24
/ BUILDING DIALOGUE / SEPTEMBER 2016
T
oday’s incessant economic dynamics and
ongoing technological disruption have
made the place of work the fastest fluc-
tuating environment of our time. Never before
has the workplace been more evolving, casual
and monitored. This work reality impacts people’s
mental, social and economic well-being. As com-
panies perpetually optimize the output of their
human beings (aka, “employees”) within reasonable
financial means, a heightened awareness and val-
ue is placed on the individual’s sensitivities, such as
comfort, pleasure and convenience.
Driven by changing work styles, the experience
economy and the influence of startup culture, the
lines separating the worlds of work, life and play con-
tinue to fade.
As group-based work becomes the norm, outcomes
are emphasized over process. Group work dominates
for good reason. Not only is it the demonstrated linch-
pin of creativity and productivity, but also it plays a
key role in workers’ happiness and satisfaction with
their jobs, company and workplace.
Empowered workers move frequently through-
out the day to their choice of workspace, using the
tools they select and meeting with the team they
need, at the time and place they prefer. As mobility
lifts limitations on where work is done, organizations
Moving Forward
Working in teams has become the norm for most
firms, with more than half of today’s work consid-
ered group-based, and an even higher percentage
expected in the future.
Jenny West,
LEED AP ID+C
Architecture
and Design
Manager,
Knoll
We are building
COLORADO
