Office Design – Enclosed Offices vs. Cube Farm

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Office Types:

  • Enclosed Offices
  • Open Space Concept
  • Cubicle Farms
  • Alternative

Why Getting Out of Offices is Great:

  • More and better communication amongst team members
  • More direct contact – you end up knowing people better
  • Space can be modified quickly and easily
  • Usually people have more access to natural light
  • Some companies have found it reduces cost because you can put more cubes per floor than offices. (Cisco reduced costs by 37%)
  • It’s harder for employees to slack off

Why it Sucks:

  • Reinforces negative notions of hierarchy when some are in cubes, and others in offices
  • It’s not possible to close a door for privacy
  • Meeting in your “office” is more difficult
  • Constant noise and disturbances
  • To do it well, isn’t really any cheaper than building offices
  • It lowers morale and productivity
  • Unless the work environment requires a high level of interaction with others, the lack of privacy is a distraction that negatively impacts productivity
Making it Work:
  • Over communicate any office-space change.  This is a very big deal to people
  • Be very clear about your reasons for making a change, and make sure you consider the pro’s and con’s
  • You need much more meeting space in an open concept than with offices
  • Hire someone to help you through the transition
  • Ensure white-noise
  • If you go open – everyone must go, from the CEO on down
  • Research it well – there is no shortage of information arguing both for and against open office space

One Solution:

  • If employees spend the majority of their time working individually, put them in offices
  • If employees spend a great deal of time collaborating, put them in an open office configuration.  Perhaps in offices of four to eight people.
  • If you want you employees to spend most of their time reading Dilbert, put them in cubicles.

Last Word from Robert Probst:

  • Before his death, the inventor of the cubicle apologized for his contribution to “monolithic insanity”

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Making Difficult Conversations Easier

How do you tell someone they smell? Or that they need to stop handing out religious pamphlets at work?  Maybe an employee dresses inappropriately at work.  Perhaps an employee’s spouse calls the workplace several times per day.  What about your assistant’s drinking problem?

You could do what some managers do:  ignore the behaviour and hope it goes away.  Now, hope rarely works as a strategy to solve a problem, but let’s give it a try and see what happens:

They Smell:  If you don’t act they’ll keep smelling.  If you’re in a retail business, you’ll almost certainly lose customers.  If the aroma is only affecting co-workers who have brought the problem to your attention, they will know for sure that you don’t care and/or that you lack the courage to deal with a relatively simple problem.

An employee is pushing an opinion or unwanted material on co-workers.  This one is a bit more tricky  — you need to balance an individual’s right to speak freely with his coworker’s right to not be harassed at work.  This one is a level of degrees, but suffice it to say that if you’ve received complaints, the behaviour is probably already perceived as being too aggressive.

An employee is dressed inappropriately.  When I was in university, I worked for a retailer who had a strict dress code.  This included a ban on earrings for male employees.  This was fine until one of the senior executive’s sons showed up with an earring, and the facility manager would not address it for fear of reprisal.  Now, there are a whole bunch of things wrong with this scenario, but needless to say, when the manager displayed his cowardice in this regard, he had a facility full of male employees wearing earrings out of protest within a month.  Rightly or wrongly, the dress code fell apart, and the manager lost all credibility.

In these, and in perhaps most cases, it can look (at least at the outset) that it is easier to NOT engage in these difficult conversations.  In the short term, it probably is easier.  Longer term, you create all kinds of problems for yourself as a manager if you don’t tackle difficult conversations.  You erode trust, you lose credibility, and frankly you’re not doing your job as a leader.  Consider this one of the “burdens of leadership”.

If you want help with this difficult part of the job, listen to our podcast, and visit our page on Difficult Conversations.

Manage Your Boss — Don’t be a Brown Noser

“If a bulletin came out from head office saying that all managers had to wear a dress, he’d be the first guy in line down at the ladies-wear store” — Rick

Rick was a facility manager I interacted with many years ago who was an excellent upward manager.  He also disdained boot-licking as is evidenced in the quote above.  Most managers understand the importance of leading and managing well the people that report to them.  Unlike Rick however, these same managers have a huge blind spot when it comes to managing their bosses.

