Innovations in Office Design: The Critical Influence Approach to Effective Work Environments

As a professionel office interior designer with a focus on user involvement and collaboration, this book has given me a lot of great insights and 'aha's.Even if you might already be familiar with a lot of the issues discussed here, the proven cases from many different firms give you a lot of stuff to learn -and quote- from.The interior design examples in my oppinion are really not very beautiful (very american and heavy, not at all light, minimalistic and european - if you're into that kind of thing:) -but what I needed what the theoretical part - and THAT works!I'll definitely consult the book every now and then for optimal advice to my clients.

Really interesting book.

After reading Diane Stegmeier's book and reviewing her 15 Critical Influencers of an effective work environment, I was reminded of Winston Churchill's quote : "We shape our dwellings, and afterwards our dwellings shape us." As a 30 year real estate broker who has represented many office tenants who have bought or leased office space with my assistance, I always prided myself in helping them make the right decision about their space, not just the "deal" they made. Diane's approach to what the "right" space is has given me new insights on how to determine what "right" is. Her "15 Critical Influencers" on an effective work environment helped me to see that to get it right, we as professionals must look beyond the brick and mortar and the lines on a drawing to get " right." As an example, one of the Critical Influencers is "compensation". Most employees are paid based on their own performance and accomplishments. It's no wonder that "collaboration stations" in state of the art office designs rarely get used. The people who designed these offices scratch their heads and wonder why they aren't used. If collaboration truly is important, somehow our employers will need to compensate these people for doing it. If they don't, why build these unused areas. This is just one insight among dozens found in this book. Diane's research summarized in her book should be read by facility departments and human resource departments to truly make the "right decision" on their space. Winston Churchill's quote could be redone as: "We must shape our dwellings around the Critical Influencers, and afterwards these dwellings will shape our employees in accordance with the Critical Influencers. "

Today's and tomorrow successful companies understand the importance of increasing productivity by improving the collaboration workspace. It is critical that management implements effective workplace strategies for the increasing diverse workforce. Diane's Stegmeier's "Innovations in Office Design" is a practical approach to understanding why change management is absolutely critical to implementing a successful alternative workspace environment. If you believe an effective work environment is critical, this book is an essential tool to achieving your success.