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Workspace Photo-Dialogue
Monday, February 15, 2010 at 6:17PM 
When I'm consulting to groups I get obsessive about the quality of the space in which I'm expected to work; I'm convinced that the space directly affects the quality of conversation and, in turn, the potential for breaking patterns and making organisational change.
Over the years I've been invited to work in strange spaces ranging from underground rooms with fluorescent light and pneumatic drills reverberating through the walls and in class rooms where the seats ONLY face forward. When the space isn't up to the quality of interaction that I need, I always decline. Tricky... people get so used to their dysfunctional environment that they stop seeing it. And these days, even when companies spend a fortune on the technology to link people over vast distances I still find that they seem to care little for the quality our experience when the message arrives.
This is madness. Work takes place in relationship. With neach other and with the world. If we disregard the quality of the space in which those relationships function we are in trouble.
Anne Marie McEwan of The Smart Work Company pointed me to Euan Semple's blog, 'The Obvious?' where he says, 'Buildings are a bugger.' Euan notes that as he flits from one corporate HQ to another he finds these expensive buildings to be restrictive and depressing.
When I photographed the Global Mobility Network, featured here on P-D, we crammed into a smallish meeting room which served our purposes well. Enough space (just), curious air-con, good light, good technology, excellent conversation and learning. That day Frank Duffy of DEGW presented on how 'Taylorist Buildings', which house people as though they were mindless machines, have had their day.
We rolled out of our meeting into the bar at One Alfred Place; all felt good, a great day, good company, inspiring conversation. The building had worked well.
But as I made my way back to street level I saw this guy. You don't need to ask him to know his day wasn't so good. The photo tells you immediately that architecture and job design have clashed badly. There is a curious aesthetic mix here; the building evokes power, the reception guy shows us the lack of humanity that this aesthetic requires. This is a space that speaks to alienation rather than relationship.
I guess that I am fortunate enough to fall into the category of 'creative knowledge worker' and, within reason, I get to choose when/where/if I work.
Many of us aren't so fortunate.
Reader Comments (8)
Alienation is a strong word. And boy does it fit the image. Bad thing is it really does make an impression on the customer as to how they see client relationships. The power of a building that seeming does not empower the people in it. Uneasiness. If you don't value the employee ...
I have found this to be true as well in some of the power church designs. Think about that. Church spaces that intimidate people. Shaking head. There is a difference in the power of awe versus intimidate. Do you value the building more than the people in it?
Mmm interesting.... My local cathedral - which is beautiful - trips the power/awe line very carefully and, I think, this has changed with time. My guess is that when construction started (900 yrs ago) it was a serious expression of religious power - the building would have been utterly amazing. Today, I imagine most are still awed by it - but in a warmer way - we are used to big buildings and infer less power upon them. It stands as an interesting monument to human endeavour - but I wouldn't want to work there!
And do people want to worship there? That line is so important. There are so many truly awe inspiring churches and cathedrals that I did want to worship in, attend. Warm. Love our own Duke Cathedral in my home state of North Carolina. As long as the architecture while powerful does not overpower the goals. I can only imagine the wealth of architecture in your area. I'd have to travel pretty far to reach even a few buildings of equal stature.
I guess I was thinking too about an experience at a church that did not walk a good line. While powerful worship spaces can blend beautifully into the larger program, the ministry spaces became worshipped spaces - the architecture became worshipped. When the homeless are too intimidated by the surroundings to seek the services you offer, it's good architecture gone bad placement? Not sure if I'm saying this right Steve. ;-)
Your topic also made me think about the work and patient spaces in large hospital complexes like our NIH, National Institute of Health. In one hospital I thought, free the medical records people! I pictured myself toppling those horribly laid out, nonfunctional cubicle dividers while yelling, RUN FOR IT!! Um ... right after you hand me a copy of my records, please. ;-)
Warning, round about story ahead ..., always wanted to visit Scotland, some good friends just returned from there, drool. I wanted to do some geneaology work on my Cameron side. But if I ever went I promised myself I'd have to break off and visit my church roots as a United Methodist - Wesley. Want to see the Aldersgate Memorial and some of the churches he visited for starters. A friend sent me a link to the upcoming film about his life some time ago. But a major CAMERA UPGRADE will be order as I would not want to miss an architectural moment. Um ... a major upgrade in photo taking skills wouldn't hurt either. LAUGHING!!!
BTW, you have a friend request on Facebook. One of the friends I referenced who was interested in your blog on The Beauty Problem.
Marena says "Your topic also made me think about the work and patient spaces in large hospital complexes like our NIH, National Institute of Health. "
There's something going through my head about toxic workplaces - literally. There's a public enquiry going on just now into deaths in a Scottish hospital in 2008 from C.difficile but there's also a report available, seemingly from around the time of the outbreak:
http://bit.ly/dvZ10m
The shabiness of the physical work environment is mentioned as an issue. One outcome has been an inspection regime with, as my nurse informants put it, inspectors marching into the hospital like Resevoir Dogs. They also said there were more painters and joiners on the wards than nurses the day before the recent inspection.
So painting over the cracks for appearances sake and deeply disenchanting nurses in the process. Images and metaphors - there's something here to add to Gareth Morgan's excellent Images of Organisation.
Wow Anne Marie. Read the report - a wee bug??? Wee understatement. Talk abot toxic workplaces ... I'm assuming there is a medical accreditation process that was suppose to be ongoing that had or should have already revealed some of those problems. We had a major meltdown a couple of years again too in what was suppose to be a state-of-the-art facilty - Walter Reed Military Hospital -that certainly wasn't state-of-the-art for employees or patients.
Also, you hear about physical injuries when workstations are not ergonomically sound. I notice simple things more so now since seeing so many relatively young people in arm,wrist supports for carpal tunnel as they work checking out customers in grocery stores. One place particularly startling. The employee has to bend and reach from the furtherest point of the front of the cart to the back to get groceries because the register area is so incredibly poorly designed. When I see other stores so on top of it, it is quite striking to see something so primitive.
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Cheers Grant - you could help me with my PhD! Any clues on the aesthetics of participation? Mmmm... I guess not...;-(