How can I ensure the workspace is welcoming of people with disabilities?Ĭollaboration unlocks innovation by bringing together diverse perspectives. This flexible layout gives introverts the personal space they need to recharge throughout the day and also gives extroverts spaces to connect with others. These private areas include soundproof phone booths, quiet lounges, and private offices for teams of every size. In planning The Riveter’s spaces, Jess Hutchinson respected this natural rhythm by interspersing the space’s welcoming, buzzy common areas with a variety of private areas. The best workspaces account for both parts of this natural rhythm by providing several common areas, as well as ample distraction-free rooms for private contemplation and work. After spending time together building on ideas, group members then need more alone time to take individual next steps. Researchers writing in the Harvard Business Review affirmed that there is “a natural rhythm to collaboration.” Before being able to collaborate effectively, people need time alone to process information and generate thoughts. Tami Wood, General Manager of The Riveter Portland, confirms that while they have an open floor plan in most of the space, “we realize that some people want the community but need to be focused with minimal distractions, so we’ve created smaller areas where folks can tuck themselves away and be a little more heads-down.” The open-office floor plan was introduced with the intention of being synonymous with collaboration, but an increasing number of people are starting to question this popular layout. How can I minimize distractions in a shared workspace? Collaborative workspace ideas like lightweight furniture, as well as a culture of permission, empower people to create the layout that best suits their collaboration needs. Maybe four people want to circle up to brainstorm ideas for an upcoming event. Maybe two people want to sit face-to-face to practice a pitch. You can see this design principle in action at The Riveter, as members feel free to move chairs as they wish in many of the lounge areas. Placing lightweight chairs in lounge areas, for example, enables people to reconfigure seating as needed to adjust to their changing uses. For collaboration, mobile seating is an often overlooked design choice that is equally, if not more, important. Comfort and style are important for these areas, but not the only things that matter. One of the main places people organically connect in a shared working space is the lounge area. When designing the spaces, my goal is always to encourage connection in an organic way.” How can I empower people to make a shared workspace their own? Interior design expert Jess Hutchinson confirms this, explaining that “In thinking about The Riveter, it’s impossible to not feel the power of connection and collaboration. Members must circulate the space to use the printer, grab a coffee, stop by the restroom, or get a breath of fresh air on an outdoor deck. Propinquity is also what led the designers of The Riveter to create floor plans that compel people to interact with (and within) different sections of the space. Jobs knew random encounters across departments would occur, and lead to the cross-pollination of ideas Pixar needed to stay at the forefront of creativity. It’s what inspired Steve Jobs to redesign Pixar’s headquarters to house everyone in the same building regardless of their department. This social phenomenon, known as propinquity, plays out in the workplace as well. Despite this lack of restriction, two-thirds of the average respondent’s closest friends were fellow residents of the building. The researchers stipulated that this list could include anyone in the world. In one study, researchers asked the residents of a university dorm to name their closest friends. The influence physical spaces exert on our social outcomes isn’t just a theory - research has proven it. How can I encourage repeated, random encounters in the workspace? Here our design experts answer frequently asked questions on how to optimize a workspace for collaboration. By incorporating collaborative workspace ideas into their design, forward-thinking venues like The Riveter have been able to remove many of these tangible, as well as intangible, barriers.įrom the layout of the kitchen to the size of the furniture, each location of The Riveter incorporates time-tested collaborative workspace ideas as well as unique ideas that celebrate the diversity of its membership. Whether it’s a lack of confidence in striking up conversations with strangers or a lack of space to brainstorm as a team, there are numerous potential barriers to unlocking the benefits of collaboration. We all know the importance of collaboration, but it isn’t always easy to achieve.
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