A Threesixty Publication Support Collaboration June, 2010 360steelcase.com

How the workplace can improve collaboration

Converging spatial, social and informational trends are creating demand for workplaces that support new patterns of collaboration.

Steelcase WorkSpace Futures HOW THE WORKPLACE CAN IMPROVE COLLABORATION JUNE, 2010

THE EVOLUTION FROM “I” TO “WE” AT WORK Converging spatial, social and Knowledge work is key to business success informational trends are creating today, and research shows that typically it’s accomplished in four different modes. demand for workplaces that support First described in 1995 in the seminal book, The Knowledge-Creating Company, by new patterns of collaboration. Ikujiro Nonaka and Hirotaka Takeuchi1, these four modes are essential to the process of building knowledge that in turn drives creativity and innovation: Collaboration is one of the most often- communications team and conducted a Focusing – Every worker needs some time discussed and often-misunderstood comprehensive yearlong study. that’s uninterrupted to concentrate and business issues of our time. The research process included video attend to specific tasks such as thinking, Nearly all leading businesses today endorse ethnography, interviews, journaling by studying, contemplating, strategizing, the value of high-performance teams doing workers, sensor data collection, and pre- processing, and other “head down” work collaborative work, but there are many and post-occupancy assessment tools. best performed in one’s own mental “zone.” differing concepts, opinions and bewilder- Among the key findings was validation that a Collaborating – Fundamentally, ments about what that really means. fundamental shift has occurred: most work collaboration is about working with one Many organizations are now actively today is done in collaboration with others or more people to achieve a goal, such as pursuing and promoting more collaborative versus individually. Moreover, rather than it collectively creating content, brainstorming, work while trying to force-fit evolving being a segmented activity done in designat- etc. Ideally, all perspectives are equally processes into existing workplaces. Like ed destinations such as a conference room, respected, brought together to leverage the Cinderella’s slipper on the wrong foot, it’s collaboration is now almost constant and group’s shared mind. an uncomfortable compromise. But most it threads throughout the entire workday. It Learning – Learning is about building find themselves at a loss for what to alter. occurs at desks, in hallways, in team spaces, knowledge. Whether in a classroom or a So they carve out more conference rooms, on smart phones and via the Internet, and conversation with peers, learning happens add a coffee station or seating in passage- it’s often spontaneous and informal versus best by doing and building on what’s already ways, and call it good. planned in advance. When the workspace is known. When thinking is made visible to As part of its ongoing research into designed to fully support the new realities of others, learning is accelerated and becomes the interplay of work, workers, and collaboration, better learning, more innova- an integrated part of organizational culture. tion and faster decision-making can result. the workplace, Steelcase has been Socializing – For knowledge to be fully actively studying collaboration for more In this paper, we provide an overview of internalized and useful, it needs to be than 20 years, using its own and the state of collaboration in offices today. socialized. When people socialize and work customer workplaces to test theories Specifically, we explore the shift from work with others in both formal and informal ways, in real-time applications. being primarily an individually focused both learning and trust are built. Combining Today, as the social implications of a enterprise to it’s becoming a collaborative, trust with an organization’s intellectual multi-generational workforce converge “you and me” and “we” activity. We discuss capital creates the necessary ingredients with the informational implications of new new understandings of what collaboration is, for innovation. technology tools, a new view of collaboration and what it isn’t. Finally, based on findings Across the four work modes, workers create is emerging. To test concepts and provide a from the behavioral prototype space and and use two types of knowledge: explicit holistic view of how to support collaboration the research conducted there, we offer and tacit. Explicit knowledge is the formal, today, in 2009 the company created a new strategies for creating spaces that fully systematic information typically found in behavioral prototype space for its marketing support today’s collaborative work. documents, procedures, and manuals.

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In contrast, tacit knowledge is deeply IT’S HARD & IT’S MESSY research done at the Santa Fe Institute and personal, harder to formalize, and learned There’s an African proverb that says, “If you published in Scott Page’s landmark book The by experience. It’s communicated indirectly want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to Difference, have validated that two or more through metaphor, analogy, mentoring, and go far, go together.” heads really are better than one, and the side-by-side doing. group will measurably outperform the lone If collaboration is more important than ever, expert every time.6 it’s also never easy. Struggling to evolve, FOUR MODES OF KNOWLEDGE WORK organizations and workers can mistake But collaboration doesn’t come automati- low-intensity interactions, such as coordina- cally or easily. It’s often messy and can be tacit tion of individual tasks (“tossing it over to downright ineffi cient as people build the you”) or communication (“keeping you up social, informational, and spatial pathways

