Work Habits As Positive And Negative Influence On Workplace Productivity

The purpose of this study was to measure senior level executive perception of what encompasses successful workplace productivity in 21st century organizations. This qualitative study involved 42 senior level executives from 14 different industries and institutional groupings who represented Western organizations. The authors collected data from August 2013 to April 2014. Over 76% of the participants had over 10 years’ experience in their professional field. These senior level executives indicated that a number of different categories such as Attitude, Ethics, Initiative, Interpersonal Skills, Personal Development, Teams, Leadership, Time Management, Focus, Rules and Solutions were either positive or negative workplace habits affecting productivity. The majority of executives cited Attitude as the most positive workplace habit affecting productivity and Unaccountability and Carelessness as the most negative workplace habits affecting productivity. The authors’ findings offer insights into ways that senior leaders can adjust their hiring and training strategies so positive workplace habits are enabled and negative ones are contained and minimalized so greater productivity can be engaged in the workplace. We offer directions for future research in the subject area and point to areas for possible training consideration