Space and culture come together to drive change in Los Angeles

Designing workplaces for efficiency, inclusion and experience was on the agenda at WORKTECH Los Angeles 2023, but also acknowledgement that there is a complex interplay between workspace and workplace culture.

Bringing these two factors together provided a nuanced insight into the ways in which workplaces of the future can be designed to benefit the entire workforce. Held at the Accenture offices in LA on 12 October 2023, the following sessions aimed to provide the audience with new ideas, perspectives and concepts to take away with them:

Greek philosophy meets workplace design

David Dewane, Adjunct Professor at Illinois Institute of Technology and Chief Experience Officer at Geniant, introduced the concept of the Eudaimonia machine to the LA audience. Eudaimonia refers to the ancient Greek concept of deep personal flourishing and in his discussion around this new way of designing office space, Dewane suggested that this is no longer a far-flung utopian way of thinking. Employees deserve spaces which support them wholeheartedly and only through deeper consideration can this be achieved. Addressing the difference between spaces that are ‘performative’ and those that are ‘functional’, he investigated how cognitive science and knowledge about how people focus on their work can create offices which offer a space to focus to varying degrees.

Accessibility and inclusivity on agenda

How can technology support neurodiverse employees? How can we make workplaces more accessible for people with mobility and sensory differences? These were the questions that Sarah Cline, Global Workplace Inclusion & Diversity Lead at Accenture, addressed in her discussion about the future of the accessible workplace. She spoke about the transformative role that an accessibility centre can have on an organisation and deep-dived into how we can usher in a new era of inclusivity   and accessible design within the workplace.

Organisational psychology offers new view

All organisations want happier and healthier employees who are able to perform better in their role. Dr Christian Wandeler, Associate Professor at California State University and Founder of the Semco Style Institute, believes that organisational psychology holds the answers to achieving this aim. Creating a company culture that promotes hope for the workforce is key and leveraging a variety of social technologies can support this aim, alongside commitment from leadership and a human-centric approach to workspace.

Creating a community culture

Will Sandford, Head of Channel and Business Development at Envoy, addressed how companies are now required to be agile and respond to new data in real-time to create the best experience possible for employees and facilitate a thriving workplace culture. This means that property managers and tenants now want actionable insights from their data collection. To be ahead of the curve, they are forecasting into the future to better understand the next set of challenges that are heading their way. Having a 360-degree view over office is therefore critical not only for cost-savings but cultural purposes as well.

Find out more about WORKTECH LA 2023 here.

And check our the WORKTECH events calendar for more events near you in 2024.