The Right Tools Can Make A Big Difference In Workspace Collaboration Efforts
In today's competitive environment, collaboration has become critical to business success. Collaboration is when a team works cohesively and dynamically to develop a creative solution for clients through new products, services, strategies and more. What is your company doing currently to improve workspace collaboration efforts? Studies are showing the differences in individual productivity versus group productivity. In fact, individual work represented approximately 40% of all work accomplished in 2000. This was projected to decrease to 20% by 2010. [source: Jones Lang LaSalle Workplace Strategy]. And collaboration doesn't just happen inside the company: 71% of CEO's say they're thinking about collaboration with outside partners, from one organization to another. [source: IBM CEO Study The Enterprise of the Future].
It's imperative that your company considers and puts in place a cohesive workspace collaboration strategy that addresses the issues of effective work performance to keep up with today's challenging and changing business world.
Who has studied workspace collaboration?
Mayhew is a company in Southern Ontario, Canada that takes workspace collaboration strategies to the next level. Their experts have studied collaboration and excel at designing spaces that support and encourage this new developing trend for conducting everyday business. And, they aren't the only ones. In an April 2008 Business Week article, the writer of "Inside Innovation" noted that 82% of workers feel they need to collaborate more. Others, like Jennifer Frahm, a Change Management Coach, feels that web 2.0 technologies have played a major role as to this major change in culture. The questions for you to ponder now are how to embrace and adapt your business to the culture shift and what tools you will need to bring to the table.
Consider Spaces that Leverage Various Aspects of Work
Consider spaces that inspire, that leave employees thinking, "This is where I want to be." Think about your favorite "third place", like a caf or library and recreate that atmosphere. What makes it appealing? Furthermore, you'll want to create a workspace that supports informal and impromptu interactions where spontaneous collaborations can take place. Many businesses are also considering virtual workspace collaborations that support the web 2.0 technologies mentioned earlier.
Mayhew offers a variety of large scale collaboration tools that fit well into workspace planning objectives. Think about spaces that can hold larger screens and have the capability of electronic capture of information and display. Tools like these not only support face-to-face collaboration, but also foster shared thinking and deeper problem solving. Simple communication can be fine with simple solutions, like a conference call. But, brainstorming and decision making need rich media, like those offered by Mayhew partner, Steelcase.
The "no interactive whiteboard is an environmentally friendly tool that can easily be hung on an office wall and not only acts as a dry-erase board, but is also magnetic and interactive. Users just write on the board with a stylus and the board comes to life enabling links to be clicked, programs to be opened, and notes to be printed. Moreover, there are few cords to use and this product comes with a lifetime warranty.
Media:scape, another innovative tool from Steelcase, merges furniture and technology into one cohesive unit to help teams collaborate in small team environments. Team members can easily follow the leader's conversation or make valuable contributions by simply plugging their laptops into the unit. Media:scape workspaces promote collaboration using egalitarian tactics so information sharing can be done easily from a level playing field. There are various set-ups available for this project for easy integration into your new collaborative workspace environment.
Begin considering now what you can do to enhance your workspace collaboration efforts. Involve your managers and your employees. They'll appreciate being included in creating an adaptive space and you'll have healthier and happier employees to keep your business on the cutting edge. Learn more about workspace collaboration today from the experts at Mayhew.
It's imperative that your company considers and puts in place a cohesive workspace collaboration strategy that addresses the issues of effective work performance to keep up with today's challenging and changing business world.
Who has studied workspace collaboration?
Mayhew is a company in Southern Ontario, Canada that takes workspace collaboration strategies to the next level. Their experts have studied collaboration and excel at designing spaces that support and encourage this new developing trend for conducting everyday business. And, they aren't the only ones. In an April 2008 Business Week article, the writer of "Inside Innovation" noted that 82% of workers feel they need to collaborate more. Others, like Jennifer Frahm, a Change Management Coach, feels that web 2.0 technologies have played a major role as to this major change in culture. The questions for you to ponder now are how to embrace and adapt your business to the culture shift and what tools you will need to bring to the table.
Consider Spaces that Leverage Various Aspects of Work
Consider spaces that inspire, that leave employees thinking, "This is where I want to be." Think about your favorite "third place", like a caf or library and recreate that atmosphere. What makes it appealing? Furthermore, you'll want to create a workspace that supports informal and impromptu interactions where spontaneous collaborations can take place. Many businesses are also considering virtual workspace collaborations that support the web 2.0 technologies mentioned earlier.
Mayhew offers a variety of large scale collaboration tools that fit well into workspace planning objectives. Think about spaces that can hold larger screens and have the capability of electronic capture of information and display. Tools like these not only support face-to-face collaboration, but also foster shared thinking and deeper problem solving. Simple communication can be fine with simple solutions, like a conference call. But, brainstorming and decision making need rich media, like those offered by Mayhew partner, Steelcase.
The "no interactive whiteboard is an environmentally friendly tool that can easily be hung on an office wall and not only acts as a dry-erase board, but is also magnetic and interactive. Users just write on the board with a stylus and the board comes to life enabling links to be clicked, programs to be opened, and notes to be printed. Moreover, there are few cords to use and this product comes with a lifetime warranty.
Media:scape, another innovative tool from Steelcase, merges furniture and technology into one cohesive unit to help teams collaborate in small team environments. Team members can easily follow the leader's conversation or make valuable contributions by simply plugging their laptops into the unit. Media:scape workspaces promote collaboration using egalitarian tactics so information sharing can be done easily from a level playing field. There are various set-ups available for this project for easy integration into your new collaborative workspace environment.
Begin considering now what you can do to enhance your workspace collaboration efforts. Involve your managers and your employees. They'll appreciate being included in creating an adaptive space and you'll have healthier and happier employees to keep your business on the cutting edge. Learn more about workspace collaboration today from the experts at Mayhew.