NG L ZI EA to speed on what we’re doing”) for true they need to work together effectively. For LI R A N I I example, Steelcase research has shown that C N collaboration. What’s more, they fail to realize O G 70% of workers today say they waste up to S that each level of interaction requires its own kind of space. 15 minutes just looking for a space to meet and 24% waste up to half an hour.7 tacit G As researcher and author Michael Schrage explicit N explicit F I O T has observed, most organizations lack the C A VARYING DIMENSIONS OF TEAM STRUCTURES U R S O structures that allow people to pool their IN B G LA talents and work together. As a result, the COL goal of collaborating together to achieve a Distributed Team Levels of 3 explicit common purpose remains elusive. Without Tech Support High support systems in place, watered-down Source: Nonaka/Takeuchi, The Knowledge-Creating notions of “teamwork” often trump genuine Company 1995 collaborative interaction.4 Mixed Team Generation Y is helping to drive the Whereas in the past, most people’s work Traditional Team movement toward more informal col- Low was individually focused2, today the reverse laboration, according to Steelcase research has become true: 82% of white-collar 0% 100% completed in 2009.5 Their preference for workers feel they need to partner with others % of Time Apart on Task informal access versus scheduled meetings throughout their workday to get work done.3 Close means that they come to the offi ce to Knowledge work has become fundamentally Physical Distance leverage social networks and participate in Far a social activity, an exchange where workers collaboration on demand. build on each other’s ideas and create new Source: Griffi th, Sawyer & Neale, Virtualness and Knowledge knowledge together. Little wonder that Although Gen Y’s presence in the workplace in Teams 2003 workers want workplaces that support accelerates the need to support collaborative A teamʼs structure can be determined by assessing the social nature of work today. Increased workstyles, the trend didn’t start with them its “dimensions of virtualness”: level of technological collaboration unavoidably implies the need and isn’t limited to them. Numerous studies support, actual physical proximity and duration of for a different type of workplace. in recent years, such as cutting-edge time apart [i.e. working alone].

Effi cient collaboration is becoming even more of a challenge today, with workers LEVELSLEVELS OF OF PERCEIVED PERCEIVED INTERACTION: INTERATION increasingly distributed across locations and geographies versus all co-located in one place. Increasingly, collaboration in today’s 3 collaborate organizations is now “mixed presence” team LEVEL 3: At the highest level, collaborators work – i.e., workers in one location interact operate as a team to achieve a common purpose with each other and also with distributed by working together [high interdependence] and team members via technology-enabled by gaining new insights [creativity]. collaboration. The varying dimensions are the 2 communicate level of technology support, actual physical 8 LEVEL 2: At the next level, a group of individuals proximity, and duration of time apart. exchange information as part of a community of Although there’s less need for individual interest, but not to achieve a common goal. workstations with a distributed workforce, the need for collaboration spaces increases. 1 coordinate With cloud computing one of the established LEVEL 1: At a basic level, individuals operate trends of the decade and the launch of independently and interact to accommodate their technologies like Google Wave and Intel’s own specific needs, passing documents back and forth and sharing information, but not as part of Dynamic Composable Computing, worker a working group or a team. data is becoming more easily shared, enabling new levels of synchronous collabo- Source: Michael Schrage, Shared Minds: The New Technologies of Collaboration ration for even distributed teams.

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However, no matter how or where people is key. It’s important to craft the interac- MEETINGS: HERE TO STAY come together, achieving collective mind isn’t tions, tools, and spaces that can extend Collaboration is becoming more a given. Simply getting people connected the individual into the common ground of opportunistic and informal, but doesn’t assure productive collaboration. collaboration, easily and often. When support scheduled meetings are probably Distractions and divided attention are the systems such as easily accessible shared here to stay as an established norms of the day. For example, consider what spaces and the right technologies are in business ritual. To better understand happens during a typical meeting: varying place, the effi ciency factor can be favorably the essentials of productive degrees of attention to the work at-hand are tipped so that effective collaboration meetings, Steelcase researchers 10 expected and mostly tolerated. Especially if becomes easier. formulated an A8 framework. As peoples’ sightlines to displays of information spatial experiences, each of these are compromised or nonexistent (which BEYOND AS-IS eight activities provokes fundamental happens frequently in conference rooms Most workspaces today don’t support spatial opportunities — for before, and audio- or video-conferenced meetings), collaborative work processes. There’s little during, and after meetings. attention quickly diverts. choice in where and how to work. Individual Another common threat to successful workstations separate people from each BEFORE THE MEETING, YOU… collaboration is involving too many people other, and meeting spaces must be reserved 1. Anticipate: prepare for what lies at once. In general, smaller groups are in advance. In addition, they can easily dwarf ahead by planning and packing preferred. Consider how some individuals the participants and tamp down energy and what you’ll need and organizations size teams: mood. Areas with audio privacy for phone 2. Approach: experience the moments on the way to your TEAM SIZES intended destination, getting mentally prepared

