The workplace is not a facility, it is a show. So why is it that we often focus on the design of the space so much more than the design of the experience? The workplace is a backdrop for events to unfold. No one shows up to Disneyland to wander around an empty lot of…
SERENDIPITY IN QUARANTINE PART 3: In the future, how might we re-build good work habits?
How will we draw ourselves out of our pandemic work-from-home habits? How might we create spontaneous moments in our daily work practice, even if it is not a trip into the office? As a researcher and planner of workplace environments, The scope of work of yesteryear was always designing the ‘office’ experience. The blind spot…
SERENDIPITY IN QUARANTINE PART 2: In the future, why will people come to work?
In the future, a workplace will need a clear purpose. It will need to entice and pull us in, and be better than the convenience of home. Post pandemic, people will continue to want a sense of autonomy to self-structure their work day experiences. Deciding to leave your house will be a mindful (not auto-pilot)…
SERENDIPITY IN QUARANTINE PART 1: Building a new culture of introductions and ideas – in 2hrs or 2weeks.
I’ve never felt comfortable during happy hours at the office. If you’re not an extrovert, it’s awkward, but I get the point. On the surface we want people to take a break, enjoy a moment together. But the undercurrent of happy hours, free coffee, a shared kitchen is all about manufacturing serendipity. Smart leaders hope…
THE SOCIAL TURN: Why I embrace Social Practice
This is a quick inflection coming off the coattails of the MIT 150 Anniversary of the School of Architecture ‘Turning Points’ symposium where I had the chance to moderate the social turn panel. I’m grateful for what I get to do today in my career and have MIT to thank for being an important turning…
Q: HOW DO YOU REPLACE A WORKPLACE? A: Recognize it’s value and find it’s replacement
Originally posted as an article on LinkedIn: I’ve been thinking a lot about the importance of a well designed work experience, especially with the absence of a workplace, which for many companies is a significant catalyst and marker of organizational and cultural values. Thank you Ethan Bernstein for the shout out in your most recently published HBR…
NEW WORKPLACE STRATEGIES FOR INCREASING FLEXIBILITY: WeWork and CBRE share Covid-19 stories
Originally published at WeWork’s Ideas by We: In a recent webinar hosted by WeWork, CBRE and WeWork sat down to discuss how companies are adapting their workplace strategies amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Sidharth Dhawan, director of agile real estate at CBRE APAC, joined Liz Burow, vice president of enterprise solutions at WeWork, for a talk moderated…
LIVING LEARNING AND WORKING AFTER COVID-19: A Panel discussion hosted by MIT Architecture Association
America is currently in the midst of a pandemic that threatens to upend life as we know it. There is a great chance that many aspects of contemporary life will change for the foreseeable future. How will we live? How will we work? How will we learn? All of these questions remain unanswered. Thankfully, our…
TOWARDS A MORE INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE: A discovery workshop to listen, inspire meaningful action and cultivate a more inclusive work environment.
How might we create a more inclusive workplace environment? This was the question posed to WeWork as it critically looked at how to better design WeWork’s product with diversity, equity and inclusivity in mind. Co-facilitator and Architecture Design Manager Micheal Caton and I were invited to design and facilitate an envisioning session with the We…
POSITIVE WORKPLACE DESIGN: A New Toolkit for Organizational Performance
Can workplace design support thriving at work, bring out the best in people, and help nurture positive organizational change? If so, what are the scalable tools that help make this happen? These are questions that brought people together at the recent Thriving Workplace Summit, which was held at the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business. As…
AUTONOMY AT WORK: Working With People and Big Data to Make the Right Choices
Autonomy and choice is the future of work. In 2016 Louise Sharp, Principal At HLW and I presented at the Future Office conference in LA on this thesis. Many themes are relevant still today. To support our claim, we used HLW projects and other market trends showcasing users desire for choice, flexibility, personalization and porosity….
WORKPLACE AS A SERVICE: WeWork presents at University of Michigan
Liz Burow, Jesse Ganes and Josh Emig present the methodology of WeWork design and innovation to the University of Michigan, hosted by the Ross School of Business and the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. The event details and presentation video can be viewed here. Event Abstract: By combining the physical and digital infrastructures…
