Work Spaces that WORK for YOU

At one time the American Institute of Architects (AIA) provided a statement accompanying their sponsorship of National Public Radio (NPR) programs. Clearly and simply, it said “… the AIA, shaping the way Americans live and work…”. I invite you to consider this more personally. How do buildings influence the way YOU live? How about the way YOU work?

These days we see the emergence of agile entrepreneurial ventures setting a new standard of sustainable success – the integrated triple bottom line where benefits occur in the areas of Community, Ecology, and Economy. Former employees are developing new visions and strategies of their own as they build Virtual (ethical) enterprises with many virtual (non-local) partners. Wherever they choose to locate their new base (home, nearby office suite, etc.), they are seeking to employ all of their gifts, talents, and wisdom to serve beneficial purpose. The vision and effort of many contributors and participants in this cultural GreenShift is accelerating all of us toward renewability. The intention of this article is to facilitate YOUR success by helping you create workspaces almost anywhere that are a natural extension of YOUR greatest gifts and talents.

Standardization and Personalization

Typically offices are located, planned, designed, furnished, purchased, and maintained by an organization’s in-house staff or outside consultants. These creative folks apply a set of standards that simultaneously shape perhaps hundreds or even thousands of people’s lives for 8 to 12 hours a day. As a former facilities management executive, I understand that space standardization has great benefits for those responsible for managing real estate. However, as an effectiveness consultant, I would argue that there are fewer benefits for those inhabiting the workspaces.

People often find ways to personalize their standard workspaces in ways that express their identities. They may display family photos or meaningful art on the desk or a designated shelf, for example. In physical terms, articulating keyboards and ergonomic chairs support personal comfort. Such opportunities may enhance one’s sense of place and respond to basic physical needs, but they don’t necessarily encourage the inhabitant’s most effective performance. In fact, many standard workspaces constrain our performance and deplete our energy. Addressing people as standard units frequently ignores issues from left or right handedness to physical, visual, and acoustical privacy to adaptive technology needs (e.g., voice-to-text typing) to styles of thinking and working to name several.

Personal Preferences and Styles

Regardless of specific purpose, many of you are creating your own workspaces for the first time. In addition to basic functional requirements, such as a phone, chair, and computer, this is the perfect opportunity to assess your personal preferences and styles. Rather than duplicating the last standardized office you occupied or one that looked fantastic in a magazine, you can create a workspace that responds to who YOU are when you are at your best.

Sure, there are many valid interpretations of good design and auspicious energies. There are also identifiable strategies that YOU tend to employ, perhaps without awareness. What senses are more attuned for you? How do you like to work? What skills do you naturally employ as you perceive, experience, and interact with the world around you – not to mention the people in it? In what ways are you trying to force yourself to work against these natural preferences, talents, and gifts, thereby creating barriers to success? If you spend more time working in your kitchen than your designated office, it may be a good time to consider an assessment.

Assessment Process

I find it beneficial to facilitate a co-assessment process during which a client and I will consider together their personal preferences and styles. Though I employ various assessment instruments, this interactive process invites questions and conversations that enhance meaningfulness, accuracy, and relevant examples. Opportunities for misinterpretation are also mitigated. When consulting in person, I incorporate my own observations, which strengthen the assessment.

The Multiple Intelligence Checklist (© 1993) is one tool I employ to both broaden and deepen our mutual understanding of how a client prefers to engage with the world. This checklist, which appears in the book “7 Kinds of Smarts,” by Thomas Armstrong, is based on theories developed by Psychologist, Howard Gardner. The seven areas of “intelligence” are as follows:

1. Linguistic Intelligence (Words)
2. Logical-Mathematical Intelligence (Logic)
3. Spatial Intelligence (Pictures)
4. Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence (Body/Movement)
5. Musical Intelligence (Music)
6. INTER-personal Intelligence (People)
7. INTRA-personal Intelligence (Self)

Significant self-ratings in any or all of these areas provide great insight into the skills and talents that are inherent in one’s preferred way of being. When the relevant areas are integrated within the working solution – be it the work activity or the work environment – satisfaction and performance tend to increase. For example a person who self-identifies strong musical influence may find that certain background music enhances their performance. Then again, a trained musician may experience background music too distracting because it draws attention away from the task at hand. This illustrates why an holistic understanding of style is vital.

