Is it only the office that’s obsolete?
It’s not so much the office that is obsolete, but rather the mentality that got us into the office. The stereotypical view of office space is a deeply rooted relic of the industrial revolution. I imagine 20th century CEOs saying to themselves, “Henry Ford built a highly successful enterprise based on assembly lines and mass production… maybe my company should operate like this?”
We’ve had this image so deeply ingrained in our psyche… so much of our real estate… so much of our landscape… so many of our companies structured around a worldview that seems increasingly irrelevant. Why do all of us need to wake up every morning, drive for an hour to some monolithic building, sit at our assigned seats, and begin working simultaneously from 9am to 5pm? (probably more like 7am - 6pm if you include travel time)
Our history with the office is long and the impressions run deep. I think we’ve known something was wrong for some time now, but it wasn’t until we began commuting on a worldwide information superhighway that we began to realize our work structure would never be the same. However, the emerging generation of knowledge workers have no allegiance to, memory of, or need for this structure.
The concept of the office is going to change drastically over the next decade or so… especially given current economic fears. Looking to cut back on costs, large companies are slashing their office footprints. But do they know how to manage a mobile workforce? Do they know how to inspire and retain a distributed staff? Lots of growing pains ahead, but a lot more opportunities. Are you ready?
