Managing Workplace Change - ELEMENTS

1 Knoll Workplace Research Managing Workplace Change A People-Based Perspective Dr. Michael O'Neill Senior Director, Workplace Research Knoll, Inc. Managing Workplace Change A People-Based Perspective Successfully Managing 2. Mobile Technology the ability for Cas e S tu dy people to work virtually anywhere, inside Workplace Change is and outside the office A healthcare technology organization Critical to Project Success reduces headquarters square footage 3. The Mandate to Innovate the need and supports distributed work There's no question about it. Workplaces for organizations to innovate in order to A Fortune 500 healthcare company was are changing because the nature of remain competitive standardized on a conventional planning model work and the role of the Workplace in that included an 80%/20% mix of private offices business strategy are changing (O'Neill 4.)

2 Distributed Work the evolution and 7x8' and 8x8' cubicles with 68 high panels. and Wymer, 2011). Organizations of all toward less centralized organizational Collaboration was supported with large and sizes, across all sectors, are re-planning structures, locations and work practices extra-large formal conference rooms. The and re-configuring their workplaces to primarily heads down nature of the space no better attune them to the work processes 5. Sustainability the need to reduce longer fit the culture or more casual collaborative and workstyles at hand. the organization's carbon footprint to workstyle. save energy costs and to meet LEED The organization implemented a new planning If your organization is planning such a requirements model which includes a per person space Change , you are not alone.

3 Knoll has worked reduction to 135 square feet from 190, assigned with many customers through the process and unassigned workspaces with low horizons, of implementing Workplace changes some simple, some quite complex. Whatever the Workplace Change and open and enclosed meeting spaces, in a variety of types and sizes as well as new size of the enterprise or the scope of the Management Helps technology to facilitate group work. A centralized project, the success of Change management comes down to addressing the concerns, Employees Get Back to caf space at each location acts as the focal anxieties and expectations of the people Work More Quickly and point, social hub and auxiliary workspace.

4 Involved. This paper shares some of our Effectively To prepare for the Change the organization experiences and insights and offers a few developed a PowerPoint presentation clearly While there are good business reasons defining the vision of the company, the reasons guidelines for successfully Managing the for changes in the Workplace , employees for the Workplace Change and the major changes challenge. frequently feel threatened by the process. to space and technology. Several members of The natural resistance to Change that the leadership team agreed to act as sponsors, often emerges must be managed for a publicly endorsing the project and Change Five Trends Are Dramatically successful transition to new workspace.

5 Process. Changing Work and the They conducted an employee Change Readiness Workplace Assessment survey and used the results to At its heart Change management develop a series of targeted communications Organizations are implementing a wide that provided project information and addressed variety of changes to their workspace, requires support from leadership, key concerns. ranging from a simple shift to open planning and communication: letting and lower horizons at a single location, to Once Change was underway, the Change team people know what's going to happen, complex enterprise-wide programs that issued a series of sequenced updates explaining why changes are being made, next steps, keeping employees informed on offer new types of workspaces and planning and how they will be affected.

6 Progress. And they created a managers' training approaches. These changes are greatly program on how the new spaces work and altering the way people work (Ouye, 2011). how employees could use them to their best Five broad trends are driving these changes: advantage. Workplace Change management is a 1. The War for Talent the increasing A post-move survey revealed that 80% of process for engaging with employees dependence on a cadre of key workers with employees were satisfied to very satisfied . who are about to experience Workplace with how well the new space supports complex skills in problem solving and other Change . Its goal is to help people more collaboration.

7 High-level activities quickly (and happily) adjust to new 2012 Knoll, Inc. Managing Workplace Change Page 1. Workplace projects and Change management programs vary Cas e S tu dy in their complexity A Midwest insurance company Simple Change Complex Change redeploys space to support Single location Multiple locations transition from a me to we . Fewer private offices Transition to some unassigned/shared workspaces work culture while increasing workspace utilization rates and Lowered horizons New sizes, types of collaborative/meeting spaces employee satisfaction Casual work settigs like cafes and lounges A study of employee work patterns at Figure 1.

8 A Workplace Change management program can be tailored to fit the scope of Change and corporate headquarters revealed a low, complxity of the project. 39% average peak utilization rate for office spaces. To improve utilization, the company instituted a to 1 shared workspace ratio, and increased the type workspaces and new ways of working. Good Some organizations are investing less in real and number of open and enclosed meeting Change management lets people get back to estate and redirecting capital from private spaces organized around a caf area. work faster and feel more satisfied with their offices and large individual workstations that Change experience and the new space.

9 Serve one, to a wider variety of group and This new approach represented a big Change for employees as some no longer individual workspaces. These include open Employees need support before, during had an owned workspace, raising the and enclosed meeting areas in varying sizes, and after the move to a new workspace. A risk of high levels of dissatisfaction. To video conference rooms, meditation spaces, Change management program is a useful manage this significant transition, the caf s and larger multi-purpose spaces that process for successfully Managing employee company instituted a Workplace Change serve the many. transitions.

10 There is no one right way. management program that shared the Managing Workplace Change takes time and business reasons and benefits of the focus. The communication has to go both Change emphasizing the workstyle ways. It is critical to ask people for input, to The goal is to frame Workplace flexibility offered by the new more address concerns as they arise, to identify the Change so that it is not perceived as casual space. Prior to the changes, a influencers within employee groups and to a zero sum game. Employees need to Change Readiness Assessment survey engage them in your efforts. benchmarked employee satisfaction understand how changes that affect with the space and communication Different people will adjust at different rates.