Designing workspaces for collaboration

What is collaboration work?

Collaboration is people working together. It's about creating synergies within and across departments to think creatively and foster innovation.

There are many types of collaboration, but most fit into the four categories:

Presenting and sharing new ideas
Planning and executing project work
Reviewing progress and aligning on next steps
Brainstorming

Why collaboration matters

Creativity is a vital for businesses to stay competitive, and creativity thrives on collaboration. For many organisations, collaboration is reduced to a relay race, with each worker doing their bit before passing it on. Work is done in isolation, with limited opportunities that allow joint creativity, or freedom of expression. With this approach, work environments assigned to collaboration are often ill-equipped for innovation.

Post pandemic studies show that people sorely miss each other whilst working remotely, further highlighting the opportunities that collaboration in the workplace presents when it comes to employee engagement. And with many still working remotely, workspaces need to adequately facilitate better communication between all workers, regardless of their location.

When working collaboratively, individuals do not simply rely on their teamwork skills from time to time; rather, they embrace a culture of continuous collaboration, which is in part enabled by a suitable workspace environment.

Designing for better collaboration

True collaboration requires a versatile range of spaces that support and encourage teamwork and communication. Key factors to consider include:

Layout: The layout of the workspace should promote interaction and communication among team members, providing convenient access to spaces.
Flexibility: Allow for flexibility in the workspace design to support different types of collaboration. Furniture and fittings which can be moved easily to restructure the environment, whilst also allowing vacant spaces to double up as focused work areas if space is a premium.
Comfort: Provide comfortable seating and a pleasant atmosphere that promotes relaxation, creativity, and collaboration.
Technology: In today’s workplace, collaborative environments are not just about bringing people onsite together. With the proliferation of virtual meetings, the workplace should also provide adequate facilities for both one to one and group video calls, helping to reduce noise in focus spaces and enabling creativity to flow digitally.

Ultimately, effective workspace design means collaborative spaces that suit the needs of your organisation.

"More than two-thirds (68%) expect to see dedicated spaces and infrastructure for communicating with those working remotely at their office within the next 2-3 years."
IPA Study

Why Seating Matters

Providing the right chair is an essential element of designing collaboration workspaces. How people sit can significantly affect the way people interact and communicate with each other.

Appropriate seating must be intuitive, encouraging instant recognition of their purpose and strengths, helping businesses to meet the expectations and needs of their employees in creating effective collaborative spaces.

Movement & Variation

Workshops, brainstorming, and creative sessions benefit from active people. Our chairs encourage dynamic and expressive participation, keeping everyone engaged in conversations and information flows.
Agile and accommodating

Flexibility is crucial when it comes to collaborative spaces. Our high quality compact designs are lightweight, easily stackable and multipurpose, including unique designs perfect for ever-changing places.
Customizable

Almost every design is completely customisable, with a near limitless choice of colours, fabrics and finishes to match your interior aesthetic, as well as a variety of leg and base options, allowing you to create the exact chair you need.