Why Companies Should Treat Their Physical Space Just Like Software
There is a popularized concept of using the lean approach when designing software. In this process you bring customers in to test and iterate as you go along. Incremental changes are done instead of dumping all your eggs into one expensive basket. Basically, you make several small changes instead of just designing one thing and showing it to people.
In the same way, our physical spaces don’t have to be fixed, structured spaces, like cubicles. Now that cubicles are no longer in fashion, many organizations are spending money making new open work spaces. Companies should make small changes, test ideas, and collect feedback on what employees care about. A great example of designing spaces like software is Airbnb. I was fortunate to visit their offices in San Francisco, and saw what a phenomenal job they do at this. They test out ideas, make changes to office designs and layouts, and they really look at what employees value and care about. When something doesn’t work, the necessary changes are made. This is the same approach that many companies take to designing software.
Instead of designing something, then giving it to employees, bring employees into the process. When you give the power to employees to design the space that they want to see, you also give them the tools they want to use to work. Your organization has the opportunity to act as the enabler, the supporter for the employees. Employees will want to be in an environment they help create.
Are your organizations going through design changes? How are they approaching their physical spaces? Leave a comment!
This month’s content on the future of work was made possible by my friends atWork Market. Work Market is a freelance management system that brings freelancers and organizations together. As the freelancer economy continues to grow organizations are going to have to think differently about how they service, innovate, and compete in the future of work.
Jacob is an author, speaker, and futurist. You can learn more by visitingTheFutureOrganization.com. You can also subscribe to Jacob’s newsletter to get weekly content on the future of work and the first 30 pages of his new book, The Future of Work.
