Technology enabled spaces designed to boost creative work

Today the companies unveiled five new 'Creative Spaces' showcasing how Steelcase and Microsoft can help organisations unlock creativity for every employee.

Additionally, Steelcase and Microsoft announced:

• That Microsoft is expanding its partner network into the world of design by bringing in select Steelcase dealers as authorised Surface Hub resellers, making Steelcase the first workspace company to sell Surface Hubs directly to their customers.
• Steelcase and Microsoft are working together to develop technology-enabled workplace solutions built on Microsoft Azure IoT technology.

“The problems people face at work today are much more complex than they used to be. They require a new creative way of thinking and a very different work process,” says Sara Armbruster, vice president of strategy, research and new business innovation for Steelcase. “We believe that everyone has the capacity for creative thinking, and people are happier doing creative productive work. Together, Microsoft and Steelcase will help organisations thoughtfully integrate place and technology to encourage creative behaviors at work.”

The Problem: fostering creativity as a business advantage
According to joint research conducted by Steelcase and Microsoft, creativity is seen as a critical job skill driven by organisations’ need for innovation and growth in addition to employees’ desire for meaningful work. However, today many organisations invest in technology and space as separate entities rather than approaching them holistically. The lack of cohesion creates sub-optimal conditions for fostering creativity at work.  

Creative spaces
The companies’ exploration of creative work found that creativity is a process in which anyone can engage and requires diverse work modes as well as different types of technology. People need to work alone, in pairs and in different size groups throughout a creative process, and they need a range of devices that are mobile and integrated into the physical workplace. Additionally, spaces should inspire people without compromising performance.

“Every Microsoft Surface device strives to enable the creator in each of us. Devices like Surface Studio and Surface Hub are fundamentally designed around how people naturally create, connect, and collaborate.” said Ryan Gavin, General Manager, Microsoft Surface. “With Steelcase we have the compelling opportunity to blend place and technology into a seamless environment that allows our most important asset, our people, to unlock their creativity and share that with others. The future of work is creative.”

“Most employees are still working with outdated technology and in places that are rooted in the past, which makes it difficult for them to work in new, creative ways,” said Bob O’Donnell, President, Founder and Chief Analyst at TECHnalysis Research. “Creative Spaces were clearly designed to bridge the current gap between place and technology and to help creative work happen more naturally.”

Five initial Creative Spaces are on display now at the Steelcase WorkLife Center in New York City. Spaces include:

Focus Studio: Individual creative work requires alone time to focus and get into flow, while also allowing quick shifts to two-person collaboration. This is a place to let ideas incubate before sharing them with a large group, perfect for focused work with Microsoft Surface Book or Surface Pro 4.

Duo Studio: Working in pairs is an essential behaviour of creativity. This space enables two people to co-create shoulder-to-shoulder, while also supporting individual work with Microsoft Surface Studio. It includes a lounge area to invite others in for a quick creative review with Surface Hub or to put your feet up and get away without going away.  

Ideation Hub: A high-tech destination that encourages active participation and equal opportunity to contribute as people co-create, refine and share ideas with co-located or distributed teammates on Microsoft Surface Hub.

Maker Commons: Socialising ideas and rapid prototyping are essential parts of creativity. This space is designed to encourage quick switching between conversation, experimentation and concentration, ideal for a mix of Surface devices, such as Surface Hub and Surface Book.

Respite Room: Creative work requires many brain states, including the need to balance active group work with solitude and individual think time. This truly private room allows relaxed postures to support diffused attention.

“We are facing a time of unprecedented change at work. Through this partnership we will bring together space and technology to help workers and organisations solve the workplace challenges they face today and in the future and ultimately perform their best at work,” explained Armbruster.

Steelcase: Microsoft Surface Hub Reseller
Select Steelcase dealers will resell Microsoft Surface Hub as a part of the Microsoft partner network beginning today in the United States and Canada, and in later summer 2017 in Germany and the United Kingdom. The companies will announce additional markets in the coming months. As the spaces roll out in the Americas, EMEA and Asia Pacific, the range of spaces will continue to expand and evolve. 

Internet of Things
In the coming months, Steelcase will announce new technology-enabled office solutions built on Microsoft Azure IoT technology, which will provide companies with analytics that improve workplaces and solutions to help employees find the best places to do diverse types of work within the office.