I somewhat disagree that people should be positioned to work close to one another as this can be disruptive or distracting for some employees, especially considering that people have different work habits where some employees’ habits are annoying or distracting. Moreover, this might encourage the employees to chat with each other instead of focusing on the work.
Similarly, I have mixed feelings about using technology to keep people talking together, as this can also be distracting. However, on the other hand, it’s also beneficial as it facilitates communication. It enables employees to quickly get the information that they need. For example, if an employee needs information from another employee whose office is in another floor then the use of technology will enable both employees to communicate with each other without either of them leaving their cubicles or offices.
As well, I have mixed feelings about the use of company products. This can be easily implemented if the company’s products are soaps or something similar where such soaps can easily be dispensed in the office bathrooms for the employees’ use. However, if the company’s products are software applications – such as accounting systems – it may not always be practical to use the company’s own software products. This is because there may be other accounting systems that the company’s employees are more familiar with. These employees may already have the knowledge and experience in using these systems whereas they would still need to be trained to use the company’s own system. In this case, it will be more cost-effective to use another company’s products.
Similarly, I have mixed feelings about driving for consensus. Although consensus may sometimes lead to the best decision or solution, there are also times when striving to obtain consensus just prolongs the resolution of a problem, especially when the people involved refuse to agree or compromise and insist on standing firm on their opinions. In these cases, it may be necessary for the leader to step up and make a decision or impose a solution even if it’s an unpopular one.
What I would add to the list is “Strive to always improve business processes” as I believe that there are always better ways of doing things and that HPOs are able to maintain their competitive edge because they are constantly finding ways to improve their processes – whether to increase productivity, reduce costs, or others.
Job Satisfaction
I agree that satisfied workers are productive workers because job satisfaction promotes positive attitudes about the job and positive attitudes can translate to positive behaviors. For example, if job satisfaction is brought about by a job promotion then this can result in the attitude of being loyal to the company or being concerned for the company’s success. In turn, when an employee is loyal to the company and is concerned about its success then the employee is bound to exhibit behavior that reflects these attitudes. In this case, the employee is bound to work harder to help the company meets its goals, which in turn translates to increased productivity.
On the contrary, an employee who is dissatisfied with the job – probably due to low wages – may have the attitude that they don’t like working for the company, which can result in the behavior of performing their job half-heartedly; hence, decreased productivity.
