Business leaders seeking to address Northern Ireland’s productivity challenge should focus more on finding smarter ways of working rather than simply asking staff to work harder. That was one of the key messages heard by a 130-strong audience at Belfast Chamber’s annual Productivity Summit on Wednesday.
Held in association with Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), with AAB as supporting partner, the Productivity Summit took place at Riddel Hall on Wednesday 23rd September. Key insights were provided by Dr David Jordan, Lecturer in Economics at Queen’s University Belfast, and Queen’s University Belfast Professor John Turner, co-author of The CEO: The Rise and Fall of Britain’s Captains of Industry.
Bringing together senior business representatives and experts from across a wide range of sectors, the event explored how organisations can unlock greater productivity by creating workplaces in which people can thrive, leaders can inspire, and teams are equipped with the skills, culture and processes needed to perform at their best.
Across two panel discussions, speakers examined the practical steps businesses can take to improve productivity, with a focus on effective leadership, investment in skills, succession planning, innovation, and creating a culture that supports change.
Clare Guinness, CEO of Belfast Chamber, commented:
“Productivity is not about asking people to do more in less time. For business leaders, it is about looking at how we work smarter, not necessarily harder, and asking how we can help people do their jobs well whilst managing significant cost burdens and revenue challenges.
“Northern Ireland’s productivity challenge is understood, and there are opportunities for businesses to address it from within their own organisations. The conversations at today’s event provided practical insight into how we can create workplaces in which people and businesses are better equipped to perform and grow.”
The first panel, ‘The Productivity Trap – How are leaders enabling high performance?’, explored the role of leadership in creating the conditions for high performance, with speakers highlighting the importance of providing clear direction while allowing space for innovation, investing in succession planning, and building greater agility across teams.
The second panel, ‘Investing in skills to unlock the productivity hiding within your workplace’, focused on the importance of investing in people and creating a culture and mindset that embraces change. Panellists highlighted the value of process redesign and focusing on value generation as businesses seek to improve how work is organised and delivered.
Emer Hinphey, Partner at AAB, said:
“Productivity isn’t simply a question of working harder. It’s about creating the conditions for people to perform at their best through strong leadership, clear direction, effective processes, and a culture that supports continuous improvement.
“Through our partnership with Belfast Chamber, we were delighted to support an event that focused on the practical steps organisations can take to improve performance. A common theme throughout the summit was that sustainable productivity gains are often driven by investment in people, leadership, management and organisational culture. Those businesses that continue to strengthen these foundations are likely to be best positioned for long-term success in an increasingly fast-changing environment.”
Queen’s University Belfast Professor John Turner provided attendees with insight into the changing role of the CEO, exploring what the successes and failures of some of the country’s most prominent business leaders can teach today’s organisations about effective leadership.
Dr David Jordan, meanwhile, examined the current productivity landscape in Northern Ireland and the critical role that effective management and leadership can play in driving long-term economic growth.
Dr Jordan added:
“Improving productivity is ultimately about finding better ways of organising work, using skills effectively and creating the conditions in which people and businesses can perform at their best.
“The challenge for Northern Ireland is not simply to work harder, but to find ways of working smarter and creating more value from the resources available to us.
“Events such as the Productivity Summit are valuable because they provide an opportunity to bring together different perspectives and allow businesses to consider how the productivity challenge translates into practical action within their own workplaces.”