The Future of Work: Mapping the Rules [Primo Orpilla]

In the past decade the shape of our offices has gone from the cubicle to “bullpens” to the open plan. This shift was driven by the idea that we can have more freedom, more conversation, more fluidness within the workplace. But now the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction. We see and hear too much and are not able to concentrate on things at hand. We can’t help but be distracted.

It’s now evident that you need moments of privacy. You need moments to reflect and have some quiet time. What is becoming harder and harder is controlling the silence. This is a big thing for me: How do we find moments for ourselves to reflect, to gather our thoughts, to get unstuck if we’re stuck? And how does office design help us grab these moments?

Just like anything, you’ve got to have some hard and fast rules in place. For example, you might call a space a library to cue the behavior you’re looking for, to clue people to use an “inside voice.”

I think we’re all getting the hang of these new spaces. A lot of times you just throw these things at the end user without any instructions. I only use a percentage of my iPhone’s capabilities because I refuse to read the instructions that come with it. But if I did, I know it would do a lot more for me. And it’s the same thing with the workplace. If you knew this was the “library,” and you did this here, and you knew these “think tanks” were really meant to do this, you would probably get a better use of the space.

Companies are beginning to see the drawbacks of the open plan. Lessons are being learned. Suggestion is a powerful tool. I think this is key to bringing people together in the office in ways that are collaborative and effective. It can only help the office be that much more functional.