BEING MORE PRODUCTIVE

Productivity is a very personal thing and we all like to think we are as productive as we can, and should, be. But it seems as a nation we're are not so hot on that front and it was rather sobering to read the Productivity Commission's report which benchmarks New Zealand's productivity performance with OECD countries.

It shows that poor labour productivity growth is the reason New Zealand's GDP per capita remains 30 percent below the average of the top half of the OECD.

As one of the report's authors, Patrick Nolan, said in a media release, “The economy is like a car stuck in first gear, where faster growth comes from revving the engine rather than driving more efficiently. This comes at a real cost to living standards. Lifting productivity would shift the economy into higher gear and put economic growth on a more sustainable footing.”

And this issue we have a very useful productivity article where the author outlines three micro-productivity tips that, to my mind, could really make a difference to the way many of us work (see page 4).

One sector that I imagine has to rely very heavily on its own productivity to survive is that of the not-for-profits and on page 6 we delve into corporate philanthropy, which is an area that doesn't always get a lot of airplay. We ask if our corporates are doing enough to support their wider communities and those that give them the social licence to operate. Do they need to be doing more?

We also provide five strategies to help your organisation build digital services that consumers can trust, which is no easy feat but in the current climate is becoming an imperative. See page 14.

We hope you find the magazine useful.