In our first week back at Judson, we ID students were introduced to our fall semester project – the NEXT student design competition from 2013. NEXT is a think tank organization, which is defined as an “institute, corporation, or group organized to study a particular subject and provide information, ideas, and advice” according to Webster’s Dictionary. This group that collaborates at NEXT already has a background in design-thinking, architecture, industrial design, et cetera, and they desire to sharpen their knowledge about topics such as product design and innovation. NEXT has a strong emphasis on creativity and innovation, and their statement reads “our mission is to afford entrepreneurs access to resources, expertise and an environment that fosters creativity and allows them to fail early and often; [a]s a result, we deliver groundbreaking innovative solutions that represent the next best products and services in the market.” Because of this mission statement, it is evident that the ability to collaborate and be creative is necessary in the NEXT environment.
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I find this tie between collaboration and creativity very interesting, so I found an article that Steelcase published titled “State of Work: Blur the Edges”. There is a sudden surge of employees who desire to work at home because of our portable communication devices, such as laptops or smartphones, leading employees to spend around 70 percent of their time away from the workplace. While this is an excellent opportunity for young parents or those who live too far away to commute, it can hinder collaboration within the office, stopping the growth of creativity. According to the Wall Street Journal, many different organizations made the choice to ask their mobile workers to return to the office because of the connection between teamwork and innovation. While certain employees have good reason to work at home, there are many employees who chose to work outside of the office simply because they do not feel motivated or inspired within the office.
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It is important for us as designers to realize different factors that have an effect on employee creativity. One factor we can consider is the culture of the employees as well as the culture established within the office space. Some of these aspects include biophilia, which is the inclusion of nature and natural elements within the office; personalization, which allows each employee to express their culture and values through design; as well as purpose, which inspires each employee to work with meaning. Adding to the concept of purpose, it is necessary for each employee to feel engaged in the workplace because it leads to higher employee satisfaction and a better opportunity for innovation and creativity. This concept of “creativity” is overall accepted as a critical job skill, yet it is very difficult for employees to live up to their creative potential. Through intentional design, we can create office spaces that inspire collaboration and creativity.
Caitlin- This is exactly what I wanted from you as far as your first Blog entry!
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ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your understanding of how NEXTs mission statement can be developed in your own design ambitions for this project. I also enjoyed reading the article you read, which was published by Steelcase. I also explored a similar topic in the relationship between a creative work space and growing creative potential of employees.
Secondly, I found the correlation between creativity in the workplace and culture established within the office space very interesting. I wonder how you might bring this idea into the NEXT work space. Could you or would you want to include some aspects in relation to biophilia, which you describe above?
I also think it is interesting that creativity and collaboration have such a strong correlation. I don't really think about it much, but often I do feel more productive while I'm working on a project around others than while I work by myself. It's nice to have people to bounce ideas off of, even if you're still primarily working on your own. I think it's important for office styles to accommodate this phenomenon because overall that will benefit workplaces.
ReplyDeleteI love that you pointed out that even if you are a creative person, it's hard to create to your full potential if your environment is lacking. I think that's something that a lot of offices overlook in lieu of cutting costs. I thought the mobile workers study was interesting as well. It brings to attention how different people work best, but also that collaboration is so important in the creative process.
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