Office Design Collaboration: Helpful Tips and Interesting Trends
Working together and productively in an office space are two important features to help get the job done. Many new office spaces are designed to encourage employees to collaborate throughout the day, rather than keeping people separated within individual office spaces. The definition of the term “collaboration” focuses on the action of several people working together to produce or create something.
Perhaps not surprisingly, this focus on collaboration in the workplace is having an effect on office design trends. This focus on collaboration can be particularly important for people in certain fields like software engineering, product development, and architecture, where teams of people with different skill sets come together to deliver a unified service or create a product. final.
3 tips for designing office spaces to maximize collaboration
When designing a workplace for maximum collaboration and productivity, it’s important to consider the balance between individual space and group meetings. According to OfficeSnapshot.com, it helps to focus on ongoing collaboration, density, and proximity. By simultaneously focusing on these features, you can more easily facilitate timely and dynamic exchanges throughout the day.
When considering office layout, here are 3 tips to help you create an energetic atmosphere, while using the available space in multiple ways.
1. Incorporate an open workspace into your plan. Make sure your office allows for free sharing and connection with others by offering people access to an open workspace. Office spaces that promote maximum collaboration feature zones and areas that are open to expansion and inclusion. This includes having easy access to plenty of seating and tables for team members who choose to collaborate.
two. Forget about assigned seats. A collaborative environment minimizes the need for individual desks and assigned seating. Everyone should feel free to brainstorm ideas and solve problems collaboratively, regardless of the particular field or business area in which they choose to work.
3. Foster a spirit of collaboration.. Creative and team environments thrive on communication and this can be face-to-face or remote. Just because some employees may be located offsite doesn’t mean collaboration should stop. In fact, some of the most productive and collaborative teams work with nearshore team members every day. New technologies like Skype make regular communication and collaboration easy and affordable.
Some employees may have a personal preference to work in one space, without distractions. However, collaborative office spaces really encourage the placement of at least two people in each space, so work can be done as a unit.
The creators of Google inspired an office environment that focused on fostering friendships. Adopting a “150 feet from food” rule, every part of Google’s New York office space is designed within a 150-foot proximity of a restaurant, cafeteria, or micro-kitchen. This rule focuses on the “chance collision” of employees, which often results in “unplanned collaborations.”
Steve Jobs was inspired by Google to create a new office space for Pixar. Jobs found that physically separating certain groups of employees only further discouraged collaboration and problem-solving across the company. He decided to integrate all the employees with this new office design and his creativity flourished! John Lasseter, Pixar’s chief creative officer, said that he “has never seen a building that promotes collaboration and creativity as well as this one.”
There are several key features that Job believes have been necessary and also successful for collaborative office spaces. He said an open floor plan and high-traffic areas encourage unexpected communication. He said that every office should have common areas and that offices should always be large enough to accommodate two or more people. Jobs believed in collaboration and unity to do the best job. His exemplary work in designing office spaces is evident through the success of his many ventures and creations.
When looking to create your own office space to inspire collaboration and creative problem solving, it’s helpful to consider some of the proven advice from experts like Steve Jobs and others. An open floor plan always tends to be a safe bet, rather than enclosing workspaces in a maze of individual offices.