Are you a professional? — An Engineer, Scientist, Manager, Consultant, Doctor, Lawyer, ………….. ?
You are busy more than ever, working literally on a 24 x 7 clock? Why is this? To help you assess your situation better, we offer you a simple test.
Everything you do, as part of your job or work can be divided into three distinct categories of work:
- A = Clearly identifiable contribution of your work, in terms of Product (which generates revenue), Process (to make or create the product) and Application/USE of the product of your department, team or company. This may sound a bit abstract at first. But, if you think carefully you will find, these are the only outcomes that ultimately determine your value or use to your team or the employer. This category of work requires active and deliberate use of your professional knowledge, your experience in creating and implementing New Solutions. It requires thinking, reflection, data analysis, inferences, conclusions, risk taking, …….. Only you can do this category of work. Try as best as you may, you can not simply delegate this category of work!
- B = Your effort in processing information (e-mail, phone calls, net browsing, voice mails – recording/receiving, paper work, keeping track of budgets, accounts, expense reports, budgets, booking travel tickets, etc.. With the increasing capability of IT Tools and their applications , each of us are increasingly drawn into this category of work. Gone are the days where administrative assistants and support staff could be used to carry out these tasks. It appears easier to do it all by yourself and apparently more efficient. Companies may see it as a cost reduction, when you do all this by yourself. But, it has every opportunity to distract and diminish your output under category A. You can delegate this category of work if you choose to. May be some one has already put this monkey – more of it – on your shoulders?
- C = Your effort in physical work, such as travelling, commuting, sit in meetings, typing, etc. When you over do this category of work, it leads to your lower back pain, Carpal tunnel syndrome, lack of sleep, jet lag, physical exhaustion, and all other ailments!
Your total effort = A + B + C
Your PE = A / (A + B + C )
In a recent informal survey of professionals, over half of them felt that their PE is less than 20% While individual professionals attempt to increase their contribution through “A”, most companies are reducing the “B” and “C” content through IT applications, outsourcing, globalization, etc. The combined effect of these is a steady increase in labor productivity, where fewer people are producing more perceived outcomes. But, unless the “A” category of work is deliberately increased the innovative outcomes – in terms of new Products, Processes and/or Applications/USE – will continue to slide down. All that is left will be cost reduction (like squeezing the last few drops of water from dry wood)!
Any one at any level of responsibility has to be worried about the PE score. Integrated across all the professionals in the company, PE score will be the true measure of innovation or lack there of, in the company.
Senior executives, HR managers, as well as individual professionals need to become aware of the PE score. Such awareness, has to be followed by next steps to increase the PE score, which in turn will require formal and structured education, training and practice of Transformational Skills
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STIMS Institute 