steelcase blog

Top Ten Lists…

… a technique over the years to draw attention to a subset of things, from a larger set of things.  Top ten this, top ten that,… whether song hits, worse dressed celebrities, museums, retirement cities,… pretty much anything you can think of.  It’s actually a very effective technique.  I often Google lists by category to narrow my search for suggestions.  I was heading to New York, and I search for the top ten steakhouses in the Big Apple.  You have to be careful that the person, group or organization developing this list is someone you would want to take advice from,… but if they are, it gets you quickly to a few choices that you can double-click on to get more details.  I recently received a ‘top ten list’ from a business associate who read a blog that referenced my company – Steelcase Inc.  It was well written, so I decided to check it out.  It’s a blog called schneiderism, authored by John Schneider,… whose interest is the innovation that comes from the intersection of design, strategy, technology and marketing.  So while I was interested in what he said about his recent visit to Steelcase’s Global Headquarters (extremely generous in his compliments), I was more intrigued by the depth and breadth of this blog.

As I dug deeper I discovered that John’s day job is as VP and Principal at Walsh Bishop Associates, a renowned Minneapolis, MN A&D firm.  I also spotted that they developed a Michigan property I visited just two weeks back – Turtle Creek Resort,… what a small circle we run in.  Before I reflect a bit on the schneiderism blog, I wanted to first elaborate on a few of John’s comments regarding his Steelcase experience.  In his top ten list, called 10 Things:, John talked about some of our current research projects, like telepresence and ubiquitous computing,… as well as our association with IDEO and the importance we place on innovation in general.  But what caught my attention was John’s #1 ‘thing’ in his list, wherein he clearly articulated how the ‘importance of the user’ is pervasive throughout Steelcase,… from our customer visit user-experience, to the focus we place on user-centered design in developing innovative products/applications, to business processes that are user-focused by their nature.  It’s something we work very hard at, thus it’s great to hear it is appreciated.

Now for the schneiderism blog; let's start with his tag line, informational omnivore; which literally translates into information being the source of John’s basic sustenance,… he lives to discover and integrate new information; I love this characterization.  I spent an hour or so snooping around schneiderism, and one post stopped me in my tracks – The Workplace of Now is Not About Furniture (May 22, 2008).  I thought ‘oh no, is this going to sour my opinion of what I thought was an excellent resource…?’  I cautiously read on, and John did not let me down.  He concludes that ‘virtuality’ (work from anywhere) is putting “pressure on the office to change in ways to support this boundless workplace,… to become one of many nodes on the network (of places) which brings us together for effective interactions.”  I could not agree MORE.

The schneiderism blog has about 30 categories and hundreds of individual posts across these categories.  There are the obvious ones based on John’s stated interests; design, innovation, which have the most entries.  And then less obvious categories, which is consistent with John’s insatiable desire for interesting information; things with engines, epistemology, weather, and yes even economics…?  Each of these either reflect a source of design innovation or design innovation is the way these subjects are best understood.  Commentary which makes for an interesting new stop as I surf the net.  How about you...?

Walk to Work…

… not many of us can say we live close enough to work that we can walk, or even ride a bike.  Work for many of us involves a commute of some length, some much longer than others.  So while we may not get the joy of breathing in the fresh outdoors,… we generally can get some work-time in.  If on a train, we can actually flip open the laptop and start cranking out emails or check the numbers one more time on that budget spreadsheet.  If a bus or subway, depending on the crowd, the best you might be able to do is read the morning paper or that business book that you just can’t seem to finish.  And finally, if driving, listening to the radio or a good book on your iPod might be all that’s possible.  But regardless of the intensity of the work, we arrive at work with the satisfaction that we were able to be somewhat productive.  The only downside is that all that time to get to work, and the same to head home, often keeps us from getting any real exercise during the work day,… which can’t be good.

In fact, pretty much everything we read and hear about is telling us that the lack of exercise is bad for our health; I’m quite sure none of us would try and argue against that.  But it’s the time,… finding the time to exercise, that’s the challenge.  Unless one gets up in the wee hours of the morning, or skips lunch to get in a quick run, there just doesn’t seem to be the time (at least that’s what we tell our doctor).  This is a problem that Dr. James Levine, an MD and PhD at the Mayo Clinic, has studied for the past 16 plus years,… the health effects of a sedentary work day, spent mostly in a seated position.  Some offices have adjustable work surfaces, which allow one to stand up for portions of the day.  This is better than staying seated, but still not the movement the good doctor felt was required.  So he positioned a worksurface over a treadmill in his lab, to see if he could work while walking (like walking and chewing gum I guess).  And it worked; for using a computer, reading, or getting through your in-basket.  Numerous tests showed that walking at a relatively slow speed, less than a couple miles an hour, not only burns calories, but relieves stress, increases focus and improves overall health…!