Rick was a good manager.  He knew his business very well, and he was very even-handed in how he managed people.  In some cases, he knew the business better than his bosses, and didn’t hesitate to tell them so:

“I’m not sure who came up with this idea, but they’ve never actually worked in this industry before.  I guess I’ll have to read them their fortune, and let them know it will never fly”.

Rick had no problem saying “no” to his bosses.  In many cases his boss would thank him for pointing out some of the ridiculous things that somehow made their way out of head office.  So how did he do this, and not get himself fired?

First – he picked his battles well.  The bigger the organization, the more people there are far away from the perverbial coal-face to think up stupid ideas.  You can’t possibly fight all the stupidity, so you need to choose wisely.

Second – he knew what he was talking about.  He didn’t offer platitudes and opinions when he opposed his boss.  He brought data and evidence.  It’s hard to argue with someone who has done his homework

Third – he offered good feedback to his boss as much or more as he offered constructive criticism.  He nurtured a “no BS” relationship with his boss, and constantly improved his credibility.  When it came time to challenge his boss, his credibility account was built up enough that even when his boss disagreed, he would still listen.

Give it a try – or you could just be an unbelievable brown noser.  Apparently that can work too:

How to Manage Up Without Brown Nosing

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If you want to get ahead, then you need to manage up.  But how do you do this without brown nosing?

Learn to manage up the right way:

This is important because….

  • Your boss is probably your most important stakeholder
  • Problems often arise from style differences that are easily managed
  • It’s costly in time, effort and credibility if you get it wrong

Figure out what your boss cares about:

  • Ask to see your boss’s goals and ask about his/her top priorities
  • Link them to your own
  • Set up a recurring meeting if one is not currently in place
  • Assess your boss’s world-view

Create and manage two-way expectations:

  • Know what is expected of you – preferably in writing
  • Communicate what your expectations of your boss are
  • Ask your boss about his/her style
  • Never surprise your boss
  • Make your boss look like a star

Ask for feedback:

  • Actively seek out feedback from your boss and others
  • Listen and act on feedback that you get
  • Give feedback generously to your boss and others

Adjust your style:

  • You can only control your own behaviour
  • You are accountable for your relationship with your boss
  • Communicate in a way that is most meaningfulto your boss
    • Media
    • Level of detail
    • Frequency
  • Look to complement how your boss operates

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Time for an Effective Meeting Intervention

If the last meeting you went to sucked badly, you are in good company.  A survey of over 1000 North American managers indicated that on average they spend about 17 hours per week in meetings.  Of that considerable portion of their work-week, they deemed that one-third of that time was wasted.

The economic implications of this are staggering.  If you multiply 6 hours times the hourly rate of those managers times the number of managers in the economy, you begin to see a number with a whole bunch of zeros behind it.  Even in your own organization this calculation could easily total in the millions of dollars every year.

More selfishly, ask yourself what you would do if you had an extra six hours every week.  Could you work more reasonable hours?  Perhaps you could get to those things you know are important but are constantly displaced by the urgent.

This got us to ask the question, “if meetings are systemically bad, and they cost that much what can be done?”

First of all, do not accept that meetings have to be bad.  We all seem resigned that we have to write-off a significant portion of our week to something we know is useless.  Demand more of yourself, and of your organization.

Second – be part of the solution.  This is your problem to solve.  Even if you do not chair the meeting, you can raise questions as to how effective they are.  Your complacency will get you into more pointless meetings.

Third – insist on a structure.  The engineers and accountants always get a bad rap for being anal retentive.  While you may want to avoid such people at cocktail parties, invite them to help fix your meetings.  A bit of discipline will exponentially improve the value of your meetings.