DURING THE MEETING (NOT Evan Wittenberg, director of the Wharton Graduate NECESSARILY IN SEQUENCE), YOU… Leadership Program, notes that team size is “not necessarily an issue people think about immediately, but it is 3. Arrive: experience the transition important.” According to Wittenberg, while the research on to “here,” knowing you’re in the optimal team numbers is “not conclusive, it does tend to fall into the 5 to 12 range, though some say 5 to 9 is best, and right place the number 6 has come up a few times.” 4. Assemble: are face-to-face with

In software development, the practice of scrum/agile people and information, positioning methods organizes the teams according to the rule of 7 to engage plus/minus 2. 5. Array: work everything into At Amazon, Jeff Bezos is said to limit team size to the patterns that come to life side by number of people that two pizzas can feed, 5-8. side; posting and displaying, show and tell, citing, note taking, discus- Research on group learning with students generalizes “ideal” team size to be between 4-6 individulas. sion, collaboration 6. Aside: make temporary switches At Google, self-directed teams scale from 2 to 5 individuals. to interdependent peripheral interac- Michael Schrage in the book No More Teams cites the tions by multi-tasking historical importance of collaboration between two individuals: Picasso/Braque, Watson/Crick, Wozniak/Jobs 7. Adjourn: wrap up at the close of a session by winding down, uploading/downloading, wrapping up, departing

Like a chain letter that expands its reach AFTER THE MEETING, YOU GROUP GROUPDYNAMICS DYNAMICS IN GROUP IN GROUP SIZE SIZE exponentially, as the size of the team 8. Act: do individual work, translating 250 increases so does the diffi culty of managing your task to make a contribution to communications within it. With two people, the “collective mind” there is only one possible interaction. With 200 three people, there are four. With a four- Source: Steelcase Workplace person group, there are 11, and so forth. 150 Futures Discoveries As illustrated by the chart at right,9 the number of possible interactions explodes in 100 groups with more than six people. That’s why usually collaboration happens best among 4 50

to 8 people. NUMBER OF SOCIAL INTERACTIONS 0 In light of all the challenges to successful 0 2 4 6 8 collaboration, the design of the workplace GROUP SIZE

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and videoconferencing are few and far almost continually and often informally Technology rules. If a space has easy between, so workers make do in their work- throughout and beyond the workspace, projection and teleconferencing capabilities, stations, frequently disrupting others. Social not as a single occurrence or destination- it gets nearly constant use. Meanwhile, spaces, if they exist, often don’t have power dependent, but as a constant theme of “dumb” spaces that are low on technology sources or WiFi, so they’re under-used. There the workday. capabilities are used far less. In an ideal are few places to array work-in-progress for collaborative work environment, there’s easy Equal access to information is crucial. discussion or show fi nished work for future True collaborative work happens most and access to data and power throughout with reference. Individual workstations are set best in spaces that easily support 4 to 8 no “dead zones” so workers can share digital up for focused work only, and there are few people (physically and virtually) and everyone data with others anytime. Technology needs places to go when you need to do work with has equal access to digital and analog to be simple to use, easily present, and never others other than “third-places” such as information displays and can see each other detracting from the purpose at hand. coffee shops, which often don’t adequately eye-to-eye. For example, in the Steelcase Visual contact is key. Like a good restaurant support work processes and can compro- prototype space, area A (shown in gold) was that’s not too empty and not too packed, mise company-confi dential information. equipped with a large round table, a circum- the right amount of people density in the Steelcase’s marketing communications ference of whiteboards, and simultaneous workspace makes a positive difference. In the team was experiencing these realities in its information projections on opposite walls. Steelcase prototype space, if people could “before” space. Although their work was It was everyone’s favorite space to meet. see each other, they’d go over and talk to all about innovating for creative outputs, Meanwhile, right next door, area B (shown each other. Benching workstations increased collaborative behaviors weren’t easily in red) was used signifi cantly less because collaboration because they allowed workers exemplifi ed in their space. At the same it didn’t have the design features that to make easy eye contact, which increased time, the team was becoming increasingly supported democratic access to information. the likelihood that someone would stop by a mobile and distributed. Their leaders wanted to help the team build a stronger STEELCASE’S MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS TEAM “BEFORE” SPACE shared identity, be able to respond to changes quicker, and get to decisions and innovations faster. The new behavioral prototype space was designed to put emerging hypotheses about collaboration to the test of day-to- day work experiences. However, it wasn’t a myopic experiment. The space was specifi cally designed to accommodate all four work modes: focused, social and learning, as well as collaborative. It provided collaborative settings integrated in close proximity to individual worksta- tions that were unassigned to provide choice and control to a mix of resident and mobile workers. Spaces varied in size and ...\Plan\i-nrp301_marcom old.dgn 1/26/2010 2:20:30 PM technology to support a range of work. In STEELCASE’S MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS TEAM “AFTER” SPACE total, it was a space designed to support the ways work is changing.