Luck would have it that Steelcase and Dr. Levine had the opportunity to meet, and from that meeting jointly decided there was an innovative product idea here.  That product launched in November of this year, appropriately named WalkStation,… available through Details, a Steelcase company.  It has an adjustable work surface, an integrated display monitor to hook your laptop to (wired or wireless), with speed and safety controls built into the work surface as well.  While I normally would not slip into shameless self-promotion, this is an idea I just had to mention,... as it makes healthy sense to everyone.  Instead of having the ‘to work’ in my title refer to ‘where’ you are headed for your walk,… why not have it be a verb, ‘to work’, describing the result of your walking.  All those who have tried it are amazed at the general improvement in their energy level, regardless of the time spent with the product.  And they are comforted that every calorie burned is a calorie they definitely don’t need.  Care to Walk…?

Thinking is Tough…

… or maybe I should say ‘high quality thinking’ is difficult.  It’s fairly straight forward to think through a binary decision, or even a short list of options, to a well-defined problem.  You weigh the pros and cons of each choice, and then make a call.  But how many of those simple problems do you get in a day, a week, or a month…?,… not many.  Business issues today are much more complex.  Not only due to the interrelated factors and factions in play, but also due to the far reaching ramifications that can result.  Let’s face it, most of us are far more comfortable in making the decision and implementing that decision,… than we are in thinking deeply about the decision to be made.  I guess it’s that ‘take action’ driver-driver style in most management profiles. But the consequences can be pretty severe, if you solve the right problem in the wrong way,… or even worse, solve the wrong problem altogether. 

We have a model that works pretty well at Steelcase, in terms of the steps in working through a new idea/innovation/development/strategy.  It’s called the Critical Thinking Model.  There are four well defined steps or phases one moves through – Think, Point-of-View, Plan-to-Implement, and Implement.  What we found in taking employees through this model, is their overwhelming comfort and inherent skill in working on the ‘get it done’ side (Plan & Implement).  At the same time, they expressed a need for more (training, tools, opportunities to practice) when it comes to the Think piece.  So we began to study the subject of thinking, especially as it relates to complex systems.

The good news is, it’s something we can all learn to do better.  There are lots of approaches and their associated tools.  Whether you call it Systemic Thinking, Parallel Thinking, Creative Thinking, Lateral Thinking, or my favorite Design Thinking,… it’s all basically the same thing.  There is also a long list of methods/tools for each; from de Bono’s 6 hats, Mind Maps, Value Webs, Fishbone Diagrams and so on.  Interestingly they all have a similar process framework.  It starts with problem discovery, to problem framing (critical), to problem solving.  Problem discovery is generally achieved through observation and experience.  But don’t assume the problem is obvious, it may require extensive searching to even find the problem.  Then in framing, one shapes the problem by probing, questioning and challenging it, in order to define the real problem.  Framing is also when goals and assumptions (often flawed) are clarified and scope is defined.  Then the fun begins, as one explores possible solutions to the problem.

Another common thread to each of these ‘thinking’ approaches is the importance of doing this work in a space that supports sharing, discovery and ideation.  Think of it as a Thinking Space.  It would have lots of surfaces, both ‘smart’ digital surfaces and ‘dumb’ tackable/magnetic surfaces, useful for displaying/capturing individual and group thoughts.  It would have tools for comparing, contrasting, highlighting one option vs. another.  In addition, there would be reference materials, books, and certainly access to the World Wide Web and its ‘horn-o-plenty’ of content.

Bottom line, complexity is here to stay, and solving complex problems is a very real measure of success between competitors.  And I repeat, quality thinking can be learned.  You don’t need to be a genius,… as Dietrich Dörner is quoted in his new book The Logic of Failure, “Geniuses are geniuses by birth, whereas the wise gain their wisdom through experience.  And it seems to me that the ability to deal with problems in the most appropriate way is the hallmark of wisdom rather than of genius.”  So get executive backing to creating a culture of great thinkers, pick an approach, give your employees the opportunity to learn and experience thinking done well (and give them a Thinking Space to do it in).  You will be amazed at the untapped potential for success. 

Do you think…?

Keep it simple…

… more often said than actually done.  It runs counter to what we ‘believe’ the market wants, which is more choice.  So we offer lots of them, features on top of features, and an endless array of sizes and colors.  And it never fails, what the customer really wants you don’t offer,… so you add it to the list.  When will it end,… or do we really want it to end…?  I for one would argue to simplify, reduce the number of choices, and let the few choices you have delight the user beyond their expectations.

I was recently in California, and decided to stop in at an In-N-Out Burger (I had heard so much about them from my daughter).  There were only six items on the menu… that’s right, six total.  You could get a burger, a cheeseburger, a double cheeseburger, fries (one size), a soda, or a shake (big choice here – three flavors, and they allow you to mix).  How refreshing, I thought.  They took my order in seconds… and in minutes I was enjoying a hot, fresh, great tasting burger.  I would definitely be back.  Compare this to the glossy, oversized, fold-out menu with print so small and descriptions so large it’s hard to decipher what you’re really getting.  Instead of six items on the menu, you have six different sauces to choose from.  Again, I may be in the minority here… but a great burger is a great burger.  Great in its simplicity.

