Productivity
Productivity–a ratio of production output to the input required to produce it–is one measure of production efficiency. Productivity is defined as the total output per one unit of a total input. Control management must implement control processes to maintain or improve productivity.
Productivity growth is important to a business because it controls the real income means needed to meet obligations to customers, suppliers, workers, shareholders, and governments (taxes and regulation).
Improving Productivity
Many companies have formal programs for improving productivity via existing control systems. Companies are constantly looking for ways to improve quality, reduce downtime, and increase inputs of labor, materials, energy, and purchased services. Simple changes to operating methods or processes can increase productivity (think Henry Ford’s assembly line). The biggest gains often come from adopting new technologies or concepts, which requires capital expenditures for new equipment, computers, or software.
