Already a member?
Welcome to Brazen Careerist!
Jennifer Curtis is using Brazen Careerist to share ideas. Join now to become a member and start networking with Jennifer Curtis and other professionals just like you. Learn more.
Jennifer Curtis is using Brazen Careerist to share ideas. Join now to become a member and start networking with Jennifer Curtis and other professionals just like you. Learn more.
An earlier post mentioned my preference (and support) for creative workplaces as a tool to help us be happier and more productive workers. Why we may not all have the benefit of walking into an office like the one above, maybe more and more of us will at least be working in zen-like spaces. Feng Shui office design is making some headway in the US and the UK, with feng shui consultants getting paid to come in and create a state of positive energy flow to make sure the "wind flowing around the office" is going in some positive directions.
Popular in Asian office design for years, the concept is gaining more ground as Western offices are looking to maximize on any methods they can to raise the productivity and morale of their workers. Placing a green plant on your desk, avoiding sitting under any beams, and making sure not to sit at your desk with your back towards a door, just may have your productivity levels skyrocketing.
The idea that placement of the watercooler could result in more productive workers, and thus higher company revenue seems a bit far-fetched, and probably not something that would have been embraced in the 1960s. It is a phenomenon that is representative of the changing demographic of management, with more and more Boomers retiring and being replaced with Gen X and Gen Y. Is this a coincidence? While I don’t have statistics that confirms companies that employ more “creative” initiatives are the result of ideas from those staff born after the 1960s , I do think there is a connection. Such unconventional approaches require flexibility and openness to take new approaches, try out different ideas, traits that are characterize Gen X and Gen Y.
With human capital and innovation becoming the competitive advantage in today’s global marketplace, firms that want to do more than just stay afloat need to internally promote innovation and flexibility so that it is ingrained in the culture of its workforce. What better way to start than by calling in that feng shui consultant to make sure good ideas aren't being blocked by stagnant energy?
While I’m not 100% sold on the feng shui concept, I still think we all could benefit from a more aesthetically pleasing work environment.
I remember bit of dialog from popular TV show a few years ago, where one character asked another what the translation of "feng shui" was.
The response was "That people will buy anything".
By all means, call a feng shui consultant. Better yet, call three. I think you'll find that you will get 3 different sets of completely contradictory instructions on how to 'minimize stagnant energy' in your workplace. Which just goes to show that feng shui consultants are mostly making this stuff up.
I think that money is better spent on people who have more proven scientific methods of ergonomic office design, rather than such pseudoscientific mystical "woo" of feng shui.
Thanks Jennifer. I found the PR-USA.net article that you referenced in this post to be very interesting. Evidently there is much more to Feng Shui than a lot of hand waving if Canon Europe is willing to spend big bucks investigating and implementing its principles. I think it comes down to finding and using a highly skilled consultant such as Feng Shui Master consultant, Dr. Simona F. Mainini, which Canon Europe did in this case. It's interesting that she's also an Italian architect.
There is a fairly standardized set of principles that Feng Sui operates by, but it's not a strictly black and white step-by-step procedure. There are different options along the way.
Feng Sui or not, environment has a huge impact on us. More than most of us can imagine. It would definitely behoove office planners to put some thought into breathing life into their offices. Good ergonomics go a long way as well, but are rarely done correctly as most equipment on the market is junk (I wrote a few articles on my site about how to pick good equipment www.bodycorrectliving.com).
There was a study on willingness to spend vs. Maslow's hierarchy of needs. In general people tend to spend more on higher psychological needs, and cut costs on immediate physical needs. This is somewhat sad since the physical realm is really our base that affects how we perform in all other areas of life.
@scott-While I can see your point that the concept of feng shui may be nothing more than a more expensive way of having your furniture re-arranged, but I agree with Brian on this--regardless of whether it actually works or not, we can all benefit from having a nicer workplace.
@brian-You raised a really interesting point about how we do often neglect more basic needs in pursuit of higher level ones. Often times organizations spend huge amounts of money researching and implementing various incentive-based schemes to raise producticity, morale, etc, and yet do not think to do anything about the flourescent lighting, rows of grey cubicles, or presence of a break/lunch room. Perhaps investing a bit more in creating the type of physical space that breeds the productivity and innovation they desire may go further in inspiring those emotions and results from their employees.
Jen - agreed. nice places to work make for happier workers. If you don't have to stare at grey cubicle walls and a dusty computer all day, you might be happier.
I remember having a coworker who believed in feng shui a lot. I'm not sure I buy all of it, but she knew where to put the afghan rug better than I did. If anything, it makes for good design aesthetic :)
I should clarify my position on feng shui. It appears there may be several different 'flavors' of this practice.
If we are simply talking about basic concepts of balance and aesthetics, in order to create a more pleasing environment, then that seems to be an realistic application of the idea.
If we are talking about manipulating some kind of mystical 'energy', that no one can reliably measure... well then we're edging into a silly area.
And if we're talking about keeping your office safe in the west wall, because that direction is associated with the "metal element"... now we've gone off the deep end (http://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-feng-shui-office.html#). Hopefully no one at your company is paying for this!
My bright idea of the day - Follow Up. So incredibly important to the development of yourself, your project, your ambitions, your ideas. Without doubling back, checking in, building on your work, nothing will really get accomplished. More...
Jenn Pedde to All Fans
6 people have recommended this.
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
Email
Print
