
How Workplace Design Reinforces and Shapes Workplace Culture
It seems
that in the last years company culture
is the talk of the hour amongst employers around the world. Everyone knows it
is critically important as its
impact is far reaching, influencing management, process, products, employee
attraction, productivity and reputation. And one of the most important tools to
reinforce a healthy company culture is office design.
The reality
is that an office is usually viewed as a cost rather than a driver of
performance, with companies often choosing to increase worker density and build
homogenous workstations. But employers do not consider that office design can
help them build their culture.
Most
companies have a dominant culture that belongs to one of the four categories of
company culture. Understanding the culture of the company and at the same time
recognizing the so-called subcultures that can develop in different team units
within the company can help the designers offer the right mix of individual,
meeting and social spaces and even the atmosphere of those spaces.
Even though
the right office design can encourage the desired behaviour, if it doesn’t
align with the company’s culture, such design can backfire. Designers often
hear from their clients “We want to be like Google”, by which they mean playful
furniture, game rooms or ping pong tables. By introducing such a design for, let’s
say, an insurance company, the game room would not be seen as a creative
innovator, but rather as a distraction disturbing their daily work. Consequently,
these spaces would likely not be used at all.
Which four
categories of company culture exist?
COLLABORATE CULTURE or “do things together”
Companies with collaborate culture focus on team building, concern for people and sensitivity for customers, while demonstrating flexibility.
To
reinforce this culture, office design should include:
- - Organic layout
- - Medium enclosure
- - Flexible environment
- - Less individual spaces and more group spaces
- - Informal spaces
CREATE CULTURE or “do things first”
Companies
with create culture focuses on doing things first, valuing experimentation and
individuality.
To reinforce this culture, office design should include:
- - Organic layout
- - Low enclosure
- - Flexible environment
- - Less individual spaces and more group spaces
- - Informal group spaces
CONTROL CULTURE or “do things right”
Companies
with control culture strive to do things right through internal procedure. They
want and need stability and control.
To reinforce this culture, office design should include:
- - Symmetrical layouts
- - Higher enclosure
- - Fixed environment
- - More individual spaces, less group spaces
- - More formal spaces
COMPETE CULTURE or “do things fast”
Companies
with compete culture strive to do things fast through external competition. They
focus on results.
To reinforce this culture, office design should include:
- - Symmetrical layouts
- - Low to medium enclosure
- - Mix of individual and group spaces
- - Mix of formal and informal spaces
The most
important thing of workspace design is to integrate the company’s dominant
culture with possible (and sometimes even contradicting) subcultures to meet company
goals and help its effectiveness. These four categories can help designers as a
foundation for creating appropriate workspaces.
Sources:
https://www.dezeen.com/2016/03/22/haworth-white-paper-research-how-to-create-a-successful-organisational-culture-working-styles-office-design/
http://media.haworth.com/asset/55249/How%20to%20Create%20a%20Successful%20Organizational%20Culture.pdf