[music] Now I want to talk about the environment, sort of the, the environment
in which the group meets or the environment within which you work, because
I think that has a great deal of affect on us that we may not realize how it affects
innovation seeking behaviors in a group. And so sometimes we maybe, feel like we're
sort of in this, in this cubicle and it's not inspiring, it feels claustrophobic, it
sort of makes us feel inside. So how is that we can push past that?
How is that we can sort of push outside and get to a different place?
What kind of constraints you might think about is sort of you think of this as a
tension between sort of the comfort that we have and then also the collaboration
that we, We need. Because again we're talking about groups,
remember? So we were thinking about what is the
context within which groups operate and how is it that, that's kind of that
context affects what happens inside, the behaviors inside.
One thing that happens is groups tend to, no they don't tend to, groups can work in
spaces that impede interaction. And if being in a group is about
exchanging information, then anything that gets in the way of that, that impedes
that, that's problematic. Groups may meet in places and work in
places where there's limited media or limited access, that is that they can't
show each other what they're doing, they can't talk to each other about what
they're doing. And another problem I've seen a great deal
is when groups work in places Where they can't share what they're learning and
where they can't document their insight. So let me tell you a little bit more about
these in, in detail. And so here's a picture of a maybe you
know, a traditional office space, you have all these cubicles.
It's really hard for people to think about collaborating with each other.
In fact, for these particular ones I've observed, this is a picture I took, I've
observed that the idea is the, the furniture sort of makes you want to sit by
yourself and, and do your typing. What I have observed is when I walked past
there, people would always be leaning back and talking to each other up and down the
aisle that way, which was interesting to me.
That they were actually subverting what this furniture tried to make them do,
which was to not interact, not, social interaction with each other.
It's also un-stimulating, there's nothing there to make you think different
thoughts. There's nothing there to make you feel
good or feel any kind of emotion. Any kind of the stuff, maybe with
perception, we wanted perceptions. And so there's nothing in that space, a
space like this that let's you do that. How do we overcome environment
constraints? Like what are the things that we can do.
Well, 1 thing is, we can sort of get past these spaces that impede interaction.
We can reconfigure your working space, right?
So if you have a space that is not conducive, like, reconfigure it.
I like to do, my own personal, mode is to just, to buy cheap and buy often.
Just, like, try different furniture. I go to a place, a very inexpensive place.
Maybe like an IKEA or a Target, or, you know, whatever the equivalent is for you,
the junkyard, even, and, and get things and try it out, sort of see.
If, if I get these kind of chairs, could people sit closer to each other or, or if
I put this kind of table, does it, does it sort of create sort of distance between
people? Can I use furniture that has different
shapes and that, does that allow me to talk to people differently?
Sometimes, in, in, there, there's this way we used to think about innovation or, or
innovative companies are the ones with beanbag chairs and oxygen bar, and things
like that. Well, in fact, there is something about
being able to move your body. Being able to sort of feel different.
Being able to, have colors. Being able to have, good smells.
Being able to be in control of your environment.
That actually can inspire you. That can actually make you feel better.