Productivity - Definitions
Productivity was mentioned probably for the first time in an article by
Quesnay in 1766.
In 1883, Littre defined productivity as the "faculty to produce," that is, the desire to produce.
F.W. Taylor (1895)
Industrial engineers have to remember the statement of F.W. Taylor in his
first paper on productivity improvement system (1895).
"The advantages of this system of management (Taylor's Piece Rate System based on Elementary Rate Fixing Department and Activities) are :
The manufactures are produced cheaper under it.
The system is rapid in attaining the maximum productivity of each machine and man."
OEEC (1950)
In 1950, the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) provided the following definition of productivity:
"Productivity is the quotient obtained by dividing output by one of the factors of production. In this way it is possible to speak of the productivity of the capital, investment, or raw materials according to whether output is being considered in relation to capital, investment, or raw materials, etc."
Variants
Single Factor Productivity
Multi Factor Productivity
Total Factor Productivity
Kanawaty, ILO Work Study Book
Productivity may be defined as follows:
Productivity = Output/Input
The term productivity can be used to assess or measure the extent to which a certain output can be extracted from a given input. The inputs of an enterprise are land and buildings, materials, plant machines and equipment, energy and human resources. The outputs are saleable products and services.
R .M . Barnes
R.M. Barnes discussed productivity in chapter 1 of his book, Motion and Time Study: Design and Measurement of Work (1980). The chapter is actually titled as Productivity.
Barnes explained that in a broad sense, productivity is the ratio of output to some or all of the resources used to produce the output. Labor productivity may be defined as "output per labor hour." Capital productivity as output per unit capital input. All inputs contribute to the total productivity of the firm. The focus in motion and time study is productivity of labor, machines, equipment, and facilities.
Barnes recommends that productivity of workers is measured as a ratio between output standard time and actual labor hour input.
Productivity of capital represented by machines and other operating facilities is of importance.
Barnes identified speed of the equipment and the downtime as the two most important factors controlling productivity and costs. He mentioned steel mills as an example in this context.
Productivity Science - Definition
“Productivity science is scientific effort, that in any specific work situation, identifies the appropriate philosophy, culture, systems, processes, technology, methods and human physical action and behavior and elements of each of them of that will maximize positive (social, environmental and economic) outcomes relative to the resources consumed.” - Narayana Rao (IISE 2020 Annual Conference Proceedings)
Frameworks for Productivity Science of Machine Effort and Human Effort
Rao, Kambhampati Venkata Satya Surya Narayana. IIE Annual Conference. Proceedings; Norcross (2020): 429-434.
https://www.proquest.com/openview/5786c4e6edff56abf808b4db26f083b3/1
References:
Barnes, R. M., Motion and Time Study Design and Measurement of Work, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1980.
Kanawaty, Introduction to Work Study, 4th Edition, International Labour Office, Geneva, 1992
Littre, Larousee Etymological Dictionary, 1946-49 edition.
OEEC, Terminology of Productivity, 1950.
Original knol - http://knol.google.com/k/narayana-rao/productivity-definition/2utb2lsm2k7a/ 566
Updated on 8.9.2023, 22 June 2021
17 August 2020, 24 June 2019, 23 April 2012
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