Every team needs a great office. A beautiful place to work together, learn together, and have fun together. We spend so much time in an office... Why not put a little effort in making it a quality environment? We investigated a few easy fixes anyone can implement right away. No budget, effort or big changes necessary.

1. from promoting collectivism
to buying plants
a floown.com production
5 quick fixes to
scientifically upgrade
your office
5 quick fixes to
scientifically upgrade
your office

2. • Every team needs a great office
Wait what?
SCIENCE!!!

3. • Every team needs a great office
• How to create a great office?
Wait what?
SCIENCE!!!

4. • Every team needs a great office
• How to create a great office?
• Look for ideas in unusual places…
Wait what?
SCIENCE!!!

5. • Every team needs a great office
• How to create a great office?
• Look for ideas in unusual places…
• The academic world for example.
Wait what?
SCIENCE!!!

6. • Every team needs a great office
• How to create a great office?
• Look for ideas in unusual places…
• The academic world for example.
• Intrigued? Let’s go then!
Wait what?
SCIENCE!!!

7. NUMBER ONE:
promote collectivism

8. • We made print-outs of our most important values
You did what?!

9. • We made print-outs of our most important values
• As well as quotes that promote a shared culture
You did what?!

10. • We made print-outs of our most important values
• As well as quotes that promote a shared culture
• We then taped them to our doors
You did what?!

11. • We made print-outs of our most important values
• As well as quotes that promote a shared culture
• We then taped them to our doors
• Why doors?
As it happens, doors work like a casino
slotmachine. You never know who’s gonna walk
in, setting you up with a system of variable
rewards. Humans love that!
You did what?!

12. We found that cooperative
subjects in collectivistic
cultures were rated by
coworkers as the most
cooperative; they reported
working with the greatest
number of people, and they
had the strongest preferences
for evaluating work
performance on the basis of
contributions to teams rather
than individual achievement.
Chatman & Barsade (1995)
a floown.com production

13. SCIENCE!!!
• If there’s one thing we want our team to do, then
it’s…
What we were trying to achieve…

14. SCIENCE!!!
• If there’s one thing we want our team to do, then
it’s…
• Work Together
What we were trying to achieve…

15. SCIENCE!!!
• If there’s one thing we want our team to do, then
it’s…
• Work Together
• We want to promote a culture that values
• Contribution
• Cooperation
What we were trying to achieve…

16. this slideshare is a part of the
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17. NUMBER TWO:
share goals

18. • TO THE WINDOWS!!!… but not to the walls
what we did

19. • TO THE WINDOWS!!!… but not to the walls
• We have goals as a company that exceed our
individual efforts
what we did

20. • TO THE WINDOWS!!!… but not to the walls
• We have goals as a company that exceed our
individual efforts
• Those shared goals are written on our windows
what we did

21. • TO THE WINDOWS!!!… but not to the walls
• We have goals as a company that exceed our
individual efforts
• Those shared goals are written on our windows
• Why the windows?
• Aside from doors, our eyes usually drift to the
windows when we have an idle moment. Great to
improve our belief in our shared goals.
what we did

22. [our research] suggest that the
purported benefits of
demographic diversity are more
likely to emerge in organizations
that, through their culture, make
organizational membership
salient and encourage people to
categorize one another as having
the organization’s interests in
common, rather than those that
emphasize individualism and
distinctiveness among members.
Chatman et al.
a floown.com production

23. SCIENCE!!!
• So yes, we need to work together
Explain please…

24. SCIENCE!!!
• So yes, we need to work together
• But we’re all so different…
Explain please…

25. SCIENCE!!!
• So yes, we need to work together
• But we’re all so different…
• Different skills, demographics, interests…
Explain please…

26. SCIENCE!!!
• So yes, we need to work together
• But we’re all so different…
• Different skills, demographics, interests…
• To ensure that we don’t work for
ourselves, but work for our team
Explain please…

27. SCIENCE!!!
• So yes, we need to work together
• But we’re all so different…
• Different skills, demographics, interests…
• To ensure that we don’t work for
ourselves, but work for our team
• We try focus all the eyeballs on
the goals that we SHARE
Explain please…

28. NUMBER THREE:
mixed seating

29. • We used to have islands
what we did

30. • We used to have islands
• Each department was its own island
what we did

31. • We used to have islands
• Each department was its own island
• Now we have a huge continent with different
nations and no borders
what we did

