Richard Sheridan (Cofounder and CEO, Menlo Innovations) wrote Joy Inc to share insight into all XP practices that worked for his Org. Here is a summary of his thoughts on organizing working spaces at Menlo.
High cube walls, standard height drop ceiling. Sterile, bright fluorescent light. Not a single item hung on white walls. Library quiet. That office had no energy, no noise, and very likely no innovation.
Most workplaces zap energy because they are bland, prefabricated setups. These spaces diminish interactions with their physical barriers and closed doors. They are not adaptable to changing needs. Quiet and lifeless. This is true even for the spaces of award-winning companies. Prize-worthy spaces are often built to win awards, not foster teamwork and energy.
Menlo’s joy starts with our physical surroundings. We are set in a big, open “factory” full of chatter and activity. You can feel the energy. You see people working together. You hear laughter. Even the walls grab your attention. An Organisation of Joy should be identifiable from every angle.
Tear Down the Walls
Menlo focuses on space that energises. No walls, offices, or doors. A couple of glass-walled conference rooms — an exception. Ceiling heights in our space vary.
Our work surfaces consist of dozens of lightweight, five-foot aluminium tables with one computer on each. Tables are usually pushed close together. Retractable electrical and wired network pull-down cables hanging from high-ceiling for power and network. Floor is concrete, polished and sealed, because we are messy and it’s easy to clean. Pack ‘n Ply sets. Babies and dogs welcome in office. These design aspects make our culture explicitly clear from the moment you walk in our doors.
We Don’t Need Space Police
We rearrange our factory often — weekly, sometimes daily. The well-placed wiring and the lightweight tables allow anyone on the team to change the space whenever the need arises. Menlo has no facilities people, and no permission is needed to make a change. Sometimes we change spaces for the sake of change. This reenergises everyone and builds our mental capacity for flexibility, as we all must get used to our new locations. Team members feel ownership of the whole space, not just their project’s slice of it. It lets us say — The space is ours; we feel ownership and commitment to making it what we desire.
Where’s the C-Suite?
A table in the middle of the space. That’s where, I, as the CEO, sit. Table is the same as the rest of the team’s. No best, newest computer. I am not programming! I research online, write documents, and check e-mail. I sit out in the middle of the room because that’s where the team has put me. I/team also constantly move the table to where the action is.
Where Do We Go for Big-Dog Discussions?
In a space like ours, there are no big dogs. We hold most of our conversations where we sit because I want my team members to hear my client interactions. They care about our customers as much as I do, and they might have important data to add to the discussion.
Closed meeting rooms send a powerful message: if you’re on the wrong side of the door, you don’t have the authority to participate in this discussion. It says, “You don’t matter as much as I do.”
Human’s crave interpersonal contact and rely on nonverbal cues much more than formal language. A space like ours encourages human interaction in its many forms.
Joy Is Noisy
It’s a popular belief that silence is critical to establishing “flow,” that state of optimal work. Even in the most sedate offices, almost every worker has headphones on. This itself offers direct evidence that “flow” does not require library quiet.
At Menlo, though, our flow is team flow, not personal flow. We work noisily with one another. One of our few rules is that we ban earbuds.
Most modern business projects are complex endeavours that require teams working together in tight collaboration. Noise and its energy breed collaboration and teamwork.
Noise Creates Opportunity
A culture that embraces and honors its people with a changeable space encourages serendipity. This may be the single greatest value of a wide-open space.
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