Quality vs productivity: Which one is our priority?

That was the basic question by Jeremy (not his real name). Citing his recent experience, he told me of an unusual debate among fellow managers who were energetic about their respective positions. They talked as if everyone has become an overworked photocopier in a closed door:

“Which is our priority – quality or productivity?” For those who were born yesterday, there’s no middle-of-the-road answer like “both.” Jeremy said: “The operations manager brandished his spreadsheets that scream “low productivity.”

On one hand, the quality manager resonated with a counter-issue: “We have a monthly average of 1,000 defects.” Welcome to the corporate tug-of-war between doing things right and doing things fast.

I told Jeremy: “We measure almost everything, probably including the number of emails answered before lunch – as if more activity equals more achievement. But chasing productivity without first securing quality is like running on a treadmill: you’re sweating a lot, but you haven’t actually gone anywhere.”

You can double your output, but if a quarter of what you make comes back for rework, you’ve just created an illusion of productivity. It’s like bragging you baked 200 cookies when 25 percent are burnt and the rest taste like Parker Quink bottled ink.

Taiichi Ohno, father of the Toyota Production System, warned about this decades ago: “The more inventory a company has, the less likely it is to have what it needs.” Substitute “inventory” with “productivity obsession,” and you’ll understand corporate reality.

Let’s be honest – “that’s OK” to some people is one of the most expensive expressions in business. It’s the polite cousin of “we’ll fix it later,” which is a corporate code for “it’s not my problem.” When you ship products or services with defects, you’re not just gambling with customer satisfaction – you’re sabotaging your reputation.

Customers are remarkably forgiving when you’re late, but harshly cruel when you deliver junk. In the age of social media, one bad review can travel faster than your marketing budget can recover.

In the digital age, “faster” has become the lazy synonym for “better.” We idolize speed – faster launches, faster shipping, faster decisions. But speed without direction is chaos managed by a stopwatch resulting in a sprint toward mediocrity.

Productivity divorced from quality is like a race car without brakes. It’s impressive until it meets reality.

Quality is it

When you make quality your top priority, productivity naturally follows. Why? Because quality eliminates waste – and waste is productivity’s archenemy. The math is simple. Fewer defects mean less rework. Less rework means smoother flow. Smoother flow means faster delivery.

Suddenly, you’re not working harder – you’re working smarter. Toyota understood this long before. They empower their employees to stop the production line if something looked wrong – an act that would give Western managers heart palpitations.

But it worked, because they knew stopping to fix an error early saves exponential time later. In other words, quality is proactive productivity.

Organizations obsessed with productivity tend to create stressed employees who cut corners just to hit targets. A culture of quality, on the other hand, breeds pride and craftsmanship. People who believe their work matters don’t just do more – they do better.

When workers are trusted to “stop the line” to correct errors, they feel ownership. They don’t just assemble; they create. And that emotional connection translates into loyalty, innovation and yes – higher productivity.

I told Jeremy: “If you want to see real efficiency, ask the people on the floor what slows them down.” It’s employee engagement. It’s a cure to laziness or quiet quitting.

Real productivity

The more you chase productivity, the more it runs away. Why? Because in trying to do more, you often introduce complexity – extra approvals, tighter deadlines, and frantic multitasking that guarantees mistakes.

Real productivity isn’t about doing more things – it’s about doing the right things better.

That means starting with quality. Nothing kills output faster than a product recall, a service complaint, or an employee who’s too demoralized to care anymore.

The world’s most admired companies like Apple, Toyota and Singapore Airlines, all share one obsession – they’d rather be known for excellence than volume. Apple doesn’t launch a hundred products a year. It launches one or two models that customers line up for. Toyota doesn’t brag about how many cars it makes, but how long those cars last.

Singapore Airlines consistently ranks among the world’s top airlines – known for high quality service, comfort and reliability.

The secret of these companies isn’t speed – it’s the refusal to compromise on quality. Because when you build things right, you buy yourself time, trust and loyalty – the real currencies of modern business.

The answer is clear. If you focus on quality first, you’ll hit your numbers and your customers’ hearts. Quality is like compounding interest – the longer you invest, the bigger the payoff. Productivity is a monthly thrill; quality is a lifetime reputation.

As the Japanese are wont to say: “Quality is free – it’s rework that’s expensive.” So, the next time someone in your meeting says, “We need to be more productive,” smile and ask, “By whose definition?” Because if productivity means producing more mistakes, you’re not working faster – you’re just failing in bulk.

Rey Elbo is a quality and productivity enthusiast. Email your story to [email protected] or DM him on Facebook or LinkedIn. Anonymity is guaranteed to those with an adverse opinion.