Placing a name on something brings more meaning to it.  A name describes an object of interest, providing additional insight into what the object is.  For example, think about the sky.  The sky is a big entity that we can all associate with.  But give the sky a “name”, and a different understanding is gained:  blue sky, stormy sky, angry sky, sun-set sky.  Each name fills out of different image in our mind of the nature of the sky.

Finding an all-inclusive name for work has been a broad search in recent years.  We in workplace strategy have been seeking the right name to describe the evolving world of work we are living in today?   I turned to Google’s search engine to collect some data on today’s more common work names.

“Knowledge Work”:  1,880,000 results

Peter Drucker created the name knowledge work in 1959 to describe work based on using information to develop knowledge to gain results.  This name differentiated work that was primarily focused on products and goods.  The PBS study “The First Measured Century” stated that knowledge work (tertiary occupations) began at 21% of the male workforce (sorry females!) in 1900 and ended at 58% in 1998.  In 1900 20% of women held professional work.  In 1998 52% of women held professional work.

“Telework”:  1,660,000 results

According to Merriam Webster’s, an associated name to telework, “telecommute”, was first used in 1974.  In using the connector “tele”, the name pays tribute to the most commonly owned technology of the 1970’s – the television.  The television was a device designed to transmit vision over huge distances.  Telework, then, is work that happens over distance.  In 2010, the president signed The Telework Enhancement Act, which was intended to enable government workers to engage in more work at a distance, thus reducing costs.

“Smart Work”:  1,620,000 results

Smart work often is described as work to make ideas happen.  Scott Belsky writes in his “WorkSmart” blog in Fast Company that, “The greatest achievements happen in the overlap of three things: Your genuine interests, skills, and opportunities. To find success, work within your overlap.”

“Mobile Work”:  1,350,000 results

Mobile work has one core principle:  work results are not dependent on a single place.  The impact of mobile work on the workplace has been most dramatic in the past ten years.  Some estimates are currently quoting that there are 1 billion mobile workers in the world today.  We consistently see utilization measurements averaging as low as 35% in workplaces today.

“Alternative Work”:  668,000 results

Alternative work is most often used to describe protocols for work under variable schedules.  The U.S. Office of Personnel Management has published an on-line Handbook of Alternative Work Schedules.

“Distributed Work”:  477,000 results

In the 2002 book titled “Distributed Work” published by The MIT Press, the authors expanded the definition of telework to include the attributes of smart work.  The combination of diverse locations and a concentration on idea generation within distributed work is uniquely dependent of the use of technology. 

“Flexible Work”:  4,340,000 results

Of all the names for work, the name that leads them all is Flexible Work.  Such phrases as “work & life balance”, autonomy of choice, engagement & worker satisfaction, and overtime regulation are within the meaning of the name flexible work.  Of all the names given to the nature or work today, the name Flexible Work stirs that most change reaction.  A 2011 Fortune article states once again the challenges from the perceived losses of face time and visible long hours in the office resulting from Flexible Work. 

Workplace strategy has not condensed the nomenclature around a common name for work.  As companies of all types and sizes continue to develop their own uniquely branded names for the work that is actually occurring within their footprints, more names will surely be created.  There may be as many names for work as there are companies in the world. 

My opinion is that “Flexible work” is the best of the bunch, as it is the most encompassing of the basic migration of behaviors of work process.  And flexible OR agile space design is a good general term for workplaces that meet the evolving work processes and cultural needs of all companies at work.

I do not like “alternative work”, “tele-work”, “smart work”.  Each of these implies that there is an opposite version of work, which creates conflict.  It is a continuing debate with no clear end in sight.

Tags: Change, Communication, Learning, Lesson
Posted in Agility, Architecture, Futuristic, Innovative, Mobility, Trends, Workplace

We live in an amazingly connected world; a world where our ability to share ideas which will someday create great things far exceeds the wildest dreams of even the most creative minds of the previous generation.  A world that has been flattened by the internet has been connected by international travel and has been politically stable enough to build international relationships.  However, given the crisis mentality that seems to have gripped us and the profound and continuous change that this connectivity breeds you might be wondering if it is a good thing. 

