New Workspace New Culture: Office design as a catalyst for change
| Type | Book, Whole |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Turner,G. , Myerson,J. |
| Publication year | 1998 |
| URL (web address) | not available |
| Notes | ID: TURNER1998; Proposes, based on the experience of De Monfort University's Contemporary Design Research Centre, that new office designs can create the organisational forms of organisational culture that will succeed in the future. Again a sceptic could search for evidence behind that claim. Two cases where numbers are cited both come from consultancy practices, Andersen Consulting saving $1 million a year from their new non-territorial paris offices and Coopers & Lybrands (as was) support for 4,500 employees in a space that can only accomodate 2,700 at one time. Interestingly the authors speculate that such designs may only work in the organisations such as leading management consultanciew which attract $"ambitious self-motivated recruits"; $an aside that could be interpreted somewhat damning assumption that staff in other environments are not self-motivated. St Lukes, First Direct and Dyson Appliances (claimed as Britains fastest growing manufacturer in the 1990s) are offered as alternatives, 'mould-breaker' start up companies which have enjoyed phenomenal growth and have made equality of workspace an essential part of their culture. The assertion is that they could not have succeeded without it, but can this be proved? Elsewhere the authors are sceptical of the benefits derived by companys who have moved from 'monoliths' to 'modernizer' without a deeper change of mindset. $"Staff shuffle uneasily down foliage fillwed avenues unsure whether sitting and chatting to a colleague over a cappucino on a designer bench will be interpreted as slacking or having an informal meeting" $New Workspace New Culture may not convince the sceptic but for those either planning a change or considering one it should be essential reading, not just by the real estate / facility manager but by the CEO. A lot of thought provoking commentary and sound advice in a few pages.$$ $$ |
| Start page | 1 |
| End page | 135 |
| Relevance to practice | High |
| Ease of application | Depends on the culture of your organisation |
| Stage of application | Design. Procure, Operate |
| Evidence base | Better than many |
| Readability | High |
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