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
January 26th, 2005 in Culture No Comments
In A World Where We Are Increasingly Defined By Our Work, Why Do So Many Of Us Have Such A Poor Understanding Of Office Politics?
This article explores the hidden rules of organizational cultures and office politics. As the author notes, “We go into workplaces with any number of preconceptions about other people’s motivations and values, and we’re often shockingly slow to adjust our assumptions in the face of reality.”
The organizational rules of a number of workplaces are examined, from advertising agencies and finance companies to multinational organizations and governmental civil service. The author illustrates her points with interesting real-life incidents involving people she has known. She finds that women get the politics of the workplace wrong much more frequently than men. She attributes this to the fact that women are “less attuned to power relationships, and less concerned by the exercise of power than men are.” Their teamwork, openness, empathy and conscientiousness are seen as praiseworthy, but are the opposite of the single-mindedness, calculation and status-consciousness required to succeed.
The author believes that intelligent people can end up working in environments whose values don’t match their own because the explicit values of organizations often have nothing to do with their real values – and may even be the opposite of them. They are slow to recognize they’re in the wrong place because they are change averse and often don’t want to admit defeat. In such situations the author believes that staying longer or working harder to get one’s true worth recognized is futile.
Source: Jenni Russell, The Guardian (Manchester, UK); Jan 26, 2005
