this issue: managing change, the art of negotiation and … · 2018-09-26 · why change managers...
TRANSCRIPT
Pear 100 Cal
13% combined RDA
Vits A, C, Calcium, Iron
Ice cream 267 Cal
19% combined RDA
Vits A, C, Calcium, Iron Figures provided by the US Food & Drug Administration
www.fda.gov/food
Grapes 90 Cal
4% combined RDA
Vits A, C, Calcium, Iron
Apples 130 Cal
14% combined RDA
Vits A, C, Calcium, Iron
RDA
Strawberry 50 Cal
164% combined RDA
Vits A, C, Calcium, Iron
Bananas 110 Cal
19% combined RDA
Vits A, C, Calcium, Iron
Grapefruit 60 Cal
139% combined RDA
Vits A, C, Calcium, Iron
Kiwi 90 Cal
248% combined RDA
Vits A, C, Calcium, Iron
Europe’s fastest growing independent workplace effectiveness resource
Philip VanhoutteThe Mad Men-style office has had its day. What will the digital workplace of the future look like? Page 8
In a workplace landscape that is so rapidly changing, responding to economic pressures, technological innovation and awareness of work/life equilibrium, how should those on the pointed end of implementing change initiatives best drive new agendas?
Most workplace change strategies involve a new way of working. Lots involve employees losing the ‘right’ to a desk they can consider their own. As property heads are forced to focus on cost-reduction initiatives, workplace optimisation becomes a prime focus. And so ‘spaceless growth’ becomes key – more people in the same (or less) space.
Badging them ‘agile working’ strategies makes them no easier to implement. The benefits case for the employee is often scant. So many end up being based on strategies of preclusion – limiting access or pushing staff elsewhere – rather than facilitation
– making the elsewhere work-setting more attractive because it works brilliantly.
Urban planners have been here with drivers well before workplace strategists have with desk owners, with the concept of ‘filtered permeability’. In Freiburg and Münster in Germany and Groningen in the Netherlands, the principle of filtered permeability is a key element in their success in reducing city centre car use, promoting alternative, more sustainable transport modes.
Through traffic is channelled onto a limited network of brisk arterial main roads with their access to the centre heavily restricted. Suburban developments are designed as giant cul-de-sacs, while bridges, tunnels, cycle paths, bus gates and a whole panoply of short cuts provide a far more permeable network for the sustainable modes to access the centre.
But prohibiting access to the centre in favour of the outer only works where
investment in the periphery is at least equal to those measures at the heart. Both need to be super-efficient. If pushing cars away to the periphery creates gridlock there, the system fails. Substantial investment in a ‘flexi’ or non-allocated desk solution at HQ may look attractive on a spreadsheet, but will only work if equal consideration and investment is given to the collection, quality and efficiency of alternative ‘elsewhere’ work-spaces away from the desk.
But that still doesn’t address how you sell that to employees. Regular Harvard Business Review contributor and executive coach Peter Bregman offers one lesson, describing a tense encounter with his most intransigent opponent of change.
‘Daddy, what’s for dessert?’ ‘Apple or grapes.’ ‘I want ice cream.’ ‘That’s not one of the choices, sweetie. Do you want an apple or some grapes?’ ‘I WANT ice cream.’
A stalemate ensued and negotiation proved
futile. Then suddenly: ‘If I can’t have ice cream then I want a banana.’ A potential breakthrough. Bregman accepted that though it was not one of the choices offered, since he had bananas, it was a very acceptable alternative outcome. He agreed.
Six-year-old Isabelle was happy. Whether she was happy to have a banana or happy to have crumbled Bregman’s intransigence on the apple/grape offerings was debatable, but Bregman points out it didn’t matter. His goal was not to break her will or assert his parental jurisdiction; his had been a headier learning objective: to build in her a lifelong habit of healthy eating. He wanted her to eat fruit for dessert and, crucially, be happy about it.
Moving others to work toward a common goal you or your client has set, not because you’re forcing them to but because they choose to, is the challenge anyone implementing workplace change faces daily. So as
@SimonHeath1 suggests in a recent Twitter exchange, perhaps we just need to work harder on explaining to employees that choice of location is in itself a form of personalisation over which they can exercise control. We know greater choice delivers enhanced satisfaction, so let’s start engaging the occupiers of space in discussion about what spaces they would like. And if you are taking an allocated desk off the menu, you need to be open-minded about what alternatives are offered.
The answer then is to bestow them more control? Not simply to prohibit them but, as with filtered permeability, to build a menu of brilliant elsewhere alternatives, to let them call more of the shots? A toddler-taming ‘super nanny’ solution perhaps, but an option nevertheless for beleaguered change managers implementing ‘new ways of working’ programmes.
How do change managers responsible for implementing ‘new ways of working’ programmes keep employees happy? Choice is the key
This issue: Managing change, the art of negotiation and visualising the future workplace
The design of my workplace enables me to work productively Agree 55.7% Neutral 16.6% Disagree 27.7%
My organisation’s office is a place I am proud to bring visitors to Agree 50.6% Neutral 19.3% Disagree 30.1%
The design of my workplace is important to me Agree 88.5% Neutral 9.2% Disagree 2.3%
2012 Q3 Briefing
Lmi 59.3+ 0.6 | hi 83.9 | lo 51.8
12,268 respondents
49 surveys
181 properties
64% av response rate
11 min av response time
The Lmi is Europe’s central workplace effectiveness benchmark, reporting on a scale of 0-100 on the ability of a workplace to support important workplace activities.
Data reported at 30.09.12
No of properties by Lmi band
Lmi 0-16 = 0Lmi 17-33 = 0Lmi 34-49 = 14Lmi 50-66 = 83Lmi 67-83 = 24Lmi 84-100 = 5
Issue 7leesmanindex.com
Planning a workplace change is one thing –selling its benefits to employees is another
INSIDE
Simon HortonWhy change managers facing resistance could learn useful lessons from the art of hostage negotiation. Page 2
Kate NorthWorkplace change does not have to be an ordeal. Face people’s fear by making it relevant, beneficial, and fun. Page 3
2
Many years and careers ago, I was a young fresh-faced management consultant involved in a high-profile multi-billion-pound outsourcing project. Unfortunately, this project was not going smoothly. Why not? Because there was resistance to the change – quelle surprise!
Specifically, there was resistance from just one person – but one person who was very loud, well-connected and stubborn. She was holding the whole project hostage, and I was the one sent to deal with her.
Ironic, because now I teach hostage negotiation skills. But I knew nothing of those skills back then and had to wing it. Still, I wonder whether a hostage negotiator could have taught me something useful at that time.
Resistance to change is common and those resisters really can hold a project hostage. I would not want to stretch the analogy too far – we certainly won’t be recommending purchasing helicopter gunships for your change team. But my advice-giving negotiator would certainly have recognised many of the issues I faced.
