productivity
proh-duhk-TIV-uh-tee
/ˌproʊ.dʌkˈtɪv.ə.ti/
The rate at which goods are produced or work is completed, measured relative to the input of time, labor, and capital.
Measures output efficiency per unit of input, not merely raw effort or total hours worked.
The story behind the word. From Latin 'producere' (to bring forth). The economic sense of 'productivity' emerged in French ('productivité') in the late 19th century and was quickly adopted into English industrial management theory.
Word relationships
- efficiency: Efficiency measures minimal waste of resources, whereas productivity measures total economic output relative to input.
- output: Output is the absolute quantity produced, while productivity measures output in relation to effort or cost.
- unproductiveness: The state of failing to yield effective output.
- inefficiency: Wasteful use of time, energy, or resources.
Commonly confused with
- busyness: Busyness is keeping active; productivity is accomplishing meaningful target outcomes.
Word family
- productive (adjective): Producing or able to produce large amounts of goods, crops, or successful results.
- productively (adverb): In a productive manner.
Collocations
- boost productivity
- labor productivity
- productivity growth
- loss of productivity
Idioms & expressions
- get down to work
- work smarter, not harder
Example sentences
- "Investing in modern cloud software significantly improved overall employee productivity while cutting operational overhead by twenty percent." Corporate Economics
- "Productivity isn't everything, but in the long run it is almost everything." Economic Theory (Paul Krugman, The Age of Diminished Expectations (1994))
Memory hook
PRODUCE + ACTIVITY = Productivity is activity that actually produces results. Output per unit of effort.
When not to use
Avoid equating productivity with sheer activity; spending hours on trivial tasks is busywork, not productivity.
Fun facts
- The 'Solow Computer Paradox' in economics famously noted in 1987 that you can see the computer age everywhere except in the productivity statistics.
Related words
Explore more words
efficiency, efficient, output, throughput, industrious, effective
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