Volume 23

Activity Based Working.

Corporate Architecture applied.

Agile work: The future for companies.

Orgatec 2016: Rethinking the office.

Publisher: Wiesner-Hager Möbel GmbH, Linzer Strasse 22, A-4950 Altheim, T +43 7723 460-0, altheim@wiesner-hager.com, www.wiesner-hager.com;Concept/editing: Wiesner-Hager, plenos creative; Layout: plenos creative; Guest author: Wojciech Czaja; subject to typographical and printing errors; 11/2016.

Rethinkingthe office.

I regularly leave my desk and seek out the best place for each activity I find myself doing - whether it be a little brainstorming over here, an informal meeting over espresso there, a difficult discussion with sup-pliers here or writing this inspiring editorial now!Activity Based Working (ABW) is the technical term for this conceptual and - in my opinion, also the most expedient transition from the individual desk to a well integrated office. That naturally raises questions, which we answer right away on the following pages. We are standing at the cusp of a new world of working and it is the aspiration of the youngest generation of employees. While the much discussed Generation Y is now established, the new Generation Z demands maximum freedom and free time. A total rethink is once again the order of the day. And on the topic of "rethinking", we will show you how thinking can make us blind and what we can do to prevent it.I would also like to give you an insight into to a com-pany that practices “corporate architecture” like no others, and a view into the Estonian office, which has turned its open space into an interface between office and forest. The 23rd edition of contact offers a local look at the desk of a wild dog and eccentric contem-pories as well as some useful building blocks for "New Work".

Enjoy the read!

Yours, Markus Wiesner

Activity Based Working ........................................................ 4

Useful tips for day-to-day office life ..................................... 7

Fill Maschinenbau – Corporate Architecture applied ............ 8

The greatest enemy to innovation: Experience! .................. 12

We demand maximum freedom and leisure! ...................... 14

No improvement without movement ................................. 16

Offices worldwide .............................................................. 19

Showroom .......................................................................... 22

Ecological transparency vs. environmental blah-blah-blah .. 24

What’s on your desk, Chris Müller? .................................... 25

Orgatec 2016: Building blocks for “New Work” .................. 26

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The meeting has just begun. It is scheduled for a quar-ter of an hour. Instead of going into the conference room, colleagues this time come together at the yellow high desk. The material of the table seems familiar and this is no surprise as the yellow 3-SO formwork panels are ultimately used around the globe for in-situ concrete construction sites – from a Lower Austrian single family home to the World Trade Center at Ground Zero to the 828 metre high Burj Khalifa in Dubai. “The high performance quality formwork panel for special requirements and many uses.” as it is stated in market leader Doka's prospectus. The catalogue contains what it promises. “Naturally we are delighted with the wonderful, fresh redesign of our office,” said Evi Roseneder, Head of Corporate Communication. She is based in the new, nearly 700 square metre office in the company’s former ceremonial hall along with her approx. 50 colleagues and emplo-yees from the product management and marketing divisions. “But what’s special about our new office is not only the design of the open, spacious rooms but also the implementation of an entirely new working world. Everyone works wherever they feel like at that moment.”In the office technical jargon the new form of working together is called Activity Based Working, abbreviated to ABW. It implies that instead of a permanently allocated desk there is a wide range of differently designed workplaces. In contrary to classic desk sharing, how-ever, which already gained a foothold some time ago, the focus of ABW is on the choice of the most suitable place of work for each activity profile. “It makes a difference whether Idesigning and brainstorming in a group or holding a confidential conversation in private. The requirements on the workplace are also correspondingly diverse." says Rosender.

What am I working on at the moment? How much space do I need? What is the best place for this activity? These are the questions that are asked with "Activity Based Working". We asked around and put together everything about implementing ABW that needs to be considered.

” The conversion of Viennese organisational con-sultant M.O.O.CON was accompanied by a change management process. The company founded in 1998 has already supported countless companies and created ABW offices. “Activity Based Working is none other than the conceptual transition from my desk to our office,” explained Bernhard Herzog, Head of Research and Development at M.O.O.CON. “It is also important for a change in thinking to accompa-ny the new workload. Ideally employees grow more

active and livelier, not only experiencing a healthier day-to-day working life but also participating more intensively in the entire communication process.”

In any event, according to Herzog, the introduction of ABW should not go hand in hand with the primary desire for efficiency and space saving.“No employer in this world does so-mething like this out of pure altruism. That’s already clear. But I warn against putting this factor in the foreground or all is already lost. First and foremost the aim has to be to offer employees a new way of working with beauty, commu-nication and perhaps also a bit more day-to-day enjoyment. The more diverse and livelier the offer of different work-place situations, the better.” Barbara Masser-Mayerl is also well aware of this.

The Communications Manager at the pharmaceutical company Glaxo Smith Kline Austria in the Wiener Euro Plaza found the change management process quite intense. “At the old location in Wien-Auhof employees were accustomed to small individual and group offices,” explained Masser-Mayerl. “The open plan office with desk sharing was quite a shock for us. However, with the right preparation it’s certainly possible to master this sort of process.”

Activity Based Working.

Conference in the rocking chair:

© M.O.O.CON, photographer: Helge Bauer

Office Concepts

ActivityBased Wor-king is none other than

the conceptual transition from my

desk to our office.

Bernhard HerzogHead of Research and Development at

M.O.O.CON.

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With 7.9 kg not quite a flyweight but it does offer additional storage space: The E-Scooter briefcase from Coolpeds.

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Trend watching

Useful tips for day-to-day office life.

