It is said that if you want to get the same results, keep doing things the same way. By inference, if you want new or better results, something has to change. There has to be a shift in one’s thinking, a change in approach, a revision of well-worn strategies.
Such is the case for high performance corporations doing business in the context of the emerging global economy – who recognize the value of the workplace as a strategic asset and also that the traditional workplace does not capture the potential of the knowledge workers who use ideas and information to create organizational value. A well-designed workplace creates a framework for creativity and collaboration; it allows an organization to realize its full potential for innovation.
“I cannot say whether things will get better if we change; what I can say is they must change if they are to get better.”
- Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, 18th c. German scientist
The purpose of this paper is to take a closer look
at how the workplace has evolved and the trends
currently affecting its process, structure and function.
We also propose a new approach to planning –
WorkplaceOne – designed to make innovation an
integral part of all work processes. This approach
describes no one solution, but rather a range of
solutions that address complexity, change and the
evolving needs of people at work.
First, using some relevant examples, a look at the
process of change and patterns that have emerged
over recent decades, some of which are unlikely
to change dramatically any time soon given the
economic downturn. As I point out, trends take
time to emerge and evolve. That means that we can
evaluate how to respond and design spaces, tools
and strategies to meet the challenges these trends
present.