Reactions to Citrix's "Work Anywhere" Workplace

Last Thursday evening with the South Florida Organizational Development Network (SFLODN) I had the opportunity to visit Citrix in Ft. Lauderdale and see their new "work anywhere" concept.  In a nutshell Citrix has taken part of the buildings and instead of having the traditional cubicles and corner office physical structures based off of position and hierarchy they have instead created a system of neighborhoods engineered to foster collaboration,  team work and cater to the needs of each individual based off what they are doing at that specific time.  Here is some more information via @SunSentinel here http://bit.ly/L306iy

A workplace that mirrors it's occupants

As technology evolves further and further, I saw a cardinal axiom of work is changing as well.  The phrase "What have you done for me lately" is morphing into "What can you do for me now?"  The instantaneous flow of free information has adjusted what we expect from our team members; nowadays it's not what you know, as information is easily and rapidly disseminated anywhere in real-time, but rather what are you doing with what you know.

I feel that Citrix has taken a step forward bearing this in mind.  By requiring it's employees to release themselves of books, binders and other physical tangible objects the company is requiring multiple progressive principles to be adopted by their teams.  First, all employees are required to understand and adapt themselves with current technologies.  Without them they cannot do their work and this necessitates their team members to be current and prepared.  Secondly, and perhaps on a more unconscious level, it creates compliance with the mentality described above, that all employees need to be ready at anytime, anywhere and, using modern technology, to be able to deliver in the limelight right now.

"It's all a case of history repeating"

As I heard more about this concept I thought of how human beings were eons ago and how our bodies fit that situation.  We as people are designed to move, roam and graze, dating back to the epochs of our former hunter-gather society.  Humans were not designed to have a sedentary lifestyle (which also attributes to the obesity dilemma our world now faces as well).  Instead of traversing against the grain and forcing it's employees into static workspaces Citrix, in my view, has adopted this mobile mentality forged over thousands of years.  In a unique case of "if you can't beat 'em' join 'em," Citrix has opted to incorporate the design of our minds and bodies into where they work.  The results?  While they may be unclear and subjective to the opinions of each user the fact that this is more aligned with how we are as a species looks promising.

Will it work for our company?

This is a question that was on my mind and also many of the other participants as well.  To be honest - I don't know for sure.  Citrix is a fast moving, creative technology company and their company goals and the products they develop align well with this workplace strategy.  For other types of organizations it may not be such a good fit.  That would be a discussion for you and senior management to have.  I also advocate employee engagement to gauge their response; see how your teams feel about such a radical change.  Also if you can visit Citrix to see it yourself that is highly recommended as well.  Maybe not going to the full degree of change but adapting some best practices may help you glean portions that would have the most beneficial impacts for your organization.

To close, it is an experiment and I appreciate the good people at Citrix for allowing our group to visit and learn about their facilities.  I admire their forward thinking and will keep an eye out to see what is next.  As always, thoughts and comments are welcomed and appreciated!

Kevin