Firm applies Eastern philosophies to boost productivity

Former top military brass have developed five steps to increase productivity and gain up to an extra day a month with a continuous improvement mindset.

Springboard to the Future, headed by former army and Royal Navy officers, has been set up to help organisations develop a more productive and profitable workplace.

And it uses honest reflection, analysis and feedback to refine ways of working.

Felix Spender, who has served with NATO in Iraq and Kosovo, said: “We’ve seen firsthand how this approach can make drastic and long-lasting improvements.”

Reflection

And Glen Maxwell-Heron, a former navy engineer officer who has worked for multinational companies in Japan, complements this with the Eastern philosophies of Hansei and Kaizen.

The former focuses on self-reflection while the latter emphasises incremental improvement.

Glen, a former University of Cambridge student, said: “Saving a couple of hours a week could be spent on strategic work and lead to a significant increase in profitability.

“Most leaders spend more than half an hour per day dealing with minor issues that could be resolved elsewhere in their teams.

“With better clarity around autonomy and delegation, an organisation could reduce needless effort while increasing productivity.”

Kaizen and Hansei are core principles of Toyota – recognised as a leading car manufacturer – and represent a philosophy of continuous improvement.

Five-step plan

The duo have set up ‘turning friction into flow’ -a five-step action plan which improves communication and streamlines processes.

It starts with removing roadblocks which lead to inefficiencies and ends with ensuring operational stability.

Felix, who once secured the release of more than 100 hostages captured by Somalian pirates, said: “It starts with honesty – with yourself and others – and taking responsibility.

“It’s about looking at past actions to see how to make improvements and prevent mistakes in future.

“Then you can stop simply reacting or firefighting and create an improvement plan. It helps to have the humility to recognise what you can do for yourself and where you need help.”

UK companies are currently holding back on hiring or are not replacing workers who leave, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

And business leaders’ confidence in the economy and their own organisations has plummeted, a report by the Institute of Directors (IoD) has found.

But Glen highlights business owners can make changes which are independent of current events or the economy.

He said: “During times of uncertainty, businesses may spend less and halt hiring. But you can take simple steps to make your business more effective right now.”