The measures to improve productivity or methods of improvement of productivity.

Measure to improve productivity can be classified for sake of better appreciation and comprehensive due to the following four categories:

(1) Technological and scientific measures. 

(2) Motivational measures 

(3) Psychological measures 

(4) Modern measures 

(1) Technological and scientific measures :

            Certain technological and scientific measures to improve productivity are a follows:

(i) Improve raw-materials:

                Better quality of raw-material improves the moral of the employees and according their productivity. It also increases the productivity of the nations. 

(ii)  Better technology :

                 Plant and machinery based on an operated according to latest technology are a great aid to increases productivity, use of traditional ploughing devices and lack of use of mechanisation in large area of agricultural productivity in India. 

(iii) Good working conditions :

                    Working conditions consisting of lighting, ventilation safety devices, cooling and heating devices for work place etc. must be good, otherwise productivity is likely to be low. 

(iv) Scientific selection and training of works:

              As suggested by professor F. W. Taylor,  the father of scientific management movement, workers must be scientifically selected and properly tend, in work methods and procedures in order to raise employees productivity.

(v)  Work study :

                Work studies like time or nation studies on plant layout, material handing etc.  are a great aid raising industrial productivity.

(vi) Research and development :

                    Research and development there is a need for maintaining a research and development division in an enterprise for improving productivity. This division for improving productivity. This division may came out with discovering better techniques of production, and may suggest improvement in existing plant and machinery plant layout design, materials handling systems etc. i. e, why modern progressive companies spend huge sum of money for research and development.

(vii) Production planing and control :

           A good system of production planing and control leads to better utilisatie of plant capacity and ordely performance of productive operations, including quality control.All these factors lead to improvement in employee and organisational productivity.

(2) Motivational measures : 

          Motivational measures to improve productivity are:

(i) Incentives skills of wage payment :

                  Incentives skills of wage payment linking higher productivity to higher wages usually act as a motivational device for workers such schemes definitely help in improving workers productivity.

(ii) Workers participation in management :

                   Environment of workers in management through suggestion schemes, joint consultation etc.  help in raising workers productivity. An outstanding technique in this contact is management by objective (MBO),under which superiors and subordinates are jointly involved in goal setting. The advantages of workers participation in management is that workers get committed to decisions, in the making of which they are personally involved. As such, workers participation in management usually leads to an increases in human productivity and organisational efficiency. 

(3) Psychological measures :

(i) Job enlargement and job enrichment :

           Job enlargement means making the job cycle lengthier by adding greater variety of operations, for job holders to break boredom and monotony associated with specialised job. Job enrichment means, granting operational autonomy to job holders regarding job related matters or giving more responsibility to job holders or making work of a challenging nature etc.  Job enlargement and job enrichment are a psychological device to make work interesting and elicite more productivity from workers. 

(ii) Harmonious human relations :

                 Management must create conditions for promoting harmonious labour management relations or other aspects of human relations in the enterprise. Such relations help to increase productivity by raising the morale of people. Moreover minimum conflicts among people as a result of good human relation would also help to raise productivity and production in the enterprise. 

(4) Modern measures :

(i) Flexi-time :

         Flexi-time is an alternative pattern of making People work with interest, which considerably adds to their productivity, under this system ,workers set their own work hours, subject to minimum number of hours per week.  This reduces the dictatorial approach of supervisors in making people work according to their (supervisors) dictates. Working mothers, aged persons are all under the praise for this system. 

(ii)  Quality -circle:

  The concept of quality circle was developed in Japan during early 1960 and widely used in the USA during latest 1970 and early 1980. In India companies like BHEL, HMT, Modi Rubbers, J. k Synthetics etc.  have successfully implemented this concept. 

              A quality circle is a small group of employees (say 5 to 10) belonging to the same work unit, who frequently meet with their supervisor (know as the quality circle leader) to identify, discuss and solve work related problems of their work unit. 

            Quality circle provide opportunities for interactions among people gives suggestions for effective improvements in their work unit performance. The excellent work performed by quality circle is also rewarded. Quality circle helps to increases productivity through participation of employees in solving work problems.