Briefcase Electric Scooter: The mobile briefcase with a differenceWhy not ride to work sometime on your briefcase or leisurely dash from one business meeting to the next? No sooner said than done: Coolpeds has brought the world’s first briefcase onto the market with integrated electric scooter. The E-Scooter briefcase manages up to 20 km/hr, has a range of 10 km and fits in the hand luggage of most airline companies. At $468 dollars it's not cheap but the benefit is cer-tainly worth it. For $100 surcharge the whole thing comes with solar panels. More about this at:www.coolpeds.us

Moving relaxed through the workday – who doesn’t want that? In any event, only very few know it’s possible with a briefcase, a shirt and just a flick of a finger.

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Pause: Relaxationat the touch of a finger An app for the stressed mobile phone community. It offers a pause, and in fact via an extremely simple finger Tai Chi, which motivates you to slow down: Move a finger on the touch-screen and you’ll see a pulsating dab of colour, which grows increasingly larger. You’re warned if you move your finger too quickly. When you let go, it shows how long you managed to take a break. After 10 minutes (individually adjustable) the exercise comes to an end and the normal day continues. Price: €1.99. More infor-mation about this at:www.pauseable.com

Specialists at the University of Sussex used electroencepha-

lography to verify that actual calm is restored in the brain thanks to

“Pause”.

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Percko: T-shirt fightsbackachesBackaches are the scourge of huma-nity. The revolutionary undershirt Percko attempts to put an end to this, and does so entirely without electro-nics. The functional shirt is equipped with sensors, supports and tensors, which make a slight palpable correc-tion to the wearer when slouching, thus reminding them again to return to a healthy posture.. Percko is like a second skin, totally unobtrusive in day-to-day life and it can be worn un-der any clothing. Price: €129. More information about this at:www.percko.com

Clinically tested: The Percko functional

shirt improved the posture of 100% of the

test subjects.

One current – and also much publicised example for ABW – is the recently opened Erste-Campus in the Belvedere quarter in Vienna. An open space concept with Activity Based Working was developed in collabo-ration with the Berlin interior design office Kinzo for

the staff of around 4,500 employees. “We looked at different companies in Scandinavia, Germany and Switzerland,” reminisced Ursula Kuntner, People Stream Lead and the main person res-ponsible for the implementation of DNA (German acronym for The New Working World). “We subsequently moulded the best insights gained on this trip into our own concept that fit us perfectly.” A mix of classic desk sharing and a hete-rogeneous, very diversified centre zone with many different working possibilities built-in. Some people sit at “me” desks, other at acoustically screened “we” places, others in the armchair under our rubber tree. “A wonderful atmosphere of well-being has been created,” said Kuntner. “This is also due to the fact that we thoroughly designed the process.”

Our in-house DNA ambassador mediated between planners, the board and employees in the planning and realisation phases and compiled fears and desires. “Old habits die hard. I can now say, however, that communication has increased and employee auto-nomy – beyond the hierarchies – has significantly increased. What was still associated with fear and worries in the past is now in most cases an expression of pride and joy.”

Wojciech Czaja

The transition lasted one and a half years. Employees were not only involved in the choice of furniture but also in designing, configuring and naming the indivi-dual meeting rooms. Hence the conference rooms are now called “Forest”, “Meadow, “Oasis”, “Spaceship" or "Table Soccer".

“The most important thing is thatActivity Based Working is suitable for the company,” explained Bernhard Kern, Ma-naging Director of Roomware Consulting GmbH, which supports its customers in implementing ABW concepts. “When someone stands in the working café or sits in a silent booth and it isn’t conside-red to be working or as creative output then I would advise the company against taking such a step.” A concept like this makes sense above all when employees can act creatively and autonomously on a project. Then, according to Kern, ABW is an immense tool for communication and quality for the company.

“Before thinking about introducing ABW,” advises Astrid Zuwa, Managing Director of designfunktion, Gesellschaft für moderne Büro- und Wohngestaltung, “I recommend analysing the company’s core business and its company culture. For a corporation with a nine-to-five culture something like this would make less sense. If the work culture suits to the company culture,” continues Zuwa, “then Activity Based Working might not go far enough. “Anything goes. We have also already planned law firms with showers, conference rooms with sofa beds and chill-out areas with hammocks.”

© M.O.O.CON, fotographer: Helge Bauer

Bernhard KernGeschäftsführer der Roomware

Consulting GmbH

A conceptlike this makes

sense aboveall when

employees can act creatively,

project-related and

autonomously.

Fill Maschinenbau is celebrating its 50th company anniversary this year. What began on 1 July 1966 as a two-man operation is still family owned but now a worldwide leading machine and plant engi-neering company with 700 employees and one of Austria’s best employers.

In the past ten years, in the framework of the Fill 2020 project the company has invested around 77 million euros in the expansion of the company's head office in Gurten, Upper Austria. The brand new Innovation and Customer Centre with the Fill Future Dome event centre celebrated the grand reopening on the date of the company’s anniversary. Park 21 was specifically created as a domain for innovative new entrepreneurs.

However, Fill offers an infrastructure not only for start-ups, in which the company is involved but also for those wishing to advance innovations together with Fill – with the aim of generating a rapid transfer of know-how with the young creatives. In late 2016 the first tenant moved into Park 21. The crèche – Planet Filli Future – was opened in the autumn. What distinguishes the company in particular, however,

Reference project

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Andreas FillManaging Partner of Fill,Strategy and Marketing.

Wolfgang RathnerManaging Director of Fill, Tech-nical Managing Director.