Information is powerThe first thing the advisor would have told me is to take the situation seriously and plan my response thoroughly. That includes finding out as much as possible about the situation and the hostage-taker. Who are they, what is their background, what are their demands, what are their drivers, what are the logistical facts of the situation, what are the
power sources on either side? The more is known, the greater the chance of a successful outcome.
My advisor would tell me to make sure I have a unified team – and to be wary of splits. Hostage negotiators always have to fight against their own SWAT team who are itching to go in all guns blazing. Get everyone on message – and that includes third parties. In the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege, it was discovered that one of the interpreters was not translating the negotiators’ messages faithfully, instead relaying their own opinions and thoughts.
When you finally make a connection with the hostage-taker, the most important thing is to listen. Why? Because it is the most effective way to achieve your objectives. Hostage negotiators talk about the ‘behavioural change stairway’: listening leads to rapport, which leads to influence, which leads to a successful outcome.
Ask lots of open-ended, non-judgmental questions to find out everything you can. Find out their demands and the concerns behind those demands; find out their story; find out their values. However crazy you think their demands are, they don’t. So you need to work with their rationale if you want to persuade them. Nothing will be more compelling than using their values to support your case.
In the world of change, resistance is understandable. Behind an unreasonable demand may well be a very reasonable fear – that they won’t be able to do the new role, they will lose their job, the change won’t work and will be followed by yet another initiative, and so on. Discover this fear, address
it and you are well on your way to a resolution.
Don’t rush. As time passes, emotions cool and trust is built, allowing you to start talking the hostage-
taker round to where you want them to be. But bear in mind that people don’t change their minds instantly. If you offer them a solution that isn’t exactly equal to their first requests, don’t expect them to agree straight away. They will need time for the idea to process before they will accept it.
Carrot and stickAs well as building a relationship, you must also appear strong and manage the expectations of the hostage-taker. In the ITV television drama ‘Kidnap and Ransom’, Trevor Eve’s character tells the hostage-takers: ‘I’m trying to talk to the police to buy time, but if anyone is shot, it’s all over, you do realise that?’
Challenging their reality and sowing seeds of doubt as to their version of events or view of the world can help undermine their position and start moving them to concessions. Without threatening, make them aware of the SWAT team standing behind you.
Dr Mike Webster has helped design the FBI programmes on hostage negotiation. He promotes the parallel approach to crisis resolution, combining the promise of reward for good behaviour and the threat of penalty for bad behaviour. The reward can be granting small requests while rejecting unreasonable ones. This slowly builds trust, develops
the habit of agreement and gradually weakens the hostage-takers’ position until a resolution is achieved.
At the same time, you may have to conduct parallel negotiations with your own side or with third parties, and they can be just as tricky. You may not be able to deliver what you promise because other parties are not willing to honour the deal you have struck. This is all part of managing negotiations.
Bear in mind that the hostage-takers want a way out of this predicament too, and the negotiator needs to capitalise on this. But they also want a solution that allows them to save face.
So what happened?How did that young management consultant get on in his first negotiation? His first few meetings were a disaster and it very nearly all came tumbling down. But he decided to try one more time – and this time he really listened. Not just to the demands, but to the concerns behind the demands. And then he understood why the woman was behaving as she was.
The concerns were valid, the demands less so. He addressed her concerns fully, and she not only acquiesced, she became a champion for the whole project, albeit in her loud, well-connected and stubborn kind of way.
Who knows? Maybe he could have taught a hostage negotiator a thing or two.
Evil dolphins, the discovery of Viagra, the negotiating tactics of Genghis Khan, words of wisdom from Val Doonican’s mum, and a love affair with a crocodile are just some of the stories used by Simon Horton to illustrate the principles involved in becoming a negotiation master. His new book de-mystifies negotiation and will give you a clear structure and process to follow, written in a direct ‘How to...’ style.
‘Negotiation Mastery: Tools for the 21st Century Negotiator’ is published by MX Publishing
Simon Horton explains why freeing a change programme from the grasp of an influential dissident is like negotiating the release of a hostage
The captive project
’However crazy you think their demands are, they don’t. So you need to work with their rationale if you want to persuade them. Nothing will be more compelling than to use their values to support your case’
Simon Horton Simon is a trainer in negotiation skills, having taught hostage negotiators, top banks, law firms and many other blue chip global players. He is also a visiting lecturer at Imperial College and at the Royal College of Art. Image by iDJ Photography // idjphotography.com
3
Fear of meeting resistance is a major concern among workplace teams and their organisations when embarking on workplace change. Lack of executive engagement, resources, budget, time and/or support from HR and IT can also drain energy from a change project at the start. Sometimes good programmes are put on hold as managers feel their organisation lacks the emotional energy for further change. But does it have to be this way?
I believe as an industry we have often talked ourselves into making workplace change harder than it really needs to be, and at times, we may be focusing on the wrong things, such as ‘entitlement’. Yes, giving up your office can seem like a big deal to those who value this form of recognition, but really, is this the conversation we should be having?
Change the focusRather than focusing on what people are giving up, let’s focus on what people need to be successful in this new way of working. One of the key reasons why workplace mobility strategies fail is due to the lack of support from mid-level managers – sometimes the result of fear.
Why? According to our internal research at e-Work.com and a variety of other sources, including the New Ways of Working Study, the CoreNet Global Workplace Community, and the Big Bold Shift study, most employees can’t imagine what a new way of working will look or feel like.
Also, many managers aren’t prepared to lead teams they cannot see, and most managers and employees are not clear as to why the organisation is making the change in the first place.
The business case prepared and sold at the top level of the organisation has never made its way down to those that need it most. They want and need context.
Bringing people on boardBased upon my experience, I believe the three key components most needed to get everyone on board for a workplace change are based around three questions.
First, ‘why are we adopting this workplace strategy?’ This is about making the case for change. Second, ‘how will work get done?’ The answer requires a solid understanding of new work practices for distributed teams and how to integrate technologies to keep teams connected, engaged and
Kate North Kate North is vice president of Global Development for e-Work.com and has over 25 years of experience in workplace strategy, research, design and transformational change. She supports the workplace community of practice within CoreNet Global and is a core member of the Future of Work Collaborative. Kate also serves on the Advisory Board for New Ways of Working, a global research consortium.
Just the job? When planning a workplace change, it is helpful to know how engaged your employees are. After all, this may determine how receptive they are to change that benefits the organisation, and how co-operative they will be with the process. But new research suggests that measuring engagement is not as straightforward as it might appear.
A study by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and Kingston University Business School’s Centre for Research in Employment, Skills and Society (CRESS), has found a distinction between ‘transactional’ and ‘emotional’ engagement. Employees who are transactionally engaged are focused only on the task or job role at hand, and while they may respond positively to engagement surveys and appear well engaged, they are less likely to perform well and will quickly leave for a better offer. However, those who are emotionally engaged (concerned with the organisation’s mission and values), are more likely to perform, have higher levels of wellbeing and are more likely to remain engaged through good times and bad.
