Space Matters - Part 2

As yesterday’s post illustrates, there are times when planning for the future makes best sense when placed on the foundations of the past. Florence Nightingale knew that fresh air and sunlight help heal bodies, without being aware of the scientific evidence that supports her ideas, as provided by the men from Porton-Down. My grandfather’s research was forgotten, only to be replicated by strangers nearly a century later, they emphasised the same findings – that intelligent planning and efficient design can enhance a workplace and the experiences of those within it.

Google's Office in Zurich

Last week’s CIPD hosted event was a powerful illustration of the fact that all of us in work can learn much from others. Leading experts from HR, Facilities Management, L&D and Workplace Strategy came together to debate what the world should look like in the future and hence how the workplace needs to adapt to become fit for purpose. With Neil Usher’s encouragement, supported by able facilitation from David D’Souza (the newly appointed Head of London for the CIPD), Jonny Gifford a respected CIPD research analyst with an interest in work and the work place and Simon Heath, one time COO and Head of Facilities, who is now a talented artistic facilitator and corporate illustrator, the attendees at the event were challenged to list the top ten aspects of a workplace that we felt were required for a “Living Wage Workplace” – i.e. one that provides more than just the basic requirements but is not overly ostentatious or expensive.

Meeting room wallpaper

The group I was with used the room we were in for inspiration. The event was held in the basement function area of a trendy London Hotel, with no windows and shocking pink, in-your-face, highly decorated walls.  It is interesting how much colour can impact how people feel. We were lively. Last weekend I went to visit my family in Somerset. On the Saturday afternoon I agreed to act as chauffeur for my mother and aunt, as they wanted to go on a church crawl. We saw some wonderful buildings, but I was particularly stuck by the vibrant interior of Holy Trinity Church at Long Sutton – a striking contrast to its quite austere exterior. Much of its fifteenth century screen, pulpit and intricate decorations remain intact – they have been painted as they would have been when first constructed.

I can only image the awe inspired by the flamboyant colours, soaring pillars and roof held up by beautifully angels. The ceiling, as you near the altar, is covered in golden stars on a sky-blue background, to indicate the proximity to heaven. The carvings and colours used as a means to make a point and to influence the thinking of the congregation.

The impact of colour and décor should not be underestimated. I hang pictures in my workplace and as a business we share some of the wonderful illustrations made by Simon Heath at various corporate events he has illustrated, as well as artwork belonging to our business that depicts our history and interests. By doing so we make the space our own. People perform better if they feel a personal connection to their work and workplace. Yet, how many employees are trapped in soul-less white or magnolia tinted offices, devoid of fresh air or an identity and sense of belonging?

Belonging and control were the next aspects of modern work that my group at the CIPD event explored. All of us agreed that, increasingly, people expect to have some say in and influence over their environment – be that being able to work with different teams on specific projects (and hence move or rearrange the layout within a physical location as required) or even just being able to change the temperature without it having to be the same for all. We are used to autonomy and personal customisation outside work and so now we expect the same wherever we are. Research is showing that employees perform better when they have choice and control over their space.

 

Skype's HQ in California with moveable furniture

We are living in a time of rapid innovation, with enhanced access to data and hence in theory knowledge. People are able to find answers to questions that previously have been the domain of an educated elite – for example online medical self-diagnosis or the ability to acquire a new skill via self-selected online learning (such as through videos on YouTube or MOOCs). It is this free access to information that will, in my opinion, have a profound impact on the workplace.  As people educate themselves they are likely to become more demanding. As Bacon said in 1597, “with knowledge comes power” and employers should be aware of this. People will expect to have a work environment that fosters employee health and wellbeing. Obesity and exercise are a point in case. As individuals become increasingly aware of the impact of sedentary lives and inappropriate diets they are likely to demand change. I suspect that a growing number of people will see it as an employer’s responsibility to be aware of and protect the health of their workforce. If an employer forces workers to perform in an environment that could be considered unsafe or likely to encourage known medical issues in the future, that employer could become liable, by being deemed irresponsible and having breached the duty of care that is owed to employees.

