How We Can Design More Effective & Inclusive Workspaces
Welcome dear readers, to the first post of The Design Neuron!
I’m Shevaun Pimenta, a Strategic Designer and Neuroscience enthusiast, and I am thrilled to have you here. I hope for this space to be a little silo where I talk about all things work-related while giving it a cool and pleasant repo. To be passionate about what you do, to lean in and take active interest in your work, makes life more meaningful and joyful, and increases the value you can provide. This is my goal around here. Thanks for tuning in. :)
Did you know only 8% of all people bring their 100% to work, challenging their potential and being fully engaged in what they do, enjoying their role. That leaves us with 92% of individuals who feel disengaged, unmotivated, and performing much less than the average individual would accomplish in that role.
Why so?
Well, there are multiple reasons for this but I would like to focus on one specific contributor: environment.
Let’s go back in history to the late 1800s, and meet Dr. Maria Montessori, Italy’s first doctor. Dr. Montessori, singled out by her counterparts was given the then ‘unwanted’ role of experimenting and understanding children with learning disabilities. Her observations of these children and methods to effectively engage them with tasks — resulted in them outperforming other pupils their age — and has been long acclaimed and upheld as the Montessori school of thought and teaching. A true woman icon! Central to Montessori’s approach was her keen observation of children and their natural learning tendencies.
The seven core principles of Montessori can be summarized as follows:
- Prepared Environment: The classroom is thoughtfully arranged to encourage independence and exploration. It includes carefully selected materials on low shelves that are accessible to children.
- Self-Directed Learning: Children are encouraged to choose activities that align with their interests and developmental needs. This fosters a sense of autonomy and self-discipline.
- Mixed-Age Classrooms: Montessori classrooms typically have mixed-age groups, allowing younger children to learn from older peers and older children to reinforce their knowledge by helping others.
- Uninterrupted Work Periods: Extended, uninterrupted work periods provide children with the time needed to engage deeply with activities, promoting concentration and focus.
- Freedom within Limits: While children have the freedom to choose their activities, this freedom is within limits defined by the teacher and the structure of the classroom.
- Role of the Teacher: Montessori teachers, often referred to as guides, play a subtle yet crucial role. They observe children, offer guidance when necessary, and facilitate a nurturing learning environment.
- Holistic Development: The Montessori method emphasizes the holistic development of the child, encompassing cognitive, social, emotional, and physical aspects.
Montessori believed that children possessed an innate desire to explore, discover, and learn from their environment. Her method emphasized the role of the teacher as an observer and guide, creating an environment that facilitated self-directed learning.
What if team leaders, were not constricted by restricted labels like supervisor, manager, leader, and more inspiring titles of guides?
Now, as proposed by Sophie Bryan, there are 3 components to a Montessori environment: freedom, curiosity, and play. The first two set the stage and allow for play. How many of our workplaces are designed to be such? If we allow for freedom in a way that does not restrict one’s thinking or ability to effectively function, there’s no reason why it should not boost productivity.
Creative teams need ample “free space” in order to brainstorm and think out of the box. High-focus teams need precise and convenient spaces to blaze through. Some ways we can do this: designing workspaces that are conducive to focused work. Consider factors like lighting, acoustics, and ergonomic furniture to create a prepared environment. Align work tasks with employees’ interests and strengths (working with your strengths increases productivity by 36% and with your weaknesses, decreases productivity by 27%.) And try to foster a culture of collaboration by encouraging employees with different skill sets and experiences to work together. The way Montessori classrooms have mixed age-groups to learn from peers, and enhance creativity and problem-solving.
One of Montessori’s key insights was the importance of providing a prepared environment with specially designed materials. She developed a range of educational materials that allowed children to engage with abstract concepts through hands-on, concrete experiences. The materials were meticulously crafted to encourage sensory exploration, fine motor skills, and cognitive development. Keeping this as inspiration,
In this post, I’d like to build on these 3 pillars and suggest creative ways we can improve workspaces and team dynamics — through a simple application of Montessori Principles.
