KNOWLEDGE WORKERS & THE COLLABORATIVE WORKSPACE

The most successful companies continually innovate and seek new forms of competitive advantage. Innovation usually comes from collaboration. Advantage is also facilitated by good internal communications where knowledge about customers, systems, processes, emerging trends & competitors is quickly distributed thereby allowing agile and focused responses.

Office space is rarely configured to facilitate the capture, organisation and exploitation of knowledge.

Knowledge worker was a phrase introduced to the World by Peter Drucker to describe workers who develop and use knowledge to create value. This commentary seeks to investigate how design can enhance workplace collaboration and communication amongst knowledge workers.

The Work Design Collaborative (WDC) – a leading “Future Work” consulting group, note in their White Paper entitled; ‘Knowledge Work & Knowledge Workers ‘(2007) that, to attract and retain talented knowledge workers it is essential to pay close attention to their “wants, needs, motivations, goals & values” and that their “single most important desire is autonomy”. In summary knowledge workers are “individuals with distinctive working styles & preferences for where, when and how they get work done”.

The key takeaways from this in relation to design & planning workplaces would appear to be the need to create a range of flexible environments that support the ‘distinctive’ working styles that knowledge workers use to get things done. It is therefore important to firstly understand their working styles.

Cornell University’s Department of Design & Environmental Analysis see a trend towards “activity-based planning” which provides employees with a series of work settings to use as opposed to a single office or cube. A range of shared workplace settings are provided based on what people need and how they choose to work.

There are 4-working styles when performing knowledge work. Each of the four knowledge working formats has a different connotation for the supporting workspace requirements which are now discussed:

Format-1 ~ i-work:

This is the type of work that requires concentration & focus by an individual knowledge worker. Controlling privacy is a key issue when doing this type of work.

Format-2. ~ i+1-work:

This type of work involves collaborating with another knowledge worker. This is when ideas are generated and discussed and decisions taken. The work area needs to support the extra person together with the appropriate level of privacy.

Format-3 ~ We-work:

We-work involves small groups of knowledge workers typically comprising less than 6-people. This type of work generates more ideas, information than “i+1work”and usually extends for longer periods of time. The space needs to support the visual display & storage of information and work as well as the headcount. Such areas need to be flexible in terms of configuration with appropriate levels of privacy and access to support facilities. Wireless, voice & hard wired data connectivity is important. Moveable whiteboards, flip charts and projector facilities are required.

Format-4 ~ We-work²:

We-work² involves larger groups of knowledge workers sharing and generating ideas, information, problem solving, strategising and planning over long periods of time – an example being a project team. Accordingly larger, flexible, areas need to be provided and configured to accommodate the display & communication of large amounts of information. Storage of working material is important as is the provision of audio visual and conferencing technologies. Again wireless, voice & hard wired data connectivity are important - plenty of power points are also required together with easy access to printers & copiers if not dedicated. All furniture should be mobile. Consideration should also be given to the cooling of the space particularly, in ‘after-hours’ work situations which are common.

The challenge of the modern workplace is to blend spaces that promote concentration with those that stimulate organic & structured collaboration & communication amongst working pairs and groups.

To discuss how to optimise your firm’s workspace for knowledge work please contact Nick Jones; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it