The Leader - July/August 2008 - (Page 29)

a ccoM M oda tIN g gro W th: to stay o r No t to s tay, that wa s the q ue s tIoN The new space has transformed the agency’s culture and workflow. Not only is the environment more open and collaborative, but it’s also celebratory in its accomplishments. It’s a true reflection of the people and work that inhabit it. and in the agency’s “greening” efforts, it has provided snack bowls to everyone. A long-standing tradition that the agency has carried into the new space is providing lunch every Friday for employees. As part of this initiative, every week employees donate $2 to a fund that the agency matches and then the money is donated to local food-based charities. talkIN’ the talk, WalkIN’ the Walk three floors. Designer Tim White noted, “The interior atrium provides a visual connection between floors that gives a stronger feeling of community and connectedness. It’s a cool connection of space. To continue that feeling of openness throughout the office we used translucent glass on all of the offices and conference rooms.” the good, the Bad… aNd, theN a lIttle More good is a “red balloon” that sits 15-17 feet (4.5-5.2 meters) high, acts as a pantry and coffee bar and is surrounded by lunch tables, couches and chairs. Casual and comfortable, the space is a perfect spot for employees to kick back, relax and socialize at lunch or breaks. It’s also a great gathering space for all-office events or meetings. The Red Balloon pays homage to the Hytrin (drug) ad campaign that put AbelsonTaylor on the map in 1994. It became a signature icon for the campaign and is now prominently positioned in the office as a reminder to the agency of its early success. In tandem with the café addition, the agency started offering free snacks and beverages to employees. (FUN FACT: The agency went through 20 pounds of wasabi peas in its first month!) Fresh organic fruit is delivered twice a week Colorful and vibrant, the new space includes multiple areas for the agency to feature its outstanding work. “Main Street” has showcase areas textured with artifacts of the agency’s work and black and white sketches of in-progress ads. Using symbols of the agency’s work as the office’s “theme” helped to provide a consistent identity throughout the workplace including the café, reception area, circulation routes and meeting spaces. The reception area has a wall with images of work backlit and the elevator lobbies also have plasma screens that highlight work. Adding to the lively environment, each floor has a different color scheme. The once very partitioned and enclosed environment now includes 60 percent open offices and expansive views across floors. Natural light streams into the environment and color abounds everywhere. Not a gray wall in sight. Each floor has examples of the agency’s work artistically displayed. Leadership, account teams and creative teams are all integrated into different neighborhoods. The agency has always utilized this “mixed” culture and attributes much of its success to this arrangement. Another unique feature of the space is the interior atrium that connects all Though a great success, the project was not without its fair share of challenges. The culture experienced a big change when it increased its open offices within the environment from its current 20 percent of all offices to 60 percent. When people hear the word cubicle, it upsets them. The team had to show people that these cubicles were not the closed, dark visions they had in their minds. Once people saw the Herman Miller workstations, with translucent glass and curves, they got it. The designers also tried to spread the natural light by placing all the shared workspaces on the perimeter, near the windows. The more open environment created a space that felt much larger than the old space and brought more natural light and outside views into the workplace. The openness also reduced the number of hard-walled corridors, which led to more efficient circulation and intuitive orientation on each floor. There was definitely an education process during this transition. We tried to help employees understand how to share space, which was a new concept for many since our past environment hadn’t allowed for that. But now that people have settled in and seen that ‘shared’ space isn’t a downgrade, the response the le ade r 29 J u ly / a u g u s t

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Leader - July/August 2008

The Leader - July/August 2008 Leadership Contents Message from the CEO Real Estate in the News Organizational Design Accommodating Growth Responding to the Challenge EMEA's Building Energy Rating TVA's Shortcut to Success ANZ Banking Group’s Jane Hamilton Tractus Asia’s Dennis Messeroll Arizona’s Greg Weiner Workplace Design Workplace Directory The Texas Report Industry Tracker Discovery Forum Findings Career Development Congratulations to 2008 Corenet Global Award Winners! Young Leader Economic Development in the News Connect with Corenet Global A Look Ahead

The Leader - July/August 2008

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