Mark Hersberger
Sheryl Gerbracht
SRB - Multipurpose Room
Tue, Jul 16 2:30pm - 3:15pm
Phrases never uttered at a modern UC campus:
- “Sure, we have enough room for all our staff.”
- “We actually have too many conference rooms.”
- “We want to do less collaboration. So, we’re going to keep people spread out and siloed.”
One UC tech department finally said, “Enough is enough!” and decided to do something about it. The result: A complete gutting of the office suite, a year-long relocation, and the resulting modern, open office environment. Walls replaced with white boards. Corner offices replaced with conference rooms. Cubicles replaced by collaboration spaces. Ego replaced by equality.
That all sounds great – a dream come true for budget and space planners! But what about the human component? Disrupting people’s comfort zones, especially in ways they didn’t ask for, would always be a challenge.
Did this IT department pull it off?
In this session we’ll take you through the ins and outs of this wholesale change, including:
- Working with architects to redesign the space for maximum efficiency and productivity
- The organizational change management process of preparing the organization and individuals for such drastic changes
- How a year-long relocation provoked a revolution in telecommuting and flexible work arrangements
- Using the new office environment to foster a new approach to work built on innovation, idea sharing and independence
- Lessons learned on change management and the evolving nature of office-based work
Previous Knowledge
None required
Software Installation Expectation
None
Session Skill Level
Beginner
Session Track
Promoting Growth and Retention in IT