Sales people and most advertising agency personnel have long enjoyed the privileges of informal work environments, with plenty of elbow room for individual work preferences. Their functions have been plagued by deficiencies in performance evaluation processes, since outputs in business life are not always proportional to or representative of specified efforts. Therefore, moves to shift professionals from other functions and sectors out of the pigeon holes of brick and mortar offices, calls for new paradigms of employment itself. Productivity is a common victim of the secured complacency of a salary. That is why digital technology has introduced such potentially crippling costs as Internet browsing on company time. The core of the outsourcing story also lies in the developing wave of work place design, because competition treats a permanent head count, as weights do to a drowning person. The future of the work space is virtual.

I work in a very formal work environment. 90% of the office rejects this environment, but the leadership fails to recognize this. Any advice on shifting an organization from a very formal environment to something more informal. We aren't asking for the world, but moderate adjustments are needed.

It is the culture of the company that we need to see breakthrough especially in traditional firms.

Technology to support virtual office is significant in the ultimate success & popularity. People still need to meet and perhaps alternatives that will fulfil the same objective/deliverables will release employers from concern of necessary multi-party communication need.

Talking about physical work environment improvement, the way office furniture is designed may also have a role to play. Visual and audio facilities may be a new way to boost energy level at intervals.

Perhaps, mini games specially designed for office intermissions by psychologists will stand a great opportunity and contributes to office peace & team spirit building in a long day of stressful encounters.

I agree that office environments are important to releasing the capabilities of today's knowledge workers. But the environmental shift has to invovle more than furniture. (I am reminded of the adage of "rearranging deck chairs on the Titanc.)

If there isn't a commitment from the top embrace the opening up of the leadership and intra-departmental communication environment then all the best interior design adjustments will be for naught.

In the work I do I have witnessed tremendous transformations occur within organizations when the focus is placed on creating the "psychological" environment that encourages and even expects all executives, managers and workers alike to act in such a way that consistantly invites and calls for the intellectual capabilities and the valuable attributes each person has to offer far beyond their "job description". In fact, I would suggest that if you are running a company that does not include a reference to each person being responsible for encouraging the release of knowledge capital and knowledge capabilities in themselves and others in their job description then no amount of office re-engineering will yield the maximum results.

To paraphrase the Clinton Campaign. "It's about the people stupid." And I have to remind myself of that mantra every day.

It would be a great asset to companies and to there employees to have a system such as that in place. Not everyone is a office person but it does not mean that they are not productive persons in there own settings.

Having experienced in very formal , nine to five organisations to a completely free independent own enterprise , I find two distinct patterns which emerged in my professional life:

In complex situations since businesses are complex and need a great amount of support in Resources Physical as well as Team's Knowledge & Skills support it is difficult to carry out complex business transactions working alone from a distant home or office however connected we may be.

For roles which do have minimum of complexities and intedependecies on Resources and Others's Support specifically more on skills and knowledge it is easier to work from remote
offices or cubicles.

I wonder sometimes isnt it a personal trait of individual to view that something routine is boredom? how many of the high achievement oriented individuals seek satisfaction or dissatisfaction thru cubiles, work place than work and role challenges?

This is my personal view ...

Regards
Nelsn

Having experienced in very formal , nine to five organisations to a completely free independent own enterprise , I find two distinct patterns which emerged in my professional life:

In complex situations since businesses are complex and need a great amount of support in Resources Physical as well as Team's Knowledge & Skills support it is difficult to carry out complex business transactions working alone from a distant home or office however connected we may be.

For roles which do have minimum of complexities and intedependecies on Resources and Others's Support specifically more on skills and knowledge it is easier to work from remote
offices or cubicles.

I wonder sometimes isnt it a personal trait of individual to view that something routine is boredom? how many of the high achievement oriented individuals seek satisfaction or dissatisfaction thru cubiles, work place than work and role challenges?

This is my personal view ...

Regards
Nelson Cordeiro

Every effort should be made to tie changing workspaces to corporate social responsibility efforts (by minimizing the ill effects of a long commute on the environment) and improved employee productivity. The concept in and of itself appears faddish and lacks utility for the busy executive.

Any retooling of workspaces must be tied to corporate social responsibility initiatives and improving employee productivity. Otherwise, the concept just appears faddish and what a bunch of young timers do in their loose jobs.