The Personal Thinking and Working Style Assessment (© 1996 David Secan) is a brief (8 items), simple, and intuitive tool that helps people understand in plain language their preferred methods and processes of both thinking and working. Understand that this tool has not been statistically researched or validated. It has been shown through anecdotal evidence, however, to help people understand what they tend to do and why they do it. Though classifications and labels are often used divisively, this assessment tool contains descriptors that can be comfortable as SELF-identifiers. As we discern which natural tendencies or talents are involved, we can co-create a workspace that serves as a natural extension of a person when s/he is experiencing flow. These are the timeless moments described as being in “the zone.”

Professional Organizers as well as adults experiencing ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) type symptoms have found a variety of workspace solutions helpful. That said, there is no standard solution set. Responding to one’s natural styles with workspace solutions involves office location, furniture placement, equipment, accessory type, functional requirements, and/or customized furnishings. Usually there are behavioral components as well, especially when considering a home office. Clients benefit by this holistic approach because it integrates various solutions in ways that are effective for their particular set of needs.

How Do YOU THINK?

Assessing thinking processes involves four interrelated indices that determine how you tend to work most effectively.

1) How you find/organize information
2) How you connect ideas to each other
3) The extent to which you are physically active
4) How you reflect on what you are thinking

Let’s look a little more closely.

Finding/Organizing. Some people organize information with the help of mental representations such that they know exactly where to find something before they look. For example, consider someone you know who is good at filing documents alphabetically by project. They know that the “Main Street” project report is in the file drawer containing “M” and that the report is in the second folder after the “Budget” folder. A file cabinet helps them contain the information they need. Contrast this with people who know what a given report looks like. These folks need to see it before they actually recognize and locate it. Keeping active information in a visually accessible form allows them to scan and find the project. Another visual cue can be that they remember where they were looking the last time they found the document. It’s near the windowsill, for example.

Idea Connection. Ideas may be connected in a step-wise linear fashion or in a web of relationships. Using the linear style, people may excel at breaking processes down into details that follow one another. They may prefer to work in a progression of steps as well. Alternatively, web thinkers may work better at an overview level, where ideas are considered simultaneously. Such people may find that floating between many thoughts enhances their effectiveness since they prefer to focus on the interrelationships. Perhaps successful project managers employ this natural style to keep a whole project(s) moving along toward success.

Physical Activity. Maybe you like to focus your energy by sitting still and working things out. Moving around may interrupt your process and progress. On the other hand, you may like to disperse energy and alleviate distraction by thinking in motion. Do you ever get lost in thought during a run and literally not remember how you got where you are? Perhaps a walk in the park or a half-hour swim will help you unleash your creativity. If colleagues also prefer thinking in motion, perhaps a walk-and-talk can be more effective than a face-to-face meeting.

Reflection. Sometimes I like to reflect on my thoughts and experiences in quiet contemplation. I may consider the facts, my intuition, any emotions I feel, practical ramifications, etc. as I draw conclusions and develop action plans. At other times I would describe my style as thinking out loud through interaction with trusted associates and perhaps hearing feedback on the fly. What kinds of working solutions might support these styles? Some people generate ideas at the coffee station. One recommendation is to recognize and honor the preferences of others so as not to encroach on someone’s solitude just to brainstorm your own thoughts.

How Do YOU WORK?

Understanding your working style is helpful in selecting assignments or becoming more effective right away. Four indicators of working styles influence your success.

5) How you focus on tasks
6) How you engage in activities
7) The roles you play
8) How you consider time

Let’s look at these styles more closely.

Task(s). Some people do well focusing on a single task at a time until it is complete. Others prefer alternating among several tasks (so-called multi-tasking). Either of these styles may be advantageous in a particular situation. Personal preference often drives the selection of assignments. It needs to be noted, however, that embedded styles can be very powerful. For example, a leader’s preferred style may influence the development of a culture within the work environment around his or her own modus operandi. This may serve the leader, but may not enhance general performance. In fact, a culture may become unhealthful, even counter-productive.

Activities. People may be most successful when working alone in solitary activities or excel when collaborating with others. Again, as in all of these styles, there is no right or wrong. In fact, the same person can prefer either style depending upon the work at hand. That said, understanding and affirming one’s preference can be quite empowering. Integrating respective preferences into a working relationship can also be both healthful and effective.

