The notion of productivity has its roots in the Industrial Revolution, a time when increased yields thanks to mechanization transformed the way goods were produced. However, is this metric still relevant in an economy dominated by services and digitization, where value creation relies more on human ingenuity than on standardized industrial processes (Organizing knowledge work is solving a lot of problems at once)?
Indeed ” Peter Drucker noted that during the twentieth century, the productivity of manual workers in the manufacturing sector increased by a factor of fifty as we got smarter about the best way to build products. He argued that the knowledge sector, by contrast, had hardly begun a similar process of self-examination and improvement, existing at the end of the twentieth century where manufacturing had been a hundred years earlier.” (Slack Is the Right Tool for the Wrong Way to Work)
This question becomes crucial if we examine Solow’s paradox, which points out that “we see computers everywhere, except in productivity statistics”. Despite the explosion of technological tools, their measurable impact on productivity remains disappointing. In reality, the quality of human contributions and the effectiveness of interactions are gradually replacing quantity as a performance factor, without the logic being taken to its logical conclusion.
When quantity masks quality
Let’s take the example of a team tasked with designing a mobile application. If its success is measured by the number of new features delivered each month, the team will naturally be encouraged to deliver faster, even if this means sacrificing relevance or user experience. Or it may prioritize minor features that can be developed quickly but without any real contribution.
On the other hand, a quality-oriented approach could focus on strategic, well-thought-out features likely to maximize user satisfaction and, ultimately, boost application sales.
From a logic of outputs to a logic of outcomes
The digital economy calls for a redefinition of success criteria. Rather than measuring intellectual work through outputs, such as the number of tasks completed or deliverables produced, it is preferable to focus on outcomes : larger-scale results that meet strategic objectives.
For example, instead of asking a marketing team to publish a fixed number of articles each month, it’s better to evaluate their success on the basis of increased organic traffic or lead generation. This approach avoids short-termist behavior and encourages creativity, innovation and strategic thinking.
While in the case of marketing, many have already understood the benefits of this approach, this is unfortunately far from being the case everywhere.
Quality management solutions for knowledge workers
To make this transition a success, the levers for action are well known.
First of all, define intermediate milestones. Setting clear milestones makes it possible to track progress towards distant goals, while offering opportunities to adjust efforts along the way. This often goes hand in hand with the adoption of agile approaches, which can easily be applied outside the IT field (Agile Management is for you, even if you’re not in a high-tech startup! [FR] and Agility: The Strategic Imperative to Survive and Thrive in Volatile Times).
Then set up feedback loops. Regular feedback, whether from customers or internal stakeholders, helps to keep you on track in terms of quality.
It’s also essential to value continuous improvement. Rather than aiming for immediate perfection, an iterative improvement approach allows us to build on solid foundations while adapting strategies to changing circumstances (Improving a team’ s work: a story of continuous improvement and The future of work will be based on data and continuous improvement). We need to move away from the industrial paradigm of “replicating perfection ad infinitum” for professions where the notion of perfection is relative, subjective and changing over time.
Finally, we need to invest in employee well-being and employee experience. Team satisfaction and health, as well as the simplification of work (The organizational complication: the #1 irritant of the employee experience and ‘Great employee experience in 2025 hinges on making work less chaotic,’ says Qualtrics) are essential to sustainable performance. The quality of work is intrinsically linked to the quality of life at work (Experience is the new name for quality and is the result of operational excellence and Let’s talk about the quality of work).
Bottom line
The cult of productivity is inherited from a bygone era and no longer meets the needs of a service and digital economy. By focusing on quality and outcomes, businesses can create an environment that fosters innovation, engagement and sustainable results, while resolving Solow’s paradox. After all, quality is the new quantity.
Image: productivity measurement from garagestock via Shutterstock.
