5 Ways Seating Pods Boost Workplace Collaboration

-
Creating a workplace with a humming culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing can be challenging.

How can you attract a team together in the workplace? Once they’re together how can you keep them together? What’s more, how do you engage them to share ideas and participate?


Research shows that working in a circle boosts the level of collaboration!

We can bring individuals together, make them feel connected to each other and the task at hand and empower them to share ideas – all by providing the right physical space. So how does a circle boost collaboration?


1. ATTRACT TEAMS


Teams come together for a common purpose, in a central location. An aesthetic and central work setting will always attract teams to a mutual centre. By physically coming together, individuals subconsciously prepare themselves mentally to collaborate and communicate as they come together. In short, people put themselves in a frame of mind to work together by leaving their niche coming to a group setting.

2. FOSTER FOCUS


Successful work requires FOCUS. Undivided, uninterrupted attention to the task at hand. This means blocking out excess noise and distractions. Circular collaboration furniture has beneficial acoustic properties. The outer wall rebounds external noise and the internal upholstery creates excellent acoustic performance. A circular area creates a semi-private working space, blocking out external distractions. By facing each other, the team is compelled to pay attention to the facing team members and remain focused on the common purpose. Circular collaboration furniture creates an environment of its own where focus is fostered.

3. COLLABORATION = COOPERATION


The psychological impact of circular collaboration furniture is the biggest influence on cooperation. As Juliet Zhu of the University of British Columbia observed: “The geometric shape of a seating arrangement can act as a subtle environmental cue for people, by priming their fundamental need for inclusiveness or individuality”. A circle is an equal distance from the centre at every point of its circumference. Working in a circle evokes equality and breaks down hierarchy.  This prevents the ‘lecture atmosphere’, increasing involvement. Physical equality is an ‘environmental cue’ for inclusiveness, reducing antagonism and capitalising on the ideas of the whole team.

4. BELONGING


There is no factor more powerful for collaboration than a sense of belonging. By creating an inclusive environment of equality, circular seating pods give individuals a greater sense of belonging to the team. A sense of belonging brings satisfaction, meaning individuals feel connected to the team, the work and the organisation. You can’t hide in a work pod. This makes individuals feel more present and engaged, boosting the collective result of collaboration. Belonging = satisfaction and in these environments, people are more likely to share ideas and work with others for a common and greater result.

5. AESTHETIC


Teams naturally gravitate to aesthetic areas. Great looking work spaces inspire individuals, cultivate ideas and make them feel a greater connection to the organisation. Circular pods look best free standing, taking center stage in the office space. When designing work pods, consider ways the circle can be accentuated to bring teams together, such as a circular ceiling feature above the pod, circular carpet feature below and adequate lighting to ensure the space is appealing. Circular collaboration furniture is an open invitation for teams to meet and collaborate.


We often underestimate the power of physical spaces and their ability to transform the psychological – behaviour, attitude and functions of a team. Providing teams with collaboration furniture boosts the effectiveness of teams, empowering them to share knowledge, express ideas and accelerate problem-solving.


Seating pods are the ideal collaboration furniture for Corporate Workplaces, Universities, Libraries, Schools and Coworking Shared Offices.

CONTACT US NOW to discuss your latest seating pod idea or project.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Inspiring Office Meeting Rooms Design

-
Image
Creating a pleasant meeting environment and having an office design that makes everyone feel comfortable has a lot to do with the way a meeting goes and how it is perceived. Some offices have decided to give a playful twist to this particular area and the designs they now feature are some of the most inspiring you can find. The informal quick meeting We know that a high table with high chairs encourages a short meeting. One can also leave out the chairs and just stand up, which quite clearly indicates that it is only going to be a quick chat. One can certainly drink a cup of coffee or iced water while chatting. Perhaps a bit loosely and informally about a coming project, relaxed, one leans slightly over the table or in a Activity-based Working style which may even be located in an open-plan room where others are working at the same time. Meeting room or Modern Workplace? A round table in the meeting room will encourage a discussion. The round table ...
Read more

5 Office Lounge area ideas that work

-
Image
If the concept of an office lounge area makes you shudder, thinking of all the work that could be piling up as employees socialize, relax! Lounge areas in the modern office are more about giving your employees the variety and choice in which to do their best work than any real lounging. Workstyle The school of thought for years was that employees needed a quiet, distraction free, and most often, separate workspace to work effectively. While it’s true that too much distraction and lack of privacy can be a barrier, employees work most effectively in a number of ways depending on their role, their individual preferences, and even their industry. In fact, that same Gensler study found that the best workplaces “provide a balanced environment that supports both collaboration and focus effectively.” What’s more, team building and collaboration are some of the highest ranked aspects in the office, ahead of individual values. In short, the 9 to 5 desk scenario can be stiflin...
Read more

Merging Tech and Design for Workplace Wellness

-
Image
Long gone are the days when employees sit all day in inflexible workspaces, adjusting themselves - and their needs -  to the physical conditions of the workplace. The new model for the workplace no longer fits employees into a predesigned worksite but, using technology, redesigns the worksite to fit the needs of the employee. Just like our smartphones and smartwatches, our workplaces are being reinvented to be just as smart. Smart buildings leverage big data, the Internet of Things (IoT), and intelligent Building Management Systems (iBMS) to assess the physical conditions of the workplace and adjust them to meet employee needs. These tech systems facilitate and improve employee wellbeing and performance by modifying objects connected to the internet, such as light bulbs, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, office chairs and desks, coffee machines, and even whole office spaces. Smart technology collects data from these objects and generates automated and ...
Read more