Angela Baron, research adviser at the CIPD, comments: ‘While we definitely encourage organisations to measure engagement, it’s not enough for organisations to focus on increasing their engagement scores without considering what type and locus of engagement is being measured. What people are engaged with, and the nature and driving force behind their engagement, also need taking into consideration – otherwise organisations risk misunderstanding the actual extent and nature of engagement.’
The report ‘Emotional or transactional engagement – does it matter?’ can be downloaded from www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/research/emotional-transactional-engagement.aspx
Face the fearPresent the case for change in a clear, positive and entertaining way, urges Kate North
productive. Is there an opportunity to update an existing work process to make the work more visible and easy to access?
Finally, ‘where will we work?’ People need information on the new workplace and how to use it fully, especially if there are more unassigned, activity-based settings. This would include helpful guidelines on how to use the space, mobility tips to increase their effectiveness, and so on.
Lighten upI would also love to see change communication and training become a bit lighter in their approach, and generally less burdensome. Let’s make the information and training fun, convenient and ‘blended’, meaning that you offer the information in a variety of different ways (f2f, e-learning, webinars, videos, portals, etc) to appeal to people’s various learning styles and preferences.
I fully recognise the value of engaging the employee in the process as a way to having them become part of the solution. On-site workshops and focus groups can be highly impactful for those that attend – but what happens if they miss the session due to other competing time commitments? Also, what happens to new contractors and new employees that come into the workplace long after the workshops are over? How do we make it easy for them to get on board?
Creating an experienceIf we are truly committed to creating a ‘customer experience’, let’s think holistically and leverage a variety of experiences that can evolve as easily as your
strategy. Here are a few ideas we are integrating that may help you too.
First, support unique learning styles. Acknowledge that everyone learns and absorbs information differently, based upon how they are wired (visual, acoustical or kinesthetic). Leverage technology, by making information and training easily available to all, any time, any place. And think like an iPad – create apps and ‘learning on the go’ (m-learning).
Don’t forget the basic question – why are we doing this? Provide context. How does this change support me? How does this strategy support the business? Create web-based profiling options to ensure the users get exactly the information they need. Profiles can include their position, their workstyles, their location, and so on.
Think edutainmentMake the education process as entertaining as possible. This is where creative e-learning can come in. Find memorable and repeatable ways to share information to help cultivate new skills. Real-life scenarios, videos and gaming can be great ways to test out newly discovered skills. The goal is to get people prepared for a new way of working – before it happens.
Most employees tell us that they can’t imagine a new way of working. Help them see what’s possible, and capture both the head and the heart.
Keep it bite-sized. Training and communication should be short, succinct and relevant. Finally, don’t forget to share it – tweet, blog or YouTube your experience. When it comes to coping with change, we’re all in it together.
?
The design of my workspace is important to me
It contributes to a sense of community at work
It creates an enjoyable environment to work in
It enables me to work productively
It’s a place I’m proud to bring visitors to
4
2012 Q3 Data Summary Lmi 59.3Ratings reported from 12,268 respondents surveyed to date. Variance shown from 2012 Q2. Figures represent combined ‘supported, well supported, very well supported’ activities and ‘satisfied, highly satisfied’ facilities and features listed.
62% +1% Individual focused work away from desk
78% +1% Individual focused work, desk based
87% 0%Individual routine tasks
73% 0% Informal social interaction
60% +1% Informal unplanned meetings
58% +1% Relaxing/taking a break
22% +1%Variety of different types of workspace
19% +1% Quiet rooms for working alone or in pairs
35% +1%Informal work areas/ break-out zones
75% 0% Learning from others
62% 0% Collaborating on creative work
70% 0% Collaborating on focused work
1. Who are Leesman? Europe’s leading and fastest growing independent workplace effectiveness measurement experts.
Europe’s largest resource of contemporary workplace performance data
Resp
onde
nts
Standardised Workplace Effectiveness Measurement
2. What makes Leesman ‘independent’? Leesman offer no consultancy services – just standardised effectiveness measurement tools.
3. What is the Leesman Index? Leesman’s standardised effectiveness measurement benchmark that calculates an ‘Lmi score’ for each workplace.
4. What is the Lmi measuring? The activities people are doing and how the physical features and facilities services provided support them in their work.
5. Are the responses confidential? Yes, completely anonymous. No response can ever be linked back to an individual respondent.
6. So what will that data show? Exactly and very graphically how well your real estate is supporting the work of your teams in your spaces.
7. And does this measure staff productivity? Not directly, but it does ask whether the design of the workplace enables staff to ‘work productively’.
8. What types of organisations are using Leesman? Anyone with staff occupying a workplace, from motor manufacturers to legal practices.
9. When is best to do a Leesman survey? In truth at any time. But certainly as early as possible in planning a capital project.
10. Can it then be used after a project is complete? Yes, this is a perfect way of measuring the improvements achieved if a survey was also done prior.
11. How many people should be invited to participate? Leesman will help you get as many respondents as possible – it has no bearing on the cost.
12. How much does it cost? The ‘launch’ of a single survey to up to five building locations is £6,950, regardless of respondent numbers.
13. What if there are more than five buildings to survey? Then there is an additional charge of £1,250 per building. Licence packages are available for bigger estates.
Data review The data reported above shows highlights from the aggregated results across the 12,268 individual respondents received at 30 September 2012. These results are provided through the Leesman Index employee workplace satisfaction e-survey, which has been conducted across a range of pre and post occupancy workplace projects as shown.
The survey is based around a fixed core module in which the questions asked do not vary. This provides us with an unrivalled ability to report and benchmark consistently across that data and offer valuable insight into differences between any number of variables, including industry type, location, gender, age or length of service.
• 49 surveys across 181 properties• 61% pre-project, 12% post-project, 27% other • 64% average response rate• 11 minute average response time
How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements about the design of your organisation’s office?
