Issue 161 December 2011/January 2012

Editorial

Lean, mean and ... empty?

I recently interviewed British psychologist Dr Craig Knight about his research into the psychology of working space and his finding that workers were 32 percent more productive when they were able to personalise their office space.

The research asked people to do a series of tasks in either a ‘lean’ office with only the essentials, an office ‘enriched’ with plants and artwork, or an ‘empowered’ office space where participants were provided with the same plants and artwork but allowed to arrange them as they saw fit.

It found people’s sense of wellbeing shot up in the enriched space and their productivity increased by around 15-17 percent. In the empowered space, however, while wellbeing improved a bit more, productivity went up to an impressive 32 percent.

Knight is clearly not an advocate of the trend to lean offices. A clean desk might make sense from a business perspective, he says, but, psychologically, you’re putting people into an impoverished space. He likens it to putting a polar bear into a lean enclosure. The result? An unhappy animal that’s likely to die more quickly.

The worst thing you can do, according to Knight, is to impose a system—whether it’s a lean office or hot-desking—on people. It’s a psychological nightmare which does nothing to improve productivity. The best solution is to empower staff and allow them to realise their own identity in their environment.

With all this talk of lean offices and clear desks, it wasn’t surprising that talk turned to the pros and cons of piling versus filing. I’m an inveterate piler, though these days my piling is rather more conservative than the vertiginous stacks of the past which sent shudders of reproof through my holier-than-thou filer colleagues.

I’ve just reclaimed a clipping of an Observer column by Simon Caulkin from the bottom of one of the piles on my desk. It’s been there for months, but, being a skilled piler, I knew just where to find it. Caulkin had been reading A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder by Eric Abrahamson and David Freedman, which he described as liberating. However, “the euphoria at discovering you aren’t a freak if your desk is untidy—just human—is rapidly swamped by a wave of despondency as you realise how determined organisations are to stamp out deviancy,” he says.

But rest assured all you deviants with cluttered desks, you’re in good company. As Albert Einstein said: “If a cluttered desk signs a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?”

—Lyndsey Swan

Feature articles

A focus on flexibility
An award-winning flexible work policy at URS can be attributed to three ‘C’ words—communication, consistency and consideration—the organisation’s HR manager Tony Brown tells Renée Lang.

Sustaining success
Developing a sustainable business policy makes smart business sense. And as Sally Wenley discovers, it’s not just about environmental sustainability but also social responsibility and sustained economic growth.

Company culture 3.0—the conscious connected workplace
People want to believe that life has some higher meaning, says Kate Billing. More and more of us are looking at how our work helps us achieve that—as individuals and as a community.  The companies that embrace this mood will be the ones to survive, thrive and lead the way in our new conscious and connected world.

Designed for work
Businesses are radically rethinking their way of working in a changing environment. But what is the role of the workplace itself in today’s organisations, and how do we maintain the culture and soul of a business, asks Kelly Cameron.

Power to the people
Making good use of mobile and online technologies means Powershop staff from around the country can work from home while staying connected to ensure they provide their customers with the best of service. Peter Graczer reports.

Planting the seeds of productivity
Employees who have control over the design and layout of their workspace are happier and more productive, according to recent research from the UK. Dr Craig Knight tells Lyndsey Swan how empowering people by letting them personalise their space makes all the difference.

Specifically Pacific
Young Pacific people are an increasing proportion of New Zealand’s labour force—but we don’t know much about what promotes their engagement at work. Twenty young Pacific workers and managers of Pacific workers have shared their thoughts in a recent EEO Trust research project. Julie Middleton reports.

Workplace culture—one size does not fit all
According to one recent commentator, workplace cultures need to evolve. The problem is, says Terry Williams, bosses already imagine they have. What are the categories of workplace culture, where are you and where should you be?

The benefits of understanding brand personality
Understanding your company’s brand personality provides a new opportunity for human resources to help grow the business, says John Laurent. When it comes to clients perceptions, who you are is more important than what you do.

Drawing the line
Casual work can sometimes morph into permanent employment, so where do you draw the line? Greg Cain and Rachel Paterson take a look at two recent cases that demonstrate the traps that can arise when dealing with casual workers.

Departments

Strategic HR: Talent the glue to bind the generation gap
Marc Thompson discusses the current shortage of leadership capabilities and how a scientific approach to talent management can help organisations bridge the gap between generations and prepare them for a sustainable future.

Workplace Dilemmas: Question time
Curiosity may have killed the cat, but if we don’t ask questions we’ll never learn. Karen Boyte considers two questions, asks a few more, and discusses how to get answers that matter.

HRINZ News: Building brand
An organisation’s brand plays a key role in attracting both customers and great people to work for it. But what can HR do to build your brand? Catherine Taylor shares the Kiwibank approach to an important challenge for today’s organisations.

Leadership: NZ leaders driving business productivity
The connection between leadership, culture and performance is strong and organisations with constructive cultures have greater chance of success. But, says Shaun McCarthy, culture change is a long game not a short game.

Public Sector: Keeping cool
It’s important not to lose your cool when investigating misconduct, and to take advice when responding to personal grievances, says Paul Robertson. He looks at a case where a chief executive instructed other staff not to offer support to an employee who had lodged a grievance.