Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Designing the Right Physical Workspaces

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Designing the Right Physical Workspaces In my work as a human resources and leadership consultant, I’ve observed that many organizations have dedicated spaces where employees come together to receive training. Most of the time, these locations are basic conference rooms, which led me to wonder: what if companies could build facilities uniquely equipped to meet the needs of the human learner? Seeking to find out what such spaces might look like and what best practices organizations would be smart to integrate, I spoke with Jonathan Webb, VP of workplace strategy for KI, a designer of 21stcentury interior furnishings. Alexandra: Jonathan, how should companies go about designing the right physical space for corporate training? Jonathan:In some ways, the key to creating corporate training spaces is the same as designing offices: flexibility. Just as employees have different work styles throughout their 9-to-5 day, new hires in corporate training have different learning styles. So recruiters have to design training spaces not only to enable the variety of tasks or lessons at hand, but to support the variety of learners theyre training in a given session. What physical design concepts best facilitate human learning and why? Jonathan:I think it entirely depends on what the goals are within each learning session. Thats why its important to align a companys training goals with the physical learning environment. Designing a flexible training space is vital to facilitating human learning. For example, if one training task requires an individual assessment, new hires may need walled-in spaces or privacy screens to focus. But if another goal of the training program is to build relationships among teams that will soon work together, trainees may move to larger, shared work surfaces. If an organization doesnt have a big budget for renovation, what tweaks can it make help improve its training spaces? Jonathan:Training facilities are often overlooked within organizations, but an organization can make some effective changes without knocking down any walls. When space is at a premium, designing workspaces that can be reconfigured to accommodate various learning styles and types is paramount. Flexible furniture on casters can be reconfigured quickly. Mobile whiteboards can double as space dividers and learning surfaces to provide excellent teaming environments. A mix of high and low tables, along with several pieces of lounge furniture, can often be assembled to allow various types of group work. For the rest of the interview, head over to the DeVry WORKS website.