Productivity in stressful times

I talk to Walter Eichner (Beckhoff) about how productivity can be managed in stressful times. For him, self-motivation is very important, because only if I like doing what I like doing can I draw energy from it. Then the motivation is there so that I can do what I do even better. Under these circumstances, exertion and endurance can be trained.

Ensuring productivity is always a combination of several approaches. Your own expertise is important, that is the basis. The right opportunities must be made available within the company to ensure that skills are put to ideal use, and the right tools are also needed. The company also offers support that can be used by everyone if required. If problems arise, Mr. Eichner suggests creating a problem-free period. “Then we don’t talk about the problem, but about other things.”

In production, especially in development, it is important to build the job around the people. Every person is different, and the design of the job should be based on this. If a high degree of creativity is required, as in development, you can’t be satisfied with the status quo. Working conditions must be adapted to people in such a way that they have the freedom to express their ideas and remain dissatisfied until a new solution is found. “That is management by result.”

In the company organization, this means flat hierarchies, no organization, no bureaucracy, no reports. Have you ever calculated how many man-years it costs to save 90 minutes a week on reporting? One and a half hours of reporting equates to 78 hours of savings per year, which is equivalent to half a year’s working time for writing the weekly report. That’s around 4 working years – for a 10-person company. How much can be developed and produced in that time? With a report that does not exist per week.

Mr. Eichner finds his personal stress relief by running, or when he has more time, with a tree saw in his forest. “I’m all alone there, nobody talks to me, the ideal way to unwind.”