frustrated and be impatient and unclear at times. According to Yukl (2008) what
managers sometimes communicate to the employees may not match what they are thinking or what they
think they have communicated. However, the manager should be in a position of figuring out the best
method of explaining to the staff his concerns and get the employees on board with the plan of the
company. Instead of becoming angry and communicating wrongly, the manager should take some time to
plan on the best way of communicating with the employees about his concerns.
As the Managing Director, I would first find the root cause of the problem since I already know
that the reasons behind the poor performance may be due to the line managers not knowing how to
delegate and the members of the team being too stressed, not motivated, not prioritizing correctly or not
correctly managing their time. Therefore, before sharing the details, I would think about the big picture
for months. Taking some time to think would assist me in not skipping important details which I may
have been too familiar with. I would also ensure that I understand that, as the manager, the employees are
not on the same wavelength with me, thus I would consider the information which is needed by every
employee for their specific roles. When presenting my concerns to the employees about the issue of not
making the most out of the time they are in the company, I would start from the beginning by explaining
to them the concepts slowly and in detail so that they could get the full picture. In addition, to avoid
talking too fast and creating an awkward situation where the employees request me to slow down or
repeat myself, I would ensure that I speak in a clear and concise manner. I would also let the employees
know that it will be okay to signal when I am speaking too fast. Furthermore, when talking about the

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slow response to threat calls and delays in the performance of tasks, I would request the employees to
take notes so that they can record all the crucial topics and know what is really important among several
priorities.
I would ensure that I explain to the employees on the importance of productivity and time
management for the success of the organization. Since the employees are not meeting my expectations in
regards to productivity and time management, I would explain to them what is desired and expected of
them and explain that it will be best for the team and the organization. In addition, I would ask them their
concerns or the reasons for the delays in the performance of tasks and how I can assist to enhance their
performance. Furthermore, I would present to the employee's new approaches of improving their
productivity and management of time, and try to put the directions of improving their productivity on a
whiteboard map, in free-form emails or in a bulleted list. Moreover, I would politely ask the employees
to parrot back the information I have shared with them in regards to enhancing their productivity so that I
can be sure they have understood the concepts. To improve productivity and time management skills of
the employees, I would also ensure that they are operating in their zone of genius.
2. You have noted that one of the two big issues that the company faces are that the managers
do not feel comfortable delegating. How can you get them to change their attitude towards
this procedure and how do you explain that as professionals they will also have a more
positive approach towards work and will have time to focus on added value tasks?
There are several reasons why managers are failing to delegate. Some of the reason include negative
mentality, low morale and motivation, poor performances, fear of employees handling the task effective
than them, seeing the task as key part of their status or authority, lack of trust to their team skill set,
abilities and attitudes and feeling insecure. However, there are several ways to change the managers’
attitudes towards the procedure of not delegating. These ways include developing confidence in

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subordinates, provision of good motivation system, boosting their morale, communication, retention of
power and setting standards of control.
For managers to change this attitude I will encourage them to accept the need for delegation.
According to Gudmundsson & Lechner (2013) managers are reluctant to delegate because they do not
want to allow other subordinates to assist them but they want to do everything. Therefore, managers need
to realize the need for delegation as Feiler (2018) states that “the more the delegation the more the
organization becomes successful”. Furthermore, delegation multiplies the manager’s capacity and
therefore what needs to be delegated must be delegated. In addition, I will determine whether the
managers have positive attitudes towards work and focused on value-added tasks by assessing their
abilities to do things that other employees cannot do. This thing develops a Core competence in the
organization when tasks and duties are delegated appropriately.
Developing confidence in managers and subordinates will also enable managers to delegate duties
appropriately. I will encourage managers to guide the employees in the organization whenever they make
mistakes rather than not delegating at all and feeling like employees are not capable of accepting
responsibilities. Therefore, through the understanding the employee concerns, the manager develops a
positive attitude of making a change and supporting all types of employees irrespective of gender, race or
religion. Furthermore, appreciating the managers whenever they perform well will boost their morale of
performing better delegation of duties. The delegation will be successful in the reward system but not
fines and penalties.
Through the development of an effective communication system, the delegation of tasks becomes
easier and managers are motivated to develop a positive attitude that will boost the relationship between
subordinates and employees. According to Felt et al., (2013) an effective communication system should
be developed where the delegation of duties and duties becomes ineffective as a result of subordinates

