Strategic Workplaces: Driven by Culture

Assaí specialises in translating corporate strategy and culture

• into the spatial design of new workplace design, or

• the incremental improvement of the workplace during the process of churn.

Assaí's methodology incorporates the following steps:

• Elicit corporate strategy and workplace culture

• Construct a pattern language which describes a set of spatial strategies-from large-scale down to the detail-to implement corporate strategy or culture change through the design and operation of the workplace.

• Implement the pattern language in a design or facilities management system.

The first step typically involves briefings from senior management on the direction they want the organisation to take, an audit of the physical environment and an analysis of the manner in which the corporate strategy and culture are manifest in the present state.

This is followed by a series of workshops involving senior and operating management, in which the basic translation is mapped out. This workshop approach is important both in ensuring that the pattern language takes into account the full details of culture and work processes and that the operating management take ownership of the results.

These workshops are recorded and elaborated in a clear practical management framework: the pattern language for the organisation. The pattern language provides an explicit, detailed, strategic map for the implementation of corporate strategy and culture in the workplace. It can be used both to control the design and to monitor the operation of the workplace, and as a focus and record for continuous improvement activities.

Implementation is by standard architectural and construction methodologies.

Assaí has ISO9001-certified procedures and systems in place to ensure quality control on projects. Assaí's implementation philosophy is to use Quality Assurance to achieve tangible improvements in planning, monitoring, information handling and resource allocation, and to apply these to meet client milestones and budget expectations. Our broad international experience has given us the following strengths, which we bring to office design:

We're customer-oriented in design
Our approach to design is based on collaborative workshops in which we assist clients develop their own design concepts, tailored to their organisational culture and work practices.

We're systematic in implementation
We then implement these concepts systematically through team-based quality and project management.

We understand technology
We use it extensively. We research it. We've written about it.

We focus strongly on 'value for money'
We keep tight control over money, and ensure that each product and design choice is oriented towards delivering clients objectives as leanly as possible.