It’s no
coincidence that these days workplace design mirrors social media. In a
fast-paced high-tech world where community seems to be more valued than
privacy, the office partitions have come down in the name of collaboration and
quick exchange. When we share our daily activities with
colleagues through Facebook why would we mind sharing an open plan office with
them? We are becoming more accepting of others’ lives and sharing our own with
them.
Offices are being designed to offer collaborative
work stations with open spaces to create “collision zones” for employees, where
conversations get started and ideas get hatched like a social gathering that
developed through a status update or a group message. Roll based work areas
have become obsolesce as companies envision cross-departmental, even
cross-industry alliances. Why have a meeting around a gigantic table when you
and a few co-workers can set up shop in a more social environment mirroring our
ever developing virtual world.
