Contract - August 2009 - (Page 94)

practice a pivotal shift: leveraging for advantage In today’s rapidly changing business environment, organizations must leverage strategic planning to identify options, opportunities, and obstacles from every aspect of the workplace By Kay Sargent, IIDA, CID, LEED® AP This is an executive summary of a comprehensive white paper by the same name, the complete version of which can be found at www.contractmagazine.com Timing is everything. Power lies in knowing that the moment has come—a pivotal shift that profoundly affects the present and will define the future. The current global financial crisis has forced such a moment and initiated an accelerated pace of change that promises huge opportunity for those who understand its significance. Trends cautiously eyed by some and enthusiastically embraced by others in recent years will come into their own and reshape the way we work and live to support a variety of imperatives–economic, demographic, technological, and cultural. Smart companies and decision makers who understand the implications for their workforce and workplace will strategize comprehensively and, with a carefully honed tactical approach geared for maximum maneuverability, leverage their opportunities to move well ahead of the curve. For many companies, lost revenue and massive layoffs have taken their tolls. As vacancy rates rise and workspace becomes underused or simply not used at all, what was once an asset becomes a liability that underscores the risks of space dependency. A workplace reduced in size and staff as a direct result of the global financial crunch must provide new efficiencies for a smaller staff that works smarter. Employers will look to technology-savvy knowledge workers with a range of skills to tackle a variety of business challenges in a workspace that supports multifunctional capabilities with ease. This bodes well for the current workforce, now signaling a pronounced shift in work styles and mind- sets as many Baby Boomers look towards entering into a soft retirement, Gen Xers move into key positions, and the first wave of Millennials become rooted in the workforce. Gen Xers and Millennials share an intuitive feel for technology, multitask by nature, and are masters of instant communication. With technological advances that allow staff to work remotely anywhere, anytime, the workplace with a ready workforce is poised to lose its space dependency. Work will be done in a variety of places including the home, client touchdowns, and community centers. The “office” as we know it—the primary place where you go to do work—will become obsolete, replaced by a hub or collaboration center, the “living room” of the company, for face-to-face encounters, knowledge sharing, and building company culture. It will offer a variety of different spaces customized to meet specific needs with multiple options for quick discussions and decision making. Informal seating areas that emulate living areas, or, as at home, dedicated rooms to support specific tasks, will be increasingly common as the corporate interior moves away from dedicated offices, workstations, and hierarchical structure. This free-flowing environment will blur the lines between work and private life to create a sense of ease and comfort that supports a work/life balance. Working remotely offers additional benefits for a socially conscious younger generation pushing the sustainable movement. The Obama administration has raised the possibility of legislation that will hold employers accountable for carbon emissions from their employees’ commutes. Add that to the fact that even a modest commute of 30 minutes to and from work equals 250 hours of lost production time annually and the potential economic benefits are apparent, let alone the positive effect on the environment and towards achieving a work/life balance. Another plus for the economy and the environment is the $6.7 billion allocated by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan to renovate and repair federal buildings, with a focus on increasing energy efficiency and conservation, and an emphasis on adapting existing buildings and their infrastructure. The implications are readily apparent. An irrevocable shift of historical magnitude, a pivotal change shaped by multiple factors and exacerbated by the global financial crisis has occurred. The workplace will be distributed among locations near and far; accessible and flexible in time and space; collaborative and interactive; customizable and easily reconfigurable; innovative; sustainable, work/life oriented; and nonhierarchical. It will perform as it has never performed before, but there will be growing pains as the shift proceeds. Smart companies will recognize this compelling opportunity to rebuild and reposition the workplace for optimum performance and, acting wisely with a thoroughly strategized tactical approach, will lead the evolution towards a new way of working. Kay Sargent, CID, LEED® AP, IIDA is a principal in the Washington, D.C., office of IA Interior Architects. A frequent lecturer, she has authored several articles on design and security issues, taught design professionals at the university level, and served on the International Boards of IIDA and NCIDQ. She can be reached at k.sargent@interiorarchitects.com Give us your feedback on this story at www.contractmagazine.com/contact. 94 contract august 2009 www.contractmagazine.com http://www.contractmagazine.com http://www.contractmagazine.com http://www.contractmagazine.com/contact http://www.contractmagazine.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract - August 2009

Contract - August 2009
Contents
Editorial
Industry
Exhibition: Best of NeoCon® 2009
Up To The Challenge
Pinstripe Pride
Steak in the Grass
Natural Wonder
Showing Off
Graphic Inspiration
Burger Boutique
In Style
Designers Rate: Guest Seating
A Pivotal Shift: Leveraging for Advantage
Ad Index
Source Lists
Perspectives

Contract - August 2009