February 16, 2018
There is no such thing as a smart city
The radical idea of a world without jobs
The next stop in AI is augmenting humans
New technology to reduce the amount of sleep we need
Strengths based cultures and the future of work
Like coffee, great ideas take time to percolate (registration)
The myth of Apple’s great design
February 12, 2018
In October 1517 Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to a church door in Wittenberg, thereby setting in motion the process that we know now as the Reformation. At least since that time, it has been apparent that a revolutionary manifesto needs to be laid at somebody’s door – or nailed to it – at the right moment for it to achieve its aims. Revolutionary manifestos are easy enough to set out, but the tract is nothing without traction.
February 12, 2018
Executives at major organisations increasingly believe that pairing humans alongside machine intelligence will create a more effective, engaged, and meritocratic workplace, according to a new study released by software provider Pegasystems Inc (registration required). The authors surveyed 845 senior executives working globally across industry sectors including financial services, insurance, manufacturing, retail, telecommunications and media, and government, on the increased role of automation and artificial intelligence in the workplace of the future. The potential impact in the workplace seems to outweigh any lingering fears, the report claims. Around 69 percent of of respondents say “workforce” will refer to both humans and machine intelligence in the future. Nearly three-quarters of executives said using machines to augment human abilities would lead to increased efficiency. Over 60 percent said it could be used to improve customer service.
February 9, 2018
How we developed our theories of colour through medieval glass
How smartphone addiction kills manners and moods
How the modern world makes us mentally ill
A first look inside Apple Park
The trivial problem of paper jams and the limits of technology
Are innovative companies more profitable?
Companies are not getting what they want from their workplaces
February 5, 2018
Workplace people are at risk of obsessing about productivity. The idea of what is or is not effective and even the notion of wellbeing, has almost been done to death. We overthink stuff. As Neil Usher might say, there are a few bandwagons people are leaping on a little too eagerly. So, let’s keep it simple. Yes, we need a ‘space’ to work in (or just do stuff), but mostly we need a reason for using it in the first place. One thing most people agree on – even the media and flinty-eyed consultants – is that we need a motivation, a reason to do the things asked of us and a belief or intrinsic connection to do those ‘things’ well.
February 2, 2018
Is lack of sleep affecting your work?
What if you never saw your colleagues again?
In the name of place-making, architects are often complicit in social cleansing
What CIOs need to know about workplace biometrics
Embarrassment capes and singing drones aim to shame Japan’s workaholics
Together or apart: solidarities, silos and seating plans
Andreas Gursky, master of the contemporary sublime
Image: Andreas Gursky’s May Day V
January 30, 2018
What if your company had a great and more frequent ability to discover more valuable things than those for which it were usually looking? How would you then begin to describe your company’s overall level of awareness and sagacity? Does it make your company ’feel lucky’? Inspiring questions and understanding serendipity might give some answers to these and other questions. One of the challenges in answering them lies in the nebulous idea of serendipity in the first place. In many respects the idea of serendipity carries with it a mystical undercurrent and even researchers do not agree about a precise definition. However, serendipity is never a ’happy accident’, it’s much, much more than that. The key elements in the process of serendipity include: 1) a prepared mind 2) an unexpected event, encounter, result or contradiction 3) insight and 4) value creation. Not only is serendipity a process, but it is also a quality of mind.
January 26, 2018
Workers in female-dominated workplaces have worse access to flexible working arrangements than those in gender-neutral and even male-dominated workplaces, new research from the University of Kent has found. The report challenges the commonly held assumption that the low wages often found in female-dominated workplaces can be justified through better provision of family-friendly arrangements, but the research provides evidence that low wages are accompanied by worse working conditions. (more…)
January 26, 2018
Americans see both good and bad in trends that are changing the workplace
Seven portraits of modern work in the UK
Podcast: It’s time we accepted that the workplace is not a playground
Film: The world in 2018 (registration needed)
Health experts recommend standing up at desk, leaving office, never coming back
Delivering business growth through diversity
January 25, 2018
More than four in five (85 percent) of women and 80 percent of men report that they have witnessed gender-discriminatory acts at work suggests the results of new research by the Chartered Management Institute. The CMI’s latest report ‘A Blueprint for Balance: time to fix the broken windows’ looks into gender diversity best practices, and found patchy results. Despite some leading exemplars, the majority of organisations are still struggling to make a meaningful difference to achieving a gender balanced workplace. According to the report’s survey of 856 managers, just one in four (25 percent) say that their peers and senior leaders ‘actively and visibly champion gender initiatives’. The lack of action cascades down the ranks, with only 19 percent of junior and middle managers believing their senior leaders are committed to the target of gender balance in their organisations. This is in spite of a recent study by management consultants McKinsey that found globally the most gender diverse businesses are 21 percent more likely to financially over-perform than their peers.
January 19, 2018
The radical idea of a world without jobs
What AI can and can’t do (yet) for your business
WeWork harms 40 percent of coworking spaces in its vicinity
No blind spots in leopards’ eyes: five hopes for Workplace in 2018
Women and men in STEM at odds over workplace equity
Economists grapple with the future of the labour market
Forget Blockchain and Bitcoin, AI is where you should be focussing
February 16, 2018
Pearls of elemental wisdom about workplace design and management
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Facilities management, Workplace design
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