The new office reflects the new patterns of work and the new technologies. To discuss these changes, subject of the Cover Story in the Apr. 29 BW, the guests on Apr. 21 were Gary E. Wheeler (GWFASID), past president of the American Society of Interior Designers and president of The Wheeler Group (a Minneapolis architecture and interior design group), and Joan O'C. Hamilton (JoanOCBW), San Francisco correspondent for BW and principal author of the story.
OnlineHost: Copyright 1996 America Online, Inc.
OnlineHost: Material entered into AOL by persons other than those identified as Business Week's employees or authorized representatives, acting on behalf of Business Week, is material for which Business Week assumes no responsibility.
OnlineHost: Good evening, and welcome to Business Week Online. Tonight's topic is the office of the future -- the combo of new technology and interior design that's changing where and how millions of Americans work. Our guest is Gary E. Wheeler, president of architecture and interior designers The Wheeler Group in Minneapolis. He's joined by Joan O'C. Hamilton, a BW correspondent in San Francisco.
JackBW: Good evening to all of you on AOL. I'm Jack Dierdorff, consulting editor of BW Online and tonight's moderator. Welcome, Gary Wheeler, and hi, Joan Hamilton.
GWFASID: Hello to everyone.
JoanOCBW: Hi, Jack and Gary.
JackBW: Joan, you get to ask the first question about our future workplace. Or for some, today's workplace.
JoanOCBW: Gary, you can look at the changing workplace as being about furniture and technology and architecture. But it seems like the organizational issues are really much bigger. Do you find yourself addressing those with clients in some detail? And if so, what is that process like? What are the obstacles to really changing the dynamic of the workplace?
GWFASID: Yes, It is much more than furniture and technology. It is also introducing a new culture. This is really a "new" way of working. Change is hard, and it must be helped [along] and inclusive of all the people involved.
JackBW: BobAB, in Florida, has a question for both of you.
Question: Gary and Joan, the office of the future is like a cliche -- it has been around so long. What fundamental change (if any) is actually happening now?
GWFASID: The combination of off-site working, technology, and the re-inventing of corporate America really is resulting in "new" officing.
JoanOCBW: You're right about the cliche. In fact, we struggled with a title for this story that really captured everything we wanted to say. I think what's changed is that everyone has finally accepted a lot of the new technology -- voice mail and E-mail, to be specific. Think about it: People used to leave messages like: "Hi, call me." Now, they leave 10-minute speeches on what needs to be done and who'll be doing it. Once folks accepted that business could be done this way, all the stuff about where they were doing it began to change. They didn't need to be in the office, and so a lot of empty offices being heated and lit and secured started looking funny. I think a bunch of things have come together, but the technology's been an important driver.
JackBW: Could you describe an example of this new-style "office"?
GWFASID: Certainly. For one they are more open, involving "team" work spaces and fewer closed offices. We have found this to be true of our leading- edge clients as well as our more conservative investment banking clients. New ways of working mean maximum flexibility and easy change for new client needs. This includes where as well as how you work. We no longer just put people in cubicles or offices. Spaces are designed to support the work that needs to be done, not just status.
JackBW: Try this next, Gary.
Question: How does this new design change the life of the designer? Don't you have to delve much more deeply into the nature and patterns of the work?
GWFASID: Absolutely. I must know as much about my clients' business as they do. I must understand and assist them in implementing their strategic plan and business plans. This is a major change from the days we provided great environments but only provided space to do work and left it to the employee to "make it happen."
JackBW: DaveNPCA in Albuquerque comes at you with a different design concern.
Question: What's the latest in the indoor air pollution situation for American workers? Any new things being done?
JackBW: I would guess smoking bans have helped.
GWFASID: Yes, "green" building is a major issue and will be for some time. The government is backing off due to money issues and deregulation. However, we as a profession have taken the issue on and will continue to push. Air quality from our heating and cooling systems is one major area. In addition, we are investigating new materials and especially glues for such things as carpet and wallcovering that give off gas. This is a major area of research along with recycling of building products.
JoanOCBW: I spent some time with Johnson Controls in Milwaukee talking about their personal environment managers, and they're trying to take some of these issues to the nth degree by giving workers control over how much fresh air circulates in their own private cubicle, in addition to other variables a worker can control. This can be expensive, although the savings sometimes come in what you eliminate from central heat and air conditioning costs. But the folks at their first installation are thrilled with these systems, and the senior VP who O.K.'d using this more expensive approach says he's convinced people are actually healthier, and they're saving money on health care costs by letting more fresh air in.
GWFASID: Joan's research with Johnson Controls is right on. We have assisted Steelcase furniture with the development of the Personal Harbor mentioned in the article. It is also addressing some of the issues of personal control of the environment.
JackBW: The Bob asking this question might be Bob Cratchit worrying about Ebenezer Scrooge.
Question: I wonder about privacy in the office of the future, as you call it. How do you concentrate on your work if some big boss is just a glance away -- sounds like something out of Charles Dickens, only with office dividers.
