Do you recognize the following situation?
Barbara goes to the workspace of her colleague Frank in the open office environment and asks a question about a file he is working on. Frank gives a detailed answer. A conversation begins. Filip happens to pass by and also knows a thing or two about the file. He eagerly joins the discussion. Karen and Jonas are sitting at the same work island as Frank. Karen is desperately trying to finish a complicated memo. Jonas is on the phone with a client but only half listens to what they are saying.
Activity-based working is one of the core components of the New Way of Working. We choose a workspace based on our activities: a closed booth for confidential calls, a library space to quietly finish a file, a lounge to discuss a file. It sounds very simple, but a significant effort is needed from the involved teams to bring about the fundamental behavioural change necessary for this way of working to succeed. The above situation clearly illustrates the consequences of inappropriate behaviour in an activity-based work environment.
A tsunami of resistance
Can we change behaviour in our workplace? Resistance hits us like a tsunami. If it’s not the media bombarding us with the horror of the open office, then it’s neuropsychiatrists warning us about the fundamental limitations of the human brain. We hear it every day: humans are creatures of habit. Activity-based working is doomed to fail. Behavioural change in the workplace is a utopia!
The metamorphosis of the workspace
Pimp my workplace
The New Way of Working requires more flexibility from employees. Choosing when to do what, independent of time and place. This is in stark contrast to traditional workplace behaviour. In many organizations, employees are tacitly allowed to “pimp” their workspace according to their preferences: a nice plant, a beautiful photo of the kids, their own coffee machine, posters of their favourite football team, or even a unique collection of souvenirs. Anything goes. And then, of course, it becomes difficult to turn back the clock. “I want to feel at home in the office,” “I really like my own little spot,” are typical statements from the “creature of habit,” the knowledge worker.
Also, the goal of a clean desk is, for many organizations, a (seemingly) utopia.
Too often, employees claim to need a certain chaos on their desk. “I find everything there,” “A clean desk means an empty mind,” they then use as an excuse to stack folders, brochures, and documents, without systematically throwing them away or storing them. We are familiar with the offices where paper is stacked against the walls, where the archive door is almost blocked by clutter, where the reception desk is full of notes, post-its, packages, and empty envelopes.
A strategy and culture to lead the way
Organizations struggle with this question. What should we do with our messy offices? Can we even forbid it? The fundamental question remains the same: The organization must ask itself a fundamental question: What behaviour fits with our strategy? What behaviour fits with our organizational culture?
A messy desk does not suit an engineering company striving for maximum efficiency and quality. If we’re obsessing over our splendid ISO standard in the production environment and enforcing lean principles on the workers, why should our engineers be allowed to adhere to different quality standards? In the office environment of a municipality, a cabinet full of personal notes and cartoons is difficult to reconcile with neutral service delivery. A desk piled high with manuals is not in line with the flexible project work in an IT environment.
Be careful, though, the knife cuts both ways. What may be charming clutter in an advertising agency can give a certain “je ne sais quoi” and align well with the image of creative chaos. But in a hospital or a town hall? Hmmmm…
The temple model
Aligning with the strategy and culture of the organization, then. Fortunately, sociologists have already thought about this, resulting in the so-called temple model. Behavioural change is induced in an organization by influencing four fundamental pillars: the system, the structure, the culture, and the people. Too often, an organization tries to focus solely on one of the pillars in isolation and fails to change behaviour effectively.
There are countless examples. IT launches an internal social media platform with much fanfare (system), and we are surprised when no one uses it! However, informal information exchange continues unabated at the coffee machine (culture). In the flexible environment, we provide beautiful, expensive meeting spaces for brief status meetings (structure), yet a manager refuses to use them because they are too far from his personal workspace (people). Sociology teaches us that we can only achieve effective behavioural change when we simultaneously address all four pillars. Moreover, these pillars must be firmly embedded in the organization’s strategy. Every change we pursue in our organization must align perfectly with our vision.
But how do we approach this concretely? How do we prevent users from copying and pasting their current behaviour into the new work environment? For this, your local change management store offers some handy tools!
Create support!
Creating support among users by actively involving them in the project is crucial for the success of our activity-based workspace. One of the most effective methods is to set up an ambassador group consisting of representatives from the involved teams. With these “ambassadors,” we brainstorm about the behavioural agreements that need to be made to make the new workspace a success. During these sessions, we discuss the different types of workspaces and together decide on their concrete use.
The ambassadors act as antennas. They communicate what is discussed in the workshops to their colleagues in the teams. They come with concrete questions, and these are discussed in the group to formulate a collective response. The interaction between the ambassadors and their colleagues is the ideal catalyst for the change process.
Provide training!
Once the agreements are clear, they need to be absorbed by the involved teams. For this, targeted training is essential, where the ambassadors can be used as trainers. A very useful tool is the workplace game developed by the Center for People and Buildings. During this game, users are presented with different situations, and they must collectively formulate a response. “My manager always uses a booth as a personal workspace, what do I do?” Possible answers: “A: I address him/her on this, B: I retreat frustrated into a corner, C: I complain about it to my colleagues.” The workplace game makes behaviour in an activity-based workspace discussable. The best results are achieved when the characteristics of the activity-based workspace are also addressed during this training. It is the ideal moment to highlight the behavioural agreements made with the ambassadors.
Don’t forget the leaders!
Ultimately, it is the leaders in the organization who must ensure the follow-up and stimulation of the desired behaviour in the workplace. We assume that they will adapt their own behaviour and function as role models: walk the talk! This is not so evident, as leaders are the first to be pushed out of their comfort zone by activity-based working. They often have to give up their familiar private office and are frequently approached by employees who struggle with the change process. Again, increasing involvement is a key ingredient. Ensure that leaders can exchange experiences with each other, e.g., through management cafés where they meet and learn from each other. Listen attentively to their needs and involve them in the decision-making process.
Use the force!
Behavioural change in the workplace is possible, but it requires persistence and commitment. However, don’t be tempted to try to “convince” your employees. Your frustration will be great when you realize that even your most powerful arguments won’t work. Suggestion: try to inspire your people to join your story. Show them the possibilities, invite them to participate, organize a trial project, let them share experiences, and support the process with targeted and attractive internal communication. Use the power of an integrated approach.
May the force be with you!
