Case Study – Innovative Workspace Design

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SITUATION:

The workplace is seeing a shift away from the classic command and control business environment in which the organization space is designed as a hierarchical zone with top-down leadership.  Today’s virtual office movement utilizing the internet and telecommunications technologies are still powered by teams, but changes to the playing field need to be considered.  Whether co-located or discrete, these evolved workspaces are tasked in dealing with the new realities of a multi-cultural and multi-generational, & multi-technological workforce.

“Ideas, information and expertise create business success.”

APPROACH:

The team or group is now the primary unit of knowledge-based work; consisting of primary work methods that support the individual, group, and adjacent teams/departments based on  people, process, and technology. They often require real-time access to data while occurring in a space that can adapt to a wide range of usage, such as huddle areas, conference areas, and  presentation spaces.

One on One is an individual work method that occurs within the    primary workspace that supports refined concentration and reduces interruptions.  Workgroup is a collaborative work method that can occur in the  individual or group workspace.  It focuses on the casual exchange of ideas with a small number of colleagues.  This occurs through joint viewing of a single computer or telepresence screen, reviewing a document together or sharing thoughts and knowledge with others.  Conference Room is a meeting space with specific goals that may occur in this formal/informal space.  This is typically project-focused work,  however the team can flow from formal to casual in this workspace which has the ability to expand and contract with private/public options.  Collaboration Space allows interactive project or training work sessions to work between various groups/departments having the ability to expand and contract in various configurations and with private/public options.

RESULT:

This design strategy configuring these group work methods integrate the flow and support of people, and the collection & management of information.   Defining a range of work zones provides a foundation to support the organization’s full spectrum of work activity and varied nature of work performed today.

“The workspace as a resource and tool.”

While the computer and internet can provide 24/7 connection to information, it can also isolate people.  Daily activities allow the social and cultural connections that bind the group and organization.  This new workspace paradigm provides a forum for  people to collaborate, enjoy fellowship, engage in debate, create and challenge ideas and experience learning in various meaningful ways while     enhancing business          performance, attracting and  retaining personnel, thereby increasing efficiency and profitability for the Company.

Tags: administration, building, collaboration, conference, flexible, focused, innovative, office, team, telepresence, workspace

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 15th, 2011 at 2:46 pm and is filed under Case Studies.

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