Finally – figure out what meetings are costing you.  What is the cost to the organization by the time they pay a fully burdened labour cost.  What is the cost to you if meetings are causing you to work longer hours and give up your leisure time.  Profit-driven organizations are usually good a containing costs when they have to.  Get them to contain the cost of their meetings.

Then you’ll have more time to read our blog, and download YouTube clips.  Here’s one from John Cleese – for those who love British humour.

The Vision Statement

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Vision helps to define where the organization is headed.   The vision should paint a clear and compelling view of the future that helps everyone understand where the organization is headed and perhaps what it will be like once you’ve reached your desired state.   It must motivate, be ambitious and should stretch people to achieve more than they thought possible.

A clear vision is one that answers the question …Where are we headed?

Once you have your vision in place, then you can proceed with the strategies, plans and budgets to map out exactly how you will move ahead to realize the vision.

A clear vision has the potential to break through all the forces that support the status quo and encourage a true commitment by:

1.     CLARIFYING the general DIRECTION for the organization;

2.     MOTIVATING people to take ACTION in the right direction;

What Makes a Vision Great?

Clearly, some visions are better than others. Who can question the success of Bill Gates’ “A computer on every desktop” at Microsoft? This vision was successful because it possessed a set of characteristics shared by all great visions. Great visions are:

  • Imaginable – they convey a picture of what the future should look like.
  • Desirable – they appeal to the long-term interests of employees, customers, stockholders, and others who have a stake in the enterprise.
  • Flexible – they accommodate individual initiative and allow alternative responses in light of changing conditions.
  • Memorable – they communicate a message easily and are somehow ‘catchy’ or hard to forget?
What Works and What Doesn’t Work

What Works

  • Trying to see – literally – possible futures
  • Visions that are so clear they can be articulated in one minute or less
  • Vision statements that are creative and memorable.  It needs to be simple, yet catchy to make it stand out.  Think short, fun and to the point.

What Doesn’t

  • Assuming linear or logical plans and budgets alone adequately guide behavior when you’re trying to leap into the future
  • Overly analytic, financially based vision exercises
  • Giving fifty-four logical reasons why our future needs to look different than our past

Get the Complete ‘Strategy Starter Kit’

Get ‘The Strategy Starter Kit’ files here

The Strategy Starter Kit includes:

  • Strategy Starter Kit Workbook (pdf, 40 pages) – A series of questions and fill-in-the-blanks that result in your completed Business Planning Document, containing aligned Mission, Vision, Strategies, Goals & Objectives, as well as a Sustainment Plan to ensure success.
  • ‘Aligning Vision, Mission & Goals’ Full-Length Video (approx. 15 minutes) – Audio (mp3) and Visual Slides (ppt) can be downloaded separately
  • ‘Aligning Vision, Mission & Goals’ Cheat Sheet (pdf, 1 page)
  • ‘Mission Statements’ Podcast + Podcast Slides (mp3, ppt)
  • ‘Mission Statements’ Cheat Sheet (pdf, 1 page)
  • ‘The Vision Statement’ Podcast & Podcast Slides (mp3, ppt)
  • ‘The Vision Statement’ Cheat Sheet (pdf, 1 page)
  • ‘SMART Goals and HARD Goals’ Podcast & Podcast Slides (mp3, ppt)
  • ‘SMART Goals and HARD Goals’ Cheat Sheet(pdf, 1 page)
Get instant access to the Strategy Starter Kit…

 

Politeness in the Workplace? Go #@$% Yourself!

I’m not really sure when it happened.  Sometime over the last few years it has become socially acceptable to have a potty-mouth at the office.  Most often I am invited into workplaces for short periods of time – usually a few months – so I normally don’t know anyone when I first show up, and have to take some time to get to know people.

I find it incredible that people who don’t know me are quite willing to use exceptionally foul language in our very first meeting.  I should clarify two things:

1)   I’m not there to fire them, or otherwise torture them… which may be construed as just-cause for an expletive or two.

2)   I’m not offended by any of this, and use my own fair-share of foul words in more familiar company.

