design then, design now, design next - International Interior Design ...

4 downloads 304 Views 20MB Size Report
Chu, a college professor, witnesses this in her students. “They often tell me that things are happening too .... IIDA
20

IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

IIDA HQ CHICAGO, IL

DESIGN THEN, DESIGN NOW, DESIGN NEXT

2017 REPORT

DESIGN THEN, DESIGN NOW, DESIGN NEXT

CONTENTS SPEAKERS AND ATTENDEES............................................................................... 4 OVERVIEW................................................................................................................ 6 01 INDUSTRY LEADERS PREDICT THE FUTURE.......................................... 8 02 THE FUTURE IS A DESIGN PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED........................ 10 03 THE FUTURE IS NOW. GET ACQUAINTED WITH IT..............................12 04 THE FUTURE IS GLOBAL..............................................................................14 05 THE FUTURE OF PLACE ...............................................................................16 06 THE WORKPLACE WILL REMAIN TECHNOLOGY DEPENDENT........18 07 MAN VERSUS MACHINE..............................................................................20 08 THE HUMAN RESOURCE..............................................................................21 09 RECRUITMENT, MANAGEMENT, AND THE FIVE-GENERATION WORKPLACE............................................................22 10 THE FUTURE BELONGS TO MILLENNIALS.............................................24 11 OUR PROBLEMS BEGIN AND END WITH EDUCATION.......................26 12 WORK IS BECOMING INVISIBLE AND HYPERCONNECTED..............28 13 THE FUTURE IS UNPREDICTABLE............................................................30 RESOURCES.............................................................................................................31

© 2017 INTERNATIONAL INTERIOR DESIGN ASSOCIATION

SPEAKERS

PARTICIPANTS CORPORATE PARTICIPANTS Bentley Mills, Inc. Tom Peterson Midwest Vice President of Sales

Eileen Jones, IIDA, SEGD, AIGA, LEED AP As principal and global practice leader at Perkins+Will, Eileen provides branded environments services to global leaders in healthcare, education, corporate, and civic industries. She leads strategic research, community cultural interpretation, brand positioning, and design development efforts. Eileen is frequently recognized for brand design excellence, garnering multiple awards with her project teams, and she speaks regularly in educational and professional venues, advancing the ideas of branded environments and the innovative stories they tell.

4

Julie B. Cummings, SPHR, SHRM-SCP Currently the director of human resources at BKD, LLP, Julie has supported and led cross-functional teams and assisted organizations in developing and capitalizing on their strategic initiatives for more than 20 years. She has experience in several industries including manufacturing and distribution, financial, and professional services, providing valuable insight in managing mergers and acquisitions to ensure smooth transitions. She holds an MBA from Missouri State University, a Senior Professional in Human Resources certification from the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI), and a Senior Certified Professional certification from the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM).

2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

Jim Young Jim is the co-founder of Realcomm Conference Group, which produces Realcomm, IBcon, and CoRE Tech, the world’s leading conferences on technology, automated business solutions, intelligent buildings, and energy efficiency for the commercial and corporate real estate industry. As CEO, he leads the organization and interacts on a daily basis with global companies on some the most advanced and progressive next generation real estate projects under development.

Jim Ware, Ph.D. Jim is a professional speaker, a workplace futurist, and a meeting design strategist. A former Harvard Business School professor, he has focused his career on understanding what organizations must do to thrive in a rapidly changing world and enabling them to succeed. Jim is the founder and executive director of The Future of Work...unlimited, a research and advisory firm; the global research director for Occupiers Journal (publisher of Work&Place journal); and a partner in the London-based FutureWork Forum.

Crossville, Inc. Mark Shannon, Ind. IIDA Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing ESI Ergonomic Solutions Melissa Sopwith, Ind. IIDA Director of Marketing Haworth Diane Travis Workplace Design Supervisor | Strategic Response Studio Herman Miller Amy Storek, Ind. IIDA Vice President – North America A+D Sales Humanscale Jon Strassner, Ind. IIDA Director of Workplace Strategies

Mannington Roby Isaac Vice President of Commercial Design Milliken Stacy Walker, Ind. IIDA Director of Customer Experience The Mohawk Group Jackie Dettmar, Ind. IIDA VP Commercial Product Development & Design Shaw John Stephens, Ind. IIDA Vice President of Marketing Teknion Jennifer Busch, Hon. IIDA Vice President A&D Tuohy Furniture Corporation Daniel J. Tuohy, Ind. IIDA CEO / President Wilsonart Teresa Humphrey, Ind. IIDA Commercial National Account Manager

