An article in the recent edition of the Voyeur magazine caught my eye – “The Office of the Future”, what will the office look like in 25 years?, by Chris Sheedy. The article is created using 4 innovative technology experts. Being the not-so “techno-savvy” person I was intrigued to find out…
“After having a shower and eating breakfast, you cuddle the kids, kiss your partner goodbye for the day and choose a virtual suit (you’re really just wearing shorts and a T-shirt) and then wander into your office. It’s right there in your home, but it could be anywhere in the world. It’s simply a white walled room, but once you flick a switch and fire up the sensors, cameras and projectors, you see your colleagues all around you, sitting at their own desks, getting on with the day’s projects. Turn your head slightly and you can chat with the person sitting next to you as if they are right there in your house. Toss a crushed piece of paper at the person sitting in front of you, though, and it will simply bounce off the wall.”
“When it’s time for a group meeting, flick a switch to ‘boardroom’ and you’ll see all your workmates appear around a conference table. On the walls behind them are charts, tables, interactive video presentations and your organisation’s branding. In reality, one colleague is sitting on an airplane, another is in a hotel room and yet another is in a cafe.”
Aside from the technical aspects I was beginning to think ‘okay we are already experiencing this type of work environment where virtual teams actively exist now’. So I kept reading on…
“Within the next 15 to 20 years most people will have an ‘immersion room’ in their house. It will be a small room with four white walls. There will be a pressure mat on the floor to sense motion and all four walls will have laser sensors to track your hand gestures and movements.”
The article then as if reading my mind comments “it’s a brave new business world but it’s not just in the realm of the imagination. In fact, in terms of technology, it is available today. It’s just prohibitively expensive at the moment.”
It’s not that much different if we think back to the introduction of the typewriter, the pocket calculator or laptop – all probably considered the same in terms of ‘wow factor’ and cost. So my thinking to this point was answered, I kept reading on…
“Technology is launching us forward at a pace unimagined even a decade ago. The changes over the next quarter century are likely to create an office space that will be unrecognisable to today’s workers.”
“While offices will certainly be smaller and visited less regularly then they are today, we won’t be able to do without them altogether. Everybody needs structure of some kind. A loss of social interaction is felt quite deeply.”
“A large part of our identity is related to what we do and what others think of us. The ability to bounce ideas off others is also intellectually stimulating and can help us to think about things differently. Where there is a positive office environment there is a significant opportunity for employees to achieve happiness and satisfaction. Real interaction with real people in a real physical space, be it an office environment or a cafe, is very positive.”
“Instead of places to work where managers can monitor their staff, offices will be places that facilitate interaction between staff members, where you can simply drop in to catch up with colleagues, share information and seek inspiration or assistance.”
My mind then questions the role of leadership in this interactive environment. How much different is it from now? What challenges will leaders face? What skills will leaders need to equip themselves with? Is there in fact a role defined as ‘leader’?
“Love it or hate it, technology is driving the changes in the shape and purpose of our offices. Technology is now allowing managers to oversee production remotely, completely changing the models of management. There is no management hierarchy, just a lot of talented people doing an excellent job together.”
“Managers are becoming more focused on output and outcome rather than monitoring the process. Ten years ago working late in the office was seen as a sign of a good employee. With today’s technology, managers don’t care as much about when or where the work is done. Often they will just look at the output.”
“We’re seeing scenarios where people are used to telecommuting and hot-desking. Having your own desk is becoming less important to employees. The future will simply be a more extreme version of that. The office will be a place where people come together, but not necessarily a place where people work.”
In coming to the end of the article I had created my own vision of the office environment in 25 years time and my view isn’t too much different to now, well apart from the ‘techno savvy’ area! Being part of and experiencing many other organisations who are preparing for the future, is an exciting eye opener.
Are you ready for the future – in your role, in your work space, in your environment, in your organisation?
Parts of this comment is taken from “The Office of the Future”, Virgin Blue Voyeur Magazine Dec 2010 #113.
Sharon Kilmartin
Learning Facilitator
Insight International Consultancy
