Design that matters: internal work spaces

At the recent design mind Salon in Amsterdam, Microsoft researcher and computer scientist Bill Buxton said: “Great design doesn’t stem from a singular designer or a great design department, but from the entire culture of the company.” An interesting example he cited was about Steve Jobs return to Apple as it experienced its worst downturn in the 90s.



“The people who turned the company around were all the same employees who have been with Apple on the way down. The turnaround happened with existing talent. What does this mean? You can have the best talents – handpicked dream team – working in your company, and it can still go down...if you do not know how to play them.”

Even if you have a fantastic product and great talents, they are simply not enough. You need to build an eco-system that incorporates people, culture, and working tools.

Before launching that new company, or sending cool-looking proposals to business prospects, it is important that time is spent looking inwards, and checking-off key prerequisites for starting a successful business venture, agency, or corporate enterprise.

Outlined below are some important steps we should take cognisance of (basic stuff usually taken for granted). Adhering to these principles guarantees an enterprising workforce, and an environment that stimulates creative output.

People

Diversity. Attitude. Experiences.

• Multicultural talents with varied experiences - Fuels creativity + broad thinking


• Knowledge-driven - Quest for inspiration from different sources; self-development


• Positivism – Passionate, right attitude, respect for the workplace, great disposition


• Focused: Adding value and contributing to growth of company/department/business unit/team


• Ability to learn and unlearn


• Mentors

Culture

Work. Play. Share.

• Inspiring company ethos, values, philosophy – Stand for something beyond revenues, job descriptions, and appraisals


• Vision: Act it, Mean it, Stand by it


• Creating an environment of innovation: Collaborative, immersive, participatory, inspiring


• Power Teams: Instilling renaissance teams that encourage lateral thinking


• Mindsets: Progressive employee policies encouraged by HR departments that study cultural trends

Tools

Collaborative + Engaging.

• Business Model Innovation: Redesigning corporate strategy, internal processes, future outlook


• Dynamic and fluid approaches: Adopting innovative systems in a wired age


• Social Systems/Technology/IT: Access to real-time information, data, and heterogeneous social networks


• Creative workspaces: Encouraging cultural mindsets that think outside the box


• Training, training, training

Clients

Likeminds.

• Pursue only organisations that you really want to work with


• Partner with clients that respect your company’s processes, and value the kind of services being offered


• Seriously consider an organization’s history, policies, employee culture, and mindset before prospecting, pitching, or working on their brief

Be Inspired

Books Recommended.

Rework - Jason Fried and David H. Hansson The Little BIG Things: 163 Ways To Pursue Excellence - Tom Peters The Designful Company: How To Build A Culture Of Nonstop Innovation - Marty Neumeier