Physical space shapes the way we behave - change the space to help change behaviour

The way we design physical working space has an enormous impact on the way we engage, behave and think. Imagination, creativity and energy can be enhanced by well designed, simple space. And yet rarely a day goes by when I do not walk into a meeting room or potential workshop space that is the antithesis of all these things.

Earlier this year I designed and ran an Accelerated Event for a national project. To make best use of the space we dispensed with any tables, set up group work areas or 'pods' around the perimeter of the room (created by mobile partitioning - Screenflex is great), with a cluster of chairs outside each 'pod' for plenary briefings.

There was no seating in the pods - just  a coffee table for resources and plenty of wall space for working on.

Groups were self managing - they were set tasks, a timeframe and told that when they had finished they could break for refreshments.

What proved interesting was the difference we observed between the groups that moved the chairs into the pods and sat in a semi-circle and those that simply stood and clustered  around the walls to work on the task. The latter were out and having coffee a good 10 to 15 minutes in advance of their seated colleagues. The difference in energy, engagement and indeed imagination of outputs of the different approaches was noticeable. 

Research at Stanford 'Stanford study finds walking improves creativity' provides more detailed evidence to underpin what we simply observed.

The design of the spaces we work in is something we all too often ignore. I walked (nope- sidled crab-wise is more accurate) into an Exec's office recently. 70% of space was a single big meeting table with minimal clearance even for chairs. With another 6 people in the room movement was impossible let alone getting up to work on a whiteboard. Nothing like the space below...

Next time you walk into a meeting room make a quick mental calculation of how much of the space is occupied by table and chairs. 

• Do you have to creep in around the edges of the table and chairs to get to your place? 
• How much space do you have to be able to work as a group on a run of wall space? 
• Do you have useable wall space or is it covered in fine portraits of your founders or pictures of your latest building development? 
• Is there plenty of whiteboard space or space to stick instant white board
• Is over 50% of the available wall space available for working on? Are you actually allowed to use white-tak on it?
• Is there a resource pack of working dry-wipe pens, large post-its (not the scrotty little squares or rectangles), bluetack.
• Can anyone send their laptop or mobile device screen to a projector or big screen without wires (Apple TV, AirServer)
• Take a picture of the table before you start, then one part way through the meeting an then one at the end. What do you observe? Not a pretty sight I guess.

Carefully designing space - whether it is for a workshop or in normal meeting rooms - is something we often overlook and yet its impact on the way we engage and think is significant. Are we trapped or do we have room to roam? Are we locked in place or can we cluster? Are we working with uncluttered space or are we sitting around a rubbish tip? Are we giving ourselves the space to be creative or are we restricted by our own physical orthodoxy? 

Poorly designed space is a black hole for energy, engagement and creativity. Tables create table behaviours - even round tables. It is better to have no table than one that has been shoehorned into a space it was not designed for.

So next time you run a meeting or workshop where you want people to work creatively, with energy and engagement - get rid of the tables (even if it means you carry your own screwdriver!). and to the cry of despair 'But where do I put my stuff?' the answer is 'leave your stuff, bring yourself'.

SEPs and SLAs

As we begin the journey of recovering control of our time lets divert for a moment and reach for our copy of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

Somebody Else's Problem (SEP)

The late and great Douglas Adams described the concept of the Somebody Else's Problem Field (SEP).

Within the novel Life, the Universe and Everything of Douglas Adams's "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" his character Ford Prefect describes Somebody Else's Problem as:


An SEP is something we can't see, or don't see, or our brain doesn't let us see, because we think that it's somebody else's problem.... The brain just edits it out, it's like a blind spot. If you look at it directly you won't see it unless you know precisely what it is. Your only hope is to catch it by surprise out of the corner of your eye.

The narration then explains:

The technology involved in making something properly invisible is so mind-bogglingly complex that 999,999,999 times out of a billion it's simpler just to take the thing away and do without it....... The "Somebody Else's Problem field" is much simpler, more effective, and "can be run for over a hundred years on a single torch battery."

