When the cast of “Friends” was set but the show was just getting started, veteran Director James Burrows took the six stars to Las Vegas, simply to celebrate and let them get to know one another. At the time, the actors were relative unknowns without a lot of money, so the trip to Vegas was a big reward.



But Burrows and NBC got a huge reward, too. The trip helped the “Friends” to become friends. They made it a true ensemble show — one of the most successful in television history. Even after it became a huge hit, there were remarkably few ego clashes among cast members, with no one trying to take over as The Star or demanding more money than anyone else.
In fact, the six stars negotiated as a group, working together to get more money from the network.



Certainly there have been instances in television history when actors who hated each other still worked well professionally, but chemistry was what made “Friends.” If there were a bunch of tabloid headlines about backstabbing and prima donna behavior, the show just wouldn’t have been the same.



Bosses underestimate the power of chemistry, and how much of that has been lost as workplaces are more driven by pressure and technology. Three-martini lunches are ancient history, of course, but the focus on developing relationships seems to be out the window as well.
Big mistake. In surveys of more than 3 million workers, the Gallup Organization has found that workers who strongly agree that they have a best friend at work are 54 percent more likely to be engaged in their work than those who don’t.



And if they’re engaged, they will tend to be more productive. NBC can vouch for that.