| When a manager demands an employee a more | | | | specialized. Like the physician (less) versus the brain |
| flexible attitude, will this have impact on the | | | | surgeon (more specialized). Functional flexibility is |
| productivity level of the employee? And in which | | | | there fore related to the depth of the specialization. |
| situations is this reasonable? | | | | Most people have a choice in being flexible on |
| Being productive is almost everybody, but according | | | | volume, work longer today or this week and work |
| to the specific role in business, in a variety of ways. | | | | less when the business is less hectic. |
| Let's take a few examples: | | | | The tradeoff between now or later is causing |
| The brain surgeon versus the traditional physician; it is | | | | productivity gaps. For some reason your time is more |
| more likely that the latter is able to be more flexible | | | | important than mine. In an normal organization this is |
| than the former. | | | | not often felt, but it is in partnerships and this |
| A Sales representative versus the client. "Could you | | | | redundancy will have to be paid for. |
| come back another day," is a normal response of the | | | | All three also affect the productivity level. The |
| client, but is the sales rep. able to ask the same to | | | | time-tradeoff is trading productivity for goodwill, |
| the client? | | | | which is a loss on the short term. But people do this |
| You are at your lawyers for a civil case, you ask him | | | | because they receive credits (at work). |
| or her to give advice on a criminal case. Would the | | | | The tradeoff in function requires a competence to |
| lawyer get into this you think? | | | | be able to switch and a broader productivity-profile. |
| Flexibility is at least about three things, but they have | | | | Without such a profile it will mean a loss to the |
| in common that they are dealing with a tradeoff; | | | | organization on an individual level, but a probable gain |
| - Time - do it now versus do it later. | | | | for the organization as a whole. |
| - Function - do this instead of that | | | | The tradeoff on volume has no productive impact, |
| - Volume - do more or less | | | | but often it is the case that more hours of work |
| Some functions are broader than others or less | | | | (more volume) mean a lower productivity per hour. |