This is because it relies on people's natural predisposition not to see anything they don't want to, weren't expecting, or can't explain.

In this case, the Starship Bistromath ("a small upended Italian bistro" with "guidance fins, rocket engines and escape hatches") has been hidden from the crowd watching a Cricket match at Lord's by an SEP field. People may see it, but they take absolutely no notice of it due to the shielding mechanism that does not allow them to view the unique structures of the particular bistro.

Humour aside there is a sound pyschological basis for the SEP field. Whether cognitive dissonance or optimism bias or the perfect solution fallacy we all have blind spots. And like any blind spot we have to change where we stand and how we view the problem to uncover the real dimensions of the challenge. 

Self Limiting Assumptions

In some cases we did actually notice the problem initially but because we did not think we could do anything about it - a Self Limiting Assumption - we devised workarounds that allowed us not to notice it any longer. This is even though the 'cost' of maintaining the workaround is still there in psychological and physical terms and is greater than if we had 'named' the problem and taken ownership of it until something was done about it. Whinging about 'bureaucracy' and not actually getting a grip and doing something about it is a classic example.

In other cases we are not equipped with the correct lens to see through the SEP field. We have no alternative reference points. Again we use Self Limiting Assumptions - helplessness, lack of curiosity, 'We are unique' and 'Not Invented Here' syndromes to blind us to the art of the possible. In this case we have to break out of our singularity and ask ourselves where we might find other analogous examples in other industries or organisations or how fresh eyes might see our challenges and possible solutions. We need to ask ourselves how we can best get a good 'triangulation' on the challenge. And we need to 'have a go'. Nothing ventured nothing achieved.

The solutions are remarkably simple:

• Name the problem out loud and keep it firmly in view - own the problem. 
• Share the problem - rally others to your cause. It is easier to tackle this in company rather than alone. 
• Ask yourself how other people in other organisations might tackle this successfully? You are not unique and there are 1000's if not millions of people who have been faced with the same or analogous challenges. 
• Have a go. Do something about it..what will your first PDSA cycle be? Once you have got through three of four PDSA cycles you will be surprised about how you will feel more in control of the context rather than vice versa. Once you break the chains of SLAs and bring the SEPs into clear focus then you are well on the way to feeling a damn site better about yourself.

But of course you might be really happy on your wheel so why bother...

Knowing how we are doing - the Dyson inspiration

If we are going to find the time to think differently then there comes a natural but oft overlooked question - how do we know that we have succeeded? Lets be honest about this - would you invest your money (or your organisation's money) in a project that could not demonstrate its return on investment both quantitatively and qualitatively? So how often do we as individuals set out to do something differently without considering how we would be able to measure what we have achieved - and indeed demonstrate it to others? 

Here is a question for you to consider. What is the key feature that has made the Dyson vacuum so successful and has been the one that virtually every other upright vacuum maker has adopted? Take a close look at the picture below. 

Of course the technology is important but not earth shattering whatever anybody says about cyclones and bag less cleaners. Nope - its the psychology of the user that has been so carefully handled in the design. Still cannot spot-it? That's because it is so obvious you often miss it. Look again at both of the devices above. They are transparent - you can see the amount of dirt you are picking up - transparent measurement in action. You can measure your success, get that warm feeling of achievement as you see the dust (and in my case the labrador hair) fill the container. Next time you use your hoover - think about how you feel as you see the results of your labours build up. How the objective measure of achievement influences how you feel about the effort.

So sit back and watch Mike Davidge telling us more about Measurement for Improvement. You are going to be your own Improvement Project. You are going to learn and apply the techniques to yourself that you can use in any improvement project.

Cannot see the video because your organisation has blocked access to YouTube? Then do something about it - challenge, kick and sort. I will be talking about Self Limiting Assumptions (SLA) and Somebody Else's Problems (SEPs) in a later post..

Finding time to notice...

As we begin the journey of becoming our own personal improvement project it is worth considering what we stand to gain once we regain control of our time and priorities.

