Cracking the Code: Tackling the UK’s Productivity Puzzle

Productivity is one of the key factors in determining the economic growth of a country, and the United Kingdom is no exception. Over the past few years, the UK’s productivity growth has been slower than other advanced economies such as the US, Germany, and France. This has raised concerns about the country’s long-term economic prospects and the standard of living for its citizens.

The UK’s productivity puzzle has been a subject of much debate and analysis. A range of factors has been identified as contributing to the country’s low productivity, including poor management practices, low investment in infrastructure, low-skilled workforce, and a lack of innovation.

The issue of poor management practices has been particularly significant in the UK, with studies showing that the country has some of the worst managers in the developed world, with a lack of leadership skills, inadequate communication, and poor people management being some of the most significant issues. This has resulted in a workforce that is less engaged, less productive, and less innovative, which ultimately impacts the overall competitiveness of UK businesses.

The practise of management, good and bad, and its root causes has long been a key focus for me and my work (Rightshifting, the Marshall Model, Organisational Psychotherapy, etc. – more details on my blog).

I’ve long felt frustrated at the seemingly intractable issues of management generally, and UK management in particular. Especially as I have evolved a solution that, if adopted, could largely remedy the situation.

The Problem

UK management is mired is what the literature calls “the Analytic Mindset”. This term refers to a certain collection of assumptions and beliefs about work, harking back to at least the late nineteenth century.

These assumptions and beliefs result, in practice, in relatively ineffective ways of relating to the workforce. Ways which inevitably lead to a workforce that is less engaged, less productive, and less innovative than what we know to be possible today.

The challenge? How to enable companies to swap out these existing, ineffective assumptions and beliefs with a relatively more effective set known as “the Synergistic Mindset”.

The Solution

And the solution? Organisational Psychotherapy.

Much like therapy for individuals, OP provides a supportive and non-judgmental space for organisations to explore their assumptions and beliefs, and their resulting policies and practices. With these beliefs surfaced and reflected-upon, fundamental changes are possible. We might call this “culture change”.

In conclusion, the UK’s productivity problem is a consequence of its organisations’ collective assumptions and beliefs about work, and how work should work.

With the right investment in shifting the collective beliefs of UK organisations, the UK can dramatically improve its productivity levels and secure its long-term economic growth.