people spaces
DESCRIPTION
Often overlook but of equal importance to project charters and good vision is the physical arrangement and environment of team spaces. This presentation explores the impact of good team space design.TRANSCRIPT
People Spaces
Version 1.0
PETER SCHEYEN
CTO, Richard Ivey School of BusinessFormerly with Comcast, TVWorks, Liberate, CableshareExperience includes Manager, Director Software Development, VP EngineeringSmall teams, large teams, distributed teams
@pscheyen, +pscheyen, linkedin.com/in/peterscheyen
What are ‘People Spaces’?
PEOPLE SPACES: CONTEXT
Team-based, knowledge and/or creative workExamples
Design (product, graphical, written, etc)Creative worksDiscoveryResearchEngineeringSoftware development
What Makes A Team Effective?
Workspaces
People Spaces
Factor #1: Collocation
PEOPLE SPACES: COLLOCATION
Principle: Whole Team sits togetherShown to impact
Team IdentityTrustCommunication EffectivenessCamaraderieCollaborationParticipationProductivity
Who is the “Whole Team”?
PEOPLE SPACES: COLLOCATION
PEOPLE SPACES: COLLOCATION
Collocation has a major impact on style, quality and modes of communication
Structured communication (planned meetings)Ad hoc but intentional conversationsOsmotic and serendipitous
Factor #2: Layout
PEOPLE SPACES: LAYOUT
Collocated teams can be arranged in different configurationsPhysical layout must support principle of Whole TeamSupport communication in all formsOptions to consider
The War Room (aka Team Room, Bullpen)Team ClustersCaves and Commons
Version 1.0
Version 1.0
PEOPLE SPACES: LAYOUT
Other ConsiderationsNoise (“Drafts”)Peripheral VisionConfigurabilityScentsDensityStorageVirusesStewardship
Factor #3: Information Radiators
PEOPLE SPACES: INFORMATION RADIATORS
Transparency is a pervasive form of communicationTransparency breeds trustKeeps most important team issues, tasks, risks top-of-mindSome examples
Information radiatorsTask boards, kanban boards and pull systemsVisual indicators like charts, glow balls, traffic lights, etc.
Factor #4: Ergonomics
PEOPLE SPACES: ERGONOMICS
Principle: Adjust workspace to meet the physical needs and work patterns of the individualFactors
Chair height - legs, knees, hips, back, feetDesk height - shoulder, elbow, wristMonitor height - neck, back
Reduction in time off due to illnessPositive correlation between proper ergonomic configuration and increased productivity and decreased absenteeism
Factor #5: Environment
PEOPLE SPACES: ENVIRONMENT
Positive correlation between workplace environment and increased productivity and decreased absenteeismNatural lightGood air circulationLiving plantsNatural materialsColourConvenienceArtPersonalization
Version 1.0
Factor #6: Distributed Teams
PEOPLE SPACES: DISTRIBUTED TEAMS
PEOPLE SPACES: DISTRIBUTED TEAMS
Evidence consistently indicates in-person teams outperform distributed teamsGood Reasons for distributing teams
AcquisitionsGeographic Localization
Poor Reasons for distributing teamsOffshoring Work from home
PEOPLE SPACES: DISTRIBUTED TEAMS
Evidence consistently indicates in-person teams outperform distributed teamsGood Reasons for distributing teams
AcquisitionsGeographic Localization
Poor Reasons for distributing teamsOffshoring Work from home
BUT... most of us can’t control whether our teams are distributed
PEOPLE SPACES: DISTRIBUTED TEAMS
Go “all in” (not half-way)Maintain Whole Team principlesThink “Collocation”
Communication is the biggest challenge and opportunityAvoid site-specific teamsKick off the project face-to-faceAdapt processes and practices for the common goodAll sites participate equally in team practices and processesCommon documentation repositoryIn-house social media tools (e.g. Yammer)
PEOPLE SPACES: DISTRIBUTED TEAMS
LayoutLeverage internet video to extend the office into other sitesCameras / monitors in each team common area
PEOPLE SPACES: DISTRIBUTED TEAMS
Information RadiatorsFavour electronic radiators over paper Interactive whiteboards
PEOPLE SPACES: DISTRIBUTED TEAMS
EnvironmentFavour meeting times that take into account timezones (share the pain)If not possible, use team proxies
Where Do I Start?
UNDERSTAND YOUR CONTEXT
Understand your culture today and what you want it to beInclude the Whole Team in the discussionBrainstorm furiouslyMake budgetary limits and rollout part of the challenge for the teamDoesn’t always have budget impact -- some teams just need “permission”Address management concerns through bi-directional transparencyIdentify early wins
YOU ARE NEVER “DONE”
Live with a change before making your next change. Retrospect with and listen to the team.Make workspace considerations part of your pre-project conversationsRaise awareness that these issues are important to our success
Your Ideal Workspace
REFERENCES AND READ LIST
http://scheyeniam.blogspot.ca/2012/04/people-spaces-reading-list.html