Freedom
”I’ve got a theory: if you love your workspace, you’ll love your work a little more.” — Cynthia Rowley
One of the most basic ways in which we can allow freedom is simple: autonomy in work choices. In Montessori education, children are encouraged to choose their activities. In a creative workspace, we could offer employees autonomy in choosing their projects or tasks. Allow them to decide how to approach their work, fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility. How do we get the team to be on board with this method, synced and not haphazard? Regular check-ins in a play form. (More on this later.) Most creative teams now allow for an option of work-from-home, work-from-office, and hybrid. The sheer ability to choose your best fit helps boost performance. For those who do choose to work in the office, we need to design flexible workspaces that accommodate different work styles. This could be including adjustable desks, movable furniture, and open spaces for collaboration. Montessori strongly emphasizes self-directed learning, and learning is supposed to be life-long. We have to encourage continuous learning. Provide resources and opportunities for employees to explore new skills or topics of interest at their own pace and let the benefits of this transcend into more autonomy and ownership. The Montessori classroom is considered a prepared environment that facilitates learning. It respects each child’s unique developmental rhythm, focuses on intrinsic motivation, and involves regular reflection and feedback. In the same way, we could have post-its, whiteboards, markers, crayons, legos, all sorts of hands-on materials for amazing brainstorming and rapid prototyping. Not forgetting to acknowledge and respect the individual working styles and preferences of employees. Some may thrive in a quiet environment, while others may prefer a more dynamic setting. A mixed space is beautiful and motivating!
Creativity and Play
Montessori affirms that creativity flourishes in open and inviting spaces. We skip the faff and design collaborative and open work areas with ample natural light. Create zones that inspire creative thinking and allow for spontaneous interactions among team members. Provide flexible workstations that allow creative teams to choose spaces based on the nature of their work. This could include standing desks, comfortable seating areas, and collaborative project spaces. Introduce elements of play in the office, such as game rooms, creative corners, or interactive installations. These spaces can serve as outlets for team members to relax and rejuvenate their creative energies. Simply create a culture that values curiosity. Provide resources and spaces that encourage exploration, such as a library with books on various subjects or a materials lab for experimenting with new tools. Experiment with sounds, lighting and culture, that make all the difference. Make everyday routine tasks ‘delightful’ to take part in, but not stressful, painstaking, gamified or elaborate. Equip creative workspaces with a variety of tools, software, and materials that cater to different creative needs. This could include design software, prototyping tools, and artistic materials. Foster a collaborative environment where team members can engage in cross-disciplinary projects. Encourage the sharing of ideas and expertise to enhance the creative output. All of this helps cultivate a culture that encourages calculated risks and experimentation. Provide a safe space where team members feel supported in trying out new ideas without fear of failure. Organize regular show-and-tell sessions where team members can showcase their projects, share insights, and learn from each other’s creative processes. Design office spaces that inspire a sense of wonder. This could include incorporating art installations, creative displays, or even hosting occasional guest speakers from diverse creative fields. If you’re looking to get started with this ideology try it out by introducing playful rituals into the workday, such as quick team-building games, brainstorming sessions using creative prompts, or playful icebreakers during meetings.
Some closing thoughts:
Montessori education focuses on the holistic development of an individual, nurturing not only their cognitive abilities but also their social, emotional, and physical well-being. How often do we as adults fail to balance these? This school of thought allows us to make choices and engage in self-directed learning, fostering independence and self-discipline from within to spark curiosity and a love for learning and doing. By providing a workspace that encourages exploration and experimentation, organizations can boost creativity and innovation. Montessori also allows uninterrupted work periods, free from constant meetings and interruptions, and can enhance focus and productivity among employees, especially in roles that require deep concentration. There is a focus on holistic development which translates into an emphasis on soft skills such as communication, empathy, and teamwork. These skills are invaluable in a corporate setting. At its core, it forms the basis of thoughtful office space design coupled with principles that can inspire leadership development programs that focus on guiding and facilitating rather than micromanaging. Leaders become mentors who support their teams’ growth and all thrive in the way best suited to them!
I hope you enjoyed reading this!
Best regards,