This same simplicity objective can be applied to most anything… programs, products of all sorts, processes.  Anywhere where design -- good design -- can be used to discover and elevate the essence of a thing.  This is stated well in the first chapter of a book I’m now reading called The Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda, an old friend and research associate at MIT.  He concludes that the simplest way to achieve simplicity is through thoughtful reduction.  Do we honestly need all of those buttons on a stere,… it’s more effort than I want to put into listening to a good song…?!?

Office buildings, office environments and office furniture struggle with simplicity as well.  And it generally is a matter of trying to put too much into them.  I’m not suggesting we strip these of desired features… but providing these features in a way that the effort expended is small compared to the benefit received.  Could a conference room be both private and open at the same time, could my individual work space be equally effective as a small group space when needed, can a chair do double duty as a footstool or laptop table, could one lever do two things…?  I think they can, and it all starts with design.

Albert Einstein stated it well when he said, “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”  There was a friar named William of Ockham, that is credited with a similar principle of simplicity – called Ockham’s Razor,… where unnecessary elements of design are cut (thus the razor) away, to leave a cleaner, purer result.  Both have usability as their prime objective,… which certainly should be the goal of work-related furnishings, tools, settings and spaces.  They exist to make work better, and easier, and more enjoyable,… which is impossible to achieve unless you consider, deeply consider, the user as central to the design process.

And consideration requires more than a focus group,… it requires an understanding of explicit activities, as well as an appreciation for tacit behaviors born out through user observation.  We call it ‘looking at the everyday in new ways’, observing the details of work life played out before our very eyes.  It is in viewing the thousands of digital photos that we see ‘patterns’ that scream for simple solutions.  A handle here, a display there, a subtle curve, a color change,… features that in the end seem terribly obvious, and for that reason desired.  Nail these, and we know we have a winner.  Sounds simple huh…?

Size definitely matters…

… in many things.  It’s not always about getting the biggest, sometimes small is best. And in all cases matching the ‘right size’ is the objective.  It’s true in selecting cars, clothes, food, furniture, even electronics.  I like my cell phone to be as slim as possible and I wouldn’t mind an even beefier HDTV in my family room.  Many such decisions are personal ones which is the way it should be.  But unfortunately, in business, many of these decisions are made for you; the size of your workstation, laptop, and your cell phone for example.  You may get some choice, but it is almost always never enough.

This became very apparent to me the other day, as I sat in a hotel conference room with a number of others having a group brainstorming-like conversation.  While the hotel considered itself quite progressive because they had internet access and even the ability to ‘connect’ laptops to a projector mounted in the ceiling. The image the projector made was too small for people at the far end of the room to see clearly.  This was obvious as I witnessed the famous ‘dance of the chairs’ where people slide in and out from the table to see beyond their table mates and lean towards the screen at the end of the room in hopes of picking up more of the details.  The rest of the walls were covered with a tacky wall paper and there was no white board or flip chart stand of any sorts.  So much for looking at alternative ideas concurrently, co-creating a new idea by combining pieces of several other ideas, and pulling up Google references as background for a decision.  It was a lousy meeting, and I know it was due to the lack of sufficient wall display space. 

Our research clearly shows the importance of ‘information persistence’ in the group innovation process.  Without appropriate wall space for ideas/thoughts/opinions to be displayed on, collaboration is severely hampered.

I believe that the difference between a well designed group space, and one that isn’t is the amount of attention paid to what will actually take place in the room and matching the information display requirements accordingly.  If the room is used primarily for presentations, then a single display at the end of the room is sufficient (just make sure it is large enough and mounted high enough for everyone to have a clear line of sight).  If the room is for developing something (an idea, a plan, etc.), then it requires multiple types of information display surfaces, and generally more than one.  That’s why you’re meeting after all, to look at and evaluate existing content.  Again, it’s back to the idea of ‘persistence,’ where an idea will emerge from the information that persists around the room.  This is no different than a desktop screen.  The argument for a larger screen is not to have the biggest on your row of cubicles, but to have sufficient screen real estate to place related information sources which ‘inform’ the primary task you are focused on.

If your project rooms are like the majority I’ve seen at companies large and small, they’re OK for single threaded presentations, but lousy for comparing, contrasting, cross-sharing, etc.  The key is to design the ‘wall space’ as carefully as you design the ‘floor space’.  As a rule of thumb (no scientific evidence for this) I suggest you target 1 sq. ft. of wall display space (digital or analog works) for every 4 sq. ft. of floor space, with maybe 25-40% of this wall display space being digital.  I personally love the tactility of paper (analog media) of all sorts; sketches, photos, sticky notes, etc. However, the added value of using digital media vs. analog is the ability to alter, capture, and most importantly to easily retrieve that altered content in the future.  So keep this in mind as you design the wall space as well.

I guarantee people using the space will appreciate how well you’ve thought through how the room supports the purpose.  Tape measure anyone…?