Wilfried FladlFacility Manager of the compa-ny, who was entrusted with the organisational supervision of the new construction.

Hannes EbnerLead architect in the design of the new construction(Architectural firm DI Matulik).

CorporateArchitecture applied.

is the entirely unique culture, which is based on the applied values, such as fairness, security and harmony. For its major commitment to employees Fill was presented with two gold Pegasus* awards, one for company culture and one for further education. The architectural firm of DI Andreas Matulik accompa-nied Fill through the entire new construction project and provided the suitable architecture for the interior and exterior areas of the impressive new construction.

Wiesner-Hager acted as Fill’s long-standing furnishing partner and was also involved in the project. It’s not every day that it’s possible to take a look behind the scenes of such an impressive new construction so we took the opportunity to meet with the protagonists of this project and spoke with them about the construc-tion project, their experiences and the role of company culture in the architecture.

The world of the best employers:

Andreas Fill and Wolfgang Rathner discuss the Fill 2020 project, the organisational planning process of the new construction, the measures defined in the company for employee development and what Park 21 is all about:

What motivated you to start the Fill 2020 project? What does the project involve in a nutshell? Fill 2020 is a strategic project that we started four years ago. It focussed on the medium and long-term orientation of the entire company. The product and market policy was therefore just as importnat as growth of the company with respect to personnel and infrastructure.

What’s the best way to tackle such a major new construc-tion project? First we defined the space requirements based on per-sonnel planning and thus determined the size needed for the conference and training rooms. It was also a very similar process designing our event centre – the Fill Future Dome – which we planned based on our event formats. As there were two logistical interfaces to the existing building structures, the team of ar-chitects prepared both a one and a two storey version. We ultimately decided on the more spacious version.

What measures did you take for employeedevelopment?We call our programme “Fill your life”. It includes projects and measures that cover health, education, family integration and communication and it supports our employees and their families often from birth all the way into retirement.

The Planet Filli Future crèche certainly makes day-to-day life easier for many parents. How did you arrive at the decision to make this support possible?We were awarded the “Family Oscar” in 2012 by the State of Upper Austria for our Fill your Family project, which includes a wealth of benefits for our employees and their families. Every award is an incentive to be-come even better. It can be said that Planet Filli Future is now more or less the “icing on the cake”.

Park 21 as a home base for the region’s start-up compa-nies is a very interesting concept. How is the workspace envisioned?We expanded the area by over 30,000 m². The first tenant will already be moving in this year, the second will follow in two years at the latest. The office

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Reference project

concepts are based on each customer’s individual requirements. In my opinion there is also no patent recipe here – each company needs its own, entirely bespoke special office solution. Architect Hannes Ebner explains the new const-ruction project and its challenges from the design perspective and explains to what extent Fill’s strong company culture shapes the company’s architecture.

How did you tackle this “mega project”? What were the first steps?First and foremost by listening, filtering out the thoughts and desires among what was said, taking stock of things with our eyes as to to pick up on what was familiar, often seen and then reinterpreting it. For

the first steps in the realisation phase we chose model construction as the architectural language – this for-med the foundation for the ongoing project.

What were the project’s greatest challenges from a design perspective?Every architecture needs a solid, functioning technical background. One major challenge was the problem of flooding with the Gurtenbach stream located nearby. The protective measures implemented are not recogni-sable for outsiders but for the project they represented the greatest hurdle besides the design.

To what extent did Fill’s company culture shape the planning and architecture?Fill’s values include innovation and competency as well as harmony. For the management it was particu-larly important to express these values in the architec-ture. Anyone who has already been to visit Fill and toured the company is impressed by the perfection and the technical cleanliness – paired with innovation and creativity. Moreover, a central focus was placed on timeless and straightforward design. This functional simplicity was formative in shaping the architectural language.

How is know-how transferred between departments? Are there architecturally staged “spontaneous meeting places” such as common break zones?On every storey of the new office building as well as

in existing buildings, there are specially designed en-counter zones which offer space for communication. In the warmer seasons the chestnut garden provides an outside area where it is possible to surround yourself with nature and the seasons.

Wilfried Fladl spoke about incorporating employee opinions into designing the physical planning of the new construction and revealed where the best ideas emerge at Fill and how the collaboration with Wiesner-Hager came about.

To what extent were employees included in the physical planning?Each of the relevant teams and managerial employees were involved in the physical planning and were of course also able to introduce ideas. We have always taken great care to present the planning status on our internal communication platform CORE, which vir-tually links our teams worldwide. All of the employees were thus able to follow the models and plans “in real time”.

Where are the best ideas created in your company?That question is easy to answer: Always and every-where. Nearly all our employees participate in the generation of new ideas. We have had consistent success with design innovations, due to our innovative

idea management. The company constantly adapts to requirements automatically through these changing times.

Why did you decide on furniture from Wiesner-Hager?In the expansion we placed significant value on regional added value. Moreover Wiesner-Hager co-developed the best overall concept and acted as our long-term furnishing partner. Andreas Fill and his wife, Bettina, also found the latest products – above all the yuno stacking table – optically and functio-nally very attractive and suited to the design concept. The readiness and openness for special solutions and the great deal of competence in matters of material processing were additional significant hallmarks of the cooperation.

■ pulse Lounge chairs and macao bistro tables were used in the sophisticated company res-taurant.

■ The 50 workplaces were equipped with poi swivel chairs, veron desks and/or foxx_eR elec-trically height adjustable desks as well as the apothecary cabinets and sliding door cabinets in the float_fx series specially adapted to the table height.

