Creating Environments for Successful Interaction

Summary In the current economic climate many organisations will opt for the obvious response of focusing on reducing costs and under-cutting competitors. However, for some time in a world of off-shoring and copycatting and more so then ever now, it is innovation that gives businesses a competitive edge. Innovation is borne out of collaboration, invention and creativity, at which interaction and knowledge sharing is the starting point. AMA Alexi Marmot Associates has recently completed a two year applied research project on how to promote and enhance interaction in the workplace. Field studies were carried in the offices of five diverse organisations, including a transportation company, charitable foundation, management consultancy, architectural practice and investment bank. The research included piloting seven new methods for investigating interaction, termed WorkWare CONNECT ; these tools were derived from the literature review and build upon AMA’s existing WorkWare toolkit. The research initially focussed on the design and functionality of formal and informal meeting spaces but expanded to incorporate guidance on the purpose of meetings, meeting etiquette, and virtual meetings. Some of the key findings coming out of the study include: more meetings take place in offices with more meeting space; collaboration spaces are less popular if they are of poor quality (assessed by QuIZ); on average meeting rooms are used only 37% of the working week; the quantity and quality of space is important but can not overcome cultural predictors of success; knowledge transfer is weakest at the organisational level; and much creative thought and productive work takes place alone and away from the office. The research also resulted in a calculator for determining meeting room numbers and sizes, a system for prescribing the most appropriate media for interaction, design guidelines for interaction spaces, and guidance on the planning and etiquette of successful meetings.