Management Tip of the Day: Create an Office Space that Encourages Teamwork

Are you having trouble viewing this email? If so, click here to see it in a web browser. HOME   |   TIPS   |   BLOGS   |   THE MAGAZINE   |   BOOKS   |   STORE RSS   |   Mobile AUGUST 2, 2012 Create an Office Space that Encourages Teamwork Business today requires collaboration, but we rarely design our workspaces to support this. Here are three ways your company can restructure your office to better support people working together. Vary the types of workspaces. Employees need group spaces for co-creation, but there should also be areas for concentrated work (unassigned individual workstations), emergent social exchange (free-flowing hallways), and learning (rooms equipped with technology and tools). Provide the right tools. Make sure meeting rooms include tools like whiteboards that allow employees to record ideas and create a visual, side-by-side review of alternative solutions. Give project teams a dedicated space. Returning to the same workspace each day, keeping meeting notes on the board, and leaving work on tables between meetings can help teammates maintain a shared mindset, sharpening their focus and speeding up the collaborative process. Today's Management Tip was adapted from "Better Teamwork Through Better Workplace Design" by Anat Lechner. Read the full post and join the discussion:» Share Today's Tip: FEATURED PRODUCT Build, Borrow, or Buy: Solving the Growth Dilemma HBR Press Book How should you grow your organization? It's one of the most challenging questions an executive team faces—and the wrong answer can break your firm. So where do you start? By asking the right questions, argue INSEAD's Laurence Capron and coauthor Will Mitchell, of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. Drawing on decades of research and teaching, Capron and Mitchell find that a firm's aptitude for determining the best resource pathways for growth has a defining impact on its success. ADVERTISEMENT Follow the Tip: PREVIOUS TIPS Get the Most From Your Star Salespeople Get Your Boss to Say Yes Get Unstuck When Innovating Choose the Right Leadership Approach Set Ground Rules for Your Global Team Make Your Presentation's Visual Aides Easy to Follow Don't Dismiss Critics of Change Start Your Team on the Right Path Conduct an Informal 360° Maintain Momentum for Your Change Effort All Previous Tips BEST SELLERS HBR's 10 Must Reads: The Essentials HBR's Must Reads Library Set Guide to Persuasive Presentations Guide to Better Business Writing Guide to Getting the Right Work Done Introducing HBR's Morning Advantage The Harvard Business Review Morning Advantage delivers the latest business ideas from beyond HBR.org directly to your inbox every morning — and it is free! Sign up today >> UNSUBSCRIBE   |   UPDATE YOUR PROFILE   |   MORE EMAIL NEWSLETTERS   |   PRIVACY POLICY Was this email forwarded to you? If so, sign up to start receiving your own copy. ABOUT THIS MAILING LIST You have received this message because you subscribed to the "Management Tip of the Day" email newsletter from Harvard Business Review. If at any point you wish to remove yourself from this list, change your email address, or sign up for other email newsletters and alerts, please visit the Harvard Business Review Email Newsletter Preference Center. OPT OUT If you do not wish to receive any email messages from Harvard Business Review, click here. ADVERTISE WITH HBR This enewsletter is read by thousands of decision makers every day. Learn more about connecting your brand with this audience. Copyright © 2012 Harvard Business School Publishing, an affiliate of Harvard Business School. All rights reserved. Harvard Business Publishing | 60 Harvard Way | Boston, MA 02163 Customer Service: 800-545-7685 (+1-617-783-7600 outside the U.S. and Canada)