Leaders in Productivity: International Experience in Achieving National Goals
KEY CONCLUSIONS
Productivity depends on many factors
“Productivity is an integrated index that depends on a number of components: it is human capital, and the accumulated volume of capital resources, and the existing investment, production and managerial technologies, and the created production chains and cooperation,” Maxim Oreshkin, Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation.
“Surrounding factors are very important: chain of suppliers, logistics, and issues related to reaching higher productivity when working with suppliers,” Cathrina Claas-Muehlhaeuser, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, CLAAS Group.
Russian economy is stable
“The world is becoming very innovative and competitive. Russia’s economy has proved to be very resilient, which is a positive thing,” Peter Altmaier, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy of the Federal Republic of Germany.
“Russia is the world champion in efficiency, because only 2% of the planet’s population control 1/7 of the world,” Matthias Schepp, Chairman, Russian-German Chamber of Commerce.
PROBLEMS
Business leadership shows insufficient competency in new management and production technologies
“Without competent governance, without the leadership that can arrange processes <…> Russia needs to catch up here, and this is where we can learn a lot from German companies,” Maxim Oreshkin, Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation.
“Most medium-sized businesses have an enormous knowledge base about their companies, but they know nothing about artificial intelligence,” Peter Altmaier, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Segments oriented on domestic market show low productivity
“The export-oriented segments feel great, while the segments that are oriented on domestic market – health care or construction, per say – are doing much worse,” Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch, Director, Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).
SOLUTIONS
Government and business should combine their efforts to raise productivity
“The government should create conditions to provide human capital at the market, to minimize barriers for the investment process, to develop technologies within economy together with universities and science, and to improve the governance, which is lacking in every segment,” Maxim Oreshkin, Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation.
“The government should listen to and hear business instead of living in their own reality and imagination of what business needs,” Alexey Repik, President, Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia); Chairman of the Board, Group R-Pharm.
Removing bureaucratic barriers and stable legislation
“Small companies drive innovation. If innovations are needed, we need to attract them. In order to attract them, we need stability and a clear legislation,” Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch, Director, Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).
“We need to detect bureaucratic barriers. We need to improve tax conditions,” Peter Altmaier, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy of the Federal Republic of Germany.
“First of all, systematic measures are needed: measures to reduce bureaucratic barriers, measures to cancel excessive regulation,” Alexey Repik, President, Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia); Chairman of the Board, Group R-Pharm.
Introducing state-of-the-art technologies in business processes
“If a company adopts more advanced management technologies, it improves its own performance by 40%,” Andras Horvai, Country Director, Resident Representative for the Russian Federation, Europe and Central Asia, World Bank Group.
“Russia has first-class education. People should get the right tools to work in the digital environment,” Johan Vanderplaetse, Chairman, Association of European Businesses; President, Russia and CIS, Schneider Electric.
Training entrepreneurs to raise productivity
“We have started a programme to professionally train trainers. Those teachers and trainers will help SME companies,” Peter Altmaier, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy of the Federal Republic of Germany.
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