8 Tips to Bring An Entrepreneurial Spirit into Workplace Strategy

by Karen Gill, Vice President of Workplace Strategy at Fidelity Investments

This is a guest post by Karen Gill, Vice President of Workplace Strategy at Fidelity Investments. Learn more about Karen.

Today’s workplace is in a state of transformation, and with it, heightened expectations are being placed upon Facilities and Real Estate professionals. As work becomes more mobile and work activities become more diverse, workplace strategies need to adapt rapidly, balancing the need for operational efficiency with positive workplace experiences. Successful workplace strategies need to suit each organization’s business objectives, exemplifying the purpose of the employee and the culture of the organization. To accomplish this, I believe it’s critical for Facilities and Real Estate teams to embrace an entrepreneurial spirit to enable that change.

Embracing an entrepreneurial spirit starts with a focus on creating and prototyping new ways to solve challenges. One has to embrace critical questioning, actively seek change for the right purposes, and to create value through innovation. Workplace strategy shouldn’t just enable innovation in an organization — it should model it.

The modern workplace supports different work styles. (L to R) Traeger Grills, Airbnb, Pluralsight

In order for those who design, build, and manage work spaces to keep pace with these new demands, they themselves must innovate in new ways. And that innovation requires trying new and untested things — and which in-turn involves risk. People need the freedom to think, to try, and to fail, without it negatively impacting the day-to-day effective operations of their spaces. So how does this happen?

Here are 8 tips for bringing an entrepreneurial spirit into your workplace strategy:

1. Own it. Think like an owner. How would you approach your role if this was your business and you controlled the risks and rewards?
2. Frame your goals. Start trying something new with empathy and clearly articulated goals that factor in the goals of your internal business partners as well as external market considerations. Be prepared to change those goals as you ask: What are the critical shifts in the market today and how will they influence the viability of our business? How do you respond to these shifts and foster the desired culture of the organization in a work space, both physical and virtual, that enables, promotes and gives purpose to its people and attains CRE objectives.
3. Research best practices. Set aside a portion of each day to learn what others are doing. Read, surf online, and brainstorm with peers. Let go of the conventional and embrace the creative. Be messy!
4. Think beyond spatial — Work always involves a person, a space, and some sort of tool — most of which are digital. The concept of digital workplace is here to stay, so even if you don’t consider yourself a techie, embrace and support the digital dimensions of workplace.
5. Don’t go it alone — Invest in the time it takes to empower cross-functional teams to be involved. Stop and think to make sure you have the right people at the table and know the right people aren’t necessarily from your own organization, industry or geography.
6. Map experiences. — Try and take a user-centered approach to your work. Look at things through the eyes of your employees and map their journey. Or, consider the frictions associated with key everyday experiences. What experiences need the most attention?
7. Prototype solutions — Don’t prematurely institute new strategies at a large scale. Instead, prototyping gives the chance for you and your business partners to learn together. Celebrate the failed prototype and help organizations know when something is ready to scale.
8. Be willing to throw things out. Don’t get too tied to solutions that may seem to work well today. Support organic change as well as facility managed change that’s nimble because you’ve planned these nuances into your workplace strategy.

And don’t forget to laugh at yourself. Have fun! You’ll hit some home runs and strike out a bunch too, which is the nature of entrepreneurial innovation.

Karen Gill is Vice President of Workplace Strategy at Fidelity Investments. The views, opinions and suggestions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and not of Fidelity Investments.