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CO-WORKING
Bad planning
Is your seating plan bad for business?
A new report suggests it could be.
There is a huge disconnect between how the average
office is structured and how senior business decision-
makers believe it should be organised to maximise
productivity, claims a new report by Red Badger
(Agile
Ways of Working: The Great Leadership Disconnect)
.
Almost two thirds (64%) of the 751 senior executives
surveyed by the digital consultancy say their offices are
structured on a departmental basis, but few think this is
the most efficient arrangement.
In fact, almost all (94%) say project efficiency could be
improved significantly by re-arranging office seating plans
to promote cross-departmental collaboration.
More than half (58%) believe breaking down functional
silos would boost efficiency; 42% feel it would create
more organisational trust; and 38% believe it would
create a less hierarchical environment.
Commenting on the findings Cain Ullah, founder
and CEO of Red Badger, said: “Departmental silos, and
arranging offices in this way, feel like a hangover from a
time when industrialised workers needed to be closely
supervised to ensure that they completed tasks efficiently.
In today’s economy, where skilled workers have more
autonomy, these seating plans are outdated and, as our
research shows, are actually slowing down organisations.”
Despite agreement on the need for change, the median
length of time before those surveyed expect to transform
office structures is two years and eight months.
BI
:
Is co-working good for all
companies or just start ups?
BB:
I think it’s good for all kinds of
companies because people don’t want
to work in a traditional office anymore.
Companies as big as IBM and JP Morgan
are moving sections of their teams to
co-working spaces, particularly on a
project basis. It’s psychologically proven
that a change of environment is good
for creativity. Co-working spaces are
really good for that.
BI
:
What kind of technology do you
utilise in your offices?
BB:
We have the most secureWi-Fi of
any co-working space and we also have
our app. Everything is done through the
app.We're trying to create this culture
where you don’t need to go to the front
desk or ask people how to do things;
you can do the printing from the app;
you can book a meeting room from the
app; and we’re developing the ability to
open doors through the app as well.
BI
:
Your website says LABS' vision is
to help businesses grow. How do you
do this?
BB:
We hold a lot of workshops here.
We get advisors and coaches in and
run business workshops that members
can attend free of charge or for a very
subsidised cost.We’ve done workshops
on marketing and mindful sales – skills
that everybody can benefit from.We
listen to our members to see what skills
deficits they have and work out how we
can help them. If you go to a traditional
office space, you're never going to get
somebody who actually cares about the
growth not just of your company, but of
your staff as well.
We have a dedicated community
team that’s focused on getting to know
our members and creating opportunities
tailored to their specific goals.We help
members skills swap; we help them
make connections. The LABS app is
very community-focused. You can scroll
through it and see all members of
the community and get in touch with
people simply by pressing the ‘grab a
coffee’ button. The app then sends a
message saying ‘so and so would like
to grab a coffee with you’.We really
facilitate introductions so members can
get to know other people in the same
space.
BI
:
Why should someone choose a
membership at LABS rather than use
a coffee shop for free?
BB:
More secureWi-Fi; the ability
to meet other people; the events
offering; the cultural offering; and an
environment that’s engineered for
getting work done. A lot of coffee shops
are really distracting. This place is all
about making the most of your work,
having a fantastic day, networking and
taking your business and everything you
do to the next level.
@BiancaBass
Triangle, Camden Lock Market
Project efficiency could be improved by promoting cross-
departmental collaboration
