Evolving business organization: the role of office furniture
The business strategy review may result in the decision to make a disruption, or rather an evolution of the business organization, whether it relates to hierarchy or division into areas or new activities.
For the process of transformation to be triggered, it is important that all the people in the company have a good understanding of what the new organization will be.
It cannot therefore be a mere abstract concept, but must find concreteness within the offices, properly reconfigured.
Reconfiguration is therefore the key word for the completion of the strategic action. Physically seeing the new organization is necessary to take ownership of the corporate mission, understand its strategy and conform one’s work processes to it.
How does the reorganization of offices take place? How do you plan the new office layout?
Let’s look at two main aspects.
The importance of space
The design of office reorganization begins with an analysis of the space available.
Can the “space” factor be limiting?
Yes.
Very often it may prove necessary to carry out a renovation of the building or even a change of location in order to have large enough rooms. With reference to the change of location option, it is important to note that the period before the lease of the premises expires is a good time to review the business strategy and see if the current facility is still suitable for the company and its people despite changes in the core business and, at the same time, whether it would lend itself to a possible relocation of the locations.
Giving up part of the design because of lack of space could undermine the good performance of the business strategy. The office may not be functional and efficient, burdening the fluidity of processes and thus posing a daily obstacle.
The role of layout is therefore clear: to give a defined image of the new organization, facilitating and simplifying communication between areas and avoiding intermediations that are often harmful as they cause misunderstandings and wasted time. All roles must be visually well defined.
Each choice will not be made solely on the basis of aesthetics, but should always be evaluated in accordance with business strategy.
For example, in the case of having a large open space that needs to be divided into areas, it is possible to evaluate multiple design solutions through partitions, if it would be appropriate to place “barriers” between one room and another, or through the use of colors, in case it is more important to have the entire organization at a glance.
The furnishings for the new business organization
Another important step in office reconfiguration is the selection of furniture. In this step, it is first appropriate to assess whether the existing furniture is quantitatively and qualitatively capable of supporting the organizational change.
Is the existing furniture flexible enough to be reconfigured according to the new layout? Are they complete with specific mechanisms and features for user ergonomics and comfort? What is their state of preservation?
All these questions allow for a thorough assessment of whether or not the reuse of existing furniture is a hindrance to functionality and productivity but also a possible negative factor with regard to user comfort and corporate image.
If this is the case, it is good to consider purchasing quality new furniture. It will be a real investment in the health of the company and its people.
How important is well-being in the office?
Wellness in the office is crucial, and the choice of furniture is certainly decisive.
Ergonomics and quality of materials are important to promote health, stress reduction and thus user productivity.
Office renovation is a great opportunity to approach this issue that also becomes part of business strategy.