You might not be able to make a final judgement about a book by its cover, but you sure can draw some good ideas regarding its content. So it is with somebody’s work space: no, you won’t be able to tell exactly what he or she is all about, but it can give you some good ideas about his or her work ethic, skill set, area of emphasis, and level of dedication. While all people organize in different ways, committed employees will fight to maintain a workplace that is conducive to productive and effective work.
If your employees are exhibiting signs of less-than-optimal work output, have a look around the office and see what kind of organization systems are in place. What kind of collaboration software are your employees using on a day-to-day basis? Is the workplace and each individual work station geared toward sharing and collaboration, or do your teams’ workflows rarely if ever intersect? If you utilize online document management, check your sharing permissions to make sure teams are encouraged to work together. Marketing project management software such as Basecamp or Workzone can help you manage your team’s synergy.
Whether your teams are focused on project management, accounting, sales, or another aspect of your business, ensure you are using the proper tools for the job. If all your people have Microsoft Project or similar locally hosted software up on the screen all day, you could be losing out on a significant source of efficiency. While MS Project has served many companies well in years past, today the very best teams are equipped with tools that were designed from the ground up for online-only project management.
Ultimately, your desk may say a lot about you, but it can never tell the whole story. The bigger picture: what kind of vision and values you have implemented in your company, what kind of people you invest in, and what kind of tools you equip them with to accomplish the company’s goals are far more significant. Investing in your infrastructure is virtually the same as investing in your people, as more advanced tools can unlock all kinds of potential in your staff.
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