Role(s). Some people are particularly good at hands-on performance, while others are gifted at directing others toward a unified outcome. Either preference is valuable and has a place in achieving success. Mindful consideration of your role will likely enhance your success.

Time Sensitivity. Sensitivity to time boundaries may help some people meet their commitments, whereas emphasizing successful outcomes regardless of the amount of time consumed may be preferred by others. Recognizing either preference can be a major advantage, particularly when planning your day or participating in meetings. Managing one’s own expectations and those of others demonstrates practical limits, as well as respect for participants.

Transforming Challenges to Gifts

I will reemphasize that there is no universal solution for all people or styles. Each person will have a somewhat unique combination of styles and preferences that when integrated determine a somewhat unique workspace solution that works for them. Recognizing some of the “Oh, that’s interesting,” or the “So that’s why I do that,” or even the “If only I knew how to…” comments out there, I’ll offer a few specific illustrations.

Challenge 1: The Bermuda In-Box - Papers go in, but they never come out.
Gift 1: In My Face Organizing - In addition to an initial sorting process for inclusion, you may realize that you often forget what’s in the box, other than the item on top that can be seen. If this describes your challenge, you may find it helpful to create what I call a Face File. A face file places document sets on a visual plane so you can see each important item and benefit from the visual reminders. In practical terms, a face file may consist of a wall-mounted or mobile magazine rack. A label with a key word or picture will help you identify each vertical pile of information, or “magazine.” At the same time the depth of your face file will practically limit the number of documents in each magazine, thereby keeping it manageable.

Challenge 2: Linear Thinking in a Web World - Several related thoughts have no specific order.
Gift 2: Mind-Mapping – Draw me a picture. Have you ever found yourself rewriting lists every time the order or priority changes? A mind map is essentially a picture that develops around a central theme. It may be descriptive only or entail a number of connected tasks. Write a theme at the center of a paper, flip chart, or white board and circle it (e.g., marketing ideas). Then draw lines growing out of the circle in all directions, each line having a label (e.g., write articles, place ads, etc.). In spiraling detail, you may add branches to the lines for more specific intentions (e.g., contact David S). Much like a fruit tree fills in, your map will grow with your theme. When you complete a task, pick your fruit (show it completed). May all of your efforts come to fruition.

Challenge 3: Working with a Multi-Tasker – A multi-tasking colleague keeps interrupting your focused flow.
Gift 3: Discuss Styles and Agree on Boundaries – This can be a tricky one depending on your relationship. Keeping this in mind, one possible solution is to explain to your colleague that you excel when you have the opportunity to focus on one task at a time. Since the reality is that five priorities can not all be first simultaneously (even if you juggle quickly), you both might be more successful if she shares the priorities and time expectations in the beginning. This allows you to move through each task quickly and effectively, communicating when each has been completed.

Challenge 4: Time vs Enthusiasm – You are having a conversation with an excited client who continues to generate ideas, but you have additional responsibilities to address elsewhere.
Gift 4: Recognize, Acknowledge, and Prepare (RAP it up) – This is a reminder that time availability is part of managing expectations. First, recognize (to yourself) that your client is willing to forgo time boundaries for a good conversation. Second, acknowledge your client’s enthusiasm and suggest that these ideas require a meeting of their own. Third, identify the goal of the follow-up meeting and how you both can prepare in order to optimize mutual effectiveness in meeting that goal. Finally, set expectations for the time frame of the next meeting. Perhaps you can allow a bit of extra time (just in case) to reiterate your willingness to hold the space for your client’s enthusiasm.

Closing Thoughts

When hearing the words sustainable or renewable, many people think about the environment or non-petroleum based energy. This is wonderful. In this article, however, these terms have been scaled down to describe sustainable or renewable living on a personal basis, with particular emphasis on working. How can you revitalize yourself by employing your gifts and talents to achieve renewable success? How can you conserve your own personal energy by embracing your styles and preferences rather than working against them? The importance of connecting your styles with your physical workspace has been emphasized, although specific recommendations have not.

As this is a topic introduction in a general format dependant on complex personal information, it does not seem responsible for me to elaborate on specific workspace solutions here and now. Years of experience and judgment go into safe and appropriate interpretation of responses and selection of work environment solutions. Therefore, I invite you to contact me via e-mail or phone for a brief introductory conversation to get you started. Now is the time for YOU to shape your own success by creating a workspace that truly works for you?