BEFORE & AFTER The space was set up to support focused work in individually assigned workstations.

FOLLOW THE USER Not surprisingly, collaboration happened more often in the new space specifi cally designed to support it, though not always in predictable ways. As researchers studied how people used and interacted Area within the new environment, several key B “ahas” emerged.

Collaboration is iterative and mostly informal. The study confi rmed that effective collaboration is an intertwined progression Area A of face-to-face and virtual interactions as workers move through the day. It fl ows

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co-worker’s space for a quick conversation them to make effective and informed • Provide ways for workers to share informa- and then return to individual work. Because decisions. (The Steelcase Workplace tion from personal devices in a larger workers didn’t have individually assigned Satisfaction Survey is a global research format to encourage group participation. workstations, they often adjusted their tool that designers have used with over 133 Zoning proximity so they’d be close to the people clients and nearly 23,000 respondents to Providing the appropriate range of settings they needed to work with on a given day. understand a variety of workplace issues that and acoustics With technology and each other right at impact employee satisfaction.) • Be mindful that more-open collaborative hand, many communication and coordination As importantly, journal entries and interviews environments require a balance of activities happened right at workstations revealed that workers were genuinely enclosed spaces for focused work, versus moving to a destination. energized by the new space. They expressed conference calls, and telepresence. A social space is critical as the hub of that they were better able to generate new the work area. It serves multiple purposes: ideas, build knowledge, and get multiple • Consider zoning the overall environment a place for individuals to talk about work points of view. into quiet, social, collaborative, and casually and as a “town center” to pull speakerphone areas. PLANNING FOR COLLABORATION together the larger group. In addition, • Enable workers to have choice and control social space sets a cultural tone for the rest As organizations and designers plan of where they work by providing a range collaborative spaces, Steelcase researchers of the space. In the Steelcase prototype of settings to support multiple work identified several planning considerations. space, high-energy standup encounters modes: focused, social, learning, and Each calls for different space considerations were frequent and face-to-face collabora- collaborative. Consider a range of “I” to and new best practices to successfully tion occurred here more often than “we” settings in open and enclosed areas. anywhere else. engage workers in working together. Proximity Rolling collaboration Providing space for private, focused No longer bound by ‘”assigned seating” work remains critical for productivity. Sharing tacit knowledge in real time • Encourage workers to switch where Collaboration worked well throughout the • Enable staying ‘in-flow’ while in motion; they sit on a regular basis to build stronger Steelcase prototype space, but focused work leverage segues throughout the day networks between people, projects, was a challenge for some workers as they with meaningful encounters via effective and ideas. adapted. Paradoxically, as the trend toward settings in casual environments. collaboration intensifies, privacy — visual, • Provide vertical surfaces close to col- • Support a “braided” collaborative audio, and psychological — also is escalating laborative neighborhoods to encourage experience — formal/informal, planned/ in importance. interaction with content and to group- impromptu, face-to-face/virtual. build a “shared mind” around ideas. MEASURING THE 3D IMPACT • Encourage dynamic/iterative exchanges Design shared information walls close to The research project confirmed that space by providing visual tools for sharing and resident workers as reference points for plays an integral role in successful collabora- building ideas. ongoing work. tion. Pre- and post-occupancy “cultural Density • Consider that any space or affordance scorecards” based on worker survey results Creating an energetic buzz that’s more than 50 feet away from the showed measurable improvement in 11 workspace will typically not get used. key dimensions: • Leverage the natural energy caused by Design meeting rooms, enclaves, density of occupants. • Adaptability project areas, etc., within close proximity • Identity • Consider multiple uses of space. of teams. • Learning & development • Provide visual/acoustical connections Tools • Idea generation so workers can mentor and be mentored, Critical for collaboration • Idea sharing learn through “eavesdropping,” and share • Plan every setting as a collaborative • Putting ideas into action knowledge informally during the flow setting to maximize the opportunities for • Accountability of the day. • Managing individual performance collaboration. Provide data, power, shared • Risk orientation Layering: vertical elements (screens, whiteboards, • Team dynamics Accommodating multiple resources tack space) to enable the exchange of tacit knowledge. • Trust • Provide for the layering of analog and In addition, post-occupancy Workplace digital information. • Keep in mind that brainstorming tools that allow workers to democratically participate Satisfaction Surveys showed that 95% of • Leverage vertical surfaces as communica- will best support idea building. respondents said their new workspace tion/collaboration tools inside/outside enabled communication between employees. of project team spaces to encourage Similarly, 95% said they had access knowledge sharing beyond the team. to spaces for unplanned or impromptu • Enable real‐time updates of the evolution meetings, and 68% said they now spend of project work. less than 5 minutes finding a place to meet. Improved productivity was cited by 82%, • Support the transition of analog work into and 82% also said their workplace enabled digital documentation.

