Posts Tagged ‘collaborative environment’
June 7th, 2010 in Design No Comments
Gone are the workplace concepts of the 1970′s. Floor plan designs created isolating and non-stimulating environments. Physical barriers of cubicle design, circulation patterns, and the lack of daylight views for most employees blend together to inhibit collaboration and inspiration.
Teams are therefore slower complete tasks, thus affecting team, and individual results.
Workplaces also must be reinvented to accommodate new technologies, beyond just the impact of wireless technology. New hardware and software is causing workers to think and behave differently, and therefore, accomplish daily tasks in a new way. (more…)
August 20th, 2007 in Culture No Comments
Hearing-Aid Maker Oticon Removed All Office Boundaries And Has Flourished By Learning Which Ones It Needs
This article is really the story of Oticon, a Danish hearing aid manufacturer whose CEO swept away middle managers, hierarchies and fixed assignments in a drive to create a “free marketplace of ideas.” Employees were free to concentrate on any project and join any team. After a move into a new headquarters, no employee had a permanent office or desk, only filing cabinets on wheels that they could push from project to project. Over time the CEO left and total freedom to choose projects evolved to allow management direction. Creativity remained after a balance was struck between creative freedom and leadership guidance. Since 2002 sales have grown nearly 40% while profits rose nearly 60%.
Source: Jack Ewing, Business Week; Aug 20, 2007
April 2nd, 2007 in Office Management No Comments
This article declares that even the most consensus-oriented manager must be ready to use dictatorial powers when a collaborative approach is neither appropriate nor desirable. This is particularly true when defending or maintaining collaborative cultures, which are especially fragile when new or when part of a strongly hierarchical organization.
The author lists common types of behavior that need to be addressed in this fashion, including personal attacks and unprofessional, unethical or illegal behavior. He also discusses four basic approaches to take depending on the urgency and severity of the situation.
Source: Paul Glen, Computerworld; Apr 2, 2007
May 24th, 2006 in Design No Comments
This article explores the cutting-edge office design adopted by SCA, a Swedish paper products manufacturer which has its American headquarters in Philadelphia. Acknowledging the fact that “work environment can have a direct impact on productivity and the level of energy, enthusiasm, and creativity,” SCA’s VP of Human Resources requested a new office design from their design firm that was, above all else, “inclusive and team-oriented,” with “everyone treated in a similar way.”
Daylight permeates the new interior of SCA’s offices thanks to glass walls and low panel heights, promoting the transparency in business dealings which SCA values. A central elliptical staircase ties all three floors together, while workstations and office furniture are visibly consistent to avoid any sense of hierarchy. The private offices necessary for several departments were made slightly smaller to save floor space for collaborative group areas. Meeting spaces range from formal to informal, with the most notable placed at each landing of the central staircase.
Another company priority is to make employees feel comfortable. Natural elements like wood flooring, in-floor planters, water features and ample daylighting were incorporated and green building certification was achieved.
The office design elements received rave reviews from employees, who have taken to coming in earlier, leaving later and working more energetically while at work.
Source: Sofia Galadza, Contract (San Francisco); May, 2006
