In recent years C-level executives in many of the world's largest and most successful organizations have been forced to introduce a wide range of cost-cutting measures as macroeconomic forces continue to create a challenging and uncertain trading environment. In many instances, and with growth becoming an increasingly difficult goal to achieve, organizations have been under intense pressure to reduce the cost base to help growth. But at what cost to future success? An overzealous attack on the bottom line to maintain shareholder value in the short term could mean organizations are leaving themselves open to damaging productivity shortfalls in the future.