Insights from our Interim President, Eliot Lincoln, August 2026
Productivity, The Key to Success We Can No Longer Ignore
Productivity is one of those business terms that is often misunderstood. It is frequently associated with working harder, doing more with less or expecting people to simply increase their output. In reality, the most productive organisations rarely work the hardest. They work the smartest.
At its core, productivity is about creating greater value from the resources available. That means improving processes, removing unnecessary complexity, embracing technology where it adds value and ensuring that people spend their time on activities that genuinely make a difference.
Every successful business understands this principle. Markets change. Customer expectations evolve. Costs inevitably rise. Organisations that continually review and measure how they operate are better equipped to adapt, remain competitive and invest in future growth.
The same principle applies to Jersey's economy.
Productivity is not simply a business issue, it is an island issue. With a finite workforce, limited land and increasing demands on public services, our long term prosperity cannot rely solely on increasing inputs. We must become better at how we use the resources we already have.
That requires more than investment in technology, although digital transformation and artificial intelligence will undoubtedly play an important role. It also requires a willingness to challenge established processes, reduce unnecessary bureaucracy, improve decision making and remove barriers that prevent businesses from operating efficiently.
In business, we often talk about eliminating friction. Every unnecessary step, duplicated process or avoidable delay consumes time, money and energy. Individually these inefficiencies may appear small. Collectively they have a significant impact on competitiveness.
The opportunity for Jersey is to adopt and develop the same mindset across the wider economy. Faster planning decisions, simpler regulatory processes, more effective digital services and clearer pathways for investment all contribute to greater productivity. None of these reduce standards. They simply allow businesses and Government to achieve better outcomes with the same resources.
Importantly, productivity is not solely the responsibility of Government. Businesses must also continue investing in leadership, skills, technology and continuous improvement. The most resilient organisations are those that never stop asking whether there is a better way of doing something.
There is no single initiative that will transform productivity overnight. It is achieved through having clarity about our strategy, where we want to be and investing time and energy in implementing it. Sometimes this will involve making more fundamental change, but will always involve measurement, making hundreds of incremental improvements, each removing a little more friction, improving a process or enabling people to focus on higher value work.
If Jersey is serious about improving competitiveness, supporting sustainable economic growth and maintaining the quality of life that makes our island unique, productivity must become more than a policy objective. It must become part of the way we think, make decisions and measure success.
Success for the island and our businesses in the years ahead will not necessarily be achieved by those with the greatest resources, it will be achieved by those that make the best use of them. We must ensure that we are all clear on the part we play in that journey, the value we create, how we maximise our productivity, and how we work together for the commercial benefit of Jersey which will ultimately drive success for the whole island.