IIDA INTERNATIONAL BOARD MEMBERS Marlene M. Liriano, IIDA IIDA President IA Interior Architects, Managing Director Primo Orpilla, FIIDA IIDA President-Elect Studio O+A, President and Co-founder Edwin Beltran, IIDA IIDA Vice President NBBJ, Principal Julio Braga, FIIDA IIDA Vice President IA Interior Architects, Principal Gabrielle Bullock, IIDA, FAIA, NOMA, LEED AP BD+C IIDA Vice President Perkins+Will, Principal and Director of Global Diversity Susana Covarrubias, IIDA IIDA Vice President Gensler, Studio Director and Creative Director

Jeff Fenwick, Industry IIDA IIDA Vice President Tarkett North America, President and COO Scott Hierlinger, FIIDA IIDA Vice President Nelson, Design Director and Co-Principal James Kerrigan, IIDA IIDA Vice President Jacobs, Design Principal of Interiors Doug Shapiro, Industry IIDA IIDA Vice President OFS Brands, Vice President of Marketing

DESIGN PRACTITIONERS Annie Chu, IIDA, FAIA Chu + Gooding Architects, Principal Barbara Dunn, FIIDA Gensler, Principal

MODERATOR Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA Executive Vice President and CEO, International Interior Design Association

ON BEHALF OF IIDA Dennis Krause, Hon. IIDA Senior Vice President, International Interior Design Association Aisha Williams Senior Director of Industry Relations and Special Events, International Interior Design Association Louisa Fitzgerald Director of Content, International Interior Design Association Jen Renzi Report Editor

Hunter Kaiser, IIDA Hunter Kaiser : Creative for Life, CVO

The International Interior Design Association

We advocate for advancement in education, design

For more information,

(IIDA) is the Commercial Interior Design Association

excellence, legislation, leadership, accreditation, and

please visit iida.org.

with global reach. We support design professionals,

community outreach to increase the value and under-

industry affiliates, educators, students, firms,

standing of interior design as a profession

and their clients through our network of 15,000+

that enhances business value and positively impacts

members across 58 countries.

the health and well-being of people’s lives every day.

FACEBOOK /IIDAHQ

LINKEDIN /IIDA

INSTAGRAM /IIDA_HQ

TWITTER @IIDA_HQ

2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

5

OVERVIEW The 2017 IIDA industry roundtable, held on a seasonably cold January weekend in Chicago, marked the annual event’s 20th anniversary. To highlight the landmark occasion, IIDA enlisted four visionary speakers—including, for the first time, a human resources executive—to look backward and forward: to reflect on the past two decades of commercial interior design and to propose where the industry might be headed. Thought leaders contemplated what work, workers, and workplaces might be like in the near future. What resulted was a far-ranging and galvanizing dialogue among attendees that connected the dots between many previous roundtable topics: economic volatility, the rise of socially mediated millennials, diversity, evolving hiring practices, and more. And the conversation promises to continue. The event culminated with a challenge by workplace futurist Jim Ware, who encouraged industry leaders to ponder a few tough questions—and let their answers guide the future of the profession: • How and when will the commercial interior design industry experience disruption? • How can we be more intentional about creating the future? • How can we ensure that human knowledge of design practices is retained? What design processes should (and shouldn’t) we automate? • How should we be protecting our data? We need to be proactive and thoughtful about the future, he explained, to be more intentional and to take advantage of the opportunities we’re presented with. We need to not only embrace disruption but be the disruptors, to make bold and brave decisions and push back.

6

2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

7

01 INDUSTRY LEADERS PREDICT THE FUTURE

“Robotics assisting more in day-to-day tasks in design, implementation, and working ‘the actual floor’ for companies.”

Where do you see the interior design profession in 5 or 10 years? “SPACE WILL HAVE TO PERFORM AT A HIGHER LEVEL FOR EFFICIENCY, BUT ALSO FOR SELF CONTROL.”

“I see virtual reality being used by more companies in our industry. With such big investments in our work environments, it makes sense to be able to allow people to visualize the space in advance.”

