{"id":8528,"date":"2017-01-13T10:46:12","date_gmt":"2017-01-13T10:46:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/?post_type=article&p=8528"},"modified":"2023-02-07T09:21:28","modified_gmt":"2023-02-07T09:21:28","slug":"office-renaissance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/eu-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/culture-talent\/office-renaissance\/","title":{"rendered":"The Office Renaissance"},"content":{"rendered":"

It wasn\u2019t long after smart phones, tablets and ubiquitous Wi-Fi that workplace pundits predicted the end of the office. If emerging technologies allow people to work anywhere, they reasoned, then who needs the office?<\/p>\n

As it turns out, the vast majority of workers do\u2014because work, at its essence, is a social endeavor. Even people armed with the latest mobile device still come to the office for two main reasons: to connect with other people and to access technology they can\u2019t carry around in their backpacks. The office didn\u2019t go away, but it\u2019s evolving into something fundamentally different.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are rebelling against offices that are focused on uniformity and standards,\u201d says James Ludwig, Steelcase\u2019s global head of design. \u201cThey\u2019re looking for inspiration and creativity at work, as well as human-centered technology that makes life easier instead of more complicated. Designers saw this shift starting years ago, but now we\u2019re in an accelerated evolution and those ideas are being embraced and adopted at a rapid pace.\u201d<\/p>\n

The office didn’t go away but it’s evolving into something fundamentally different.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

To understand why and how the office is changing and to learn how organizations can make the shift in their own spaces, 360 Magazine talked with experts in the Steelcase Design Studio. Based in Europe, Asia and North America, this global team not only spotted signals of change, they’ve also helped foster the office renaissance by offering a fundamentally different approach to workplace design that puts human beings at the center and addresses their needs for emotional, cognitive and physical wellbeing.<\/p>\n

\"Office<\/p>\n

A Global Rebellion<\/h3>\n

Changing attitudes about the office emerged in pop culture in the 1990s in North America when Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams began lampooning the workplace. Later, a mockumentary television series, \u201cThe Office,\u201d launched in the UK, and was reproduced in the United States, France, Germany, Canada, Israel, Chile, Sweden and China, signaling a growing global discontent with the mainstream office. The office became the symbol for wasting one\u2019s life in bland, non-descript spaces.<\/p>\n

Tech startups in the early 2000s were some of the first to make radical changes in their workspaces. Communal tables and do-it-yourself design may have been a necessity to cash-strapped entrepreneurs, but the informality and creativity struck a chord with workers everywhere. The introduction of game tables, slides and train cars brought an element of playfulness to some offices, suggesting that maybe, just maybe, work didn\u2019t have to be a meaningless grind. It could actually include an element of fun.<\/p>\n

Tech startup offices were really just an early signal of greater change to come. After years of frustration and growing fatigue over the sea of sameness that so many offices had become, people wanted more autonomy, self-expression and freedom. Emerging technologies offered an escape route and many people voted with their feet, leaving the office whenever possible to work elsewhere.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are looking for inspiration and creativity at work, as well as human-centered technology that makes life easier instead of more complicated.\u201d<\/p>James LudwigVice President, Global Design<\/span><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n

It seemed like a good idea, at first. The idea of waving goodbye to the office and working in a cool coffee shop seemed like a worker\u2019s utopia. Until they actually did it for a while. Then people started to discover that cushy sofas get uncomfortable and small tables make it tough to spread out your stuff. Remote work proved to be a solution some of the time, but not all of the time. In fact, Gallup\u2019s State of the American Workplace report found that people who worked remotely 20 percent of the time or less were the most engaged. But the study also revealed that higher levels of remote work correlated with higher levels of disengagement. It seems that enthusiasm for remote work was tempered by the underlying need to seek places that offer emotional as well as physical comfort\u2014where it was easy to get work done.<\/p>\n

A Cultural Movement<\/h3>\n

And so began the office renaissance. Like any cultural movement, whether it\u2019s Europe\u2019s 17th-century \u201cage of enlightenment\u201d or today\u2019s widespread farm-to-table movement, most people don\u2019t realize the impact while they are in the middle of it. Things begin to change around us\u2014gradually at first\u2014and then suddenly it seems like everything is different.<\/p>\n