1400012000100002000 4000 6000 8000
1400012000100002000 4000 6000 8000
Number of responses
Disagree Strongly (-3) Disagree (-2) Disagree Slightly (-1) Neutral (0) Agree Slightly (1) Agree (2) Agree Strongly (3)
Data ranked by satisfaction
total no of respondents
Which activities do you feel are important in your work? Individual focused work, desk based
Telephone conversations
Planned meetings
Informal, unplanned meetings
Business confidential discussions
Collaborating on focused work
Reading
Relaxing / taking a break
Individual routine tasks
Thinking / creative thinking
Informal social interaction
Spreading out paper or materials
Hosting visitors, clients or customers
Learning from others
Audio conferences
Larger group meetings or audiences
Collaborating on creative work
Individual focused work away from your desk
Video conferences
Using technical / specialist equipment or materials
Private conversations
Not Supported At All (-3) Very Under Supported (-2) Under Supported (-1) Supported (1) Well Supported (2) Very Well Supported (3)
Data ranked by importance
total no of respondents
Number of responses
2010
0
2011 2012
5000
15000
10000
20000
Leesman Index Q+A
0
0
Desk
Chair
Computing equipment
Telephone equipment
Temperature control
Printing / copying / scanning equipment
Personal storage
Natural light
Meeting rooms (small)
Noise levels
Meeting rooms (large)
Office lighting
In-office network connectivity
Air quality
Remote access to work files or network
Informal work areas / break-out zones
Quiet rooms for working alone or in pairs
Space between work-settings
Desk / room booking systems
Accessibility of colleagues
Shared storage
Archive storage
Audio-visual equipment
Variety of different types of workspace
Guest / visitor network access
5
60% 0%In-office network connectivity
57% 0% Remote access to work files or network
56% +2% Printing /copying equipment
67% 0% Desk
63% +1% Chair
35% 0% Dividers (between desks/areas)
28% 0%Air quality
21% 0% Temperature control
27% 0% Noise levels
23% +2%Greenery
18% +2% Art or photography
38% +1% General decor
59% +1%Audio conferences
47% +4% Video conferences
61% +1% Using technical/specialist equipment/materials
56% +1% Hosting visitors, clients or customers
31% +1% Guest/visitor network access
42% +2%Business confidential discussions
1400012000
1400012000
10000
10000
2000
2000
4000
4000
6000
6000
8000
8000
Number of responses
Which facilities do you consider to be an important part of an effective office? Tea, coffee and other refreshment facilities
General cleanliness
Washroom facilities / showers
Reception areas
Hospitality services
Not Provided Highly Dissatisfied (-2) Dissatisfied (-1) Neutral (0) Satisfied (1) Highly Satisfied (2)
Data ranked by importance
total no of respondents
Number of responses
Which features do you consider to be an important part of an effective workspace?
Not Provided Highly Dissatisfied (-2) Dissatisfied (-1) Neutral (0) Satisfied (1) Highly Satisfied (2)
Data ranked by importance
total no of respondents
The Leesman Index now offers the largest contemporary collection of workplace effectiveness data available. Intrinsic in that rapid growth is our independence – that we offer no consultancy on the findings our survey tool returns.
In fact, we are helping consultants to bridge the gap between hard empirical data and intelligent consultancy. Since our launch in 2010, we have encouraged consultancies to engage with us in our ‘Power Analysts’ programme, and support them in using our Index tool. And where clients approach us directly, this enables us to introduce them to consultants experienced at
interpreting and advising on the data. Over the last two years, this group has helped us drive forward the adoption of the Leesman Index and has collectively demonstrated to our clients the benefit of building project proposals around robust federal data.
In recognition of that work and the role those consultancies are taking to accelerate the adoption of the Leesman Index standard, we are rebranding the programme as our Leesman Consulting Partners. These organisations will feature in a new area of the redesigned Leesman website, featuring video interviews with each.
0
0
Leesman Consulting Partners Power Analysts develop as strategic partners
To understand how to join them or understand what theymight be able to add to your potential project, check theConsulting Partner section at leesmanindex.com.
6
On 17 September, around 70 workplace professionals from the CoreNet
membership gathered in London ahead of a two-day summit to co-create an end-to-end workplace strategy map. The aim was to chronologically plot
what happens during the various phases of maturity in a workplace strategy and its subsequent implementation,
drawing on the collective experience to segment the process into more clearly defined steps.
The result was a seven-stage progression from pre-project ‘identification of opportunities and data collection’,
right through eventually to ‘evolving & operationalising’. Each of the seven stages was assessed for the key
building blocks, the barriers/challenges and for ideas and solutions to ensure success. The infographic
here seeks to record the key observations.
Co-Creating a Workplace Journey Map
Is it possible to define
the progression of a typical ‘new ways of working’
project?
CoreNet Global is the world’s leading professional association for corporate
real estate and workplace professionals. The Workplace Community within CoreNet Global aims to
gather and share world-class information, experiences and solutions in an engaging and interactive way that
expands workplace knowledge of all members.
Kate North, VP Global Development for e-Work.com (see page three) is the global ambassador for the Workplace Community and is focused on igniting the Workplace Community in each
region. Marie Puybaraud, director of workplace innovation for JCI, is the European Workplace Community leader.
Find out more by contacting [email protected] and [email protected] by visiting
www.corenetglobal.org
What does success look like?
What are the key steps?
• Build the story direction • Business case not a workplace case
• Find out what the business case m
eans for the organisation
• Find out who w
ill take the decision and ensure they are engaged/satisfied by the case
• Benchmark RO
I and ROE • Com
municate and m
ap/GPS
• Determine inform
ation needed from the business for the business case
• Making the intangible tangible • Sustainability
• Insufficient tim
e • Timing • H
uman behavior – fear
• Geo-political financial barrier • US! Sicos??
• Insufficient data – the num
bers, see past them
• Fluid stakeholders • See beyond snapshot in time
• Risk • Connection
Describe solutions and ideas to support?
• Develop consistency with culture/process
• Someone to hold a m
irror to the business case
• Clarity of message
• Use of correct medium
– Image – W
ord – Video
• Involvement
• Change
• Measured results
Building & Selling the Business Case
2
• Freedom • M
easured success • Bottom up process
• Technology leverage • Involve next generation users
What are the challenges and barriers?
What does success look like?
• Strong engagement – active participation from
all parties
What are the key steps?
• Collect evidence – what do people w
ant? • Tailor message to the audience
• Develop stories to address leaders, m
iddle managers, & “the people”
• Decide w
ho is the best voice to engage
• Develop the “Cam
paign” – “who” do w
e need to buy into “what” and “when”
• Join forces with significant stakeholders – HR – IT
• Awkw
ard squad – engage and get on side
• Lack of proven track record – previous examples
• Cultural differences – tuning in to local needs
• One firm
. One approach. M
inimize exceptions
• Peer pressure – more effective than voice of real estate
• We’re different – “O
kay, explain why.”
• Access to leadership – not just real estate
Describe solutions and ideas to support?
• Plan, plan, plan • Get the right voice to give the message
• Let people express their fears
• Comm
unication – talking to all staff throughout
• Have a system
for understanding the different needs,
expectation and understanding from
managem
ent and people
• Identify your audience and engage
with enthusiasm
and passion
• Talk, comm
unicate, talk again
• Teasers in the comm
unication
campaign to get attention
• Use interactive websites
• Rally around a vision –
everyone has same
goal and embraces
challenges
Developing the Program
me
3 • EVERYON
E, yes everyone is working in an agile w
ay
• Sell the idea of agility as a strategic enabler to getting the best from leads
What are the challenges and barriers?
What does success look like?
