Innovations in Office Design: The Critical Influence Approach to Effective Work Environments™

ISBN: 978-0-471-73041-5

This definitive book on leadership in driving change through workplace transformation offers vital lessons for architects, designers, facility managers, corporate real estate, human resource professionals, and business leaders. Written by an expert on workplace change management, the text reveals findings from more than ten years of research of over 140 organizations, in twenty-four diverse industries, on how the workplace environment can be optimized to improve workforce productivity, thus better supporting the achievement of organizational goals.

Based on her research on the fifteen Critical Influences on behavior in the workplace, Stegmeier’s practical approach to helping clients manage change is defined as the practice of strategically guiding organizational transformation while maintaining human psychological stability and minimizing business process disruption.

Innovations in Office Design: The Critical Influence Approach to Effective Work Environments

• Shatters the myth that workplace design must bear 100 percent of the burden of transforming the way people work.
• Reveals how workplace professionals can be involved earlier in the enterprise’s decision-making process and serve as strategic business partners to the organization.
• Includes lessons learned from numerous thought leaders in the design of commercial interiors.
• Ranked #1 Workplace Strategy Book by Amazon readers.
• Recipient of the International Facility Management Association’s (IFMA) Award of Excellence, Distinguished Author for a Book.

Where to Get It

The book has been rated the #1 Workplace Strategy Book on Amazon. Here’s what one reader, Jonah Goalstein, had to say:

5 Stars

This book is an essential read for any professionals in the corporate real estate, facilities, or human resources realm, and quite frankly should be required reading material for anyone sitting in the C-suite. Innovations in Office Design is expertly written and gives readers a detailed look into the different factors that affect productivity and collaboration of the workforce. The title may be a bit misleading; the book is more about how to assess an organization through the 15 critical lenses which have an impact on the workplace, as opposed to merely the physical office. As such, readers will really learn a different way of looking at their organization and will realize that the physical office environment is just one of multiple factors that have a say in the health of an organization.

Diane Stegmeier really knows her stuff. The book offers examples of best practices from successful organizations around the globe, and with how many examples she offers, it would be hard to believe that an executive from any organization could read through the book and not find one example of how to improve their own organization’s effectiveness.

You would be remiss not to read this if you fit into any of the following categories:

• Corporate real estate professionals
• HR professionals
• Facilities professionals
• Corporate executives (CEOs and similar)
• Organizations planning a relocation or new office
• Those implementing alternative workplace strategies such as telework, flexwork, shared space, open offices, or hoteling
• Leaders seeking to improve collaboration and innovation
• Companies struggling with talent retention
• Organizations feeling that “something is missing” in their work culture

This book could easily be called Effective Workplaces for Dummies because it serves as the seminal guide for anyone looking to get the most out of their office and workforce.

“Diane Stegmeier’s landmark findings on workplace behavior in the corporate setting will prove vital in determining workplace strategy over the next ten years.”
– Dr. Prentice Knight, former CEO of CoreNet Global

“Stegmeier Consulting Group takes a truly comprehensive approach to understanding the business barriers to the successful implementation of physical space design, whether the workplace strategy is focused on cost reduction, supports the blended workforce resulting from a recent merger, centers on attracting and retaining talent, or aims at accommodating the multigenerational workforce. The Critical Influence methodology identifies areas of resistance to change and addresses them, enabling the architectural and design firm to do what they do best: create the appropriate workplace solution.”
– Greg Bendis, global real estate strategist

“One of the most difficult aspects of facility management is the inability to link environmental improvements with measurable productivity results. Stegmeier’s observations in this area are based on hard facts and real research, not just abstract theories. Her work is an essential tool for any professional looking to justify facility improvements that can actually support and advance the mission of the organization.”
– Heidi Schwartz, Editor-in-Chief of Today’s Facility Manager Magazine

On the Topic of the Multigenerational Workforce

Figuring out how to create an appropriate physical work environment to accommodate the four generations in today’s workforce is a growing concern to many workplace professionals. Add to that the desire to support an increase in collaboration to produce greater innovative outputs, and you’ve identified a complex problem with no simple solution.

