Practicing What We Preach

Humans are creatures of habit, whether it’s going to the same coffee shop every morning to grab our usual cup of coffee or arriving at the office and sitting in our assigned seat around familiar faces. Our built-in routines are comforting and predictable. However, each day we find ourselves working on varying tasks, and our usual seat is not always conducive to the task at hand; altering a routine can be a good thing and refreshing. We are all guilty of creating comfort through habit, and breaking habits can be darn tough!

When I arrived at PDR, I found comfort in knowing that I had a routine of where I was going to sit, and who was going to be sitting next to me. Our Consulting team is a tight-knit bunch. We can be found in constant communication, from cracking jokes about the past weekend’s adventures, to having impromptu brainstorming sessions and bouncing around creative ideas for workshops.

When our pod was selected to lead by example and be the first to embark on the PDR Agile Office journey (which the entire studio would soon be practicing as well); I really wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was excited to experience a journey we regularly take our clients through. After all, I knew undergoing the same type of change event would provide a personal perspective of facing transitioning periods within an organization and help to enhance the way we help guide client experiences.

As consultants, we are confided with the fears of what potential challenges and possible headaches await those who navigate the choppy waters from traditional assigned seating into an agile environment.

The following are some of the most common perceived fears and potential benefits employees associate with their organization going agile.

Going Agile Perceived Fears

• Loss of privacy & space
• Noise levels
• Storage issues
• Oh, the horrible smells from colleague’s fish tacos!

Agile Office Perceived Benefits

• Increased team collaboration opportunities
• Adaptability to changing business needs
• Variety in spaces
• Flexibility to choose where to work from to best suit the task at hand

However, after going agile, I have found that some of the fears are unfounded, and the benefits outweigh any perceived drawbacks. From increased exposure to Designers’ and Architects’ designs and projects to exposing others to our consulting work, these benefits occurred because of the flexibility enabled by going agile.

This exchange of personal and work-related connections has enhanced my employee experience and enabled me to feel that we practice what we preach.

PDR is leading and embodying The PDR Way by living our Purpose, which states, “We believe thoughtful place making connects people and inspires organizations to thrive.” We started to change the way we work right here at our Houston office, and we continually aim to globally lead and shift the way organizations think about their work and place.