We discussed the need for exercise and activity whilst at work – to boost thinking and help combat many of the detrimental effects of being inactive for hours in a chair in front of a screen. I quite like the idea of a treadmill desk, although I prefer the option of getting out into the sunshine. The choice will probably up to the employee as to what action they take, but we all agreed that an employer that refuses to provide support in a health and wellbeing related matter would, at the least, be less likely to attract and retain the best of the workforce and at worst could find itself in costly and damaging litigation for negligence. It has happened before...

At the end of the CIPD event, it was gratifying to discover that we touched on most of the aspects of the list that Neil shared with us (although perhaps not with the specific examples I have provided above). Neil’s Top Ten (not in any particular order) are as follows: 

1. Daylight
2. Colour
3. Choice
4. Influence
5. Space
6. Storage
7. Control
8. Connectivity
9. Refresh
10. Wash

I believe that there is one more… As our world continues to change we need be open to amending or adding to the above. One of the banks in The City of London is relocating to a building that is described as the “greenest” building in the Square Mile. It has the largest number of solar panels on a commercial building, a green roof, rainwater harvesting and heat reclaim driven under-floor heating, as well as significant storm drains. Clearly this type of building is not cheap, but it may indicate a prudent approach towards the future or perhaps a return to the past’s attitude of having a greater awareness of our place within our environment. The last of the churches that I visited last Saturday, with my mother and aunt, was the Church of St Peter and St Paul at Muchelney. It became famous during the Somerset floods, when the village of Muchelney was cut off for nearly a fortnight and could only be accessed by boat. The village children had created a summary of “Island Life” that was displayed on the church wall.

The church itself and the older houses stood proud of the water – the architects having taken advantage of a slight rise in ground.

I think Muchelney’s church is an example to us all – its designers and builders were attuned to their environment and hence built their church on higher land to avoid the problems of flooding. We need to be equally aware of what could happen in our futures and design our workspaces accordingly.

Muchelney Church's Barrel Vault ceiling

"Talk to me..."

We live in a time of constant conflict – as I write the police in Hong Kong are firing rubber bullets, pepper spray and tear gas on a peaceful protest for democracy. Every time I read or hear the news there is yet another depressing story of aggression and dispute – planes sent to bomb Kobane (as part of the US-led coalition against ISIS); fighting near Baghdad; drug cartels murdering and intimidating innocent citizens in South America; airstrikes in Pakistan; the misery of people inadvertently trapped in war zones around the world, kidnaps, beheadings, victimisation and rape. For a supposedly civilised species, we should be ashamed of ourselves.

Student protester amid clouds of tear gas
Picture taken from Twitter

Things have not changed since Marvin Gaye recorded “What’s Going On?” his subtle protest against the Vietnam War.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-kA3UtBj4M 

or indeed since the early 1590’s when Shakespeare wrote his famous tale of “star-cross’d lovers”. Despite its reputation, Romeo and Juliet is perhaps more about conflict than it is about love. Certainly that is the impression that Mats Ek gives in his modern version of the classic romance. 

I saw Mats Ek’s ballet, Juliet and Romeo on Saturday night and wept; it was the final performance by the Royal Swedish Ballet at Sadler’s Wells in London. I did not cry at the state of Swedish dance, nor was it was the tragedy of a love so powerful that it is worth dying for that reduced to me tears, but the agony of a mother who had lost her son. Despite the modern, thought-provoking set and costumes, the production is visceral, at times brutal, occasionally humorous, but consistently charged with emotion. Juliet is charming, on the cusp of womanhood – a gawky adolescent filled with passion and mood swings. The rival gangs mooch and posture within their stark urban environment and there is little compassion towards others in an unforgiving and hierarchical society. There is some warmth displayed by The Nurse, but she is a rebel, breaking the rules (riding off to fetch Romeo on a Segway) in a bid to gain a piece of happiness for the girl she clearly loves. Her compassion, willingness to cross boundaries and ability to communicate with all types of people mark her out in contrast to the majority of the other characters. Most are self-seeking and oblivious to the harm they cause. Tybalt urinates contemptuously on the corpse of Mercutio, after murdering him. Romeo slays Tybalt, repeatedly stamping on his head until he dies.  There is little compassion or empathy. Perhaps that is why I was so struck by a moving portrayal of maternal devotion. It was Tybalt’s mother, played by Marie Lindqvist, that gripped my heartstrings – the torment of a woman mourning the loss of a treasured son. 

