Blog Post
A glance at the productivity culture
In economic terms, productivity measures how efficiently labour and capital (input) are used to produce a given output. As product and labour market regulations impact financial performance, productivity data are deemed pivotal for economic growth and competitiveness. Also, it provides analysts with capacity utilization information that they can use to assess the demand and inflationary pressures of economies, evaluate their position in the business cycle and forecast growth.
The concept of productivity did not rise to popularity thanks to the Industrial Revolution, as many believe. Instead, it was initially related to agriculture and limited to measuring the production and consumption of food, as there was little to no room for surplus. By the 1800s, however, when industrialization started spreading outside England, productivity assumed a different meaning. The focus shifted from survival to monetization, convenience, and scale, and the first "to-do lists" grew in vogue. Yet, the concept of productivity as we know it today, "produce more in less time", only began to spread during the early 1900s with the growth of the automotive sector, just to be tight back to survival once again with the outbreak of the World Wars. Especially after WWII, when women joined the workforce and had less time to care for domestic duties, convenience became increasingly important. The food industry was the first to benefit from the new lifestyle, bringing back the idea of minimum effort and maximum results. The trend intensified with the advent of personal computers in the 1970s, and it has continued to take root in our society as smart devices began dominating our everyday life, allowing people to stay connected and "productive" for longer.
Productivity today is not a mere concept, idea, or quality; it is an industry in its own right. If so, what is the meaning of us being obsessed with it? Are we being productive to make our own lives more convenient or so that those who dominate the productivity industry can benefit from our efforts?
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