GWFASID: It certainly can be. That is why it is so necessary for the workers to be involved in the design of the space. We provide open teaming spaces, semi-private work areas, and private "heads down" areas. These areas provide people the needed privacy for quiet work as well as personal calls.
JoanOCBW: Gary, on a related note, what do you think the psychological effect of putting wheels on peoples' desks might be? I look at my desk as my little island of stability some days. How would I feel if it could just be whisked out from under me?
GWFASID: It can be quite disconcerting at first! However, once they learn the way to work, the homing need is lessened.
JackBW: DPros23630 wants to take this beyond design per se to its implications.
Question: Can we get on to a little meatier subject matter -- what about people and technology? How is this impacting people's accountabilities and who they are in the organization?
GWFASID: There are many effects, psychological as well as productivity-wise. We have found that work and accountability actually go up. Trust must be established, and guidelines and expectations must be developed. As work changes, so must the way we address accountability. Earlier, I mentioned the change in the culture of the company. That is exactly where problems will arise if not dealt with from the beginning. That is why we also must get involved in the business issues so we can learn about the culture and what the future may bring in changes of the business.
JackBW: Redhot7369 offers this comment, in a related vein. Any comment on it?
Comment: The question you just had dealing with "bosses just a glance away..." and the fear that you can't get your work done says A LOT about lack of teamwork, and his/her "working mentality" needs to be reengineered!
JoanOCBW: We actually addressed that in our editorial accompanying the story this week! We said managers need to change and be flexible, too!
GWFASID: Yes. True teaming means that we are all the boss at some time. Not just managers and the little people. Jessica Lipnack and Jeffery Stamps discuss this issue in depth in the book "The Age of the Network." Big Brother should be gone, and true teaming should be in.
JackBW: One question is leading to another in tonight's audience.
Question: Following up on DPros' question, what effect does it have on top managers to open their work habits, etc., up to the scrutiny of underlings (i.e., with open office design)?
GWFASID: Good one. As noted earlier it can be scary for the staff to be visible at all times. It is the same now for the boss. In the past, they could retreat into their office and close the door. Accountability goes both ways. I think this is why we are seeing such improvements in productivity in the new workplace.
JoanOCBW: Interesting.
JackBW: Drexo in Sterling Heights, Mich., has this question about technology's future impact on work.
Question: With new, ultra-fast cable modems that can receive and send coming out in a few years, will more people work from the home via computer?
GWFASID: Certainly. We are seeing a major increase in off-site work. It may be home, the client's office, or the park. It is predicted that approximately 40% of our work will be done out of the office within 10 years. Some companies like Apple already are there. However, this will only increase the need for our offices to provide space for interaction, social intercourse, and teaming. We get our inspiration from this interaction, and technology does not allow for that. Teleconferencing can certainly help, but we must be able to talk face to face.
JoanOCBW: There's another dimension to this, too. Some people in Silicon Valley believe in about five years there will be enormous bandwidth jumps in networking, but they will only be efficient to implement in central locations like an office building. One fear is that if everybody goes to "hoteling" and pushing workers off-site, if suddenly only the in-office network is super-fast, super-capable, then people will be wanting to come back, and there won't be anywhere to put them! I know Sun is pondering this issue right now. They don't want to go snatching everybody's office away only to have to build or buy or lease more in a couple of years. It's a very complex situation, given the pace of technology.
JackBW: Try this one now.
Question: If people don't gather regularly at work -- if they just meet sporadically by dragging some desks on wheels into a makeshift office now and then -- what's the effect on camaraderie? Might that not impede teamwork more than stimulate it?
GWFASID: Yes, it will if there is not a reason for the "team" to be together more than sporadically. We are finding that off-site work is the heads- down type -- writing, editing, thinking. The teaming part is the brainstorming. You need a good balance of both. In the cases where most work is off-site and people come together for short periods, the interaction becomes stressed and not productive.
JackBW: Here's another business angle to consider.
Question: This office of the future stuff sounds like a boon to office furniture makers, since a lot of companies will be redoing their offices. But will companies need -- or buy -- as much furniture? What's the effect on Steelcase and others?
GWFASID: Interesting. It may be a boon, but really our clients are rarely throwing out what they now have like they did in the '80s. Today the manufacturers are designing furniture that works with current products and meets the needs of the future.
JackBW: A quick final question from Joan Hamilton of BW.
JoanOCBW: Gary, what's the biggest mistake people make when they set about changing a workplace?
GWFASID: Not realizing the effect on the culture. If we just put the people left after downsizing into cubicles, they will continue to be stressed. Space must be redesigned to support their work needs and not just look nice.
JackBW: Thanks to Gary Wheeler, of Minneapolis architects and interior designers Wheeler Group. And thanks, Joan Hamilton of Business Week, author of this week's Cover Story. That's it for tonight.
JoanOCBW: Goodnight, gentlemen.
JackBW: Transcripts of this and all BW Online conferences are available soon after the event. Thanks to the audience for the questions. And goodnight from BW Online.
Copyright 1996 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
