Optimizing Workplace Design for Innovation

Workplace design should address needs for privacy, structure of activity, and user control. Including a variety of spaces offers people the freedom to choose appropriately based on their preferences and the range of work modes that foster creativity—from intense focus to rest.

For creativity and innovation to flourish, organizations should protect their employees’ ability to focus and encourage restorative behaviors in the workplace. Given the right spaces and tools to support the ideal creative rhythms within your organization, people can be free to do what they need to do to innovate.

 

Foundational Elements

Planning around the needs of groups that occur naturally can:

  1. Cut down on costly physical changes overtime.
  2. Align the facility with the strategic goals of an organization.
  3. Help workers innovate, reducing project times and/or improving services.

 

Common workplace design needs:

  • Appropriate spaces to support the creative rhythm and how quickly innovation needs to occur
  • Areas accommodating a range of focus and restorative activities – for both individuals and groups – with the right environmental, ergonomic, and technological tools
  • Adjacencies in the overall floorplate and the appropriate transitions between spaces should meet specific individual and group needs

 

All organizations need to innovate, but not all organizations do it the same way or to the same degree. For that reason, there is—unfortunately—no single, perfect floorplate or application design for innovation. However, peak creative and innovative performance always requires a work environment that:

  1. Protects Focus
  2. Encourages Restoration Time
  3. Provides In-Between or Transition Time

 

To foster the creative process and encourage innovation, designs need to create a framework of designated spaces that support these activities—tailored to needs of people and groups who use them.

Let us help you select the right products and design feature to create spaces that promote collaboration, productivity, focus, and success. Drop us a line and we would love to design your perfect space!

December 17, 2020