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Why work doesn't happen at work

Explaining why the office is not a good place to get great work done, and offering three suggestions to make work work.

Profile image of Jason Fried
Nov 24, 2010 • 17 min read
4.42 (45)
Productivity
Creativity
Agile Leadership
Motivation
Delivery Management
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Summary

An interesting Ted Talk inspired by BlackBerry about ''Why work doesn't happen at work''. Experienced manager Jason Fried explains why the office is not the best place for people to do work citing that they face involuntary interruptions from managers and meetings (M&Ms) that are the main problems hindering great work delivery at the office. Jason also argues that people need long stretches of uninterrupted time to get meaningful work done and the office does not necessarily provide such an environment. According to him, people have different places where they go when they want to get things done, like the coffee house or the basement and it's high time to replicate that environment in the workplace. View the Ted Talk now to learn more about the suggestions he gives to make employees deliver great work at the office.

Takeaways

  • Creative people need long stretches of uninterrupted time to get meaningful work done. At the office, people are highly disrupted when trying to get things done.
  • People face involuntary interruptions from managers and meetings (M&Ms) that are the main problems hindering great work at the office.
  • Working from the office does not guarantee that employees will deliver great results. People have different places where they go when they want to get things done.

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