Volume 1, Issue 9

July 27, 2010

Not Just the Green

While sustainability had brought a new focus to the importance of the environment, what about the importance of the environment directly around you?  How we manage our spaces, from our desks to our homes, creates a daily effect that may go deeper than the junk drawer, with an impact that goes far beyond the time wasted looking for lost items.

Lean Manufacturing includes the idea of a 5S environment, where everything is in good condition, and available in the optimum location, as demonstrated in the show Clean Sweep.    Beyond those simple principles, the impact of colour, lines, textures and forms has been proven to have a direct correlation on mood and productivity.  It may be that the walls themselves are more important than the mission statement hanging on it.

The Simplicity of 5S

A messy desk might help create a perception of “busy-ness”, and when precious time is lost in search of something, it is no longer a perception, but a waste. One of the easiest lean principles to adpot, it also carries with it the highest impact.  However, it is also something that seems to take too long, lacks the luster of excitment and sounds like housework.  Like all procrstinations, it is a relief when it is over, and not nearly the mountain it seemed in our heads.

1.    Sort:  Determine if items should stay or go, how and when they are used
2.    Straighten:  A place for everything, and everything in its place
3.    Systematic Cleaning:  Shining, sweeping on a regular basis is preventative maintenance
4.    Standardize:  Find and stick with what works
5.    Sustain:  Keep the discipline until it becomes a habit

It is also worth noting innovations on this model:
•    Sustainability, the updating with environmental friendly alternatives
•    Safety, the consideration of ergonomics, hazards and risks

Better Environments for Better Results

Environment includes all aspects of the surroundings of which senses interact.  Listen, touch, taste, smell, and see what environmental triggers lead to success, and follow the lead.

Malcolm Gladwell discussed the impact of environment in his book Outliers, as being a key factor in success, and it not the first to highlight the point.

Inventory is waste.  Don’t get organized, get free of the clutter by donation, dumping or delivery to the rightful owner.

When you don’t want to leave the environment, does more work happen?  Google banks on it, laughing all the way.

Napping booths are the new rage, with studies showing productivity increasing up to 34 percent.  Brain scientists are not surprised, as chemicals drop mid afternoon, inducing nap chemistry, and a break for the brain, that we typically treat with caffeine, not sleep.

Interruptions can be the bane of the knowledge worker, constantly sidelining deep thinking.  Take advantage of voice mail, doors, and schedules to carve out time for the hard work of thought, reflection and planning.

If puffing and sweating are signs of working hard for the hands-on worker, perhaps silence and meditation are the signs for the knowledge worker.  The Mozart effect describes student rise in IQ by 8 to 9 points shortly after listening.

If you sign along to your music, what are you listening too?  When the idea of training is to repeat – and to accomplish word for word!  Music is a powerful trainer.  Pick positive upbeat lyrics for a better mental attitude.

Dress for success, even when they can’t see you.  Clothing helps the mind shift gears and behaviours, in a way that pyjamas on conference calls can’t.

Not just for new agers, aromatherapy is entering stores to retain customers, workplaces to increase productivity, and factories to reduce accidents.

The Bottom Line

Environments convey a message that can spell and lead to excellence.