Workflow is the coordinated efforts of individuals to the benefit of the group. It means working together to move ideas forward throughout the organization.


What does your company do?

What do each of your individual work groups try to accomplish for your company?

What are the needs of your clients in respect to the space you occupy?

How can your furniture plan contribute to a better exchange of information and services between managers, staffers and customers?


Simply put, your workspace should reflect your strategic intent and help to advance the achievement of corporate goals.

Workstation design (i.e. allotted space, storage, privacy, etc), furniture layout and overall space planning are crucial to the efficient flow of information and resources. The placement of your staffers in relation to other workgroups and outside resources will directly affect the emotional and productive capacity of your workers and, by extension, the work at hand.

An obvious example: by placing employees who deal directly with clients in zones which are not easily accessible to lobbies, exits or conference areas can prove to be a hindrance to the workers' job performance and a disruption to other staffers.


Trick: One way to ensure the smooth exchange of information and services between staffers is to conduct surveys of as many individuals as possible. Analyze exactly when, where, and how they perceive their role in the data and human interaction flow within your organization. Often times, it is essential to correct their perception (or your perception for that matter).

Trick: After such a survey, place the employees' names on a floor plan according to what department they work in and their individual responsibilities. Then draw lines from every employees' locale to the various departments, common equipment and conference areas they utilize. This will help determine the optimal, most efficient, effective placement of these resources.

Continue: Ergonomics