At SlapFu we spend a lot of our time working with companies to change the way they are currently working. As such, we spend a lot of time thinking about the future of work in general – how trends in transportation, communications, information technology, and society will affect our working environment.
We are big supporters of distributed teams, flexible hours, and value-based compensation – and collaboration across departments and companies. The blurring of the lines between work and play, the company and the customer, and the employer and the employee, give rise to some interesting new dynamics and some interesting new possibilities for the workplace of the future.
Where do you want to work in the future? What sort of access and amenities make sense in the context of the above changes? Does it make sense to have all of the people from a company and/or department in the same place at the same time?
The nature of our work at SlapFu means that our team is not normally in the same place at the same time, and we have been working with other like-minded companies to create a new type of office that better suits our needs. The Biz Dojo is a flexible network, or ecosystem of connected individuals, companies and organisations that cluster around resources, projects, and opportunities.
The experiment so far has been a resounding success, and we are eager to keep pushing the boundaries to see where it can take us.
It is interesting to read about other organisations and perspectives. For example, Newsweek mgazine has been running a series of articles on the “future of work“, where various cities and think-tanks have explored what the future paradigm might look like.
Eric Shultz from Architectural firm Gensler envisions people working from “collaboration centres” – buildings equipped with Internet access, lounges, and private spaces – where people can take advantage of the natural opportunities that arise from chance meetings in the elevator or elsewhere in the greater community. The 9-5 schedule will disappear, in favour of a blended lifestyle and location, and socialising, learning and working will take place in spaces that feel more like clubs than offices.
Along with the other members of the Biz Dojo community, we are already taking this approach – and loving it. Visit us at the Biz Dojo Auckland in the awesome Ironbank building, and join us in the future …
