Designed to Work -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 8/15/2005
Last Visited: 8/15/2005
Cubicles that have low walls are supposedly designed to encourage collaboration, but they often go too far, says Rick Duffy, 42, director of design at Herman Miller.Yes, people need to work in teams, but they also need to work on their own.Without boundaries, people lack the visual privacy that they need in order to focus; they're constantly distracted and interrupted."A company that has such an environment is saying that it values community space more than individual space," Duffy says.
...
Duffy believes that that's because people in cubicles can't see their colleagues.They have the illusion of privacy, so they talk freely and loudly, as if no one else were around.The open stations in Resolve, and the openings in the screens, make people more aware of their surroundings -- and of their neighbors."People modify their behavior," says Duffy.
...
That's the assumption that Birsel and Duffy wanted to challenge with Resolve.
"Think about your personal computer," says Birsel."You control what appears on the screen: colors, backgrounds, fonts.You can help design the computer's environment.So I wondered, 'How can an office work more like a computer?' " Duffy offers a different spin on the same idea: "You shouldn't have to give up who you are in order to get your work done."
...
"We wanted to create something that people could feel that they owned, because when people have pride of ownership, they tend to treat things better, and they might even look forward to coming to work," says Duffy.
...
The question is 'How do you provide the set for performance in the workplace?' " These days, says Duffy, a lot of companies are trying to work in new ways but within the same old environment: "It's as if they're trying to perform 'Rent' on the set of 'The Music Man.'"
...
"Our biggest challenge is probably to teach the world not to plan on a grid," says Duffy.
...
"Think about being on a crowded beach," says Duffy.
...
"We created things that are similar to what you might use day in and day out because we wanted to soften the divide between work and home," says Duffy.
...
"They honor the work that you do," says Duffy.
...
Rick Duffy can only speak for one future worker: "The first time my 18-year-old son saw Resolve, he said, 'Hey, I could probably work in an office like that.' Ayse and I took that as a huge compliment."
...
Learn more about Resolve and Herman Miller on the Web (www.hermanmiller.com) , or contact Rick Duffy by email
17 online sources [ view sources ]
Profile is not claimed [ claim profile ]