• Recognition of the sustainable business solution
• Measured business improvement• Employee recognition that WP innovation delivers better WP
What are the key steps?• Establish what we are trying to achieve & how success will be measured
• Establish executive return on investment expectation • Set the bearing
• HR ratios – Sickness – Hours – Work/Life – Retention
• Cost/Space ratios • Utilisation • Workplace/Emp • Cost per…
• Get out and see other best practice examples
• Establish data baseline • Stay local or go global
What are the challenges and barriers?
• Proof benchmarking • Creating false expectation
• Cultures of privacy • Unions/Legislation • Cost & Timing
• Cost to capture data • Filtering client data • HR
• Absence of unified standards• Readjusting the bearingDescribe solutions and ideas to support?
• Occupier satisfaction surveys + 1:1 interviews
and workshops etc.• Survey – Activity analysis – Space occupancy
• Observe and measure• Continuous validation – measure twice,
cut once!
Identifying Opportunities & Collating Data
• Full integration of the flexible workplace solution
• Corporate recognition of the value of workplace
• Staff surveys • Productivity measures • Business Performance
What does success look like?
• Change management – user training • Clear leadership – this is happening
• Engagement at all levels • Identify causal link between business need and workplace form
• No boundaries to personnel performance or development • Real buzz in the workplace
• Untethered, unemcumbered, by unnecessary structure • 3 day work week with same output
• High trust, self-motivated employees • Workplace accepted as wher ever is most effective
• Teams working together in flexible workplace
What are the key steps?
• New product – Big idea • Pair control group with pilot group
• Behavior change • Culture decides need for pilot • Must be representative sample
• Not just CRE pilot, pick mobile ground group to pilot
• Prove it works – reduce risk form roll out
What are the challenges and barriers?
• Time and money • Inability to change behavior
• If we know it’s right, why do we need the test?
• If they don’t get a vote, don’t pilot, just roll out
• Pilot is when we really don’t know what will happen
we need to test
• Lack of connection and validation with global locations • Ongoing ability to “fix” or “tweak”
• Concept of no “undo” • Pick representative group
Describe solutions and ideas to support?
• Appropriate space, budget, schedule
• Communication “along the way” –
transparency to whole organisation • Business case communication
• Understand how “I” can influence • Communicate where feedback
is leverage
• Low hanging fruit
– quick wins
• Internal “change
influencers”
• Leadership
sponsor
4 Piloting
• No obvious hierarchy • Communicate – no surprises • Snag-free handover
• Robust evidence • Perseverance – learn from your mistakes • Right quality team
• Third party impartial view • Pilot seen as step in overarching program
What does success look lik
e?
• Measurable goals and objectiv
es!
What are the key steps?
• F.M., H
.R., I.T., R
isk and Complia
nce, C
.R.E. Fin
ance
, Mar
ketin
g and
P.R.
• St
akeh
olde
r ana
lysi
s
• M & A legacy • Communica
tion betw
een dep
artm
ents
• It’s
abou
t the
bus
ines
s
• Don’t make assu
mptions •
Compelling e
vent
s lea
ding
chan
ge
• It’s circular • I
t’s all c
onnected
What are the challenges and barri
ers?
• Different IT syste
ms • IT h
as its
own age
nda •
Too d
emoc
ratic
• Rules, laws, fire department •
Who i
s lea
ding
this?
• Don’t know each other •
Busines
s cha
nge •
Hist
oric
failu
res
• Transparency on programme • Bud
get •
Exist
ing c
ontr
acts
Describe solutions and id
eas to su
pport?
• Project programme with
man
agem
ent t
rans
pare
ncy
• Exemplars • Common ag
enda •
Bene
fits m
easu
rem
ent
• Bring the groups togeth
er • S
teer
ing g
roup
• Sharing inform
ation an
d ackn
owle
dgin
g si
mila
ritie
s
• Senior sponso
rship • N
egot
iate
with
oth
er p
artie
s
• Clear objectives –
w
hat’s
in it
for m
e?
• Alliances w
ith lik
e-min
ded p
artie
s
• Being open and honest
• Integrated in
frastr
uctur
e fun
ctio
ns
• Collaboration w
ith ex
istin
g par
tner
s
5Full Integra
tion
• Champions listening • E
ngagement • Le
ad
ership
• Frie
ndly
atm
osph
ere
• Doing! • Positiv
e feedback • Exc
iting • B
uzzy • Lack of decisio
ns • Silo
mental
ity • C
ulture
of th
e bus
ines
s • E
go
Wha
t doe
s su
cces
s lo
ok li
ke?
Wha
t are
the
key
step
s?
• Und
erst
and
the
Regi
onal
Mar
ket a
nd R
isks
• Defi
ne th
e Co
mpa
ny S
trat
egy
& Ta
rget
ed M
arke
t Pen
etra
tion
• Ass
ess I
nfra
stru
ctur
e an
d Te
chno
logy
Pla
tfor
ms
• Ide
ntif
y Ke
y In
tern
al S
take
hold
ers,
Influ
ence
rs a
nd E
nabl
ers
• Bui
ld th
e Te
am -
Part
ners
& I
nter
nal T
eam
- Sk
ill S
ets &
Gap
s• C
reat
e a
Com
mun
icat
ion,
Cha
nge
& B
rand
Str
ateg
y: G
LOCA
LIZA
ION
• Im
plem
ent a
Sup
ply
Cha
in S
trat
egy
• Fol
low
the
jour
ney
map
…W
hat a
re th
e ch
alle
nges
and
bar
rier
s?So
me
thin
gs y
ou c
an’t
chan
ge…
• Tim
e Zo
nes
• Cul
tura
l Diff
eren
tiat
ors •
Lan
guag
eD
escr
ibe
solu
tion
s an
d id
eas
to s
uppo
rt?
• Und
erst
andi
ng th
e Re
gion
al L
egis
latio
ns &
Loc
al S
tand
ards
• Eco
nom
ic a
nd T
rade
Bar
rier
s (ta
x)• L
ocal
Infr
astr
uctu
res
– p
ower
gri
d,
com
mun
icat
ion
relia
bilit
y , r
oads
• Eco
nom
ic, T
rade
Bar
rier
s and
Leg
al E
ntiti
es• M
arke
t Mat
urit
y
• Qua
lity
Cont
rol –
Des
ign
Cons
truc
tion,
Bro
kera
ge, F
urni
ture
, etc
• Rel
iabi
lity
of L
ocal
Ser
vice
Pro
visi
on• O
ccup
iers
Tec
hnol
ogy
Stra
tegy
(gl
obal
or r
egio
nal),
bac
kbon
e• P
oten
tial
Ris
k w
ith S
ingl
e Pa
rtne
r
Goi
ng G
loba
l & S
calin
g 6
• Pro
ven
bene
ficia
l env
iron
men
tal i
mpa
ct •
Full
exec
utiv
e sp
onso
rshi
p• P
rove
n ec
onom
ic b
enefi
ts c
ase
What d
oes success l
ook like?
