Blog

When we started our current consulting project we were placed in the ‘consultant area’ - a narrow room off a main hallway with a long counter-top, power strips and blue network cables galore.  Our client is a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Denver so they occupy many of the floors in this high-rise.

The ‘consultant area’ is located on the 36th floor.  Soon after we started, though, we were given individual cubes on the 25th floor.  There was great intent behind this move because we could have our own spot, dedicated phones, etc.  The problem was that everyone we depended on for our project was still up on 36.  Not only were they 11 floors apart, they were on different elevator banks so going to meetings, con calls, etc. meant going down to the lobby, across a few elevator banks and then up to 36.  Not good for spontaneous interaction.

Despite our new digs on 25 we found ourselves going back to the less-than-glamorous consultant area on 36  more often because we were on the main drag and could engage our key SMEs and stakeholders very easily rather than spending the time to draft a well-written email or voicemail.

Realizing the impact that proximity had to our project, our team was given an unused office on 36 to use as our Project War Room.  In it we have posted our Project Org Chart, Project Plan, Contact List and a basket full of leftover lunch cookies, fruit and snacks.  This is our own space and it’s located in the heart of our extended project team.  Our core team (5 people) sits in there daily and we are able to brainstorm with various SMEs at a moment’s notice, hold meetings, conference calls, etc.  It has truly become project central.

Is this the solution for everything?  No.  I find myself heading back to the Consultant Area every few days for the times when I need quiet time to think, write or do anything that requires intense concentration for long periods of time.  There are not long periods of peacefulness in the Project Room…ever.  Each place has its purpose, though, and we’re lucky to have the two spots to choose from.

I have heard that employees located over 50 feet apart are unlikely to get up and engage each other face-to-face - rather they will use email or the phone.  What opportunities are there in your organization to give people a common place to gather for key projects?  Consider dedicated ‘War Rooms’ associated with big deliverables or clients - places where people can opt to work when collaborating rather than going through the more formal process of checking calendars and scheduling meetings when all you need is a 5-minute conversation. 

Many new companies, such as Google with their Googleplex, are hiring top designers to build this collaboration space into their new buildings.  Don’t have a Google-size budget?  Convert unused office space, common areas or any other space into a place where people can confer.  This combined with their offices or cubes for the times when they need quiter concentration will present options to your workforce on how they can work best.  Take it from a War Room veteran, though, there is power in proximity.