In reality only 34 percent of all employee interaction occurs in a planned way, the vast majority occurs ad-hoc and spontaneously (most often around someone’s desk). Sorting things out as and when they arise improves productivity. This fact reinforces the need to focus more on those spaces that allow people to interact with others spontaneously rather than just design spaces for planned interaction.

Via pcg.com.au >

Sustainable competitive advantage requires relentless adaptation in the way a company serves its clients and its employees. Too often, companies place employee workflows and experiences on the back burner. It’s difficult to create an innovative workplace if a company’s employees are using tools designed in the 1980s.

Successful companies know the best way to serve their customers is to provide market leading workplace experiences that execute on three fronts – culture, process, and technology. What’s often forgotten is how technology can play a vital role in cultural enablement.

Via forbes.com >

If you think your workplace won’t change much in the next five years, think again. Winners of the “Tomorrow’s Workplace” design competition from Staples Business Advantage and Metropolis magazine forecast that in 2021, the workplace may include inflatable pods set up in urban parks, or young professionals working alongside active retirees in a setting that resembles a small town more than an office building.

Buildings and space that anticipate your needs. Collaboration with robots. Cafes, parks, and airports as the new office. Sound far-fetched? Workplaces are evolving more rapidly than ever and employers have seen dramatic shifts in where, when, and how employees work. Ten years from now, your workplace may well be unrecognizable from the office you use today. Work is becoming more digital, and yet in need of a more humanized experience.

Via workdesign.com > [paywall]

Today’s leaders are walking a path filled with greater obstacles and more frequent hurdles than ever before. The previous top-down management style is no longer keeping up with a global business climate requiring agility and innovation.

The Steelcase Global Report: Engagement and the Global Workplace revealed that one-third of employees in 17 of the most important global economies are disengaged. Yet, traditional leadership patterns remain. The Global Report found that 58 percent of executives still work in private offices compared to only 23 percent of employees. While leadership environments such as executive suites remain the norm, Steelcase found that many leaders are taking advantage of technology and mobility to work outside of their traditional office. They know they can’t afford to be isolated from employees who have their fingers on the pulse of the everyday challenges and opportunities in the organization.

Via steelcase.com >

Many of us have ways of framing our ideas about the workplace with reference to the things we love. Because I am a Harry Potter fan that means developing notions of Hogwarts and what it says about how the school building influences teaching and learning practices. J K Rowling’s universe offers rich pickings for this sort of thing and in the case of this feature provides us with an example of how we might consider the current state of thinking about the flexible workspace. One of Rowling’s brilliant ideas is the Room of Requirements. For the uninitiated, this is a room that presents itself to someone in need in exactly the shape and form required at the time including all furniture and fittings. Most often it appeared at Hogwarts for students in need to hide stuff, but Harry and his friends also used it for their secret society meetings to practice defence against the dark arts, for example.

Via workplaceinsight.net >