As you hurtle from meeting to meeting, or one person enters your office as another leaves, or you plough through the email backlog (more on this in later posts) where do you find the time just to walk, think, look and listen? When did you last walk the corridors of your hospital at 0200 hours looking and listening? When did you just set aside an hour to wander the wards? When did you last notice something great or poor - and do something about it there and then?

Remember:

You have to be the change you want to see in others

Hamsters Anonymous

 

As I work with the NHS I am increasingly convinced that it is not money that is the critical scarce resource - it is time. The time to think differently about the future, the time to experiment with doing things differently, the time simply to stop and think. Diaries full for months ahead. Unable to get people together for more than a short period thus missing the opportunity for high value conversations. And when people do get together finding that you are repeatedly covering old ground (two steps forward and one step back).

 

And yet my sympathy is getting stretched. Let me repeat something I said in the previous blog in this series. You need to accept something fundamental - this is your problem, not a Somebody Else's Problem (SEP). You are born and then you die. And in-between those two events the  seconds, minutes, days, months are yours, nobody else's. You have control, you may choose to give some of that time to family, rent some of it out to employers. But it is your own time and you are the one with the choices about how to use it.

Let me ask you some questions - think about them, jot down both the questions and the answers on a white board or a piece of A3 paper and keep it somewhere you can look at it and remind yourself why you are doing this.

• what is the physical and psychological cost to you as a person of not being in control of your own time?
• What is the cost to those around you whether family or work colleagues of not being in control of your own time?
• What is the cost to your organisation of you not being able to realise your full potential at work because you are not in control of your own time?

So.......

Getting Started

There is good news and bad news.

 

The good news first. You are not alone and there are many others out there who have been in the same place and have regained control. There are others who are in the same place and like you want to find their way out and would find it easier to do it with others - Hamsters Anonymous if you like. And there are lots of simple things you can do which will make a difference not only to you but also to those around you. So:

 

Step 1: Tell your colleagues, team, peers or friends that you intend to regain control - that they can join you, help you, provide feedback or just watch with interest.

 

Acknowledging you have a problem and sharing it with others is an important first step. It improves the chances of you doing something about it and it is a lot more fun and less lonely doing it with others. It also prepares those around you to expect some changes from your normal patterns of behaviour and work-style.

And now the bad news. You have to make time to do this. You have to get off your hamster wheel  and find the time to make yourself your own improvement project. The moment you do that and do it regularly then you are on your way off the wheel.

 

Step 2: Take control of your diary and put in an hour a week for your personal improvement project. It will be difficult to find the space to start with but get it in there.

 

Not in your spare time, not in the car (please concentrate on driving). And it is not for you to catch up on emails, return calls or catch up on reading. It is for your space for you to plan each step in your journey. To review what you have done differently and to decide what you are going to try differently next week - your personal PDSA cycle.

 

And a handy tip - give your personal improvement project a name so it stands out in your booked time. Try this link for something different http://online-generator.com/name-generator/codename-generator.php Project Angry Moose or Project Aberrant Tuba anyone?

Progress at a glance

 

In the next post we are going to talk briefly about measurement - knowing how you are doing. But you can start with one now. Draw up a simple table - 4 columns and 10 rows. One cell per week. Stick it on a wall where you or anyone else can see it. If you managed to keep that hour in your diary for your project then put in a large green tick (or if you moved it to elsewhere in the week but still used it). If you did not then put in a red cross. How many weeks since your last red cross?

 

Making time to think differently

Time is the single most precious resource that we have - not money. And yet I increasingly observe that it is the resource that at work and especially in a hard pressed public sector that is most poorly managed. Yet the solution lies entirely within your grasp - because your time is yours. You live and you die and in between those two immutable points all those seconds, minutes, hours, days and weeks are yours and no-one else's. You make the choices - you are the one who can make the decisions to regain control, how to allocate that time, who to rent it to in the case of work; who to donate it to willingly in the case of family and friends and how much to keep for yourself.

Do you feel like this day after day?:

This blog series is dedicated to helping you think differently about how you can regain control of your time within the working environment. And if you can do that then there will be huge knock on benefits to the other parts of your life.