What values drive your organization? Transparency, excellent customer service, and teamwork? Maybe even individuality and competition? No matter which principles define your business, there’s no question they create the foundation for your company’s corporate culture.
When a company starts out, its values are crystal clear. As the organization evolves and grows, these priorities may get clouded and the corporate culture changes as a result. Perhaps this is due to the employees who’ve joined the team, or because of the ever-changing nature of society, or simply because of trying to bypass the competition.
Whatever the reason, if the values your organization started out with still stand true today, determine how you can embody them through your office design. When the design of your office space is in line with your company’s goals, an authentic corporate culture will emerge.
With all this in mind, let’s take a look at how office design influences the culture in your workplace:
Now, it isn’t hard to imagine how damaging this lack of engagement is to these organizations’ bottom line. While an uninspiring work atmosphere isn’t the sole cause of these dismal numbers, it undoubtedly plays a role.
Read on to discover the true cost of an uninspiring office environment:
Layout:
Perhaps the most prominent component of office design is the layout. It shapes every interaction that occurs within your business and is therefore crucial to furthering your organization’s goals.
If you’re after a culture of teamwork and collaboration, opt for fewer walls and more open workspaces. Provide community areas, such as a staff lounge and group worktables to make casual discussion and cooperation possible.
Alternately, if the nature of your business relies on confidentiality – or even competition – then it makes more sense to create individualized workspaces.
Color:
The corporate logo and color presents the most obvious opportunity to remind people of the common goal your team is setting out to achieve. Painting every square inch of the office in your corporate color may be overkill, but tastefully and creatively integrating splashes of color throughout the space makes a subtle statement.
Furniture and décor choice:
Certain design elements, such as functional lighting, hints of nature and quality furniture should be a priority in every office culture. It’s the other stuff – artwork, textiles, and furniture style, for example – which help define the culture within your organization.
The way you decorate your office space speaks volumes about the type of organization you’re running.
Offices displaying unconventional artwork, area rugs and casual furniture will likely attract more creative employees who further the creative culture the organization is striving for. A space with understated artwork, sleek furniture, and more muted tones and textures supports a different culture entirely.
Keep in mind that these elements of design aren’t mutually exclusive. As long as the focus of your office design remains on the vision, values, and goals of your organization, the culture should follow suit.
