One Calendar with Social Networking PowersDesigning Stimulating Physical Workplaces
What makes an inspiring workplace? Do you think rows of cubicles and a few office boardrooms inspire your employees? How about poor lighting, lack of color and bad ventilation?
No, that’s kind of depressing and really uninspiring in my books.
A truly inspiring physical workspace is a collaborative hub. A space where groups of various sizes can easily get together, share knowledge, and help support and grow each other’s ideas. You can’t do that in a cubicle farm.
Take a look at the renowned IDEO office pictured and described in this blog post. This is a great example of an aesthetically pleasing, comfortable physical space that offers the solitude for people to go off and work individually—while offering various collaborative spaces that encourage just that. This goes far beyond the meeting room with the boring rectangle table surrounded by leather-backed chairs (I don’t care if they’re ergonomic or not). In fact, now that I think of it, this office has a lot in common with the MFX Partners’ office in Kitchener’s core and the Design Changes studio in the Princess Twin building in uptown Waterloo. And I know all of our employees can back me up when I say it’s these types of environments that support and stimulate new ways of thinking every day!
Does your workspace resemble any of these ten seriously cool workplaces?
I understand that not every aspect of these examples will suit every company and every industry. However, there’s room for most companies to improve their physical spaces when it’s the most vital factor for encouraging design thinking and stimulating positive change.