■ macao standing tables were chosen for the encounter and communication zones.

■ The training and conference rooms were fur-nished with nooi sled base chairs, pulse lounge chairs and the new yuno stacking tables.

■ Flexible positionable seating options (1 to 3 units) were created for the event centre – the Fill Future Dome – at the special request of the building owners and the architects.

■ The room acoustics of the reception area and the foyer was optimised with individually manufactured, magnetic felt elements.

Project description

Fill’s values includeinnovation and competency as

well as harmony.Andreas Fill

Managing Partner of Fill, Strategy and Marketing.

Social Trends

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The greatest enemy toinnovation:Experience! How our thinking makes us blind to new ideas.

king Hats method and it is above all helpful in making complex decisions. It is a guide to a kind of group discussion – all of the participants play a role, thus making a more open discussion possible.

psychologist Abraham Luchins. The psychologist Merim Bilalic explained our brain’s bias by using a chess experiment:He had players confronted with a chess constellation and posed the tasked them with finding the quickest checkmate. It was astounding that once players had decided upon a solution they were no longer able to find a shorter variation. Bilalic’s conclusion: People’s brains tend to relax once an initial solution has been found, which leads to people being blind to potenti-ally more efficient solutions.

Thinking outside the box!It is nowadays considered of vital importance for com-panies in particular to make an impact on the market with constantly new concepts, ideas and innovations. Therefore primarily major corporations – but also increasingly often smaller businesses – rely on creative strategies:

Creativity is contagious. New ideas, which are combined and grouped together often lead to fabulous projects and innovations. It is therefore important for companies to create spaces for new ideas that inspire, and offer employees possi-bilities to freely exchange and thus broaden their viewpoints. Classic techniques for this are common recreation areas and working cafés, which are not only symbols of employee appreciation but also valuable places for encounters and communication in the company. Meeting areas and workshops should, however, also encourage vitality and promote interactions between employees using intelligent and inviting design.

Creativity wants to be learned.Extraordinary creativity is not born but can be learned by anyone given the correct creativity techniques. The integration of these techniques into the work routine brings long-term benefits as well as the increased ability to compete. Many years ago, Edward de Bono (1967) described the potential of conscious lateral thinking in his book “Serious Creativity – The Development of Ideas through the Power of Lateral Thinking”, a book about innovative solutions for company challenges. The foundation is the ability to think, “laterally”, to delay judgments and deviate from traditional thought patterns.

One proven technique from de Bono is the 6 Thin-

From complex budget decisions to routine grocery shopping – we all act on the basis of experiences which we make daily. Learned attitudes and behaviou-ral patterns make our lives significantly easier as we go through day-to-day life without having to constantly make new time-consuming and difficult decisions. But it is precisely these supposedly good and quick solutions that stand in the way of the company's innovative spirit.The phenomenon is called the problem solving set and was researched back in 1942 by the American

Paradoxical but true – we are often prevented from having the most exciting ideas due to our own entirely unconscious attitudes, which com-pel us to think in familiar patterns. Yet there are means and techniques to break out of the routine ways of thinking and thus encourage innovations!

At the centre of this technique are six different colou-red hats (or instead index cards, flipcharts etc.), which symbolise different roles. Each hat corresponds to a certain way of thinking, whereby an efficient discus-sion is stimulated without neglecting any perspectives:

White stands for analytical thinking: Objectivity, neutrality.

Red represents subjective experiences: Personal opinion, feelings.

Black expresses critical thinking: Doubt, scepticism.

Yellow stands for a positive approach: Opportunities and best-case scenarios.

Green is meant to take creativity into consideration: New ideas.

Blue combines all of the “hats” with one another, serves as a summary.

The 6 Thinking Hats method is an instrument which makes it possible to have different positions with res-pect to a question and thus run through various points of view. This results in receiving a wealth of suggesti-ons and ideas which can then be evaluated.

6 Thinking Hats Method, by Edward de Bono.

© Shutterstock

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Social Trends

As of 2020 the last members of the baby boomer generation will bid farewell to working life. High time for recruiters and human resources departments to come to grips with the new working gene-rations. Generation Y, already the subject of much discussion, is becoming more and more prominent on the job market. Generation Z, however, calls for another complete rethink.

We demand maximum freedom and leisure! How a completely new generation of workers will soon turn companies on their head.

The job should become a vocation.Generation Y is not known as “Generation Why?” for nothing. It constantly asks after the meaning of its work so as to remain motivated – the job should become a vocation.

The 20- to mid-30-year-olds now stand in the middle of working life, having already gathered some years of experience. They demand flexible working hours, but in exchange are willing to do overtime if the work is in line with their strengths, if they can see the sense of it and, most importantly, if they enjoy performing it. They live by the concept of “work-life blending”, seeing no problem in blending working and leisure time – totally unlike the members of Generation Z …

Generation Z have minds of their own.Anyone under the age of 20 belongs to Generation Z. Today, most of them are still stuck in the midst of education and training. And in the near future when large numbers of them storm onto the job market, one thing is clear: they too have high demands, although these differ greatly from those of Generation Y. In general, Generation Z has a completely different understanding of the world of work compared to Generation Y. Members of Generation Z focus on values like health and quality of life. They follow the motto “YOLO – you only live once” and strive for freedom and leisure in equal measure. A blending of work and private life is almost out of the question for this generation. Instead they demand regulated working hours with

clearly defined starting and finishing times. These new candidates for work have grown up in a world of internet, smartphones and tablets, are constantly online, have a “mobile” lifestyle and can be reached around the clock. It is precisely for this reason that they put such emphasis on a strict line between work and leisure. As digital natives of the 2nd genera-tion they are exceptionally quick-witted and capable of multitasking, but also find it difficult to concentrate for long periods of time and to demonstrate long-term staying power.

