Have you ever felt as if there was an invisible line drawn down the middle of your organization? On one side of the line you find privileged management personnel and on the other, the rank and file employees who are reminded daily how lucky they are to be employed.

In some organizations the line is not very obvious while in other businesses the line is clearly drawn. If you are serious about unifying your organization then start by erasing the lines that are dividing your organization and holding it back. Here are some tips to get you going.

Check the physical layout of your offices

It is common for management to give little thought to the physical layout of their offices. That's too bad, because employees typically give it a lot of thought.

I recently encountered an interesting phenomenon while conducting employee focus group meetings. Employees kept talking about "the carpet people" and the "tile people." At first I thought these terms were industry specific. However, after several sarcastic comments it became clear to me that these terms were being used to differentiate between professional employees, who sat in nicely carpeted offices and cubicles, and manufacturing personnel, who had tile beneath them.

Confused, I probed further. It was then that one of the "tile people" informed me that there was a distinct line (a door) where the tile ended and the carpeting began. In management's defense, the work space set up for those "tile people" assembling the product seemed in line with other light manufacturing environments. The real issue wasn't the carpet or the tile. It was the door that had been put up between the two workspaces to insulate both areas from hall conversations. An idea with good intentions created an unintended communication barrier.

Walk around your offices and see how your workspace is laid out. Have doors been put up that have resulted in people feeling shut out from the rest of the organization? If so, it's time to open those doors so that communication can flow freely throughout your organization. If you really want to unify your workforce, start by taking down the barriers that prevent communication and stifle the flow of ideas.

Focus on being inclusive rather than exclusive

If you've worked in the corporate world long enough you've probably experienced the following situation. You walk by the conference room and the "executive team" is huddled around a flipchart, which contains strategic questions on an area you are intimately familiar with. After all, you are the manager of the department.

You find it perplexing that no one has asked your opinion. You quietly go back to your desk and return the call to the headhunter who left you a voicemail yesterday. You don't bother to close your office door since you are confident that no one will be coming by to invite you to the meeting.

Why bother to hire competent managers if the senior team is going to make all the decisions? Most employees want to contribute to the success of the organization. They want to know that their opinion matters. The next time you hold another "executive meeting," think about who else should attend. You might be surprised that the answer is right in front of you.

Communicate, communicate, communicate

Imagine what it must be like working in the dark all day. In order for employees to be productive they need to be kept in the loop. Look for ways to improve the flow of communication in your company. The fixes might be as simple as a weekly Monday morning meeting. Ask employees for their suggestions. Not only will you increase communication but you will also receive great ideas and create a more inclusive work environment.

Invest in ongoing team building

Too many companies approach team building as a flavor of the month. Here is a typical example. The CEO attends an executive conference where he experiences an amazing transformation as a result of a team building exercise. Upon his return, he calls Outward Bound and books an event for the entire company. He then gathers the troops and tells them about their upcoming off-site team building event. Eyes roll and employees quickly begin to think of five reasons why they can't attend before the CEO has even finished his speech.

Most likely this is not the first time the CEO has come back from a conference with a wonderful idea for helping employees bond with one another. And it is also probably not the first time he has made a unilateral decision about what kind of program to bring to the organization.

It takes time to build a team and employers must be prepared to go the distance. If you are serious about a team building initiative, start by putting together a cross section of employees. Then decide - together - what the goal of having the event will be, and charge the employees with the task of creating an experience that will effectively meet that goal. Congratulations, now you're walking the talk. You've just put together your first team!

Uniting employees requires commitment by all parties involved. You know how devastating it can be when you're organization is split. Just imagine how powerful your business will be when everyone is on the same side of the door.

Roberta Chinsky Matuson is the principal of Human Resource Solutions and is also a NEHRA member. She can be reached at or by calling 617-566-8978.