A short while ago I visited the research headquarters of Eli
Lilly in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Interestingly enough, some department heads in this robust big Pharma occupied
cubicles. A rather egalitarian strategy.
More interesting was the large section where the desks had no assignments. The operating theory was that you arrived and
sat where you chose for that day. At
the time it seemed to be a rather itinerant approach to take. More recently, when visiting the headquarters
of Assurex Health (<200 employees) near Cincinnati, Ohio the department
heads occupied low-rise cubicles contiguous to the non-management employees,
spanning different job functions. It was
obvious that the collegial environment was quite conducive to collaborative discussions. Several months ago two cube-dwelling colleagues
had standing desks. Clearly the standing
desk helps with posture and a number of other positive health issues.
I have a long history of desks: Sometimes private; Sometimes
in a cubes; Sometimes with a big window
and conference table.
When I had a desk in a large office and in it’s prime
location within the organization it could be isolating at times. Being anchored in one location, it was quite
convenient to neighboring directors and localized departmental functions. However, for most other activities it was a
fair jaunt to get to an activity or to have people make “the walk” to meet with
me in my office.
But I have no desk. Nor do I have an office. Equipped with a MacBookPro and a satchel [man-purse]
my office is where I land for a few days or weeks. Areas which require added attention get my
full attention, in person. The locals at
first find it to be a distraction, but they adjust within a few days. I get to
witness their daily challenges/offenses, but am also present for their
immediate consultation/consolation.
The benefit of the deskless, officeless office is the need
to stay organized. Noted organized guy,
Blain Lam, keeps organized using the method outlined by David Allen, author of “Getting
Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity”[ISBN 978-0142000281]. The method is straightforward: don’t make a
pile, make a file [er… electronic file].
So given my wandering desk it is necessary that I do not have a pile of
papers on my [phantom] desk. Thus is born the paperless office by necessity and
convenience. More web-based tools are
employed than at many facilities and this enables a bit more freedom from
stacks of papers.
So while this approach is fairly unique in life sciences, it
works perfectly.