What a
re th
e key steps?
• Rev
iew, re
vise, re
view • Maintain momentum • People, prioritie
s,pace of change
• Ass
ess p
roce
ss & to
ols • Create ke
y components &
services that can adapt to geography
W
hat are
th
e challenges and barriers?
• Com
placency
– we know what w
e are doing • Shifting mindset to outcomes
• Driv
ers a
re hard
issues a
nd barriers a
re people issues
• How
to demonstr
ate value or botto
m line and continue to invest
• Lan
guag
e/cultu
re & communication
• Org
anisa
tional a
lignment
• Peo
ple: tr
aining and understanding
Describ
e solutions and ideas to support?
• Tra
ining man
agers to manage remote teams
• Lea
ders to le
ad by example
• Em
bra
ce diversi
ty
• Evid
en
ce-b
ased so
lutions such as data
• Main
tain in
tegrated team and knowledge expertise
• Tar
get s
takeholder fo
r specific communic ation
• Focu
s on su
ccess s
tories
• Foc
us on experie
nce
• Foc
us
on res
ilience, agility
, embrace change
• Spe
ed an
d appetite
demanding change
E
volving & Operationalising
7• F
ull c
ooperat
ion with
IT & HR • P
ushing the boundaries • Communicate a clear vision
• Enc
ouragin
g behav
ioral change • It
erative process • Key stakeholders in middle management buy in
• Sel
ling c
ontinuous c
hange to the organisation • Integration with HR & IT
7
Sumailia Abdul-Akaba - Shell Tim Allen - CBRESally Augustin - Design + ScienceNicola Blundell - Zurich Financial Susan Boyle - HLWEvie Brogan - RBSJeremy Brookes - Prudential Rolf Busch - Haworth Antony Byrne - MarisPaul Carder - Occupiers JournalLee Casbolt - Instant OfficesMark Catchlove - Herman Miller Julie Cooke - Johnson ControlsMara Cummings - Discovery Susan CurranJanet Day-Strehlow - CiscoPauline Enoru - Wartsila Italia Henrik Eriksson - Vasakronan Peter Felton - CiscoVincent Flynn - OracleMeg Forbes - MasterCard Iain Franklin - TravelportMo Gillespie - MoveplanCaroline Gilroy - Compass Nick Goodwin - EDGE Sven Govaars - GenslerRichard Graham - GPUKrystyna Grzesik - DTZClaudia Hamm-Bastow - JLLSteve Hargis - HOKSteve Henigan - RLF OptimaIan Howarth - Lambert Smith HCandace Hunt - Haworth IncFrancesca Jack - DEGWRouen Journo - Cisco Despina Katsikakis - AecomAndrew Keir - sineQNChristine Kohlert - RheformPeter Laird - Hilton WorldwideAndy Lake - Flexibility.co.ukJan Laufs - JJLLBritt Lindqvist – VasakronanDoug Lowrie - MicrosoftAndrew Mawson - AWAPadraic McGuinn - DJ DeloitteMike MillestDavid Mirmelli - BMC SoftwareNatascha Mirsalim - CityspaceIngrid Nappi-Choulet - ESSECThomas Nathorst-Boos - Workspace Kate North - e-Work.comTim Oldman - LeesmanWanda Olivier - GE HealthcareMarie Puybaraud - JCIGina Rizzo - Herman MillerMichel Rousseau - PfizerPaul Savage - Islington CouncilAlastair Scott - LeesmanGregor Sieben - Henkel AG & Co John Symes - AOS Studley Philip Tidd - GenslerJean-Pierre Valenghi - PwCFrancisco Vazquez - 3G OfficeFrank Venner - Herman MillerGermain Verbeemen - WicelyEckhard von Muenchow - Nokia Michelle White - OverburyNick Winter - HLWDale Woodcock - UnispaceMelanie Woolcott - Orbit Architects
Each of the seven parts described here was explored by participants at their tables, discussing the key components of their project stage. Session and table facilitators are shown in bold.
What does success look like?
What are the key steps?
• Build the story direction • Business case not a workplace case
• Find out what the business case m
eans for the organisation
• Find out who w
ill take the decision and ensure they are engaged/satisfied by the case
• Benchmark RO
I and ROE • Com
municate and m
ap/GPS
• Determine inform
ation needed from the business for the business case
• Making the intangible tangible • Sustainability
• Insufficient tim
e • Timing • H
uman behavior – fear
• Geo-political financial barrier • US! Sicos??
• Insufficient data – the num
bers, see past them
• Fluid stakeholders • See beyond snapshot in time
• Risk • Connection
Describe solutions and ideas to support?
• Develop consistency with culture/process
• Someone to hold a m
irror to the business case
• Clarity of message
• Use of correct medium
– Image – W
ord – Video
• Involvement
• Change
• Measured results
Building & Selling the Business Case
2
• Freedom • M
easured success • Bottom up process
• Technology leverage • Involve next generation users
What are the challenges and barriers?
What does success look like?
• Strong engagement – active participation from
all parties
What are the key steps?
• Collect evidence – what do people w
ant? • Tailor message to the audience
• Develop stories to address leaders, m
iddle managers, & “the people”
• Decide w
ho is the best voice to engage
• Develop the “Cam
paign” – “who” do w
e need to buy into “what” and “when”
• Join forces with significant stakeholders – HR – IT
• Awkw
ard squad – engage and get on side
• Lack of proven track record – previous examples
• Cultural differences – tuning in to local needs
• One firm
. One approach. M
inimize exceptions
• Peer pressure – more effective than voice of real estate
• We’re different – “O
kay, explain why.”
• Access to leadership – not just real estate
Describe solutions and ideas to support?
• Plan, plan, plan • Get the right voice to give the message
• Let people express their fears
• Comm
unication – talking to all staff throughout
• Have a system
for understanding the different needs,
expectation and understanding from
managem
ent and people
• Identify your audience and engage
with enthusiasm
and passion
• Talk, comm
unicate, talk again
• Teasers in the comm
unication
campaign to get attention
• Use interactive websites
• Rally around a vision –
everyone has same
goal and embraces
challenges
Developing the Program
me
3 • EVERYON
E, yes everyone is working in an agile w
ay
• Sell the idea of agility as a strategic enabler to getting the best from leads
What are the challenges and barriers?
What does success look like?
• Recognition of the sustainable business solution
• Measured business improvement• Employee recognition that WP innovation delivers better WP
What are the key steps?• Establish what we are trying to achieve & how success will be measured
• Establish executive return on investment expectation • Set the bearing
• HR ratios – Sickness – Hours – Work/Life – Retention
• Cost/Space ratios • Utilisation • Workplace/Emp • Cost per…
• Get out and see other best practice examples
• Establish data baseline • Stay local or go global
What are the challenges and barriers?