You fear the internet might send your job to some far-away place.  You worry about the cost of filling your gas tank more than buying an international airline ticket.  You hear about the threats of terror somewhat regularly.  This constant connectivity can cause us to lose perspective and take a negative outlook about the state of the world in which we live.  Every now and then we have an experience that sharpens our perspective and reminds us of the great opportunities that exist in modern society. 

I recently read a fascinating book by Mandit Kumar:  Quantum: Einstein, Bohr, and the Great Debate about the Nature of Reality.  This is a book about the dawn of theoretical physics and the beginning of the atomic age.  It includes a twelve page timeline that starts in 1858 with the birth of Max Planck and ends in 2007 with the current puzzle of how pairs of non-local photons can behave predictably over long distances.  You might wonder what it could possibly have to do with politics, international collaboration and the building of relationships. 

The main plot of the story was not the part of the book that sharpened my perspective.  The fascinating sub-plot of the book that should be of interest to anybody trying to solve a problem that requires teamwork, was the story of the relationships between the dozen characters that led the focus of scientific discovery.  Nine pages of this twelve page saga occurred between 1900 and 1945.  If you take the time to plough through the subject matter you will realize that the incredible advances chronicled in this relatively short period of time would have not been possible to unlock by one person.  Even a person with the legendary intellect of Albert Einstein cannot succeed without the constant challenge and prodding of ideas from his peers.  As you begin to understand how long-standing relationships, respect and social engagement between this diverse group of scientists, you see the engine that propelled discovery and understand the necessity and the value of teamwork. 

Compare the collaboration tools, access to travel and the social and political state of the world between 1900 and 1945 to what we have today.  If you think we live in difficult times consider the following:

·         Forget the internet they wrote letters and had them delivered days or weeks later by steam ship

·         Commercial air travel was not available so if they met for a conference it took a real commitment of time.

·         These events took place during two world wars and the protagonists of the story were on different political and social sides of the conflicts.

With all the advantages we have today I suggest the next time you feel inclined to find an excuse about why you can’t collaborate with a colleague to solve a problem you might want to get a little perspective, role up your sleeves and get busy.  

In a world focused on action and results here are three questions that you might want to consider every day:

1.    If I hit a dead end when trying to solve a problem, what do I do?  Have you built a support network of trusted collaborators that can help you break-through?

2.    What keeps me from opening up to the insights of others?

3.    What risk did I take yesterday?  What risk will I take tomorrow?

Tags: Behavior, Collaboration, Generations, Inspiration, Strategy
Posted in Agility, Design, Futuristic, Generations, Innovative, People, Technology, Technology/Innovation, Trends

I’m seeing increasing evidence that skilled labor and the people who produce it are growing in value to business owners. So even in an economy with a nearly 10% unemployment rate, why are these key employees in short supply?  The answer is simple, it’s because our idea that the value of labor is rooted in an industrial revolution era concept of the assembly line.  We tend to view all labor as a mindless task reserved to those who don’t have the mental capacity to do something else.  In a six sigma, just-in-time manufacturing world, labor has become anything but a mindless task.  We are increasing the need for both thinking and doing.  I predict that this phenomenon will eventually change our mindset about higher education. To advance in the new economy, we’ll need intelligent workers who can make informed decisions in the manufacturing process and the employers who are willing to pay a premium to get workers that can both think and do.

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Tags: Behavior, Generations, Leadership, Millenials
Posted in Generations, People, Services, Trends, Workplace

I just returned from the 2010 SCUP North Central Conference held at the University of Cincinnati. I always find it energizing to reacquaint with old friends, make new ones, and truly inspiring to witness the passion in higher education that SCUP members share in common. It was a privilege to present the topic “The Future is Now: Community College Planning for 2020” with Bruce Massis of Columbus State Community College and Jerry Webster of Terra State Community College. Our talk focused on the challenges and opportunities that these colleges face from the impact of the “Great Recession”, the varied needs of an increasingly diverse group of students, effective strategic planning, effective partnerships that benefit both community colleges and surrounding communities, and the positive impact that architecture can have to enhance the experience of learning, social interaction, and student success. Over the next several weeks, I will continue to share more information about the subject

Tags: Behavior, Campus, Change, Generations, Leadership, Learning, Millenials, Programming, Recession, Research, Strategy, students
Posted in Architecture, Campus Planning, Classrooms, Futuristic, Generations, Higher Education, People, Trends

Why would an organization invest time and money in a strategic design approach that creates change and potential turmoil?  What is wrong with the ways that many organizations today are delivering space to their people?

