How Your Office Design Holds the Key to Growing Your Business in the New Year
Utilising the Strength of Introverts and Extroverts to Power Growth
Discovering avenues in which to promote and develop your business is a constant challenge, that is a given. We can read hundreds of books on ‘How to Grow my Business’, but turning those words into something actionable for your business is another obstacle altogether. Something which we may overlook though is the foundations that every business is built upon, the team. Office dynamics are often neglected by established companies, but they are at the core of every new start-up today. Why? Because it creates a culture which is in tune with the values of the business. The aim is to be able to get the most out of those employed by the company. If an influential member of the office leaves, the culture is still in place, softening the impact of their departure. With a set company culture, this can then be factored into consideration when looking for a replacement.
We’re moving away from the idea that employees are simply robots who come in, do their 8-9 hours of work and then go home. Instead, we should be looking at the human qualities that they bring and how harnessing them can make a business more productive. One of the biggest factors to look at when considering this is the type of people the employees are. From there, it is possible to analyse how to efficiently utilise their skill set and realise their potential in the role. In other words, we should be considering the idea of introverts and extroverts. How should these two very different types be managed to ensure as a business, you are getting the most from them?
Introverts and Extroverts – What Do We Mean?
Introverts and extroverts are intrinsic personality types and where we fall on the scale between the two can determine how we live our lives. The theory is not a new one either. In fact, it began to fall into the public eye when it was popularised by Carl Jung over 50 years ago. For introversion, the person is more likely to be attuned with their inner world of thoughts and feelings. Therefore, they tend to have a better grasp on how other people think and operate. However, while they operate more efficiently within their own head, they are less vocal and often less effective in a team environment. On the other end of the scale, extroversion is more of what we are used to. They are actively involved in the world around them, generally talk more and are more likely to be team players.
Unfortunately, individual cases are rarely this clear cut. For example, over time some introverts can train themselves to operate like extroverts and you would never know the difference. Putting this into the context of the office, an introvert will often find they need to adapt. However, changing to fit in with the rest of the team ultimately stifles the unique attributes which they have. Meanwhile, enforcing a strict regime which cracks down on group activities is great for introverts who are introspective. However, this severely places a cap on the potential of extroverts. For the finer details, you can find a wealth of information and studies online. Here, there are deeper analyses into the differences between the two and how to identify which is which in your employees.
Putting it into Context – How This Affects You
This split is one of the major reasons why modern office design is converging towards creating dynamic workspaces. Rather than having a permanent seating area, these workplaces blend these conventional workstations with more private areas. This provides freedom to employees to work in the most comfortable environment for the work they must complete. Some tasks may call for group related activities, so open areas which encourage this are ideal. However, if the task is largely for an individual, then it is important to create areas tailored towards this. Therefore, employees should be allowed to work in private and most importantly, free from distractions.
In smaller spaces, creating such a dynamic environment can be a challenge but is not completely unattainable. Certainly, permanent seating and desk areas are often a necessity. However, introducing elements such as partition screens and office screens can help to divide open spaces and reduce the number of distractions in busy offices. Meanwhile, group rooms can be an extremely effective way of reducing distractions in the main space when discussions are going on, which subsequently can increase the efficiency of the work taking place. A permanent construction can prove to be expensive as well as disruptive. Therefore, a solution such as the acoustic pod can be used to quickly create group rooms. Furthermore, the introduction of acoustic foam is effective in reducing sound pollution in the office.
The Benefits of Addressing Personality Type in Office Design
The effects of catering for introverts and extroverts is hard to quantify except in the quality of the resulting work. In the case of introverts, providing the conditions which allow them to be introspective often leads to the best results. These enable them to utilise their creativity and innate ability to consider the external factors surrounding their work. Such is the way they are often wired, introverts are able to see the bigger picture. Therefore, it is not just the facts and figures on the page in front of them and as such enables them to think outside of the box in ways which extroverts often do not.
For more extroverted members of the team, creating conditions which allow them to interact and communicate with others helps the flow of ideas throughout the office. Having a team which is effectively able to communicate leads to more critical analysis and having more minds to provide input on an idea helps to create a more complete and effective result. In short, providing spaces which allow different personality types to be more effective results in work which is better thought through and also allows the person in question to be more productive as the number of distractions is reduced. While quantifiable growth may not be immediate, the effects can be seen over time as the standard of work increases.
At Go Displays, we have been manufacturing office furniture for over 40 years. The design of our products takes into consideration the changing needs of our clients to create effective workspaces. Some of the products that we manufacture include office partitions, room dividers and acoustic pods. You can find further details on our site. Alternatively, you can call us on 01733 232000 or send an e-mail to sales@go-displays.co.uk.
