Implementing Integrated Work to Create a Dynamic Workplace

Introduction

Even a casual observer of work life today would note that work styles are rapidly evolving both in terms of how work gets done, and the breadth of work locations in which it occurs. We know that the future office must embrace the dynamic, fluid nature of work. Successful companies will create a diversity of space solutions that support the flow of work within, and between, locations. Organizations are increasingly using the workspace to meet both their strategic business goals and to constrain costs.

Over the past several years Knoll has addressed questions related to the changing nature of work through an ongoing research program. We developed and subsequently investigated a model of Integrated Work both in terms of confirming the model and understanding its effects on employee performance. A new research project has extended our knowledge about the tactical and strategic objectives that managers are tasked with, and how companies are actually implementing Integrated Work concepts and programs to achieve these goals.

What We Found

• Work styles are increasingly fluid. Work is becoming more interactive, and the geography of work is expanding.
• A broad range of goals is driving workspace strategy, extending from the strictly tactical (health and safety, ergonomics) to highly strategic (attraction and retention, collaboration).
• Integrated Work programs are broadly implemented, providing a diversity of workspace solutions that better support strategic goals while still helping companies attain their cost targets.

Review of 2009 Research: Design for Integrated Work

In order to bring coherent design solutions to the complex intersection of work and workspace, Knoll developed a model of “Integrated Work” which includes the notion of individual and group work modes (focus, share and team work), social activity, and a dynamic component, the flow of people and work between the work modes.

The model established that ease of movement of people and flow of work between work modes enhances organizational effectiveness (O’Neill and Wymer, 2009). Thus, good “Integrated Workspace” refers to the degree to which the design of space supports the dynamic flow of work.

We explored the Integrated Work model through a research program that involved two projects. We confirmed this model by interviewing 40 facility and real estate professionals across eight industries. These participants provided a rich context for how the nature of work is evolving.

In a parallel effort, we surveyed more than 52,000 office workers to gather detailed workspace assessments, and collected quantitative human resource and financial data. The analysis demonstrated that Integrated Workspace design positively influences outcomes such as employee retention (and related replacement costs) and the ratio of facility costs to revenue (O’Neill and Wymer, 2009)