By Henry Uche, Lagos
Fraught with myriads of unprecedented challenges, Nigeria is at crossroads with too many options to choose, whichever decision taken shall either ameliorate or aggravate the current excruciating conditions of citizens. Critical among gamut of problems is the dwindling economy which has kept every Nigerian stupefied. In this interview with the President, Institute of Productivity & Business Innovation Management (IPBIM), Remi Dairo, he x-tray how innovation and productivity drives economic growth and development through individual and corporate creative acumen:
Tell us about IPBIM and what solutions you are bringing to the place of work?
The Institute of Productivity and Business Innovation management (IPBIM) is an institute legally set up for the promotion and execution of the productivity and Innovation learnings for people, organisations and the nation Nigeria, by extension Africa. IPBIM believes that if a nation’s GDP must change in this new dispensation, Innovation must be a driver of such productivity. It must start from individuals, then organisations must adopt the principles before a positive and radical change can be achieved by the nation.
When you say, “Do differently, do much more and do global” what is your message?
In IPBIM we believe the new productivity has gone beyond just ‘doing’ to doing things differently, nobody will celebrate you doing thing a normal way anymore, for an excellent result in today’s world of work you need to do differently, that’s one of the innovation dimensions to productivity.
Furthermore, if you must get a bigger result, you have to leave the real of ‘doing more’ to ‘doing Much More’! And we know that because of the advent of the internet, your productivity can go global. Therefore, when you do things must have a global perspective to your performance. The world has become a global village and productivity has become a global phenomenon.
You also herald “Know more,” tell us what the Worker ought to know especially in this trying, turbulent, highly competitive business world?
One of the things that is edge in todays work is knowledge. The internet has made knowledge available for anyone at any part of the world. The knowledge of your work, the knowledge of your industry, knowledge about your competitors and customers knowledge will always give you an edge in the market place. So, knowledge is key to productivity! If you know more you will perform more.
How can we most prudently manage work stress, family challenges & environmental demands placed on the workers?
We must understand that a percentage work stress is allowed for productivity. There could be deadlines and time laps to turn in projects or proposal, they would be a bit of stressful but work stress becomes deadly when it affects your health, emotions and affecting your body. What you need to do is to shut down and take a break, find a time and a place to take a time out to recover. The problem of an average worker in Africa is not going on official leave and some even sell their leaves to work more for money, its implication is low productivity and can also lead to loss of life. Sometime, productivity is shutting down to shoot up later!
What has changed in the workplace especially since the emergence of Internet & digital tech as well as the COVID-19 distortions?
Well, what has changed is the way we work. Many organisations have adopted the “work-from-home” model we have talked about over the years. I told organisations way back before the emergence covid pandemic; that new productivity is not just working in the office space but rather work can be done any parts of the world in as much the goal is clear and agreed measurement/evaluation is available for both the worker and the supervisors. There are many mobile Apps and Web solutions that make the ‘new work’ easy and majority of them are free. So, Africa has no choice but to be productive even in the midst of the pandemic! Others have moved on, we too must- very fast.
What must corporate organizations do to remain in business in times like this even as we anticipate more radical changes in the business world?
I can’t give you all here because that is a daylong class training but I will mention few things; Organisation must be flexible to change as the concept of productivity has been disrupted from how we use to work before the pandemic. They must be ready to collaborate, the new productivity today is collaboration not competition. They must be ready to beat their own records not waiting for any competitor to take step before they take a counter steps, todays productivity must be measured by your capacity to do much more not to be determine by what your competitors does.
As a crusader of innovation and maximum productivity, what changes do you anticipate in the business world and how do your institute prepare people for these inevitable changes & disruptions?
We have different training courses and certifications that can help organisations be more innovative and increase in higher capacity for productivity. The Innovation and Productivity Practitioners Certification is the program for innovative and productive workforce to be able to disrupt and bring about a new change in organisation productivity and be able to have global competitiveness. This program has global support from the Word Confederation of Productivity Science (WCPS).
What edge do your training and certifications offer to your members?
There are many edge you get from our training and certification. I will give you just a few here. The first thing is that we have global collaboration and partnership with world organisations in the productivity and Innovation ecosystem, this makes participants to have access and learning edge with these bodies around the world. Secondly, our courses are practical based, so participants do internship in their organisation or other organisations to be able to into practise all that is being learnt in the class. Thirdly, our participants get to innovate at work by implication get promoted for bringing in new and visible changes at work. For those who have businesses, they have been able to build a disruptive business model that always make them to be at top of their industry. And many more…
IPBIM prides itself in raising Futurists, disruptors and Productivity thinkers & innovators, tell us more.
The different between IPBIM and other institutes of the likes is that we raise people that think differently, people that not just do more but do much more. Also, every member of IPBIM is positioned globally and they play in the global space by the benefit of our global partners and global advisors across the globe. Our learning is well rounded and 2-edged sword for any organisation who want to win big in today’s work reality. We raise a new generation will to recue the continent and revamp the economy of Africa. I tell people, IPBIM is not for ‘normal’ thinking people but those who want to break the box and do something different and new in their personal lives or organizations.