Y + Z: earnings not the first priority!What is really surprising is that the level of earnings does not play the most important role for either gene-ration. Both are willing to forego higher earnings in

favour of a higher level of satisfaction. For the “Whys” the meaningfulness of their activities, self-determina-tion and enjoyment of work are of greater significance, while members of Generation Z take the utmost care to ensure that their job leaves sufficient time for hob-bies, family and friends.

Future for Human Resources?The extent to which these characteristics can really be applied to the generations is questionable, as each human being is different despite belonging to the same age group and having the same developmental back-ground. However, the trends certainly apply:Generation Y wishes to work autonomously and expects the company to offer them trust, creative space and more personal responsibility; they see work as an integral part of life and are therefore open to flexible time models which allow them to work in the evenings or at weekends, leaving them more free time during the week. For Generation Z work and life are

strictly separate. To meet their requirements, clear ag-reements are needed, guaranteeing a punctual finishing time. In future, customised working models will pose the greatest challenge to companies and recruiters in their “struggle for the best brains”, as this, at least, is clear: regardless of whether they belong to Generation Y or Z, young people have high expectations together with the self-confidence to plead their case and claim them; at the same time, for companies they represent the future and precisely that spirit of innovation which guarantees long-term competitiveness.

What is truly amazing isthat earnings do not play the most

significant role as far as bothgenerations are concerned.

They are willing to forgot higher earnings in favour ofgreater satisfaction.

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flexible time models

meaningfulness

personalresponsibilityself-determination

and funcreative freedom

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Agile companies are focussed, quick and flexible – cha-racteristics to which every organisation aspires. What is the secret behind this?

Nowotny: It is no longer the one “at the top” who must make decisions, but those who are closely involved decide within the framework of strategy. The secret is for this strategy to be so well formulated and communicated that everyone understands it and can contribute to implementing it with their own work.

In your book you describe “New Work” as a countermo-vement to long-established management systems. Is this agile spirit of optimism already perceptible in European companies?

Nowotny: New Work means working on a level play-ing field where the best idea counts, not the will of one individual. Bosses are no longer bosses in the traditio-nal sense, but mentors and helpers in the search for the best ideas and sophistica-ted implementation concepts.

To achieve agility, where is the best place to start and what is the best approach?

Nowotny: A small pilot project, a department that would like to work in a different way, these are starting points for gathering initial experience. Howe-ver, if many areas are to be reorganised, more intensive planning is required, e.g. in relation to the working environment, management tools and of course also company culture and values.

In your book you write that successful im-plementation of agile working methods is often associated with change processes relative to company culture. What consequences does this have for senior staff, management and employees?

Nowotny: Change concepts, culture shift and more agile structures are often interrelated. Change projects make it possible to approach changes comprehensi-vely, culture shift challenges the previous self-image and forms of cooperation, and with agile concepts a promising methodological direction is taken.

Agile working: the futurefor companies.

No improvementwithout movement.

Generation Y demands meaningful work and the op-portunity for self-development. Do you think that agile working methods can help fulfil these demands?

Nowotny: Yes, insofar as this can be reconciled with the company’s vision and mission. It should also be

clear that agile working isn't always easy. It primarily means taking responsibility. The team promises results – with Scrum, for instance – and then tries very hard to achieve these. If they succeed in integra-ting everyone in accordance with their abilities, self-development, of course, also becomes possible. Cases of overload as well as underload must, however, be addressed and resolved at regular feed-back sessions, otherwise it is impossible for everyone to achieve a 100 percent performance. And that is the aim of agile working – making 100 percent achievab-le for everyone.

The book’s subtitle reads: “No improve-ment without movement”. How can this

concept be integrated into modern office architecture?

Nowotny: Movement in space, sliding walls, rapid reorganisation, making it possible for teams to achieve an optimum spatial environment for communication in each individual case, these are important para-meters for experiencing professional agility. “Form follows function” may not be a new concept, but it acquires new significance in this context: whenever focus, speed and flexibility are required, then the working environment must make this possible. If this

tors. Many great names such as Google, Amazon and Spotify are leading the way: old, traditional business models are being forced open and new ones created.

What exactly is “agility”?

Nowotny: Agility is a new management approach in which the customer no longer revolves around the company, but the company and its staff – with their activities and services – around the customer. Feedback is not a debt to be discharged, but a debt to be collected by the company. Agile working means checking things out as quickly and as thoroughly as possible, but it also means failing consciously and “cheerfully”, with the aim of finding out even more quickly where the routes to success lie.

As Wiesner-Hager too is confronted ever more fre-quently with agile modes of operation – particularly in the area of office design – we did a thorough study on the topic and held a very enlightening interview with Valentin Nowotny, author of the book “Agile Unternehmen – Nur was sich bewegt, kann sich verbessern” [Agile Companies – No improvement without movement].

What led you to write this book?

Nowotny: In my view, the topic of agility is the next great step forwards in the knowledge society. In the days of Internet 4.0 and the 3-D printer, even produc-tion is no longer what it used to be. Quality and speed are increasingly becoming international success fac-

Social Trends

Agileworking

means checking things out as

quickly and as thoroughly as

possible.

