DRIVERS OF WORKER PRODUCTIVITY: A STUDY OF FUNDAMENTAL CAUSES

The article is devoted to the analysis of factors affecting the productivity of workers. The hypothesis of the study is based on the assumption that the exclusion from the main aspects of labor activity of a set of factors that determine the meaning of work and give value to work is the main reason for the decrease in the production efficiency of workers in modern times. The main purpose of the article is to study the key factors influencing employee productivity in historical retrospect, which will identify the drivers of labor productivity. It is established that the semantic foundations of the systems for activating the labor return of employees in various historical epochs of economic development both in Russia and abroad show heterogeneity and have a qualitative and evolutionary character. The general tendency of the law of diminishing returns in the context of increasing the employee’s labor activity is confirmed: the growth of production returns solely due to one factor (for example, material remuneration) under other equal conditions turns out to be ineffective, which is confirmed by historical and economic analysis. It is revealed that low production efficiency in the long term of work is directly related to the absence of a factor of “mental value”, which gives meaning to working life and determines value orientations at the level of beliefs, worldviews, worldview, internal attitudes and meanings. It is shown that entrepreneurial activity, which is an activity aimed at creating and developing business opportunities within an organization and implying risk, initiative, striving for innovation, and economic freedom, is a new form of increasing an employee’s labor and production returns in conditions of crisis transitions. The results obtained give reason to believe that, in addition to actions aimed at improving material well-being, in modern conditions, social aspects (such as entrepreneurial leadership, social partnership and the development of market competencies), mental factors (economic freedom and competitiveness), as well as value elements (integrated strategic leadership) play a dominant role in the employee’s labor productivity and a common vision of employee and organization development).