INSTANT MBA: Bring The Blue And White Collar Workers Together

Today's advice comes from Norman Foster, founder and chairman of Foster + Partners, via Harvard Business Review:

"A workplace that is a good place to be attracts people to stay, and that translates directly into improved productivity and material reward. It can also break down divisions. For example, we’ve challenged stereotypes about white-collar and blue-collar staff; instead of separating them, we bring them together in what I call democratic pavilions."

Foster believes that above all, people need to learn how to work well together. He says it's important to create work spaces in your company where people are motivated to interact and share ideas with one another. If your company promotes a closed off and hostile work environment, people are less likely to join forces and come up with the breakthrough ideas that can set your business apart from your competitors. That's why Foster says it's important to not only invest in a great work environment, but to always encourage your employees to work as a team.

"I would mention teamwork again here; a building is a focus of energies ... Something that is designed by committee, in the end, tends to be compromised. Nothing wins out ... At the same time, [a building is] only there because of a dedicated team of people —maybe a tiny core group, or a veritable army spread out across continents—who at every turn rejected the shortcut and collectively burned the midnight oil."

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