Book: “Agile Unter-nehmen – Nur was

sich bewegt, kann sich verbessern”

[Agile Companies – No improvement

without movement]

Just a few years ago, agile methodologies were still a field for specialists and niche companies. But ever since corporations like Bosch with well over 300,000 staff open-ly committed to agile modes of operation, one thing is clear: this is no longer a fa-shion trend, it is the future, starting today.

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Valentin Nowotny

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Estonian fashion house Lenne recently moved into its office in an old, abandoned factory on the out-skirts of Tallinn. The team at KAMP Arhitektid has transformed the space into an open plan area at the interface between office and forest. The outdoor atmosphere does the staff good.

“I am happy, blissful in the forest,” Ludwig van Beet-hoven once said, listening to the rustling of leaves. “Forests, trees, rocks provide the echo man wishes for.” Urmas Leeman, CEO of Estonian market leader Lenne, also longed for wood and trees in his new office. “We are clothing manufacturers, specialising in ski suits and outdoor clothing for children and adole-scents. Every day we deal with the fresh, often wintery air outside. So what could be more fitting than to bring the forest into our office?” At first glance, the space is reminiscent of the forest and snow. Everything is bright, awash with light. Opening up before you is a light grey, almost gliste-ning white ski run. At the edge of the icy nothingness stylised log piles rise up, apparently fragments of a wooden alpine hut. And then you spot them – the ten trees about which Beethoven once rhapsodised. “We were absolutely determined by all means possible to make the core competency of Lenne as a company

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Valentin Nowotny, Certified Psychologist, Certi-fied Media Consultant, Master of Business Administ-ration (MBA), studied in Trier, Berlin and Cambridge (UK). He worked for many years as a projects and accounts manager for pioneering IT and consultancy companies where he gained extensive project and management experience.

He is a visiting lecturer at a number of universities and colleges and the author of the books “Praxiswissen Coaching” [The Practice of Coaching], “Die neue Schlagfertigkeit” [New Wit], “Erfolgreich Trainings und Seminare gestalten” [Successful Organisation of Training Courses and Seminars] and “Erfolgreich Trainings und Seminare planen” [Successful Planning of Training Courses and Seminars]. He is also the founder of “dvct – Deutscher Verband für Coaching und Training e. V.” [German Association for Coa-ching and Training], today the largest German coach and trainer association with some 1,400 members. For many years, Valentin Nowotny was the Managing Director of a well-known training and consultancy company in Hamburg. Since 2015 he has operated an internationally oriented training and consultancy company based in Berlin-Pankow under the name “NowConcept® Perfect Training Results Worldwide”. As an agile coach, trainer, consultant and moderator with international experience he works for well-known German DAX and MDAX companies in German and English both in Germany and abroad. He specialises in the coaching of agile teams, training courses and workshops on leadership, negotiation and communication in the team and on the introduction of new agile methods in companies.

is not the case, then it imposes restrictions. From an agile point of view, it would be desirable for groups to have maximum scope for configuration. A space is today not defined for all eternity, but must be flexible in use and serve the function required in each case.

What spatial structures does an agile workingenvironment require?

Nowotny: Generous spatial designs with group working areas, including spaces for working groups to withdraw and plenty of walls with boards or other utensils to display thoughts, assignments, operating numbers, ideas and new processes –as well as areas for relaxation. There is no reason why the human aspect should not become evident; people should feel at home. I see a true team office here, but also with the possibility of involving colleagues from other depart-ments as well as customers and networking partners. Much of what used to be reserved for advertising and communications agencies is now slowly gaining majority appeal!

Only if knowledge actually does “circulate” in adequate form can an organisation really change for the better. In your opinion, at what places within a company is such knowledge passed on?

Nowotny: There are many types of knowledge transfer; the most interesting are frequently the forms which are not so directly visible. In this sense, the office grapevine is a good amplifier and an element promo-ting a positive dynamic of change. The more places there are within a company which provide an inviting atmosphere for a short pause and exchange of views, the better the transfer of knowledge. Green islands with stimulating elements such as art or a small photogra-phic exhibition, or interesting results from workshops which invite reflection – embedded in an attractive, welcoming environment – these are things that make improvement possible

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Wewere absolutely

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This is also confirmed by Cristian Saar. The Project Manager and real estate expert has already been working for Lenne for three years, supervising the construction aspect of the upgrading work from the development of the space allocation plan right down to the last door handle. “We were absolutely determi-ned to have visible wood to demonstrate our closeness to nature,” Saar remembers. “But in this form the whole thing was a great surprise. Today I can say that KAMP Arhitektid’s design has proven a complete success. Everyone has a sense of wellbeing, and there are different zones for communication and informal meetings as well as for withdrawal and concentration. My colleagues and I feel really at home here.”

While the open plan space is organised in a flexible way and can one day be increased to up to 30 worksta-tions if required, the reception, conference room and CEO area are separated acoustically from the rest of the office. “It is not an everyday occurrence to have to develop an office with eight-metre-high ceilings,” says architect Skolomowski. “So we decided to seize the opportunity and enclose these spatial elements as free-standing objects.” Grouped all around the warm grey carpeted area are now drywall structures of colourless varnished ash and ceiling-high, all-glass walls. The overall impression is warm and bright.