32. • We used to have islands
• Each department was its own island
• Now we have a huge continent with different
nations and no borders
• Development and Marketing are sitting right next to
each other
what we did

33. • We used to have islands
• Each department was its own island
• Now we have a huge continent with different
nations and no borders
• Development and Marketing are sitting right next to
each other
• One table, one team
what we did

34. Mutual understanding is key. Van Der Vegt & Bunderson's 2005
research suggests that teams with low collective identification
have a detrimental effect to the appreciation of diverse expertise.
So, if you were thinking that just by placing your rockstar developer
next to your nifty content creator you'll get an interdisciplinary
melting pot, you're wrong. If there's no collective identification
chances are that they'll have no regard for each other's expertise
at all… Ouch.
a floown.com production

35. SCIENCE!!!
• Some departments are natural enemies by default
Let’s break it down

36. SCIENCE!!!
• Some departments are natural enemies by default
• Marketing likes to launch stuff fast, development
likes to build things well
Let’s break it down

37. SCIENCE!!!
• Some departments are natural enemies by default
• Marketing likes to launch stuff fast, development
likes to build things well
• Understanding each others unique skills, but more
importantly, each others stakes makes
for much better cooperation
Let’s break it down

38. SCIENCE!!!
• Some departments are natural enemies by default
• Marketing likes to launch stuff fast, development
likes to build things well
• Understanding each others unique skills, but more
importantly, each others stakes makes
for much better cooperation
• So we make them work together
and sit together
Let’s break it down

39. NUMBER FOUR:
library

40. • We built ourselves a library
what we did

41. • We built ourselves a library
• Every book, every team member read and LIKED, we
now share in our office
what we did

42. • We built ourselves a library
• Every book, every team member read and LIKED, we
now share in our office
• What’s more? We include notes and highlights of
the stuff we particularly liked in the books
what we did

43. El Harbi, Anderson & Amamou found
in 2011 that information and
knowledge were key to the
operational success of small
Tunisian ICT firms. The successful
ones developed very useful internal
systems for sharing information, as
well as efficient methods for tapping
into existing external knowledge.
a floown.com production

44. • Startups and small companies do not have the
luxury of having in-house expertise for everything
So…
SCIENCE!!!

45. • Startups and small companies do not have the
luxury of having in-house expertise for everything
• We need to do a lot ourselves
So…
SCIENCE!!!

46. • Startups and small companies do not have the
luxury of having in-house expertise for everything
• We need to do a lot ourselves
• That means we should be able to
learn fast and share well
So…
SCIENCE!!!

47. • Startups and small companies do not have the
luxury of having in-house expertise for everything
• We need to do a lot ourselves
• That means we should be able to
learn fast and share well
• The fact that the books have all
been read by at least one person,
opens up room for discussions
So…
SCIENCE!!!

48. NUMBER FIVE:
plants

49. • We didn’t plant a forest in our office
what we did

50. • We didn’t plant a forest in our office
• Nor outside of our office
what we did

51. • We didn’t plant a forest in our office
• Nor outside of our office
• But we did buy a few plants and trees to make our
office space come alive
what we did

52. Complaints regarding cough and
fatigue were reduced by 37 and
30%, respectively, if the offices
contained plants. The self-reported
level of dry/hoarse throat and dry/
itching facial skin each decreased
approximately 23% when plants
were present. Overall, a significant
reduction was obtained in
neuropsychological symptoms and
mucous membrane symptoms.
a floown.com production

53. • Aside from plants making every space look much
better
Ahh…
SCIENCE!!!

54. • Aside from plants making every space look much
better
• There are actual health benefits! AMAZING!
Ahh…
SCIENCE!!!

55. • Aside from plants making every space look much
better
• There are actual health benefits! AMAZING!
• But don’t forget to water them
every now and then!
Ahh…
SCIENCE!!!

56. join us on our blog for much more
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57. • Promote a culture of collectivism
a floown.com production

58. • Promote a culture of collectivism
• Focus on shared goals
a floown.com production

59. • Promote a culture of collectivism
• Focus on shared goals
• Sit everyone at the same table
a floown.com production

60. • Promote a culture of collectivism
• Focus on shared goals
• Sit everyone at the same table
• Build a library together
a floown.com production

61. • Promote a culture of collectivism
• Focus on shared goals
• Sit everyone at the same table
• Build a library together
• Get some plants
a floown.com production