Barker Street: Finding Purpose At Work

Purpose is one of six fundamental human needs that motivate us at work. Purpose drives us—as individuals and as organisations of individuals—toward improvement and fulfilment, and, ultimately, toward a more prosperous future. Human beings want and need meaningful work, and organizations need purpose-filled employees to solve problems, innovate, and grow.

Business leaders seeking to improve engagement and results at work are also looking for ways the designed environment can reflect and support a sense of purpose. As psychologist Barry Schwartz writes in Why We Work, “If we design workplaces that permit people to find meaning in their work, we will be designing a human nature that values work.”

Ongoing studies with Living Office Research Partners from a variety of industries demonstrate that forward-thinking organizations and their design partners are creating workplaces that support the need for purpose with designs that enhance communication, connection, and empowered action.

Make Space Communicate

Experience with our Living Office Research Partners suggests that workplaces in which objects, graphics, and furnishings are purposefully displayed across the landscape help people feel part of something larger than themselves. These symbols create a narrative that reinforces an organization’s purpose, so people feel stronger connections to it.

Empower Deliberate Action

Organizations that want to instil a sense of purpose among employees listen carefully to what their people say about their workplace needs. They subsequently support them by providing a choice of settings tailored to specific types of activities. Specialised settings designed to help people focus or interact empower people to passionately pursue organizational goals.

Connect People with Purpose (and each other)

Progressive organizations use the workplace to build relationships among their people. They also use these spaces to connect them with organisational goals and values. Many of the Living Office Research Partners provide carefully designed traffic paths to unite workers throughout the day. They also allocate space for central communal areas. These are equipped with enticing amenities and inspiring artefacts to align people around purpose, brand, and business goals. After implementing thoughtful design considerations such as this, employees and leaders at one of the research partners reported a 65-percent increase in the impact of workplace design on organizational culture.

Plan for Prosperity

What does all this add up to? We believe the sum total is prosperity. When people understand and harness their unique passions as individuals and apply this through the greater context and purpose of an organization, both can fulfil a holistic range of needs—from financial security to personal success.

Contact Barker Street if you are ready to create a streamlined office environment that promotes Purpose.