The modern business environment demands creativity and innovation. But what’s the best way to spark them?
Create communal space
Ideas often come from collaboration. In fact, studies show that people working collaboratively persevere on a task for longer and feel more engaged.
The best way to encourage collaboration is to get people together. Communal, collaborative workspaces are places where your employees can throw ideas around, get different perspectives and dream big. An obstacle that seemed too big for one person might seem simple when a few brains work on the solution. An initiative happening in one team might have applications in another team that nobody had thought of until the two teams connected.
It’s important that people can feel comfortable talking in these spaces – this is when you’ll start to see the benefits emerging.
Have some fun
Humans aren’t robots – it’s when we relax that our brains really have a chance to solve those niggling problems. Creating space where employees can kick back for a few minutes is something more and more businesses are getting serious about. It’s not about slacking off, it’s about giving people an environment where they can have fun and work hard.
Some of the world’s biggest companies are trendsetters in this area. Whether it’s ping-pong tables, a board game nook or a communal garden, you can tailor how your office has fun to what suits you and your employees. Think outside the box – Facebook, famous for their digital walls, have created a physical wall where employees can share their own ‘status updates’.
Allow people to focus
While collaboration and fun are key to an innovative office, once the ideas are generated, you also need to make sure your employees can focus and get the work done. Some people love working in spaces that are busy and buzzing, but other people need silence to do their best work. It’s a good idea to have spaces that are designated to quiet work, where people can steal away for a day and really churn through their to-do list.
If you have limited floorspace, make sure your workstations and furniture are mobile. This will give you the option to customise the layout of your space depending on your team’s priorities.
So, how can you use your office space to promote a strong brand identity? Contact us to discuss your options.