• Proof benchmarking • Creating false expectation
• Cultures of privacy • Unions/Legislation • Cost & Timing
• Cost to capture data • Filtering client data • HR
• Absence of unified standards• Readjusting the bearingDescribe solutions and ideas to support?
• Occupier satisfaction surveys + 1:1 interviews
and workshops etc.• Survey – Activity analysis – Space occupancy
• Observe and measure• Continuous validation – measure twice,
cut once!
Identifying Opportunities & Collating Data
• Full integration of the flexible workplace solution
• Corporate recognition of the value of workplace
• Staff surveys • Productivity measures • Business Performance
What does success look like?
• Change management – user training • Clear leadership – this is happening
• Engagement at all levels • Identify causal link between business need and workplace form
• No boundaries to personnel performance or development • Real buzz in the workplace
• Untethered, unemcumbered, by unnecessary structure • 3 day work week with same output
• High trust, self-motivated employees • Workplace accepted as wher ever is most effective
• Teams working together in flexible workplace
What are the key steps?
• New product – Big idea • Pair control group with pilot group
• Behavior change • Culture decides need for pilot • Must be representative sample
• Not just CRE pilot, pick mobile ground group to pilot
• Prove it works – reduce risk form roll out
What are the challenges and barriers?
• Time and money • Inability to change behavior
• If we know it’s right, why do we need the test?
• If they don’t get a vote, don’t pilot, just roll out
• Pilot is when we really don’t know what will happen
we need to test
• Lack of connection and validation with global locations • Ongoing ability to “fix” or “tweak”
• Concept of no “undo” • Pick representative group
Describe solutions and ideas to support?
• Appropriate space, budget, schedule
• Communication “along the way” –
transparency to whole organisation • Business case communication
• Understand how “I” can influence • Communicate where feedback
is leverage
• Low hanging fruit
– quick wins
• Internal “change
influencers”
• Leadership
sponsor
4 Piloting
• No obvious hierarchy • Communicate – no surprises • Snag-free handover
• Robust evidence • Perseverance – learn from your mistakes • Right quality team
• Third party impartial view • Pilot seen as step in overarching program
What does success look lik
e?
• Measurable goals and objectiv
es!
What are the key steps?
• F.M., H
.R., I.T., R
isk and Complia
nce, C
.R.E. Fin
ance
, Mar
ketin
g and
P.R.
• St
akeh
olde
r ana
lysi
s
• M & A legacy • Communica
tion betw
een dep
artm
ents
• It’s
abou
t the
bus
ines
s
• Don’t make assu
mptions •
Compelling e
vent
s lea
ding
chan
ge
• It’s circular • I
t’s all c
onnected
What are the challenges and barri
ers?
• Different IT syste
ms • IT h
as its
own age
nda •
Too d
emoc
ratic
• Rules, laws, fire department •
Who i
s lea
ding
this?
• Don’t know each other •
Busines
s cha
nge •
Hist
oric
failu
res
• Transparency on programme • Bud
get •
Exist
ing c
ontr
acts
Describe solutions and id
eas to su
pport?
• Project programme with
man
agem
ent t
rans
pare
ncy
• Exemplars • Common ag
enda •
Bene
fits m
easu
rem
ent
• Bring the groups togeth
er • S
teer
ing g
roup
• Sharing inform
ation an
d ackn
owle
dgin
g si
mila
ritie
s
• Senior sponso
rship • N
egot
iate
with
oth
er p
artie
s
• Clear objectives –
w
hat’s
in it
for m
e?
• Alliances w
ith lik
e-min
ded p
artie
s
• Being open and honest
• Integrated in
frastr
uctur
e fun
ctio
ns
• Collaboration w
ith ex
istin
g par
tner
s
5Full Integra
tion
• Champions listening • E
ngagement • Le
ad
ership
• Frie
ndly
atm
osph
ere
• Doing! • Positiv
e feedback • Exc
iting • B
uzzy • Lack of decisio
ns • Silo
mental
ity • C
ulture
of th
e bus
ines
s • E
go
Wha
t doe
s su
cces
s lo
ok li
ke?
Wha
t are
the
key
step
s?
• Und
erst
and
the
Regi
onal
Mar
ket a
nd R
isks
• Defi
ne th
e Co
mpa
ny S
trat
egy
& Ta
rget
ed M
arke
t Pen
etra
tion
• Ass
ess I
nfra
stru
ctur
e an
d Te
chno
logy
Pla
tfor
ms
• Ide
ntif
y Ke
y In
tern
al S
take
hold
ers,
Influ
ence
rs a
nd E
nabl
ers
• Bui
ld th
e Te
am -
Part
ners
& I
nter
nal T
eam
- Sk
ill S
ets &
Gap
s• C
reat
e a
Com
mun
icat
ion,
Cha
nge
& B
rand
Str
ateg
y: G
LOCA
LIZA
ION
• Im
plem
ent a
Sup
ply
Cha
in S
trat
egy
• Fol
low
the
jour
ney
map
…W
hat a
re th
e ch
alle
nges
and
bar
rier
s?So
me
thin
gs y
ou c
an’t
chan
ge…
• Tim
e Zo
nes
• Cul
tura
l Diff
eren
tiat
ors •
Lan
guag
eD
escr
ibe
solu
tion
s an
d id
eas
to s
uppo
rt?
• Und
erst
andi
ng th
e Re
gion
al L
egis
latio
ns &
Loc
al S
tand
ards
• Eco
nom
ic a
nd T
rade
Bar
rier
s (ta
x)• L
ocal
Infr
astr
uctu
res
– p
ower
gri
d,
com
mun
icat
ion
relia
bilit
y , r
oads
• Eco
nom
ic, T
rade
Bar
rier
s and
Leg
al E
ntiti
es• M
arke
t Mat
urit
y
• Qua
lity
Cont
rol –
Des
ign
Cons
truc
tion,
Bro
kera
ge, F
urni
ture
, etc
• Rel
iabi
lity
of L
ocal
Ser
vice
Pro
visi
on• O
ccup
iers
Tec
hnol
ogy
Stra
tegy
(gl
obal
or r
egio
nal),
bac
kbon
e• P
oten
tial
Ris
k w
ith S
ingl
e Pa
rtne
r
Goi
ng G
loba
l & S
calin
g 6
• Pro
ven
bene
ficia
l env
iron
men
tal i
mpa
ct •
Full
exec
utiv
e sp
onso
rshi
p• P
rove
n ec
onom
ic b
enefi
ts c
ase
What d
oes success l
ook like?
What a
re th
e key steps?
• Rev
iew, re
vise, re
view • Maintain momentum • People, prioritie
s,pace of change
• Ass
ess p
roce
ss & to
ols • Create ke
y components &
services that can adapt to geography
W
hat are
th
e challenges and barriers?