Woman with Dead Child, 1903 etching by Kathe Kollwitz
souce: Wikipedia

Conflict is centred round emotion, but it does not have to be over something huge like national boundaries, political power, the destruction of a way of life or murder; it can be as simple as a fight within a family over a household object or chore. I visited my mother on Friday – it had been her 82^nd birthday while I was abroad on business early last week, so her grandsons and I went to spend time with her at the end of the week. 

My mother with her three daughters
Picture taken by Paul Clarke

My youngest sister had generously given my mother a cordless telephone as a birthday gift, but had left it to charge prior to it being ready for use. I received an SMS from my little sister on Friday, delegating the set-up and training on usage to me. I appreciate that sounds simple: not being tied to the phone’s location (on a flight of stairs leading to the kitchen) and being able to take the handset either into the garden or with her when she wants to sit down seems a sensible thing for my mother to be able to do. I could pre-programme numbers of family, friends, her doctor and so forth into the handset, to make it easier for her to call people. Using a cordless phone would help familiarise her with her mobile (which she uses sufficiently infrequently that I have to remind her what buttons to press when making a call each time she sets off on a trip to the hospital). The intention behind my sister’s offering was good - it was expected to enhance my mother’s life. However, that was not how my mother viewed the gift. She likes having her traditional telephone where it is; she is used to its location, its ringtone and is comfortable with dashing to the stairway to answer it. Now that she is older, she has difficulty remembering new processes and the concept of pre-recorded numbers sitting inside her phone seemed impersonal and distasteful – “what’s wrong with my address book, leafing through the pages is so full of memories?” She was worried by the base-station’s cable – there is a shortage of plug sockets in her house and, without an adapter, she feared losing the use of her beloved plug-in radio. Our mother did not like her well-intentioned daughters pushing her around and forcing change. I found myself in the midst of a family conflict.  

The problem could have been avoided if there had been better communication from the outset.

 

Miner birds chattering

Conflict can occur in almost every area of life. At work it is one of the managerial problems that individuals find most difficult to cope with. Many weak or inexperienced managers are tempted to try to ignore it, but pretending that a problem does not exist will seldom make it go away. Often taking no action to resolve a matter just makes things worse. Distrust, distress and misunderstandings can fester and morph into bigger problems when the initial ill feeling, on which the conflict is founded, is not addressed. When helping their patients, psychologists usually look for the root of a problem, as understanding the cause and tackling its issues is more likely to produce long-term benefits than focusing solely on current symptoms.  Managers would do well to follow their example and to delve a little deeper to understand why team members feel and behave as they do. 

 

Be mindful of the roots of a problem

Team dynamics can be impacted by many things including: jealousy, insecurity, perceived injustice, fear, alleged disparity in treatment, stress due to heavy or unequal workloads, disputes over time-keeping, invasion of personal space or a range of inter-personal matters. If ignored there is a high probability that performance will drop, factions may develop, formal complaints will be raised and/or talented employees, who can secure alternative employment, will leave.

