workplace trends 2012, office culture and creating workplaces for wellbeing ,catherine gall

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Workplace trends London 2012

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Culture Code

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“People think and see the world differently because of differing ecologies, social structures, philosophies and educational systems that date back to ancient Greece and China and have survived in the modern world” Professor Richard. E. Nisbett

Culture : Why does it matter?

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Connection Isolation

Distraction Connection

Connection Distraction

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Concentration Distraction

Concentration Distraction

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Fun Serious

Fun Serious

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Order Chaos

Order Chaos

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Living Working

Living Working

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Connecting culture, workplace and design is a “wicked problem”

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a global research perspective

India

Europe

USA China

Russia

Morocco

The Culture Code 100 Workplaces 11 Countries 6 Dimensions China, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Italy, Morocco, the Netherlands, Spain, Russia, and the United States. By synthesizing Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and Hall’s proxemics theory, Steelcase uncovered new insights into cultural influences on the workplace.

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What are the relationships between national culture and workplace design?

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What are the cross-cutting patterns, relationships, commonalities and differences across cultures?

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• Comparative analysis of international surveys,

research articles, and proprietary Steelcase research;

• On-site immersion and observations

• Workshops and interviews with local end-users, designers and thought leaders

• Heuristic evaluation and expert opinion activities

• Behavioral pattern analysis

• Prototyping process workshops

• Future client validation

Research Methods

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A day in the life

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Social rituals

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Place making

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What are the relationships between national culture and workplace design?

SIX DIMENSIONS OF CULTURE

COMPARING CULTURES

EAST vs WEST

NL

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USA Embracing change

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Workplace Culture in the USA

• “Quilt” culture • Standardization and efficiency are

valued • “Leader of the pack” approach • “Work is where my laptop is” • Living & working healthy • Yoga mania + mindfulness

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The Netherlands A culture of balanced contrasts

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Workplace Culture in the Netherlands

• Secular multicultural tolerant culture • “Live and let live” approach to life • Authority is earned • Collaboration and consensus prevail • Physical and emotional wellbeing is

foundational • Low tolerance to density • Sociability at work is limited

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China Fast forwarding the pace of progress

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Workplace Culture in China

• Longest working hours in the world (9-11 hours)

• Sleeping during the day is not uncommon

• Harmony and respect highly valued • Extreme high tolerance to density • High performers switch companies

easily • Paternalist leadership approach • Connection to nature and spiritual

values is key

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India Fast forwarding the pace of progress

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Workplace Culture in India

• Multiethnic society • Passive fatalism and vibrant

entrepreneurial spirit coexist • Family based culture • Chaotic traffic conditions • High tolerance to density • Long term planning is not valued • High employment turnover • High expectation for education

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What are the cross-cutting patterns, relationships, commonalities and differences across cultures?

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Interconnected trends

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Holistic approach to wellbeing

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• Close contact or

seclusion?

• Acceptance of levels of privacy, proximity, density, psychological comfort, etc depends on workers’ cultural background and their perceptions of social distance.

Space compression and wellbeing

Space compression and wellbeing

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Culture Code