Innovation – it’s a value which today is highly sought after. Some companies strive to attain it out of their own will and curiosity, others see it as a tool necessary for fight with competitors. Irrespectively of the motivation, there is always the question about the method. Also, the question whether arrangement of space can have a tangible influence on the team’s creativity and its ability to come up with original solutions.

Sociologist Erving Goffman, when describing human-society interactions, used the metaphor of theatre (“Human in every-day theatre”). It turned out to be very useful for explaining how diverse social means and communication techniques are used by us in order to attain our goals.

Today we should add another aspect connected to theatre. Scenography, or arrangement of space where we work on a daily basis. The background of our actions.

How to arrange the scene if the main theme of the story in which we star is innovation, how to bring this value into prominence? Haworth experts give us a few hints; they have dissected the process of generating ideas. The process has a distinctive rythm: from that which is individual to the collective. Also: from focus to relax. It’s great if such different states of mind arise in similarly diverse spaces. We need both silent seclusion zones and stimulating social spaces.

Haworth, Optimizing the Workplace for Innovation

Focused work requires relative silence, seclusion and parameters supporting thinking (appropriate lighting, temperature, air quality etc.). Ergonomic individual work, acoustic pods and any solutions curbing excessive sound stimuli will be of use (e.g. panels, screens, acoustic materials).

On the other hand, social activities will be easier if the surroundings foster meetings and interactions. Sofas, tables and chairs with various heights will be of use (e.g. Nest collection by +Halle) as well as other atypical solutions which wll decrease the level of formality.

Read more about optimising office space with innovation in mind on Haworth website. We invite to our Powiśle showrooms everyone interested in office furniture and solutions.