Agile working – the modern office concept of the future

The endangered employee?

In an age of digitalisation and artificial intelligence the question arises as to what role people should play and what work they should do. To anticipate the answer right away: the individual remains the focus around which everything revolves. And even becomes a new appreciation, because what our futures will still need in all industries are two things that cannot be digitised - social interactions and good ideas. Agile structures are the best way to generate them. With their help, employers can discover the creative potential of their employees, promote them in a targeted manner and make them effective, both in small and large sizes. The loudest employees are not always the ones with the best ideas. Everyone has their own particular strength, which is valuable for the company. In order to develop them and use them in the work process, smaller units are needed.

Team works

The key to agile work is the self-organised team, which, in accordance with our complex world, brings together different people who complement each other in their competencies. However, building up individual teams goes hand in hand with a reduction in hierarchy and bureaucracy: every team should be motivated to independently take responsibility for their processes, to drive them forward and, if necessary, to adapt them quickly and flexibly without complicated coordination channels. This requires regular exchange of ideas between team members, and leaving decisions to whoever in the team is best suited to make them. The result is small, flexible biotopes that drive themselves based on shared corporate goals and in which the commitment, creativity, strength and dynamism of each individual can blossom.

Living corporate culture

In order for personal responsibility and dynamics to work, you first need a common consensus that breaks away from rigid patterns and, under certain circumstances, from old values. The path to more agility starts holistically, because all agile structures and methods do nothing if the corporate culture remains immobile and unapproachable. The basis is a cultural change towards more transparency and a distinctive discussion culture. In practice, this means that the previous control function takes a back seat and provides the space for self-organisation, leadership no longer means control and order, but rather support and moderation of the individual teams in the sense of "enable" and "empowerment". In addition, an agile organisation sees different views not as a problem, but as an enrichment, because only when different perspectives are considered and openly discussed can innovations arise and be recognised. 

Changing values

In order to find the appropriate starting point for change and to be able to introduce changes in the right places, the previous corporate culture must be analysed. In the best case not only by coaches and managers, but together with the different departments and teams. This not only eases the identification amongst employees, it also increases their responsibility and is therefore more promising in the long run. Examples could be a common focus, a general commitment as well as openness and courage. This means that every team member should try to do his job conscientiously in the given time and at the same time have the courage to speak openly when adjustments are necessary. 

Kanban

The word Kanban (= map) comes from Japanese and was developed in 1950 by the automobile manufacturer Toyota for production process control in order to achieve faster throughput times. After it was initially used for the IT industry, it is now used in numerous production controls - from startups to international corporations. The little hero here is the post-it. Because what looks like abstract art at first glance is the visualisation of an existing process flow, which is broken down into small steps and displayed on a Kanban board in a transparent and comprehensible manner for all sides. Tasks from "To Do" through "In Progress" to "Done" are arranged, the current status is recorded and possible problems become clear. Everything that stops the flow is analysed, optimised and thus continuously improved. 

The new freedom of thought

If you want to promote the creativity of your employees, you have to start at the workplace. Because only a space that offers the freedom to think and act provides new ideas and their efficient implementation. This requires intelligent and inspiring concepts and furniture that also enable these new forms of interaction. Most offices are completely unsuitable for this because of their spatial capacity and closed nature. Even the old open-plan office has little in common with the new open space. Meeting rooms offer the best chance of change, but all too often these too are usually too rigid and static for the desired methods. Agile working methods need flexible spaces that are designed for interaction, concentration and socialisation, that can be changed quickly and easily and that address the different needs of employees. In this way, small teams should find spatial solutions to develop creative ideas in peace, while larger teams have the opportunity to exchange ideas on a large scale. Maybe you need individual think tanks or a library. And the individual must also be able to withdraw, whether to make a phone call, relax or focus on their task. Not to forget the coffee lounge or kitchen island, where everyone can get together, eat and chat.

The agile smow team

Anyone looking for the "perfect office" for agile working life will have little success. Because here too, changeability and change remain the principle. Nevertheless, every company and every organisation has special ideas and requirements that need to be observed and implemented architecturally and internally. In order to choose the right one among the myriad of variables and variants, you need an expert or a competent team leader with whom you can work out the "perfect individual solution". Best of all agile and personal. We look forward to accompanying you on this search and to advising you with our knowledge and diverse experience in the field of agile office concepts. Please feel free to contact us by phone or e-mail or visit us directly on site in our smow stores throughout Germany. We look forward to seeing you.