NHRD Journal - National HRD Network

Organizational Spaces for Tomorrow
The frenzied life space, the milling crowds, the
restlessness of the environment and the
aspirations and ambitions of people require
organizations to create multiple spaces where
an employee can go into that space for renewal
and rejuvenation.
Spaces for solitude These are spaces for
reflection and spaces for silent expression of
themselves. These spaces would then provide
a rhythm of stability as well as preparedness
for connectivity with the work and positive
relatedness with the organization. These are
essentially spaces for spiritual communion with
oneself so that an individual employee
experiences tranquility and peace. The
employee then can emerge with accepting the
complex realities of life and be able to deal with
day to day stresses and give shape to his life.
Spaces for related interactions These are task
and functional related spaces. Today's
organizations are meeting-based cultures.
Organizations are designed for sunrise
meetings, sunset meetings, standing meetings,
cross functional meetings, intra and inter
departmental, functional and divisional
meetings. However these meetings start out
with good intentions but finally turn into non
productive and non decisive conclusions. Most
managers believe these meetings are waste of
time. Organizations can create spaces which
are task related and facilitate a mindset to get
work done and decisions taken. This
contributes to action initiatives which are linked
to responsibility and accountability. These are
linked to achievement, success and excellence
which are then linked to affirmation, valuing
and anchoring in the organizations. These
spaces are also socially engaging wherein there
is an element of fun and celebration of success.
Spaces for dialogues These spaces are designed
for dialogue across levels of organization about
the concerns of the organization. This is a retreat
space to explore and review the philosophy,
values, work culture and relationships across
the organization. In any organization there are
always spaces for sharing secrets, creating
groups and cliques and public spaces for
gossips, where myths are generated about
people and the organization. Then there are
spaces of the organization which are formal
spaces created for dialogues. Both spaces put
together create a unique quality as it fosters a
co-holding of the organization and co creating
a work environment. In this space a small or a
large space is owned by every employee and
stakeholder of the organization. This ownership
and co-holding creates a shared meaning, a
shared significance of belonging and shared
valuing of each other and the organization.
Spaces for the creation and brightening of a
working environment Any organization has
walls, corners and cubicles which are blank, often
dreary and empty. An organization can transform
these for putting display of each individual's
personal, emotional memory. Most
organizations do not have public display of
individual employees contribution of expression
of creativity. Almost no organization displays
employee's arts and crafts which are the
employee's personal creation. Organization has
immense wall spaces which can be adorned with
employees, expression of arts, paintings, crafts
or similar such creative expressions.
Organization needs to create spaces wherein
employee's larger meanings and life can be
brought to the organization. Organizations can
have a painting day, art day, crafts day a
collective collage, photographs put on display
on the walls of the plant or the organization and
ambience thus created is bright and cheerful.
Spaces for celebration Most organizations have
a very serious and somber face to the world inside
and the world outside. The meaning given to
this serious face is professionalism. However,
professionalism has good and desirable needs
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November 2007 NHRD Journal