We BETTER Work Together !!!

I visited the corporate office of a very large international firm today. The office was grand and magnificent. The RGB cables for the Notebook PCs were hidden away under a flip-cover along the spine of the long oval conference table. It is indeed a modern office. The receptionist at the front desk was simply sweet and polite, seemingly fluent in both English and Mandarin. I was there 10 minutes before my scheduled appointment time. I was invited to take a seat across the reception.

I was reminded of those days when I was working in a corporate environment holding senior managerial position. I used to read a monthly publication entitled, "Productivity Digest". At that time, there was a slogan that said, "Together, we work better". That was printed on banners hanging across the facade of buildings or across the fence, or on the walls within the factory buildings. That was intended to foster team spirit resulting in effective teamwork, for better productivity. That was the productivity campaign in Singapore.

In Japan, they have another slogan using the same four words but sequenced differently. They say, "We BETTER work together". Do you realise the difference in the attitude of people? The former takes things more leisurely while the latter takes things very seriously as if there were no alternatives. Such a difference in the mental attitude explains the difference in the productivity performance of employees in both countries.

I used to say this when I was lecturing about productivity, "Do more with less". Do more work with less time. Earn more money with less time. Make more finished products with less raw materials....