I just find it curious that people think words your mother always told you she didn’t want to hear are now common-place in work settings.  In my experience, this transcends just about all demographic groups.  It is not just younger people, nor is it just men.  I have witnessed this in large cities, and small ones, in a wide variety of industries.  I think it’s safe to say this has become a societal thing.

So… what is to be done?  Probably nothing.  But I would caution anyone who cares that first impressions are very powerful, and if you litter your first impression with language that would make a lumberjack blush, then you will inevitably come across as insensitive and less intelligent.

As a general rule of thumb, it might be good to know someone’s last name, before asking them (in so many words) if they like sex and travel.  Likewise, don’t assume that you’re not offending anyone, just because everyone else seems to be swearing.  It’s amazing that many offices insist on no fragrances or smelly foods for fear of upsetting someone, but have no similar guidelines for certain forms of noise pollution.

Until you know who you’re talking to, you might want to channel Bill Cosby more so than Eddie Murphy.  In the mean time… check out this clip for how one office handled it.

My Boss is a Micro-Manager

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Symptoms of Micro-Managers:

  • Highly Controlling – wants to oversee every aspect of the work
  • Power-Hungry – enjoys “flexing muscles” to ensure everyone knows s/he is the boss
  • Makes all the decisions – no matter how minor

Why are They Like This?

  • Insecurity – may be unsure of their own ability in the job
  • Power-crazed – may use their position to feel self-important
  • Perfectionist – may need every aspect of the job to be as close to perfect as possible
  • Not a Leader – may have been a great individual contributor, but has moved to a leadership role without requisite training

What Can I Do About It?

1. Upward Manage

  • Schedule and structure one on one meeting times with your boss
  • Determine what is most important to him/her, and contribute to those priorities
  • Talk about what you plan to do in the coming week, and get feedback in advance
  • Don’t ever surprise your boss

2. Get a Performance Agreement

  • Define boundaries of authority.
  • Agree on a work plan that defines outcomes and methods
  • Agree on the top 3 – 7 priorities
  • Link your performance goals clearly to your bosses goals

3. Learn to Say “No”

  • Always say “Yes” before saying “No”
  • Acknowledge their position as the boss
  • Refer to your Performance Agreement
  • If you think a request is unreasonable, try to negotiate.  Educate him/her as to the nature of the request
  • Describe the impact a request may have on you without complaining
  • Carefully manage your tone

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Business is a Contact Sport — Wear a Cup

At the risk of coming across like The Cranky Middle-Manager, I have a couple of grievances to air on how people interact with each other in the workplace.  It seems that people claiming that they work in a “toxic environment” is all the rage as of late.  In a minimum of cases, this may be truth, but in far more circumstances, it seems as though anytime someone doesn’t smile at you at the water cooler, you’re entitled to claim a horrible work situation.

The truth is that anytime you are in a workplace of more than one person, there are going to be disagreements and compromises.  And contrary to much of the hype you read in the popular media, sometimes work will be a drag.  To quote Jed’s dad, “If it was supposed to be fun, they wouldn’t call it work.”

I believe the root cause of this problem, is most people’s incompetence in dealing with conflict.  Many people believe that conflict is bad, when in fact it is neither good nor bad, but merely exists.  People’s response to conflict can make the situation bad.

Some people respond to conflict by becoming aggressive and overbearing.  Others choose to avoid conflict like it was a toilet seat at the bus station.  Both responses are destructive and will not improve or resolve whatever situation has caused the conflict to emerge.

Interestingly, in my experience I see the most common response to conflict to be one of either avoiding or yielding.  Both are poor responses to conflict in almost all cases.  If you are inclined to respond to conflict in this way, it is time to grow a pair and act like an adult.  Issues need to be confronted and dealt with.

It doesn’t mean you are always going to get your way, but at the very least you will have some confidence that you have attempted to constructively resolve workplace conflict, rather than letting it get pushed underground to fester.

It’s a Jungle Out There

I found this clip on YouTube that is a hilarious/sad commentary on many workplaces.  Happy Viewing.

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