In many organizations today, members of the two youngest groups in the workforce, the millennial generation (born 1975 and after) and Generation Xers (born between 1961 and 1974), are not in significant positions of power and so have to play by the rules created by the veteran generation (born before 1946) and enforced by the baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964). Many members of the millennial generation and Gen Xers may not yet be in supervisory or management positions, but they will be soon. As they gain work experiences to help them advance in their careers, many business leaders wonder whether these workers’ social skills and approach to human interaction in the workplace will be adequate to drive organizational success.

To illustrate this issue, here’s an example related to one Critical Influence on collaborative behavior: communications. A 50-year-old individual working in a particular office building may prefer to contact a colleague to compare calendars and schedule a meeting electronically to be held in their private office, attaching an agenda to efficiently discuss a topic of medium-range importance. Elsewhere in that same office is a 20-something member of the workforce who makes a critical career decision on the spot and submits their resignation with no advance notice via a text message to their manager, who happens to be sitting six feet away. While more mature generations may employ technology to orchestrate human interactions, some leaders express concerns that younger workers may be relying too heavily on technology to compensate for less-developed social skills. For Stegmeier Consulting Group’s clients, strengthening internal communications is consistently an area targeted for improvement. Workshops such as our Business Communications Boot Camp (BC2) have evolved over time and now place significant emphasis on the diversity of communication styles in multigenerational work environments.

In general, the pendulum is swinging away from work environments where managers strive to earn the right to physical spaces that symbolize prestigious titles and authority. Both highly defined dress codes and protocols for addressing authority figures are being challenged and are becoming less rigid. The shift is toward environments where staff members expect to be engaged every day in work that is meaningful, to be given opportunities to make an impact today, and to be offered growth potential in the future. These organizations encourage managing, coaching, and development among all staff levels, placing greater emphasis on serving the next generation of leaders.

Shifting generational attitudes can be manifested in the physical space. A workplace strategy that includes flexible scheduling and options such as working from satellite offices or telecommuting can contribute to meeting the widespread desire for an improved quality of life for the entire workforce. The notion of providing a dedicated workspace for each employee is costly in terms of real estate, furniture, and work tools, and long outdated. In Chapter 5, Stegmeier presents quantitative results from enterprises that have adopted new approaches to allocating office space, including Cisco’s documented results that will get the attention of even the most skeptical reader.

On the Topic of Flexibility to Enable Work-Life Balance

Flexibility is an essential component in enabling a work-life balance. To workplace professionals, flexibility may manifest in tangible elements such as mobile furniture and work tools, portable electronic devices, demountable walls, and raised flooring. To other functional groups, it may be reflected in company policies. To employees, it shows up in leaders “walking the talk,” helping them use the tangible tools and policies available. Many members of the workforce feel their employers have put the mechanisms in place for flexibility, yet maintain a culture that stifles advancement for those who use them. True flexibility integrates environment, tools, policies, and culture to support the workforce holistically.

Chapter Summary

The accelerated pace of change in the business environment presents new challenges to workplace professionals. Organizations may be growing due to positive customer response or expanding through mergers and acquisitions. Employee expectations linked to a culture where physical space is treated as a reward need to be balanced with new expectations for collaboration and transparency. The physical work environment must attract future business leaders while retaining experienced ones.

Organizations committed to supporting a new strategic direction must make tough decisions when creating the appropriate work environment, regardless of resistance or covert sabotage. The good news is that workplace professionals do not have to go it alone if senior leaders understand the Critical Influence System and the power physical space has on behavior. The workplace should never bear 100 percent of the burden of transforming the way people work.

In Chapter 5, Stegmeier introduces organizations in the financial, technology, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, telecommunications, and professional services sectors, as well as the U.S. federal government. The chapter highlights winners of Fortune Magazine’s and the Great Places to Work Institute’s awards and their diverse approaches to integrating flexibility and adaptability into workplace design.

Copyright © 2008, 2019 Diane Stegmeier. All rights reserved. This material is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced without prior written permission of the author.