Workplace design

Workplace design is also known as innovative workplaces. As a concept, the 'innovative workplace' responds to a growing recog­nition within employing companies that the physical working environment can have a profound effect on an organization's culture and on the indi­vidual's performance.

Successive anthropological studies have demonstrated a proven con­nection between habitat and human behaviour. Today, there is widespread acceptance that the traditional habitat for white-collar work - the mod­ern office - has significant shortcomings in terms of planning, layout, fa­cilities and aesthetics. These shortcomings prevent organizations and in­dividuals from working to their full potential in terms of innovating effec­tively.

Designing offices to release innovation potential within the organiza­tion links the application of a number of design processes directly to the realization of organizational goals. These processes include space-plan­ning, interior, architectural, furniture and lighting design.

Designing innovative workplaces is not about creating visually 'wacky', attention-grabbing environments. It is about closely tailoring the physical environment to the requirements of developing new knowledge within the organization.

So what are the key issues at the heart of this concept? Inside any or­ganization, it is important to ask searching questions about the current office environment - and look at how physical and spatial improvements and the provision of different equipment might support innovation prac­tices.

Office design has many different, interrelated elements, including spa­tial layout, lighting, furniture specification, material finishes, technology services and catering provision. Within this framework, a number of con­flicting agendas must be addressed to achieve a more holistic balance if workplace design is to act as a catalyst for a more agile and responsive work culture. It is important to recognize these conflicts at the outset. There are five in particular.

First, designing innovative workplaces must reconcile the needs of the organization with those of the individual. Traditionally, office managers have been in charge, and employees have had little say over their environ­ment. But does this bring out the best in people?

Second, innovative workplaces must balance the need for fixed real estate against the reality of increasingly flexible and fluid work patterns. In the mix of office-based, mobile and home working, how can innovation be managed?

Third, innovative workplaces must combine workspace with public or social space. How much of the office space should be private, privileged (a club) or public and therefore open to all-comers?

The fourth conflict to resolve is architecture versus design. How much of the workplace investment should go into the bricks and mortar of the building shell, and how much into less permanent interior settings and flexible leases? Finally, organizations need to look at the image of their Workplace. Does it suggest an automaton (reflecting famous architect Mies van der Rohe's belief that an office is 'a machine for working in') or can it express more human values? All of these conflicts resonate in the practice of designing innovative workplaces.