Staff motivation and morale have the strongest effect on an organization's productivity. Since staff members are the means by which an organization's goals are achieved, they are sure to drive an organization's success or failure.
In order for organization to improve staff productivity, a plan must be developed that includes involvement at all levels. Some tips to remember when developing a productivity plan:
Individual productivity. Your organization's plan for productivity should spell out to your medical staff exactly what management considers effective work and define the role of each individual for the overall objective of the organization.
Focus on development. Most programs that approach performance improvement solely through reward and punishment programs have not worked well for most organizations. Instead of focusing on applying outside influences to get staff to react in a specific manner, create an environment where the innate behavioral characteristics of each individual is brought out in a way that will benefit the entire organization.
Revise methods. Management and human resources need to work on developing and channeling employee behaviors and talents into beneficial actions. This means that management must find ways to foster ingenuity, communication and cooperation, promote attention to quality and create other forms of useful staff behavior.
Set clear and achievable goals. Set realistic productivity goals that are clear and concise so that they can be achieved by staff. Any organizational productivity program created to improve input and output should be introduced gradually so that the staff does not feel threatened or overwhelmed. Avoid using a one-size-fits-all system. A program that works in one department may not be as successful in another.
Reward staff. The program should also provide both tangible and intangible rewards. This can be extra time off, recognition or financial incentives that encourages staff to achieve productivity goals. Encourage feedback and include ideas forwarded by staff members. A good productivity program should work to foster commitment through increased communication and responsibility by staff at all levels, not just management.
Follow-up. Develop a form of measurement and review to evaluate whether incentives created for staff are working and whether the results sought out by the program matches the financial goals of the organization.