A shift in emphasis from hierarchies to networks within organizations has caused fundamental differences in the way leaders work. This new dynamic requires a dramatically different office landscape, according to new research by Steelcase.
Findings from Steelcase’s recent multinational study on the changing workstyles of leaders are particularly pertinent to the Middle East. At the recent World Government Summit H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, declared that the future of the resource-rich Arab world is dependent on strong leadership.
Steelcase has proposed a different concept for leadership spaces…
“Organizations are shifting to be more like complex adaptive systems, which are more agile and responsive than the hierarchies which were designed for efficiency,” said Patricia Kammer, the Steelcase senior design researcher who led the global study. The paradigm of locating executives in private offices due to confidentiality issues is still the norm, but Kammer notes, they can inadvertently reinforce hierarchy and power structure, and potentially undermine a free-flowing exchange of ideas. It can act as an unintended barrier to 
leaders who want their fingers on the pulse of the organization.
In response to the research findings, Steelcase developed a radically different concept for leadership spaces from what most organizations use today: an ecosystem of spaces that support transparency and accessibility, balanced with places for privacy and confide
ntiality.
Steelcase research suggests its own transition can serve as a model for executives and leadership teams around the world. For these individuals, the outcome of a transition would not only be personally beneficial to better accommodate the stress of being a leader, but would also benefit their organization as a whole, helping shape a workforce needed to succeed in today’s business climate.
To learn more, please visit: https://www.steelcase.com/360-exclusive-office-renaissance-leadership/