ABSTRACT
It is obvious that organizations exist—or should exist—to fulfill a mission; to accomplish goals and objectives. It is equally obvious that human resources are key to productivity. People are the providers of services, the enforcers of regulations, the analysts, and the problem solvers. A central concern of personnel management is how to ensure a productive workforce. The challenge to managers is to translate the mission of their respective agencies into jobs and then to have those jobs completed by able and energetic people. An essential responsibility of managers is to facilitate the work of their staff by providing an environment that is supportive and free of distractions. The key variables for productivity are job design, employee and volunteer skills, individual effort, and working conditions. This chapter reviews research and theories that explain each variable and how it relates to productivity. For some individuals, the accomplishment of projects brings about a sense of satisfaction prompting more effort to get more accomplished.