Steelcase designers and researchers point to key forces accelerating this change:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Where and How Work Happens Has Changed.\u00a0<\/strong>Rapid advances in technology allow people to work anywhere, anytime. It\u2019s clear that the old paradigm\u2014one person working almost exclusively in one workspace\u2014does not support the ways people are working today.<\/li>\n
  2. The Shift to Creative Work.\u00a0<\/strong>New pressures to compete and grow businesses shifted organizational emphasis toward work that requires creativity and a new, team-based innovation process. \u201cBreaking rules and breaking patterns is where new ideas come from,\u201d notes Bruce Smith, director, global design. Many workplaces don\u2019t make spaces for creative collaboration a priority.<\/li>\n
  3. The War for Attracting and Retaining Talent.\u00a0<\/strong>Employees with coveted 21st-century job skills, those who can help organizations innovate and grow, are a limited commodity. They often choose organizations that offer the most meaningful work and the best working conditions, rejecting anything that makes them feel like a cog in the wheel of industry. This is true for attracting new employees as well as retaining existing ones.<\/li>\n
  4. Employee Disengagement.\u00a0<\/strong>Over one-third of workers in 17 of the world\u2019s most important economies are disengaged, according to \u201cEngagement and the Global Workplace<\/a>,\u201d a study conducted by Steelcase and global research firm Ipsos.\u00a0The study found that the most disengaged workers were also the most dissatisfied with their work environments, citing a lack of control over where and how they work. Workplaces with a strong focus on uniformity don\u2019t empower people. This creates a crisis for organizations that need to be agile and resilient.<\/li>\n
  5. The Promise of Technology.\u00a0<\/strong>Consumer technologies are a game changer for the office. People are accustomed to technology that helps them drive better, manage their home appliances remotely, walk more, sit up straighter or connect more with their friends and family. Then they come to offices where technology largely exists on desktops or mobile devices, and no one has thought about embedding it in the physical environment to help make the work day better. But when it\u2019s thoughtfully integrated in the walls, floors and furniture, technology holds the promise to actually make the work experience more human centered (see Driving the Wellbeing of People<\/a>).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"360<\/p>\n

    The Anti-Corporate Backlash<\/strong><\/p>\n

    As all these forces converge, individuals and their organizations recognize that something fundamental has to change. \u201cIt’s like an ecosystem. Organisms in ecosystems evolve because there’s pressure on the status quo,\u201d says Ludwig. \u201cAnd in the case of the office, there\u2019s an \u2018anti-corporate\u2019 backlash because the term \u2018corporate\u2019 implies that a space has been created for the benefit of the organization, not the person. It\u2019s putting pressure on the system to change. The design challenge is to meet business needs while we\u2019re serving the needs of human beings.\u201d<\/p>\n

    \"Office
    Think about space through the lens of wellbeing and provide casual environments for respite and social interactions.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    An Emotional Connection<\/h3>\n

    To address the anti-corporate backlash, some organizations turn to residential furniture in an effort to create greater informality, emotional comfort and a one-of-a-kind look. Companies today, especially startups, \u201care looking for things to last as long as their leases, which are getting shorter,\u201d reports an American Society of Interior Designers newsletter. But there are pragmatic trade-offs in terms of sustainability: Products designed for lighter, residential use don\u2019t hold up to the demands of a workplace. And, with a shorter lifespan and less focus on recyclability, they might see a landfill sooner.<\/p>\n

    Taking their cues from startups, organizations are also exploring radical openness in a desire to reflect greater transparency. What gets overlooked, however, is the basic human need for solitude and privacy, which supports both emotional and cognitive wellbeing. \u201cIn an entirely open work environment I might have a sense of place but I lack privacy,\u201d notes Smith.<\/p>\n

    Participants in the study, \u201cEngagement and the Global Workplace<\/a>,\u201d offered candid feedback about what needs to change in their workplaces, and the most common complaint was lack of privacy. \u201cThe noise level is distracting,\u201d one worker wrote. \u201cIt\u2019s very difficult to concentrate and to hear when on phone calls.\u201d Another worker wants \u201ca more private space\u2026 to do my work without interfering with anyone else.\u201d Both introverts and extroverts are asking for an option to escape and concentrate.<\/p>\n

    \u201cI don’t think we’d want our living room in the workplace. I think what we want is something that’s human and relevant that will spark creative ideas.\u201d <\/p>Bruce SmithDirector, Global Design<\/span><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n

    The design team also notes that the desire for emotional comfort sometimes leads people to make choices that don\u2019t support their physical comfort or ability to perform. \u201cI don’t think we’d want our living room in the workplace,\u201d says Smith. \u201cI think what we want is something that’s human and relevant and that will spark creative ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Like any complex issue, there is no single right answer for every person or organization. Cherie Johnson, global design director, counsels organizations to think about \u201cpurposeful placemaking.\u201d \u201cYou need to understand how and why people use a space, and then create spaces to reflect clarity, simplicity and purpose,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

    \"Office
    Alternative work settings adjacent to individual workstations provide options for formal and informal collaboration.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    But How Do We Get There?<\/h3>\n

    The office renaissance recognizes the critical role human emotions play in the process of work. Traditionally work has been thought of as a mostly logical process; emotions could influence decision-making in potentially worrisome ways. New research, however, illuminates the connection between emotions and cognition, as well as physical wellbeing, and validates the role of emotions in achieving business success. Traditional workplace metrics, such as real estate costs or increasing productivity, are still important, but new insights from neuroscience are shedding light on what inspires people to achieve more.<\/p>\n

    Designing for the Wellbeing of People<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Steelcase researchers and designers have explored the underlying connections between people\u2019s emotional, cognitive and physical wellbeing. \u201cOffices designed with old business metrics were all about efficiency, and the human being got lost in the process. It led to a lot of work environments that were cold and sterile and did not help achieve the business goals organizations were aiming for,\u201d notes Johnson. \u201cThinking about space through the lens of wellbeing takes a very holistic and humanistic approach.”<\/p>\n

    \"Office<\/p>\n

    Engaging people\u2019s emotions to boost motivation and engagement<\/strong><\/h3>\n