• Com
placency
– we know what w
e are doing • Shifting mindset to outcomes
• Driv
ers a
re hard
issues a
nd barriers a
re people issues
• How
to demonstr
ate value or botto
m line and continue to invest
• Lan
guag
e/cultu
re & communication
• Org
anisa
tional a
lignment
• Peo
ple: tr
aining and understanding
Describ
e solutions and ideas to support?
• Tra
ining man
agers to manage remote teams
• Lea
ders to le
ad by example
• Em
bra
ce diversi
ty
• Evid
en
ce-b
ased so
lutions such as data
• Main
tain in
tegrated team and knowledge expertise
• Tar
get s
takeholder fo
r specific communic ation
• Focu
s on su
ccess s
tories
• Foc
us on experie
nce
• Foc
us
on res
ilience, agility
, embrace change
• Spe
ed an
d appetite
demanding change
E
volving & Operationalising
7• F
ull c
ooperat
ion with
IT & HR • P
ushing the boundaries • Communicate a clear vision
• Enc
ouragin
g behav
ioral change • It
erative process • Key stakeholders in middle management buy in
• Sel
ling c
ontinuous c
hange to the organisation • Integration with HR & IT
Because I work for a company whose name has been synonymous with innovation for half a century, it’s not surprising I’m known as an evangelist for smarter working. I have also been arguing recently that contact centres have to reinvent their working practices, but the lessons can equally be applied to other workplaces.
The world of work is changing: contact centres (which I know a lot about) and other workplaces are handling more complex
issues requiring more skilled people to understand and have empathy with the customer. But how do you attract that kind of person into contact centre work when the public perception of that kind of role is not good?
Well, the approach is the same no matter what kind of workplace you are dealing with. Create an enjoyable and efficient workplace to attract the kind of multi-skilled, knowledgeable people that every business requires. But delivering the
right workplace cannot be achieved by pursuing partial steps. Workplace initiatives aimed at creating Smarter Working have to embrace a multidisciplinary approach that embraces IT, workspace and HR, and is sponsored by both a business (unit) or functional leader AND top management under coaching of the HR executive. This is the only way to achieve success.
Stop a minute and consider that sleek glass walls may look smart but
can contribute to inferior acoustics, which, combined with densely-packed rooms of people talking simultaneously, conspires to make interaction with customers problematic. The biggest bugbear for people in contact centres is noise and a lack of integrated computer systems.
Indeed, noise issues are rising up the agenda in all sorts of workplaces and will become even more prevalent as the working population ages. The European contact centre sector is now facing its first voice RSI (repetitive strain injury) legal actions from employees working in adverse conditions. Addressing these issues takes a team, not a partial approach.
Everyone is differentWe looked into Work Topology research to investigate where and when people work best. There’s no straight answer – it depends, because everyone is different. But one thing was clear, the conventional office actually isn’t good
at supporting creative activities, decision making, basic thinking and (not to forget) refuelling, so there is plenty of reason to ‘get out of’ dated offices.
And guess what? As we experimented with ‘outside the office’ working, the office occupation started to go down and we felt the need for a fresh workspace approach. Rather than simply cutting space and going for the usual squeezing of people into spaces, we asked people about their workspace satisfaction – and surprise surprise, acoustics came out as a major concern.
We have attempted to liberate our employees – allowing them a say in where, when and how they work; equipping them with the right technology to perform well; providing good coaching and training; and judging them by results, not presence. Because none of our smart ideas will succeed until we start to build trust with the people we work with.
out of office auto-reply?
Worth a closer look
Philip Vanhoutte, Chair of Leesman’s Advisory Board
A social and mobile workforce requires a new kind of workplace
The opinions expressed by contributors represent those of the individual authors and unless clearly labelled as such do not represent the opinions of Leesman Ltd. The Leesman Review is the journal of Leesman, Europe’s fastest growing resource of consistent workplace effectiveness data and we welcome contributions on the subjects that you think should interest us. Leesman is a registered trademark and all Leesman Review content is Copyright December 2012. Leesman, 5 Wormwood St, London EC2M 1RQ, 00 44 20 3239 5980, [email protected] | Design by Rick Nicholls
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where we can open it further to organisations seeking detailed evidence to support initiatives, research, product development or in their own businesses.
These quarterly Leesman QX detailed insights are available by annual subscription. They will provide detailed tabular
data across the full Leesman Index workplace database, breaking the data down by pre and post occupancy studies, by geographic region and eventually by industry sector. The studies will each report on key indicators, start to examine the impact of prime variables, and each will feature a special
report which will deep dive areas such as technology, furniture, collaboration and workplace flexibility.
With additional commentary from academics and industry thought leaders, Leesman QX will come to be an essential ‘evidence based design’ companion to those
looking for more robust footings on which to base their design processes. Those interested in receiving details of Leesman QX subscriptions or wishing to contribute their own insights to the special sector reports should contact us at…
More on the webalisonmaitland.comcipd.co.ukcorenetglobal.orge-work.comwww.fda.govhbr.orgjci.commorganlovell.co.uk peterbregman.compringlebrandonpw.com
Future Work Alison Maitland and Peter Thomson, Palgrave MacmillanA quick and easy read that tries to get organisations thinking about what’s really possible. Worth reading and then passing to your clients to ponder before scoping a project. It will be interesting to see if the publishers listen to their authors – they are a good way in to a major change project.
Getting Started in Six Sigma Michael Thomsett, John Wiley & SonsAn essential read for all designers pre-programmed to innovate – and a must for those goons who sit at conferences nodding when speakers bash ‘lean space’ without a modicum of understanding of what Lean or Six Sigma methodologies actually seek to examine and improve.
Next month WellnessJust how far does corporate responsibility go? Monica Parker of Morgan Lovell makes the case that employees’ wellbeing is something organisations need to push higher up their agenda. And it is not just about, for example, installing showers so people can freshen up after cycling or running to work. It is also about creating a positive atmosphere in the workplace to greet employees as they arrive. Meanwhile, Kate Hopkins of Pringle Brandon Perkins & Will finds out what ‘wellness’ lessons can be learned from use of the Nike Fuel Band.
Diverse DataJust a few months ago, the Leesman Index passed a major milestone – the receipt of our 10,000th respondent record. As recognition of the Leesman Index as Europe’s largest and most comprehensive workplace effectiveness data collection increases, we are now fast approaching our 20,000th record. As our data becomes more comprehensive, the consistency of the results assists in our analysis and provides more robust information upon which our customers and their consultants can make more informed decisions. In short, as the Leesman Index expands, it is becoming recognised as an important business tool. In our next Review, due out early in 2013, we will examine the diversity of that data and offer insights into some of the early key performance indicators – and the lessons that can be drawn from them.
Before workplaces begin to apply smarter working ideas and evolve into flexible spaces, we first have to liberate the people that use them