Across industries, organisations are hitting a productivity ceiling. Leaders invest in new structures, reorganise teams, and push for efficiency, yet the gains are short-lived. McKinsey’s latest research confirms why: too much focus is placed on structure, and not enough on how work actually gets done.
Reshuffling the org chart might feel like progress, but without addressing workflows, processes, and behaviours, productivity gains slip away. Two-thirds of executives surveyed described their organisations as “overly complex and inefficient.” The truth is, sustained productivity depends on radically simplifying processes and creating end-to-end value, not just tinkering with structure.
At Mind-Gap, we know that this requires more than technical fixes. Leaders must look at the flow of work across functions, eliminate duplication, and ensure accountability is enterprise-wide, not just function-specific. Shifting siloed mindsets is equally critical: when success is measured only by departmental goals, collaboration and innovation are undermined.
McKinsey’s research highlights four levers for simplifying and unifying workflows: eliminate, synchronise, streamline, and automate. Organisations applying these levers report faster speed to market, improved decision quality, reduced meeting loads, and higher employee engagement. By focusing on how value is created, rather than where people sit, they break free from the productivity ceiling.
At Mind-Gap, we support organisations to rethink work in practical, people-centred ways, from leadership development that shifts culture, to coaching that embeds accountability, and tools that redesign processes for clarity and flow. It’s about uniting strategy, structure, and people to unlock value. Connect with us to explore how.
Toolkit for Action
To start breaking your organisation’s productivity ceiling, ask yourself:
- Eliminate: Which meetings or reporting cycles could be cut without loss of value?
- Synchronise: How quickly and consistently does data move across markets and functions?
- Streamline: Are your reports decision-focused, or weighed down by backward-looking detail?
- Automate: Which manual processes can be replaced with digital tools or AI?
- Accountability: Does every function take responsibility for enterprise-wide value creation, or only for its own targets?
- Mindset: Are teams focused on solving today’s challenges, or stuck guarding against yesterday’s problems?
For more insights, read McKinsey’s full article here.
