How is ABW (Activity Based Working) different from “hot-desking”?

ABW is a catalyst to rethink the way a business aligns to their cultural and strategic objectives.

ABW is a philosophy that is based on sharing, mobility and choice and is about creating a dynamic engaging workspace that enables choice, flexibility and efficiency through a variety of work settings that support focused work, collaboration, socialising and learning.  It features an emphasis placed on teamwork by expanding the “we” space and reducing the “me” space.

ABW provides freedom of choice in how, when, and where people work, helping to be more effective and engaged. ABW recognises that people perform different activities and need a variety of work settings for these tasks, the right technology, and a trusting and collaborative culture to be best supported.

Hot desking is a term pre 1990’s where workers are not assigned a particular desk on a 1:1 basis, rather multiple workers share a desk across different time periods during the day.  There are no other supporting work settings to support different work activities.  All activities are actioned at the same desk. This mentality is outdated in today’s working environment.

ABW requires us to think deeper about planning our day, week, month and quarter.

What do I want to achieve?

  • What are your objectives and those of the wider team?
  • What outcomes do you need to achieve in order for the team to meet its objectives
  • What does meeting performance outcomes look like versus exceeding them?
  • Be clear about your contributions and achievements

Where is it best to do this?

  • In order to achieve these outcomes, where do you need to be located?
  • What work setting best suits your needs?
  • Where are your customers based and what type of engagement works best for them and their needs?
  • What are the expectations of your people, leaders and team around contact and collaboration?

What type of work setting and technology equipment do I need?

  • What is the format of required work for the day including collaborative, focused and group meetings? Each activity demands a different environment to perform optimally.

 

ABW has been around for a little while now, is it actually working for most organisations or not?

We’re in a perfect storm – all 5 trends are occurring at once and they are all interrelated (Technological advances; Globalization; Demographic shifts; Societal changes and Resource constraints).

The pace of change is unlike anything we’ve ever seen.  Technology, social media, and the size of the change is big – this is causing significant/ structural shifts in every industry.

ABW is not a “one size fits all solution” so organisations are adopting varying degrees of ABW to suit their strategic and cultural objectives and those outlined above.  Those organisations who have embraced and successfully rolled out true ABW principles and philosophy would not revert and continue to flex and change as industry trends demand.

 

How affordable is ABW versus a traditional model for fit-out, maintenance, technology etc.

Greater flexibility with the variety of work settings, reduced physical space, lower desk churn costs, reduced FM footprint and reduced paper usage drives a cost comparable approach to traditional approaches to space allocation and fitout.  This will also counter the investment required to implement supporting technology.

 

What’s next after ABW? Is there a future trend on the horizon?

Some key themes are:

  • Globalisation of talent pools and work can be undertaken 24/7, and this is presenting us with both an opportunity and threat.
  • A need to re-think how marketable you will be. The need for hyper specialization which is the need to continuously learn, reinvention and master unique/valued/specialist skillsets.
  • The world is becoming more digital, flexible, customisable and transient. Technological advances, on-going globalisation, rapid shifts in demographics, societal changes and resource constraints are creating an entirely new way of working, with implications felt across all industry sectors.
  • Need to re-think how we work, as it is no longer
about individual drive/capability. It is about connectivity, collaboration, networking, crowd sourcing and partnerships.
  • Need to re-think the way we lead an emerging complex and diverse workforce (virtual, multigenerational, cultural, social, freelance).
  • Need to re-think the way we work, where we work, where we get talent from (flexible, freelance, outsourced, co-working, satellite hubs, at home working and digital nomads).

 

Tips to accelerate culture/behaviour change to ensure ABW is successful

Workplace change management must be at the top table early in the planning and integrated across business strategy and cultural initiatives.  Top tips are to inform, educate, involve and enable people as early, openly and fully as possible in any change journey.  Success can only be achieved if all staff are included and understand the strategic vision, alignment and relevance to their role and participation.  Successful transitional change requires versatility, adaptability and ability to work across all levels of the business.

 

How does technology assist with the transformation?

  • Wifi
  • SmartPhone
  • Digital tools – ipad, laptops
  • Apps
  • One Note
  • Lync
  • Skype for Business

 

What is the single most powerful technology change that has enabled ABW to be successful?

Mobility with constant reliable connectivity (technology) that supports flexible ways of working

 

How do you cater for “admin” workers e.g. those that perform the same activity day in/day out?

Profiles – refer to the slide below that demonstrates the range of working styles

Do you have any examples of how ABW has worked successfully alongside BYOD programmes e.g. staff choose/bring their own device, therefore all workstations/work areas must be compatible with a variety of device types? Or… is BYOD not recommended for ABW?

Consistency across a technology platform is key so that technology knowledge is understood and easy to use and the experience is seamless.  Investment in a technology platform is key to BYOD, which is successfully being rolled out in other tertiary education facilities.

 

Is there a list of the most common activities that require unique design treatment?

Each ABW design is unique to the organisation and design and settings usually cover areas of focus, collaboration, socialising and learning.

The relationship between collaboration and innovation (see diagram above)
is leading to a radical rethinking of the workplace plan.

Individual spaces and activity spaces call for specific additional technology tools based on their type and function. Together, the two types of spaces create a total work environment in which spaces are tailored to individual work and group interactions, offering employees choice and control over their work setting.

Successful activity spaces attract, adapt and engage. They are appealing and comfortable, offer appropriate furnishings and technology, and provide multiple communication tools. Activity spaces permit individuals and group members to shape their work experience by adjusting and reconfiguring elements in the space, and provide opportunities to express organizational culture.

What technology is being deployed into each activity space?  What is contemporary and what is coming in the next couple of years?

Greater use of smartphones including variety of tracking and booking apps, camera (instead of digital whiteboards), lighter devices, virtual digital walls, time/motion/location sensors.