CREJ - Building Dialogue - September 2016
Today’s incessant economic dynamics and ongoing technological disruption have made the place of work the fastest fluctuating 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 companies perpetually optimize the output of their human beings (aka, “employees”) within reasonable financial means, a heightened awareness and value 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 continue 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 linchpin 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 throughout 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 are challenged to create engaging environments that draw workers to the office. In response, the workplace has taken on new life, functioning as a town-square-like hub energized by the hum of the occupants. Elements of residential and hospitality design add welcomed comfort for employees who come together to collaborate, connect or need a place to relax, ideate, focus, socialize or otherwise engage. Reduced individual workspace footprints allow companies to provide a greater number of amenities and social spaces, while still maintaining a tight rein on real estate portfolio expenses. Through research and design, Knoll understands the disruptive transformations that occur globally in the environments where work takes place. Most recently, we undertook a series of studies with a twofold goal: to identify trends of a business environment in flux, and to realize how forces of changing complexity, speed and style were transforming the workplace. About the Immersive Planning Study | Methodology • A four-year longitudinal study began in 2012 with a baseline survey of 40 workplace executives across diverse industries and locations, and environmental observation studies. • In 2015 and 2016, we conducted a second phase of research, surveying 110 workplace executives worldwide, including real estate professionals, architects, designers, leading academics and workplace strategists across three continents. • In early 2016, 1,400 knowledge workers across 14 countries were surveyed on user experience to determine the relationships of office features and design to work outcomes such as creativity, productivity, happiness, stress and satisfaction. Key Takeaways Knoll found five significant factors that contribute to a new way of working and drive new thinking about the work environment. 1. Group-based work is the norm. 2. Hospitality and residential influences enter the workplace. 3. Despite new alternatives, office is still home base. 4. Empowered by choice, employees make the workplace their own. 5. Management of the real estate asset is tighter than ever. Based on our findings, we identified a new way to think about space. Defined as immersive planning, the planning approach blurs not only the lines between work, life and play, but also individuals and teams, primary workspaces and activity spaces, and owned and shared work areas and tools. The space is as fluid as teams themselves. As workspaces become defined by an individual’s actions rather than job function, the lines between space types diminish; enhancing interaction, inviting connected experiences and radiating a sense of hospitality at every exchange. Comfortable furnishings and fluid boundaries characterize this group-based workplace where the actions of the people themselves define the space. The result: an environment that creates a variety of experiences, transforming at a moment’s notice and evolving with use. Comprised of three fundamental elements – improvisational, communal and dimensional – the model cultivates an environment of dynamic flow, constant movement, meaningful interaction, creative group effort and innovation within a gracious and welcoming setting. For the full white paper, visit www.knoll.com, “Immersive Planning, From Research to Realization: An Experience-based Workplace” Also cited: Harvard University Graduate School of Design, “Work Environments, Campus and Event” by Florian Idenburg. Studio Report 1/3 sponsored by Knoll. https://issuu.com/gsdharvard/docs/workenvironments .