Maximizing Workspace Utilization
ACM News Service: Office Space Gets New Meaning at NEC in Japan. Visitors to Japan, and observers of Japanese offices (watch the Japanese version of "Shall We Dance?") are often surprised by the cramped, open-floor designs. What we forget is that not only are the Japanese accustomed to a more communal arrangement, a major contextual factor is the cost of furnished spaces.
I always thought that the Japanese market would provide the ultimate test for groupware and collaborative technologies, as well as pen- and tablet-based computing because of the heavy use of caligraphy and fax and paper required by the Japanese language and writing. My thinking was that if you couldn't sell the Crosspad in Japan, you couldn't sell it anywhere.
In this article about heavy use of technology to create cyber-supported collaboration and meeting spaces, there are two figures that caught my eye. 30% savings on office space turns into big bucks. 70% reduction of use of conference rooms is an even better deal because conference rooms tend to be over-subscribed and a bottleneck resource in offices I've visited in Japan and in many US office spaces. The elimination of wired telephony and substitution of VOIP-equipped laptops as single office appliances is predictable everywhere, but the drive to space economy, and arrangements that support fluidity in work will come from the laboratory that the Japan market is.
The 2004-11-02 Michael Kanellos CNET News.Com article expands on this effort and provides other resources on workplace topics. It might be tough for there to be no specific desk assignments and fewer desks than employees in a US office, but mobile US workers would find this arrangement particularly satisfying on the road and in limited home-office space. Meanwhile, I will remember to be thankful for the blessing of a basement SOHO space that is the largest open area in the house. At the same time, I must discipline myself to use even this bountiful space more effectively.
posted by orcmid
at 11/7/2004 10:22:30 PM
