New management strategy: the office

For a long time, the physical workspace has been delimited by a framework, borders.
With the spectacular increase in the price of real estate, there has been a rationalization of the square meter per office. The purpose of an office was mainly, at the time, to “park” employees every day and to reduce costs as much as possible.
A majority of the premises were therefore built in a standard way with a reception room, a meeting room and one or more fixed workspaces…) to meet the needs both from an architectural point of view and from the point of view of the layout of the space itself.

What is the situation today?

Currently, many companies are looking to foster innovation and creativity rather than to remain in the standardization of the old era.
Because an adequate layout of workspaces is a very important way to guarantee the improvement of the well-being, performance, and motivation of employees within the company. For a long time, this aspect was outside the strategic and managerial issues of the company.
This is how start-ups were born in Silicon Valley with table football, nurseries, shops and accessories of all kinds. This is not a simple folly of companies but a necessity in favor of interactions, and by extension innovation and creativity.
This type of office allows for the organization of flows (of people, ideas, information). The workplace allows for the creation of a sense of community. This is why the workplace has become a strategic tool in management. But also an argument in terms of recruitment. Architects and managers will have to carefully consider the questions of the hard and behavioral sciences.

The Five Principles

We find five principles encouraging collective intelligence.
First of all, the principle of horizontality aims to favor premises on a single floor in order to increase interactions. Indeed, people are led to meet and exchange. If this horizontality is not present (because the constructions are often of the vertical type), it is advisable to create one. For example, it may be a question of opening up spaces, bringing buildings together (as in the case of the offices of Facebook and Blablacar).
Secondly, the principle of strategic nerve centres makes it possible to add to horizontality and centrality. This will involve common areas (garden, café, reception area) that allow for a crossover of flows.
Then, the principle of transparency aims to compensate for the feeling of isolation by developing a sense of belonging through a permanent visual exchange.
The principle of diversification, on the other hand, consists of varying the uses and functions of a place. As a result, interactions will be amplified as workers will be able to carry out their tasks in a variety of ways.
Finally, the last principle is that of disconnection and sociability from external places. With the rise of digital technology, humans need to get as close physically as possible to others and to nature. In this sense, we are observing the rise of rooftops, a source of well-being.

To find the original article by Philippe Chiambaretta: https://www.hbrfrance.fr/ chroniques-experts/2018/11/23133-le-bureau-ce-nouvel-outil-de-management/