The modern office space is no longer one packed with a maze of stuffy cubicles. Rather than separating teams and co-workers, open office plans bring everyone together to encourage collaboration as one. This atmosphere of sharing and communication fits right in with today’s other trend of compassionate leadership, which also prioritizes cooperation, collaboration, and communication amongst all in the office. At Technalink, compassionate leadership is something we’ve seen the real benefits of, and an open office can help to bring compassionate leadership and make it a natural part of your atmosphere.
The main focus of an open office is to bring down the walls, open the doors, and do away with the typical office hierarchy. With a closed office space, people tend to lock themselves away when they do their work. Burying within themselves and hesitating before opening communication with others, as to not disturb. A big issue this poses with compassionate leadership is that it makes communication more difficult, hesitant, and spotty. Rather than natural collaboration, these times are broken up, not allowing colleagues to really connect with one another.
For those who may not interact on a regular basis, like those on different teams or those that work in different departments, a closed office plan may hinder them from ever really communicating at all. For compassionate leadership, this will create a big roadblock, preventing them from ever really connecting with one another in the first place. When the walls are taken down, this opens up new possibilities, and new avenues for collaboration that may have never existed before.
An open office is also a flexible office, which allows the compassionate leader to better get onto the wavelength or vibration of those they’re working with. When an idea isn’t working, or something is particularly difficult, it’s easy to switch things up, gain new inspiration, or seek opinions from others when the walls are taken down. These open plans are also easier for redecorating or switching things up, giving leaders a way to inspire through new layouts easily. With closed doors and cubicles, you’re going into the same general place, with the same views, and little room for switching up your atmosphere.
Compassionate leadership is all about connecting with those you’re leading, and inspiring them to connect with one another. With an open plan, empathy and connection are more natural, giving the compassionate leader a simpler way to progress in their own leadership into something that is embraced throughout the entire office.
Leave a Reply