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not having information for making a decision.
Through motivation by providing rewards such as good compensation and benefit plans, managers
will accept the responsibilities. Furthermore, the motivation also will be in linear with a set target and
goals. When there are both targets and good rewarding systems, the managers will be motivated to
develop a positive attitude that will see them delegate their tasks effectively in order to hit set targets.
3. When you have dealt with the issue of delegation, you realize that the basis of the problem
was the lack of knowledge as to what tasks were a priority and which ones could be put on
the back burner. As the Managing Director, you decide to address all your staff about
delegation and you are going to improve communication. How would you improve
communication in this relatively small company so that individuals are familiar with the
priorities (of the day, week, month…)?
According to Laukkanen, Sinkkonen & Laukkanen (2009) good communication strategies are
important for any company as they assist the managers in the delegation of tasks and duties and also
assist employees in working towards the achievement of their roles and responsibilities. To improve
communication in the company, I would ensure that I set and exemplify communication priorities to the
employees so that they can understand the importance of effective communication in the workplace. In
addition, I would make it a habit of reassessing the communication priorities for the employees to make
sure that they are being followed as required. Writing down the communication priorities would also be
important. Writing things down gives the ideas of people a feeling of importance and permanence
(Dozier, Grunig & Grunig, 2013). Since nobody is perfect, I would identify the communication priorities
and meet with the stakeholders since their own assessment of the best communication priorities may be
skewed by their own perspectives and interests an, therefore, meeting with them would give them an
insight of whether they have set their priorities differently.

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In addition, I would clarify roles and activities in solidifying the company’s market position and
improving its effectiveness. I would explain to the employees that through effectively communicating in
the organization, they would create a larger taskforce at accomplishing their duties and responsibilities. I
would ensure that employees build some flexibility in their communication. Flexibility in communication
ensures that they can communicate amongst themselves and with managers so as to prioritize prospecting
activities and improve their performance.
4. Of all the different approaches for time management that you can see on the Slides 1 and 2,
which one do you believe would be most suitable for the high-tech environment (note that
most specialists and technicians are within the 23-31-year-old range)
Focusing on high-value activities is the most suitable approach to the high-tech environment. The
approach will identify the most positive effect of the project, team and clients if I were to deal with them
right now. In the tech environment, the approach will assists the employee to start with the most
important tasks and accomplish them on time. In the tech environment, delay in submitting the task at
the right time might affect the outcome of the project and therefore the approach is suitable for this case.
The approach will assist in the assessment of which activities need focus first, what causes most trouble
if not handled in time, the biggest contributions can be made right now, what clients and team need most
and strategies to need to deal with today for future improvements.
5. How do you believe you can measure productivity after implementing your time
management approach?
After implementing the time management approach, it is important to measure the productivity of
employees in order to determine if the time management approach has enhanced the performance of
employees (Attridge, 2009). First, I would define direct behavior and productivity. According to
Pritchard, Harrell, DiazGranados and Guzman (2008), the system for measurement of employee

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productivity provides an implicit definition of productivity for each task. It communicates to the
supervisor, the worker and other parties who had a common expectation for the operation. I would also
monitor performance and provide feedback so as to check the progress of employees towards their goals
and objectives. The monitoring of the performance part is a major part of employees’ evaluation of
performance which may lead to a disciplinary action or rewards (Tohidi, 2011). In addition, I would
diagnose problems whereby the analysis and evaluation of trends in the employees’ time management
schedules may assist in the identification of time management problems by the employees before they
become crises and also permits corrective action and early adjustment. Furthermore, I would facilitate
planning and control whereby I would effectively assist the employees with time management issues in
planning their time well and assist them in scheduling their tasks appropriately in order to attend to them
in a timely manner. Lastly, I would support innovation I would approve of the employees’ proposed time
management changes and appreciate their efforts for continuous improvement in their time management.

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References
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Dozier, D. M., Grunig, L. A., & Grunig, J. E. (2013). Manager's guide to excellence in public relations
and communication management. Routledge.
Feiler, J. (2018). Building Blocks: Projects, Workspaces, Extensions, Delegates, and Frameworks. In
Beginning Reactive Programming with Swift (pp. 3-15). Apress, Berkeley, CA.
Felt, A. P., Wang, H. J., Moshchuk, A., Hanna, S., & Chin, E. (2011, August). Permission Re-
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