There is an excellent chapter in the new book The Commercial Real Estate Revolution which sums up the intent and value of workplace strategy.  The book is advertised to teach organizations that:

Building is a fragmented, adversarial process that commonly results in dissatisfied customers and frequently ends in disappointment, bitterness, and even litigation.   The Commercial Real Estate Revolution tells you exactly why the current model is broken! Learn the 9 key principles and trends that the most innovative firms are using to change everything we know about building.

Chapter 14 exposes and defines “Key 9: Workplace Productivity”.  The chapter is compelling in many ways, but it falls short of driving home the potential impact of design on the human experience at work.  There remains latent opportunity to explore and discover the ability of strategic design to deliver on the promise of aligning the value of space with the people who work within it.  Organizations will continue to return to outdated strategies without this linkage being made through story, balanced measurement, acceptance and integrated design.  But the chapter is well worth study. 

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Tags: Advice, Books, Experience, Strategy
Posted in Design, People, Tools, Trends, Workplace

For the second year in a row, through the Retail Design Institute Sao Paulo Chapter, I was invited by the Brazilian Franchise Association’s to speak at their annual convention. George Homer, the Chapter President and gracious host, took me around to visit retailers and restaurants that catered to a higher level of design and clientele. I saw several concepts, but there was one furniture store that I thought put it all together.    

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Tags: customers, furniture
Posted in Architecture, Cool, Design, People, Retail, Services, Store Design, Sustainability, Trends

I have been involved in many projects with different types of retailers, where I always inquire about the number of employees in the store and their responsibilities. In the past twenty years, the number of people manning the floor and servicing the guest has reduced considerably. The responsibility of those left has increased, an employee used to be there to service the guest and refold merchandise has in most cases now include boarder activities including: stocking, changing signage, visual merchandising, moving fixtures and even changing light bulbs in some instances.     

With the recession, I have noticed that those behind the counter or on the sales floor have been getting older, and not just by a few years. I encounter a returning retired work force. A survey by AARP recently found 20 percent of workers age 55 to 64 plan to delay retirement because of current economic conditions. Couple that with the added job responsibilities and what does all this mean to the aging sales force?     

Mother’s Day was coming and the kids decided they wanted to get their mother an iPod Touch. So we investigated the best and closest place to get a metal clad 8 GB model and Walmart came up the winner. The Friday night before, we headed up to my Super Walmart in Lebanon, Ohio to purchase one. There has always been elderly gentleman at the door, no matter the time of day, greeting us at the door: “Welcome to Walmart” and then randomly checking register receipts against what was in your basket on the way out, but always a “Thank you for Shopping Walmart”; not a tremendous amount of responsibility.  I have noticed that the staffing at Walmart has also been getting older. The cashiers, floor stockers and even the deli team members have been changing over to much older employees.     

Since it was late at night, there was no electronics department manager on duty or manning the electronics department cash register. My son found a man stocking the office supply aisles who radioed the night manager to assist us. Mary, a friendly, senior women came to our assistance to open the Apple showcase to retrieve our iPod. To my surprise, as she reached down with the set of keys to open the sliding door lock, she suddenly let out a loud grunt as she sat down hard on the floor. Apparently she could not physically bend down to 4 inches off the floor to unlock the case. In a lot of discomfort, I quickly offered to help her; she refused and remarked how she is “used to it”. As Mary reached into the case I quickly captured the moment on my camera.      

