Think back for a moment. What did the workplaces look like in an average office building? And we mean even before flexible workspaces and open-plan offices made their appearance. We sat in neat, perfectly straight rows behind and next to one another to achieve 'maximum efficiency'. Yeah...
Thankfully, that changed with the arrival of office landscaping. Office landscaping? Just to keep it simple, offices were decorated more creatively, and even colour was added. Everything was somewhat looser and freer, in line with the spirit of the times. Oh, wait, no. We were just starting to get used to all those colours and freedom when suddenly this idea was outstripped by a new reality of overcrowded workplaces. Hello, cube farms! For those who haven’t experienced this, you’re very lucky! After all, it really wasn't a success. It’s therefore not surprising that the new millennium introduced a new vision of the ideal workplace. We’re all familiar with the outcome: the open-plan office.
Unfortunately, the open-plan office wasn’t a success either. The open-plan office led to new issues such as stress, too many distractions and, as a result, a negative impact on productivity and job satisfaction. Meanwhile, rapid technological developments paved the way for new possibilities, such as flexible working.
Then what does work?
To shape the future in the best way possible, it’s crucial to learn from the past. The common thread is clear: changes happen at a rapid pace. Even before a new, 'future-proof' work environment is finished, it’s already outdated. The workplace of the future must literally and figuratively offer space to all possible needs and developments, foreseen and unforeseen. Just sitting behind your boring desk? No! Those days are over!
Tribes
A company or organisation is the tribe (family/society/community), and all employees are members of and loyal to this tribe. Everyone has the same priority, i.e. the tribe’s mission. ‘Solo’ teams don’t exist anymore. Now there are cross-multifunctional teams in which different disciplines within the tribe contribute jointly to the core mission.
Agile
Working smarter is the starting point here. Within any organisation, flexibility, creativity, and repetition are crucial. We see a clear uprise of self-organising teams that carry out work in a repetitive manner. A rhythm is established to regularly have customer interaction as they are always the focal point.
It’s not about doing more work in less time but about creating more value with less work. This offers space for agility so that we can better respond to the continually changing world. Especially in these (uncertain) times, we don't know what awaits us again tomorrow. 🤯
Scrum
Scrum? What on earth is that? Well, there are so many different ways to work agile, and scrum is one of them.
We all get very happy about working in a structured way, right? Scrum zooms in on the things that provide the most value in insightful sprints of two to four weeks maximum. Each sprint has a goal and produces a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). This is the first version of a product or service that is rolled out to the customer.
With scrum, we learn to be transparent to each other in terms of planning. And our strengths and challenges are mapped out more clearly. It allows us to grow within your projects. Not quite convinced yet? Then check out our white paper on digital scrum with a touchscreen. You will be a scrum expert in no time!
Is your organisation future-proof?
There are literally countless opportunities to pave the way to a flexible and modern workplace. What about design thinking, co-working spaces and huddle spaces? We'll be happy to explain those to you another time. Can't wait? We understand! In our white paper about the workplace of the future, we tell you everything you need to know. On to a future-proof organisation!