The name Herman Miller has long been associated with modern furniture. Working with legendary designers George Nelson and Charles and Ray Eames, the company has produced what are now considered icons of industrial design. Much like Icsid, who promotes design for a better world, Herman Miller is devoted to “work to design and build a better world around you.”
Directors from the Global Work, Applied Placemaking and Future Technology departments at Herman Miller share their thoughts and experiences below on providing the most functional workspaces for individuals and organisations. Share your own experiences and tell us what your office is like using the hashtag#worksmart on Facebook and Twitter.
Q: Let’s start with what’s happening now. Are you noticing a certain trend in office spaces right now? What are people purchasing? Is there a certain aesthetic that’s being reproduced?
The significant shift we are seeing in offices is a greater focus on creating spaces that support and enhance collaboration and productivity. This is less about an aesthetic or a specific product, and more about strategically providing settings that encourage more synergistic work. Unlike the old sea of cubicles or reactionary open plan design, we are seeing more companies move toward creating a balanced office with a mix of different work settings that workers and teams can move through as it suits their workday—enabling people choices based on the task at hand, or desired output of the work.
As a part of developing Living Office, Herman Miller’s new approach to human-centered workplaces, Greg Parsons, Herman Miller’s creative director for Global Work, and his team assimilated diverse views on the subject of what motivates people at work, and found that workers need a sense of security, belonging, autonomy, achievement, status, and purpose. The most effective office spaces support a balanced variety of work environments that also balance the psychological needs of people with the demands of the work being done.
From a facilities and maintenance standpoint, it can be appealing for companies to simply install the same set of desks or cubicles across an entire floor. We find that it’s actually more efficient to install different types of work environments in a single space. “We used to have all these individual cubes for everyone in the workplace and 70 percent were empty. We find people prefer to move around rather than have a specific space that they’re tethered to,” Parsons says. Spaces that are well utilised are more economical, Parsons argues. “You can spend less by delivering settings people actually want and value,” he adds.
Q: Building a cohesive and functional office space is all about balance – of public and private areas, quiet and less-quiet spaces. Where does Herman Miller begin when working with a new client?
Achieving the right balance for any client’s workspace is a key component of the Living Office philosophy. Herman Miller works with all of our clients and their design firms to help bring awareness of what is possible. Many organisations don’t expect enough from their workplace as a strategic tool and our efforts are to inspire and encourage a new level of potential.
The first step toward achieving a Living Office that enriches both individuals and the organisation is developing a common vision that helps clients think creatively, devise strategy, and gain organisational alignment as they develop a new workplace.
Through observation and on-site research, we learn with our clients about what really happens in their current workplace. The data we collect helps clients draw conclusions to inform design and improve business outcomes and the lives of their workers. We offer strategic and tactical support to help clients transform change into an opportunity for improving their organisation as they transition to a new workplace. As the needs of an office and workforce continuously evolve, we also offer a unique mix of methodologies that can help clients measure the success of their transition and identify areas for improvement post-move.
At the highest level of customer engagement, our Performance Environments Group offers a comprehensive and proprietary suite of services to help clients create a Living Office that enhances performance, engagement, and well-being.
Q: What are some of the biggest challenges when designing a workspace?
Unlike in the era of one-size-fits-all cubicle farms, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for a Living Office. Each is unique, based on the distinctive purpose, character, and activities of its inhabitants. One of the biggest challenges is engaging diverse stakeholder involvement to assure that a purposeful vision is the foundation from which the design evolves. Lori Gee, Herman Miller’s Vice President of Applied Placemaking, says, “Many still consider workplace design an exercise in how things look, rather than a catalyst to how people work. Our approach is to develop methodologies to help organisations thoughtfully support their aspirations of who they are trying to become and how they want to work.