In my experience, the best way to overcome conflict is by putting yourself into the other party’s shoes, to try to understand their viewpoint. A degree of tolerance and empathy is often all that is required to diffuse a charged situation. Few people come to work with the intention of causing distress and I have never met an employee who actually wants to be unhappy. In addition, many people fail to appreciate that conflict can be turned to advantage, as often it provides a wonderful opportunity for learning and growth. A good leader can leverage conflict for team building and individual development; the ensuing discussions, grounded in divergent thinking, frequently result in innovation and creative solutions. All is takes is effective communication.

Like Mats Ek, twist the expected to produce something fresh, new and invigorating. Ek changed the familiar title of Shakespeare’s play (although Elizabethan documents show that Shakespeare also contemplated twisting the heading so that the lady was named first). The protesters in Hong Kong are requesting a voice, in that they want their opinion to be taken into account when political appointments are made. We all want our issues to be appreciated – this requires communication. I urge you to follow the advice laid down in Marvin Gaye’s song and hear your employee’s plea (in whatever way they are communicating to you) to

“Talk to me.”

The Nurse, who successfully walks the tightrope
of effective communication & empathy in
Mats Ek's Juliet & Romeo

A happy twist!

When Potential Comes to Fruition

It was Apple Day on Saturday and, as part of the celebrations, I found myself standing in an idyllic English orchard sipping freshly pressed juice.   A lot of planning had gone into the day – a seated brass ensemble (including a sousaphone) played cheering music, the drink literally flowed,

traditional apple press

food was spread on tables under the fruit-laden trees, piles of apple varieties decorated the yard, the speeches were entertaining and informative, a painting of England’s oldest cider maker (Frank Nash, who has been making cider for 87 years) was unveiled, libations were poured on apple tree roots in the hope of a good year to come, toasts, tastings and laughter abounded.

Oldest English cider maker, Frank Nash, and his portrait

The glorious reds, greens and gold of the apples, the rousing music, the sights, smells and sounds reminded me of a Renaissance fairground.  How apt, given that this blog is part of the HR blog carnival that is being orchestrated by Sukh Pabial ( http://pabial.wordpress.com/2012/10/21/calling-all-bloggers/ )  - By way of an explanation, a number of UK HR bloggers (a loose term for people who write around the subject of people and work) have each written a piece and between us we offer a selection, with the hope that there is something to appeal to everyone.  So, “roll up, roll up, come and sample my wares...” 

Vincenco Campi's The Fruit Seller c1580

In the Somerset orchard where I stood on Saturday, there were over 40 apple varieties and a lumbering pig, chomping the fallen fruit, forged a determined course through the trees, neither looking to left nor right.  In many ways, we need to adopt a similar approach if we wish to see potential (be it aspirations, latent capability, plans or goals) come to fruition.

Burrow Hill pig

I mentioned that Apple Day reminded me of the old-style fairs of the Renaissance period.  The day had an almost sixteenth century air to it, with colourful characters, swigging from flagons of cider whilst enjoying the spectacle and livestock wandering free.  At times I felt like a character painted into the side of a magnificent painting – observing, but at the same time being an integral part of the overall scene.   An artist frequently credited with being the greatest and most influential of the Renaissance age was Michelangelo (or Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, to give him his full name).  So great was his reputation during his lifetime (he was often called Il Divino - “the divine one”) that he became the first Western artist to have a biography published whilst still alive (indeed he had two).  There are some delightful examples of Michelangelo including himself in a painting, as a character on the periphery.  However, one that makes me smile (despite the subject matter being gruesome) is on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, where he has depicted himself as a head in profile, being carried on a platter by Old Testament heroine Judith, after she had decapitated the  Assyrian general Holofernes.

Michelangelo self portrait (disguised as Holofernes)

There is much that we can learn from Michelangelo when considering “potential coming to fruition”.  You might be interested to know that, despite adorning the Sistine Chapel and producing some of the most famous paintings in the world, he believed that architecture and sculpture were higher forms of art than mere painting. He was ambitious and encouraged others to be so:

”The greater danger for most of us lies in not setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low and achieving the mark” Michelangelo

Sistine Chapel

Those of us who wish to produce results should follow his example.  When planning to achieve goals, a person needs to appreciate the ultimate objective they are aiming to attain and the manner in which they will do so. Michelangelo was adept at envisaging the end result:

          “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”          -        Michelangelo

Do you know what you want to achieve?