We insisted to help her back up, but again she refused and noted “Why, in the life of me, wouldn’t they have put the lock high up on the case?”. I looked her in the eye and sincerely replied, ” Unfortunately,  I am a store designer.  I am one the people in the world whose responsibility is to think about these things. I even know the head of design for electronics at Walmart and he would never want you to end up sitting on the floor.  So on his behalf and my profession, I apologize.” I meant what I said, but I quickly realized how strange and unimportant it was to say it to someone who probably has to sit on the floor several times a night. Mary then hobbled over to register to ring us up.     

I did some research on Saturday after wrapping the gift. According to one government estimate, 93% of the growth in the U.S. labor force from 2006 to 2016 will be among workers ages 55 and older. The incident has had me thinking more about our responsibilities to truly consider the need of the employee and recognizing everyday tasks that are difficult, if not dangerous for a senior retail workforce. Retailers and designers need to plan more user friendly environment; one that consider the ergonomics, the physical limits, the eyesight and the too broad responsibilities for this every increasing demographic.     

So far the biggest problems I have observed include; the handling weight of product, ladders, under stocking, over stocking,  button sizes on registers, font sizes on safety signage, low light levels, register floor matting, walk-off mat edges, and the distance required to traveled in the larger stores. I believe we all have a duty as  designers and storeplanners to at the very least understand the needs and limitation of a senior work force.

Tags: Change, Experience, Generations, Store
Posted in Big Box, Design, Environmental Graphic Design, Generations, People, Retail, Store Design, Trends

One solution to getting the opporator further away from the potent compound, providing a safer work environment, is to use isolator technology.  These are leak tight, negative pressure barrier isolator that allows for the handling of hazardous pharmaceutical compounds. This containment chamber creates a unidirectional HEPA-filtered airflow of better than ISO Class 5 (Class 100) air cleanliness conditions within the negative pressure chamber to prevent migration of hazardous contaminants to the outside and to minimize cross contamination across the direct compounding area.

This technology holds the promise of freeing the building envelope and its occupants from the many protocols that are found in a regulated manufacturing environment.  Fundamentally changing design, energy consumption and gowning protocols in a cGMP spaces.

Tags: LinkedIn, Safety
Posted in Lab Planning, Science, Technology/Innovation, Trends

Johnson Controls has self-funded a large body of research on the workplace.  One of the results is a paper called “The Smart Workplace of 2030”. The language of the paper suggests that the current trend we see toward community space, with emphasis on collaboration and innovation, will be in full maturity in 2030.  The “Key Outputs” are defined as:

• The permanent physical location of work is the Hive
• Work grows through Cloud Networks
• The Eco Office becomes intelligent growth zones where individuals with a common interest meet and collaborate
• Collective knowledge zones form a powerful collective intelligence, which is then automatically scanned, recorded and classified to use in business results
• Our technology solutions are intuitive, embedded in our environment and non intrusive, yet controllable by each individual
• The Smart Worker is equipped with remarkable technological tools and solutions, intuitive systems and solutions

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Tags: Papers
Posted in Generations, People, Technology, Trends, Workplace

We are seeing an interest in developing 30,000 sf to 45,000 sf one story incubator buildings in a science campus.  These buildings are designed to encourage science and technology entrepreneurship.  The incubator provides the resources required for developing the research initiatives of young start-up companies.

This 1 story, developer “Flex” type building is designed to be used as office/flex warehouse if a laboratory market cannot initially support full facility occupancy.  These “flex” type buildings are economical and the large interior spans of the structural system provide an easily configurable interior space.  1 story facility eliminates the cost of heavy structural framing of multi-story buildings to provide for a vibration free facility required to support a lab use as many scientific instruments are vibration sensitive.

Incubator Building Program:

Programmatic Spaces:
          Modular Laboratory bays (11’x30’)
          Shared laboratory support spaces and specialty function spaces.
          Office areas
          Collaboration space
          Building support areas: Mechanical & Electrical services, receiving/dock area,
          exterior equipment support zone for generators, cylinder storage, etc.

Tags: Campus, Incubator, LinkedIn
Posted in Science, Trends