Ilfryn Price
Sheffield Hallam University
Ask the Expert: Workspace revolution
Ilfryn Price, professor in facilities management at Sheffield Hallam University, explains how upgrading workspace can improve a company's productivity.
Q: Does my organisation need a workspace revolution to improve the bottom line?
Many organisations don't always immediately consider the strategic use of facilities as having a direct impact on the bottom line, but space can be transformational and not just for its people.
Whatever business you are in – public or private – there's a good chance you have far more space than your organisation needs. When lean manufacturing first appeared to challenge traditional mass production, the Japanese car plants produced the same volume of cars, more quickly, with fewer defects from nearly 40 per cent less space.
That is still one of the biggest drains – simply having more space than you need to carry a lot of ‘stuff’, some of it inventory but much of it accumulated clutter. And this means it is likely to be an environment which is less sustainable and which doesn't foster optimum performance for the people within it.
When it comes to general office space, including meeting rooms, reception areas, any social space and corridors, few businesses actually need more than 80 to 100 sq ft per person. Some who have really embraced successful flexible working manage with a lot less without being crowded.
Most managers don't use their desks more than 30 per cent of the working week. Even staff doing administrative jobs as ‘team anchors’ are only at their desk for 70 per cent of the time.
Twenty years ago Tom Peters called physical space the most important and least appreciated lever for contemporary knowledge management. It still is.
So, take a look next time you walk into your premises. What do they say about the business to your staff or your customers?
Taking a strategic view of your workspace is about much more than trendy furniture and a few plants, it's about really looking at how people interact within their space, how different functions require different kinds of space, and in any one company they'll be multiple generations working alongside each other, with differing technological demands that affect their working environments.
No one organisation is the same, so be innovative in your approach and put aside the status quo, asking yourself what should the space look like to create business success?
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About Ilfryn
Ilfryn Price is one of the UK’s 20 most influential pioneers in facilities management. He previously worked as a geologist and manager in oil exploration. He is now engaged in the FM profession working closely with organisations. In addition he publishes, writes and teaches around organisational evolution, physical space and asset utilisation.
Contact Details
Ilfryn Price
Professor in Facilities Management,
Sheffield Hallam University
i.price@shu.ac.uk
0114 225 4032
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