Angel carved by Michelangelo

Michelangelo knew how to plan to produce an impactful work of art; anyone with an ambition must determine the actions required to reach the desired outcome:

“A man paints with his brains and not with his hands.” - Michelangelo

Hands of God and Adam painted by Michelangelo

 “If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.” – Michelangelo

His work is wonderful – look at the carving in the below detail from The Pieta – it is easy to forget that the flesh and fabric have been hand carved from unforgiving marble.  What is also amazing is that he produced it when he was only twenty four.  Michelangelo was not afraid of arduous work, trial, learning from failure and practice; nothing can substitute for hard graft when trying to achieve a goal. 

Detail of Michelangelo's Pieta

The concept of grafting seems to bring me back to the orchards...  In renaissance times a popular fruit grown in orchards was the quince.  The first record of quince trees in the UK was in 1275, when Edward I planted four at the Tower of London, although the fruit are mentioned as ingredients in recipes from the 13^th century onwards.  In the medieval and renaissance periods, raw fruit was thought to be bad for people, so it was customary for fruit to be cooked.  Today we opt more for raw fruit and hence apples and pears have become the orchard fruit of choice.  Nowadays quinces are seldom seen for sale in Britain and America, except in specialist markets, but they remain common in parts of the Mediterranean and Middle East.  The quince is a rare fruit with a key place in folklore and tradition.  It was probably the original “apple” of Adam and Eve fame, as the plant originates from the Caucasus region, where the Garden of Eden was supposedly located – the word was mistranslated from quince to apple due to an etymological similarity of words.  Greek mythology claims that the quince was a gift from Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and it was customary to toss quinces into bridal chariots.  This custom continued into Roman times with quinces being a symbolic gift from a suitor, signifying true love and commitment (much like red roses are in our modern world – it is interesting to note that quinces and roses are closely related) and even today in rural areas it is customary for a bride to eat a quince before retiring to the nuptial bed. 

Fruiting quince tree, Roman mural, House of Livia 30-20 BC

Compared to most other fruits, the quince is relatively high in pectin (a natural gelling agent that enables jams and jellies to thicken and set) hence it has traditionally been used as an ingredient in preserves – the Portugese word for quince (marmelo) evolved over time into “marmalade”.  When I was in Crete earlier this summer, I enjoyed exquisite quince compotes with natural Greek yoghurt and, in many parts of Europe, it is traditionally served as a firm paste, called membrillo (Spanish), cotognata (Italian), or, as alluded to above, marmelada (Portugese), which is delicious with cheese.

quinces

The quince can be used as an evocative metaphor demonstrating how potential can come to fruition.  In the main quinces are disgusting when eaten raw – despite exuding an appealing, almost tropical, guava like smell (that hints at its potential).  The skin is tough and waxy, although easily bruised, and often, before it ripens, it is covered in a slight downy bloom like the soft fluff of an adolescent’s beard – not really something you’d want to eat.  The flesh is unpleasantly astringent and surprisingly hard – sufficiently so to make you spit out a bitter mouthful after attempting a bite.  It is only if you know what it can taste like, are prepared to make the required effort to achieve that delectable result and want to undertake the difficult task of peeling the damn thing, that through your efforts you will see its potential actually come to fruition.  Once cooked, which can take hours, the quince miraculously transforms into a succulent delicacy – with a blushing, pale-rosy hue and a delicately perfumed taste

The quince has a short season (October to December) so, if you are tempted to sample them, I urge you to grasp the opportunity.  Let me know if you do and whether, in your opinion, their potential reached fruition... if not just bear them in mind as inspiration on your journey to help yourself and others to see the fruition of potential and plans.