Magazine

Workplace Wizard

November 1, 1999

Government Executive Strategic organizational planning must include real property considerations and have participation from facilities professionals. We are currently involved in several efforts to measure workplace productivity. We have to demonstrate how the integrated workplace impacts increased performance, because it can be more expensive to develop this kind of workplace. It may cost more than normal office space. We will be able to measure the return on investment as time goes by.

Stanley Langfeld is the director of the Real Property Division at the General Services Administration's Office of Governmentwide Policy. In an interview with, Langfeld discussed a new concept in federal management: the integrated workplace. A report on the concept is at policyworks.gov.

On the basics of the integrated workplace concept: The integrated workplace is a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to developing workspace. It draws upon all stakeholders, working in partnership with each other, and may include real property, human resources, IT/communications and finance people. It is a strategic property plan that is part of an organization's strategic business plan. The workspace grows out of the business plan, instead of forcing the business operations to conform to a predetermined work environment. The integrated workplace is developed from people's needs.

On how today's federal workplace compares with that vision: The federal workplace of the present is furniture- driven. Workspace usually consists of a workstation with a desk, file space, and circulation space. Managers try to get people into the smallest space possible to save money in the short term. Budget and procurement decisions should encourage and support solutions based on a life-cycle cost model rather than a first-cost model. In the vision of the integrated workplace, it's not just the space; it's the people, the space and the technology, which enables people to communicate and process the information needed for their work

On factors affecting workplace productivity: The aspects of the workplace that most affect productivity include:

Spatial equity, in which workspace does not compromise privacy, daylight and access to views;
Healthfulness, in which the workplace provides access to adequate air, light and water, and is free of harmful contaminants and excessive noise;
Flexibility, in which the configuration adapts readily to organizational and process changes;
Comfort, in which workers can control thermal, lighting, acoustic, and furniture systems for their comfort;
Technological connectivity, in which access to information and communication among co-workers in any location is easy;
Reliability, in which building, security and telecommunication systems are robust;
Sense of place, in which the workplace has a unique character, enabling a sense of pride, purpose and dedication for both the individual and the organization.

On measuring the workplace's effect on performance:

On the future of the workplace: White-collar federal workers are not destined to work in cubicles the rest of their lives. Federal executives and managers need to focus on the people who make up their workforce and the work processes these good people use to get their job done, rather than on space standards and furniture requirements.

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