The conservatively styled areas are complemented by self-designed desks, Italian furniture highlights, as well as a whole armada of Great JJ. The black, oversized standard lamp classics by Jac Jacobson lend the office a considerable grandeur. “It was a complex, extensive project, beginning with heating and air-conditioning, new roofing and interior design right down to the very last piece of furniture,” the architect says looking back. “And I’m glad we were so successful in capturing the character of the company Lenne which was establis-hed in 1991.” Upon closer inspection you notice all of the pretty little touches - instead of conventional door and drawer handles, all the office furnishings are fitted with finger holes. The cut-out is in the form of a stylised small child – why would it be any other way?

Wojciech Czaja

visible,” explains Jan Skolimowski, a partner at KAMP Arhitektid. “Part of this involved us transforming the interior space into exterior space und fitting out the resulting landscape with huts and trees.” The Lenne office, completed a few months ago, is located in an old, abandoned factory hall on the southern outskirts of Tallinn. Where piece-work was still carried out in Soviet times, now 15 employees from the areas of design and management sit, perhaps brooding over – who knows? - the upco-ming winter collection for 0- to 14-year-olds. All the workstations are designed on an open plan basis; some of the work places at the south and west facade have been heaved onto a specially constructed mezzanine landing. “The parapet of the old factory windows was very high,” Skolimowski remembers. “So we lifted up the workstations so that people can now enjoy the view while seated.”The ventilation and electrical installations run under the wood-panelled steel structure. On the north and east sides are the service zones, such as technical and server rooms, the storage area, copying and plotting stations, as well as the sanitary

facilities. The largest area is taken up by the showroom which measures some 70 square metres. Here the fashion designer’s newest designs and developments are presented and discussed and their suitability for eve-ryday wear is tested. Most of these products are exported to Russia, Scandinavia and the

neighbouring Baltic countries. So as to be able to use forklifts and heavy product palettes in the area, the entire surface has been laid out with light-coloured, highly robust rubber flooring. One floor higher – reached by a dramatically staged open landscape of steps – is the regeneration area with a kitchen, dining area and comfortable lounge chairs. However, there can be no mistaking the centrepiece of the Lenne office: the slightly raised central zone made of carpet, wood and glass. “And not to forget nature!” adds architect Skolomowski. The total of trees may only be artificial leaf sculptures, but all the same: “The tree trunks come from the vicinity and are real. We had to cheat a bit with the treetops as real trees would have had a hard time of it in this factory hall.” The ever-green messengers are not just a greeting from Mother Nature, but also contribute to a warm, protective and outright homely atmosphere.

© Terje Ugandi

© Terje Ugandi

© Terje Ugandi

© Terje Ugandi

nooi barstool The nooi chair family comes from the neunzig° design studio. Born from the idea of creating a chair with one shell form and different frame options to suit all main communication areas, nooi is the perfect solution for hall seating, cafeterias, canteens and waiting areas, as well as seminar and training rooms. The product family range has now been extended by the addition of a stackable barstool with the typical nooi seat shell, available in two different heights.

float_fx media trolleyAs a mobile storage space for all standard 19" technology it offers in-dependence from building techno-logy. Its interior can accommodate the entire range of equipment, from the data projector to the amplifier – completely avoiding that annoying jumble of cable. This makes the float_fx media trolley an indispensa-ble companion in modern confe-rence and meeting rooms.

yuno stacking tableOpen plan areas and halls call for a particu-larly high degree of efficiency in the handling of tables and chairs. The yuno stacking table was designed with just such areas in mind. The design of the table facilitates compact stacking – without any need to fold the frame. yuno thus pioneers an entirely new generation of stacking tables. Sounds promising, but you can’t really imagine how that could work practically? Understandable! For that reason we have put together a short video for you, demonstrating how yuno functions.

ShowroomSmart and pretty talented: a table whose innovative stacking techno-logy does away once and for all with the time-consuming intermediate step of folding. Just as easy to stack is our brand-new barstool with its typical shell-shaped seat which supplements the nooi product family in bistros, canteens and cafés. And the float_fx media trolley which is a truly flexible miracle of storage space for standard 19“ technology.

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Chris Müller doesn’t fit into any box. At first he worked as a carpenter, stair-case builder and machine operator in the drinks and bakery industry. Then he lived in Berlin as a conceptual artist and roadie. Today the 43-year-old is a project developer, theatre maker and artistic director at Tabakfabrik Linz in Austria. “Cigarettes haven’t been manufactured here for a long time now,” says Müller. “Since tobacco production was discontinued in 2009, the area has served as a factory of ideas for art and the creative industry. My vision is for a Linz-based creative laboratory for 007, Lara Croft and Dirty Harry.”

His office is located in what is known as Bau 3 (Building 3), the former logi-stics centre of the company Austria Tabak. Where once palettes full of ciga-rettes were stored and loaded onto trucks, Müller today ruminates over the site’s future. His idiosyncratic office on the ground floor which he himself describes as a heterotopia using the word of Michel Foucault, still breathes the white and turquoise chic of the Eighties. “That suits me perfectly. I al-ways had a soft spot for Nena, Codo and Miami Vice. And this office really reminds me of Don Johnson with his white suit and turquoise socks.” Müller goes over to the window, climbs on the prayer bench and looks out at the Do-naulände Park. “This office still has genuine shoulder pads. As is only right and proper!”

Wojciech Czaja visiting Chris Müller

What’s on your desk, Chris Müller?

The table comes from my house in the Hausruck Moun-tains. It’s a souvenir from India. It always makes me feel at home in my office.

The white shag rug comes from my beloved Granny Wilma. A nice keepsake made of polyester.

In my office, Utopias are constructed. These require careful planning on blueprint rolls.

A plan cabinet full of ideas and snippets of thought.

