They monitor each worker's productivity to the second and can give instant feedback about how to improve production.

BBC: American manufacturers come back home

PreussenElektra, by contrast, is huge, rich and, thanks to Hartmann's streamlining work during Act I (he improved PreussenElektra's worker productivity by 20% from 1993), it is already Germany's lowest-cost producer.

FORBES: Ulrich Hartmann's second act

Mr Corrigan's victory over the unions in the docks war led to a four-fold increase in productivity per worker at Patrick's freight terminals in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, the three eastern ports that handle the bulk of Australia's trade.

ECONOMIST: Face value

According to McKinsey, this local protectionism is the largest reason for the low productivity of Japanese retailing, with output per worker half the U.S. level.

WSJ: Review & Outlook: Mr. Abe's 'Third Arrow'

That's on top of other health-related costs like higher absenteeism and lower worker productivity, costs that will continue to rise and threaten the vitality of American businesses until this problem is solved once and for all.

WSJ: Michelle Obama:The Business Case for Healthier Food Options

Around 40% of the network still uses outdated analogue technology. (Argentina, which privatised its phones in 1991, has an almost fully digital network.) That, plus equally outdated labour practices, has meant that Brazil's telecoms industry has an average of one full-time worker per 108 lines, less than half the productivity achieved in the United States.

ECONOMIST: A clear line from Brazil

Worker productivity soared, and workers became very passionate about their opportunity to make a difference in the company's operations.

FORBES