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7) Social ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ENDNOTES 1 Leveraging informal networks Steelcase conducts ongoing research on The Knowledge-Creating Company, Ikujiro Nonaka and Hirotaka Takeuchi, Oxford University Press, 1995 work, workers, and the workplace, and this • Consider breaking down silos between 2 “Workplace Strategy,” quoting research by Gartner teams by providing shared casual research forms the basis of our perspec- Dataquest, Jones Lang LaSalle IP, Inc. 2007 space for information encounters and tive on how the physical workplace can 3 “Inside Innovation,” Business Week, April 28, 2008 support collaboration. We are grateful to our sharing work. 4 Shared Minds: The New Technologies of Collaboration, colleagues in the real estate and design com- Michael Schrage, Reed Business Information, Inc., 1990 • Consider food as an attractor for bringing munities for sharing their reactions, insights, 5 “How the Workplace Can Attract, Engage & Retain people together. and ideas about the issues discussed in Knowledge Workers,” Steelcase Threesixty Deep Dive white paper, August, 2009 • Provide for support of shared spaces, this article. Several individuals contributed 6 collaborative tools, and work behaviors. thoughtful perspective on these issues The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and Societies, Scott Page, Consider assigning an “owner” to help and helped shape this article. Our sincere Princeton University Press, 2007

facilitate adaptation to the space and thanks to: 7 Steelcase Workplace Satisfaction survey data

cultural changes. 8 Mark Adams, Smith Group “Virtualness and knowledge in teams: managing the love triangle of organizations, individuals, and information • Provide open settings where people can David Goodman, Clorox technology,” Terri L. Griffith, John E. Sawyer, Margaret A. work while making themselves accessible David Kelley, IDEO Neale, MIS Quarterly, June 1, 2003 to others. Stephen Swicegood, Gensler 9 “How to set up small groups for decision-making,” Intuitor. com, http:www.intuitor.com/statistics/SmallGroups.html

THE BOTTOM LINE 10 “Collaborative Work: Behavioral Prototyping/Research Insights,” Steelcase Workspace Futures Environments, As knowledge work continues to evolve, 2009 collaboration is an emerging issue that’s key to business growth. As workers seek to rapidly build on each other’s ideas to create new forms of knowledge and innovation, the workspace can either significantly support or compromise their intentions and behaviors. Even as work becomes more dependent on technology and workers spend more time immersed in the digital world, the workplace is increasing in importance as the central hub that tethers workers to each other for interac- tions that are both necessary and desired. As such, the shift from private enclosed offices and cubicles to spaces that are intentionally shared and multifunctional may well be the biggest change in office design that happens throughout our still-new century. Different work requires different space. As organizations reduce individual workspaces, there’s opportunity to replace some of that space with solutions that foster collaboration, learning, fast decision-making and innova- tion. Done right, they can make traditional conference rooms obsolete.

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