In nearly every workplace in every industry, productivity and success require some form of collaboration. Today's technology now makes it possible to collaborate with teams of all sizes, departments, and geographic locations. However, even with these new technologies, the currency that makes it work is trust.
In a recent blog post by Larry Prusak ("The One Thing That Makes Collaboration Work") for the Harvard Business Review, he does an excellent job in describing the things a leader must do to develop trust in an organization:
1. Promote trustworthy people
2. Work with your own employees
3. Publicize the costs of distrust
4. Give people a reason beyond their pay to come to work
5. Reduce pay inequality
These are critical factors to consider when planning collaborative workspace, whether it is a new facility or a renovation of an existing space.
As Mr. Prusak put it, "Trust is the new gold. Equally valuable, but for too many companies and too many leaders not nearly so obviously worth the effort."
