This paper explores the narratives around productivity in UK manufacturing firms. Whilst we hear a lot about the UK’s poor productivity from politicians and economists, this paper explores the conversations within manufacturing firms. Initial evidence from a project funded by the ESRC through the Productivity Insights Network is presented. It appears that there are many different narratives around productivity and often the conversations in the manufacturing firms bear little resemblance to the productivity statistics being presented by politicians and economists. The work is innovative in that it moves the conversation from the economists, politicians and statisticians to the manufacturing workplace
