In
project management,
there is no magic rule to guide you. Every team is different because it is made up of people, all of whom are unique. And every project, although it may have common roots, ends up developing in a different way. Today we analyze two healthy
trends that have penetrated the business world and relate them to
project management
to see what they can contribute and how they improve the pulse of any high-performance team.
Back in Palo Alto…
A few years ago (not too many), the news broke that the world’s leading companies, based in Palo Alto and with a technological bias, had invested heavily in facilities for employees in their offices. Pool tables, foosball tables, slides, common areas for relaxation, and video game rooms were some of the improvements or extras that became most popular in the common ideology. After a period in which some start-ups and agencies tried to emulate this example, opinions changed and it was common to find threads on LinkedIn with conflicting views about the appropriateness of investing in this type of strategy for employees. Some said it was better to invest in salaries, others in time, but the question is: to what extent did these facilities play an important role in
project and team management? To what extent have they been crucial to the incredible growth of these companies?
The 10 keys to Silicon Valley
In 2015, a group of senior Catalan executives traveled to Silicon Valley, invited by FemCat. Every two years, this association has visited some of the most dynamic areas of the planet with the aim of incorporating ideas that can be transferred to their business or socioeconomic environment.
From that immersion trip to the world’s top tech businesses, they brought back a decalogue with the ten key principles of their way of doing business and understanding it. What caught our attention in this decalogue was that innovation and creativity are basic ingredients of the reality of the valley, and companies encourage them. Google, for example, allows its employees to devote 20% of their project management time to collaborating in areas unrelated to the department in which they work. The reality is that it has been proven that in order for creativity to come to us, we need a certain amount of freedom of movement. It is precisely when we stop thinking about the problem that we find the solution. Almost always while we are doing something else. Therefore, it makes perfect sense to think that having different spaces, being able to take a nap after lunch in a comfortable place, working in other areas, or being able to relax the team after a lot of stress in the office facilities, fosters an environment more conducive to good ideas, more refined projects, and a healthy touch in the mind and body of the staff.
The WELL certificate
The WELL certificate is awarded to offices that have been designed and developed with the well-being and health of their employees in mind. In the same way that LEED or BREEAM seals recognize sustainable and efficient buildings, the WELL certificate aims to
promote healthy spaces
designed for companies. To this end, The International Well Building Institute—the body that awards the certification—evaluates hundreds of parameters classified into seven categories. In 2017, the sixth floor of the CBRE Madrid office received WELL GOLD certification, becoming the first office in Spain and the second in Europe to achieve this under the New and Existing Interiors category.
This is the result of data collected from a survey of its employees:
- 80% increase in productivity in project management.
- 90% would not return to the previous way of working.
- 87% say the new workspace has had a positive impact on their health and well-being.
- 100% say that customers are interested in their new way of working.
- 87% believe that the new workspace generates business.
- 86% feel they have ample space for concentration and privacy when needed.
The data speaks for itself. 100% believe that this new workspace generates business. Their productivity has increased by 80% and they have the flexibility to work in open and group environments or in intimate and individual settings. This new way of working is known as Agile working and is revealing its great potential to maximize team results. Is it possible that investing in this intangible asset has made these positive results possible? We believe so.
Healthy project management
We refuse to believe that
project management
in this type of company is not influenced by the constant possibility of changing spaces and the certainty that you are part of a company that believes in its employees. Healthy
trends applied to the business world have long since demonstrated the incredible influence and benefits they bring to teams. It is not a passing fad or a simple whim to put slides in offices. It is about having a positive impact on the daily lives of your employees by providing open, intimate spaces with different uses. It is about promoting a healthy, inspiring lifestyle that is conducive to doing great work. A good way to start applying these new methodologies is to have
fresh fruit in the office. This has recently become a must for companies focused on attracting and retaining talent. Undoubtedly, there are already many companies that have put this strategy at the forefront of their agendas, and we hope that, over time, it will become the norm in the business world.