In past times, sailors were allowed to have a swallow tattooed on their arms as soon as they had covered5,000 nautical miles. I have a swallow on my forearmtoo. I’ve already come a long way in my life.

I have a crow. Or maybe it should be a bat in mybelfry?

The folder contains my staff’s holiday applications which I still need to sign.

I don’t have any particular affinity with my Apple laptop. But it looks good.

This is my archive and repository. The books are arranged by topics. I’m always tearing out pages that I need for mood boards and presentations.

The lion chair is so ugly and corny that I quite like it.

The prayer bench comes from a stage play. I need it so I can look out from this enormously high parapet.

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Wiesner-Hager is treading a different path: thanks to the introduction of Environmental Product Declara-tions (EPD) at the touch of a button, we guarantee 100% ecological transparency with international comparability. We then leave it to the customer to decide whether a particular product is sufficiently environmentally friendly or not. On the basis of a comprehensive company ecological balance in acc. with ISO 14040, Wiesner-Hager provides a transpa-rent representation of all significant environmental influences arising throughout the entire product life cycle of each product (piece of furniture), i.e. from the production of raw materials to waste management. This includes global warming (CO2 emissions) as well as ozone depletion, summer smog, acidification, overfertilisation and use of abiotic resources. With the aid of environmental declarations customers can in-form themselves at any time about the environmental impact of a product and factor this into their purchase decision. Wiesner-Hager sees this – for now purely voluntary – initiative for more ecological transparency as an important contribution to raising awareness with companies and public bodies. It may be assumed, however, that furniture will in future be incorporated into the ecological assessment of new office and public real estate. More detailed information on ecological transparency by means of product-related ecological balances is to be found at: http://www.wiesner-hager.com/en/about-us/sustai-nability/sustainability/

Worldwide there has been a rapid increase in the number of different ecolabels, most of them only of regional significance. But who doesn’t like to wrap themselves in a cloak of sustainability, even if it has hardly anything to do with the value-added chain as a whole? True to the motto: Hurray, we’ve switched our vehicle fleet to electrically powered vehicles!

Ecological transparency versus environmental blah-blah-blah.

Production of CO2 (kg):

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Greenhouse effect Ozone depletion Summer smog Acidification Overfertilisation Abiotic resources

GWP 100CO2 (kg)

ODPCCI3F(mg)

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APSO2 (g)

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ADPSb (g)

59,54 4,42 39,89 321,44 73,21 433,79

Ecology

Environmental footprint of one paro_2* office chair:

*paro_2 swivel chair, high back, seat upholstered and mesh back.

etioGood vibrations in the office: managing the conflicting priorities of productivity and emotions at work.The ongoing trend towards open plan offices is chan-ging the appearance of offices for good. In the future, contemporary office architecture will put even more emphasis on the requirements for efficient work and communication processes. With etio, Wiesner-Hager has developed an office desking range with emotional appeal that promotes efficient working within a stimula-ting and energising environment.

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Office Life

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Rigid room structures are rapidly dissolving, require-ments are increasingly oriented to the activities. The ways in which Wiesner-Hager is rethinking the office also give customers a decisive competitive edge. Years of experience show that with the right concept the staff ’s motivation and hence also the company’s productivity can be sustainably increased.

Europe’s most important office furniture trade fair ORGATEC opened its doors in Cologne from 25 to 29 October. Wiesner-Hager showed the international trade audience elements for ‘New Work’ – flexible envi-ronments, which offer innovative frameworks for various tasks in the office working and living space.

m.zoneGet in the zone.Future offices need to provide employees with differen-tiated, versatile work environments that offer supportive settings for a variety of activities. Rigid spatial structures are disappearing. Space needs to be designed around the tasks to be performed. “Activity Based Working” is the order of the day. With m.zone Wiesner-Hager has developed a mould-breaking interior design concept for offices that is perfectly suited to the organisation of agile businesses.m.zone consists of individual elements such as room dividers, modular and stand-alone furniture pieces which can be combined flexibly to create new working environments to suit a client’s individual ideas and needs. Highly versatile, m.zone is ideal for a wide range of application areas within the office architecture: Open plan offices, collaborative spaces and lounges as well as reception and waiting areas.

meet.

cageA cage full of ideas.A cabinet system that impresses with its striking design language and authentic blend of materials, cage is the perfect solution for storage space and zoning. A square profile tubular frame redefines a room and sets new ac-cents in the space. Open and closed modules, horizontal and vertical cubes and a choice of unusual materials open up a wealth of options for specifiers. Based on a distinct grid design, the cage systemallows designers to create combinations that zone and structure the space. A corner shelf element creates a natural transition bet-ween two components.

skill system tableyour flexible communication highway.The skill product range is characterised by elegance and visual lightness. Thanks to its diversity, skill offers the perfect solution for each application area. The new skill system table complements the mobile flip top table and the conference table for static meeting rooms. Highly flexible, and available in numerous different formats, this system table connects two table tops with only one frame, so all kinds of table configurations can be set up instantly and without any tools. If required, each ele-ment can also be used as a single table. The skill system table demonstrates its full potential in large scale table configurations.

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networkingZONING

As you go through life, make this your goal: keep your eye on the doughnut and not on

the hole.

Orgatec 2016:

Rethinking the office.

yunoThe smart alternative to the folding table.

“ S t a c k i n g w i t h o u t f o l d i n g ” – y u n o r e t a i n s a l l t h e b e n e -

f i t s o f a fo ld ing tab le and avo ids i t s weaknesses. wiesner-hager.com

Stacking

withoutfolding!