Strategizing Change

STRATEGIZING CHANGE

Workplace planning methodology to create inclusive stakeholder experiences and streamlined project execution.

As companies continue to refine their post-pandemic workplace standards, the needs and importance of the physical office are under increased scrutiny. Balancing real estate utilization, staff capacity, remote work policies, and employee anxieties requires thoughtful planning and communication strategies.

When preparing an organization for a new or renovated workplace, leadership must first consider the state of the company, employees, and facility while crafting a vision for the future. It is vital to ensure those impacted by the upcoming change, including leadership and staff, are well prepared and included in the transition.

Change management practices seek to engage inclusive planning methods throughout the conventional design and construction process to foster positive stakeholder engagement and ease anxiety associated with a change of workplace or workflow.

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Corporate Client

When thoughtfully integrated into the design process, these strategies support a design that is socialized, holistic, and reflective of the company’s brand values.

Adapting to Change Prior to making significant changes to your workplace, it’s important to evaluate and understand the reasons for the change. In an article for Inc., small business expert and leadership speaker Scott Mautz states “It’s critical that you understand the case for change if you want to better deal with it. If you’re not clear on why the change is being instituted, get clear. This goes to that tendency for us to want to treat change/uncertainty like an error. If we understand why the change is happening, we’re less likely to view it as an error and will have a much better time with it.”

Corporate REVERB Strategizing Change

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Interior Design Architecture Lighting Design Branding Landscape Graphic Design Furniture Art/Decor

Workplace Strategy Cost/Phase Mapping Design Standards Asset Inventory Growth Modeling Prototype Design

PROJECT DRIVERS

DESIGN

VISIONING

TRANSLATION

EXECUTION

Design Development Construction Documents Budget / Schedule GC Bid

Project Management Change Management Move Coordination Post Occupancy Audit

space utilization target growth cycles future proofing lease terms + budget sustainability mission wellness technology building amenities brand demographics retention + recruiting productivity staff point of view open vs. closed plan resident vs. mobile worker collaborative vs. focused space adaptive architecture

Every step of the change management process calls for engagement with those who will be impacted by workplace changes.

This is especially important before the formal design process begins, requiring designers and leadership take a pulse on an organization and its staff.

Workshops, interviews, and surveys allow designers to synthesize data and feedback in a comprehensive way, while providing the direction necessary to successfully enact change. They also introduce employees to the change management process, and open the door for staff feedback and involvement.

Workplace surveys provide vital benchmark data used by workplace planners to gain consensus, inform user engagement needs, and track current pain points early in the process.

Gathering data from anonymous electronic surveys and casual focus groups creates a holistic and diverse employee perspective from all levels within an organization.

Develop a Plan Once the team has gathered the staff insights and data that will inform the design drivers, the team can begin formulating a plan and communication schedule. Accepting and adapting to change can be challenging, so offering staff a role in the planning efforts has the potential to alleviate tension and foster support for the project. By creating an inclusive design process and regularly scheduled employee engagements, designers can validate and inform design decisions while gaining consensus and project support from within the organization.

In-person workshops are especially useful at the early stages of workplace strategy, offering opportunities to enhance workflow and collaboration, and identify talent motivators and desired amenities. Vision workshops allow senior leadership to establish overarching design guiding principles and vision, while team lead workshops introduce design guiding principles to team leadership for feedback and input. Additionally, designers can engage in personal interviews with team leaders and managers to validate workflow requirements that impact design of offices, workstations and ancillary work spaces.

Workplace Survey Excerpt

An effective means of engaging and educating staff and soliciting feedback is by appointing committees of change agents charged with advocating for their departments and communicating the improvements coming in the new space to their peers.

Preventing Unknowns Moving can be a stressful process for the people involved, and for organizations that want to maintain efficiency and productivity, the adjustment period is a delicate challenge.

Once the project is completed designers and company leadership are tasked with welcoming the organization into their new space.

Orienting staff to the new workplace and building amenities prior to occupancy can minimize pre-move anxiety and create a more positive, enthusiastic arrival experience. Prior to moving in, the design team can host building hard hat tours on site and provide resources, like a welcome guide, building guides, design team contact names, furniture operating manuals, amenity hours of use and guidelines, and an overview of workplace policies and guidelines. Each of these ensure a more comfortable and informed move into the new or renovated workplace.

These groups are very beneficial to the design process as they give the design team an inside perspective into the users of the space and how they feel about the changes being made. Group recommendations are analyzed and presented to the organization’s senior leadership along with a comprehensive design, schedule, and budget.

Socialize Ideas Gaining consensus at all levels of an organization is crucial to the seamless transition into a new space, as discontent or discomfort can have severe impacts on productivity, employee satisfaction, and operational efficiency. Communicating updates and accepting feedback through surveys and live engagements in turn fosters enthusiasm and an understanding for the project among constituents. Such activities can include furniture sample fairs, room naming, color palette options, and workstation accessory selection. Designers can also take a pulse on how staff feel about the design as it manifests by creating an internal website to host project progress, construction updates, photos, and announcements.

Checking In Change takes time. For decades, it was commonly believed that it only takes three weeks to form a habit, per a 1960 study by surgeon Maxwell Maltz. This has been disputed by numerous studies, most notably a 2009 study in the European Journal of Social Psychology by Dr. Phillippa Lally, which found that it takes an average of 66 days to form a habit. This is an important consideration in the world of change management, as it applies to how people adjust to a new space.

The way people interact with and use a new space is likely going to change extensively within the first year of occupancy. If employees are used to an office that consists primarily of individual cubicles, adapting to a more collaborative floorplan that offers different ways of working may take time. Design Council members are encouraged to solicit feedback from their peers on a quarterly basis for the first year so the team can evaluate employee satisfaction and opportunities for refinement.

Ultimately, the goal of change management strategies is to meet a company’s needs and create a space where people want to work.

Implementing change management strategies offers opportunities to better understand worker needs and wants, allows for informed decisions, and prepares an organization for a smoother transition into the office.

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