—Hunter Kaiser, IIDA

—Melissa Sopwith, Ind. IIDA ​

“I believe that the profession will continue to thrive creatively. ”

“IN 10 YEARS, I HOPE TO SEE A PROFESSION THAT IS MUCH MORE ALIGNED WITH THE REAL ESTATE AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT COMMUNITIES, WITH ALL THREE COLLABORATING TOWARDS THE BEST AND MOST PROFITABLE OUTCOME FOR CLIENTS, WHICH INCLUDES THOUGHTFUL AND RELEVANT DESIGN SOLUTIONS.” —Jennifer Busch, Hon. IIDA​

—Roby Isaac

“WITH FURTHER TECHNOLOGY ENHANCEMENTS, I CAN SEE THE PROFESSION BECOMING INCREASINGLY DIGITAL, MOVING TO A CONSULTATIVE SERVICE OF MENU ITEMS MADE AVAILABLE TO A BROADER RANGE OF CUSTOMERS/CONSUMERS.” —Tom Peterson

“LEADERS IN TECHNOLOGY, SOUGHT OUT BY OTHER PROFESSIONS BECAUSE OF OUR THOUGHT PROCESS.” —Marlene Liriano, IIDA

“3D printing is already opening a world of possibilities, and we are not even close to seeing the potential unfold.”

“More competitors from outside the design industry will be trying to get into workplace: real estate CEOs, consulting firms, architects, etc.” —Primo Orpilla, FIIDA “AS A MANUFACTURER, IT IS MORE DIFFICULT TO PREDICT. I DO SEE THE POSSIBILITY OF A CLOSER AND MORE COLLABORATIVE EFFORT WITH THE DESIGNER IN THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO SEE INDIVIDUALIZATION OF PRODUCT TO MEET CUSTOMERS’ EXACT REQUIREMENTS. INSTEAD OF CUSTOM, PRODUCTS WILL BE PERSONALIZED.” —Dan Tuohy, Ind. IIDA

—Susana Covarrubias, IIDA

“I see an opportunity for a different relationship between interior designers and the organizations that need them—not always project focused but more integral to ongoing business needs. Workplace environments are getting much more iterative. Businesses can’t let their physical surroundings be a barrier to the highpaced change that the new economy will require.” —Doug Shapiro, Ind. IIDA

“INTERIOR DESIGN [AND ITS IMPACT ON] DETERMINING STAFFING AND WORK STRATEGIES WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT TO END-USE CLIENTS IN OTHER VERTICAL MARKETS—ESPECIALLY HEALTHCARE, WHERE THE WORK ENVIRONMENT IS SEEN AS A CONTRIBUTOR TO BETTER PATIENT CARE.” —Jeff Fenwick, Ind. IIDA

“THE PROFESSION WILL BE DEALING WITH A MORE SEVERE SHORTAGE OF MID TO SENIOR LEVEL DESIGNERS. THE POOL OF TALENT AT THIS LEVEL CONTINUES TO BE A STRUGGLE TO FIND, AND IF FOUND, RECRUIT AWAY. ” —Stacy Walker, Ind. IIDA 8

2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

“The tools for virtual collaboration will be much more robust and widely available and, as a result, a very small percentage of commercial projects will be developed by teams of people who are working in the same space, office, firm, or country.” —Julio Braga, FIIDA

—Teresa Humphrey, Ind. IIDA

“PROBABLY NO MORE DIVERSE THAN IT IS TODAY.” —Gabrielle Bullock, IIDA

“I think that interior design services will be offered more broadly and across a variety of different platforms, offering a la carte services, e-design, ‘pre-packaged’ solutions with ‘easy’ ordering and fulfillment. And as companies aim to make design solutions available to a broader audience, leveraging the internet for service and fulfillment, there will be an opportunity for design professionals to become deep knowledge experts and service providers around designing spaces and experiences— understanding the environmental, sociological, behavioral, and economic potential of design to help clients achieve their goals.” —Amy Storek, Ind. IIDA “MY READ IS THE INTERIOR DESIGN INDUSTRY IS GETTING HEALTHIER AND MORE DIVERSIFIED ALL THE TIME AS NEEDS FOR WORKPLACE AND ENVIRONMENTS CONTINUE TO CHANGE DUE TO THE EVOLVING WORKFORCE AND TECHNOLOGY. THIS WILL MAKE IT INCUMBENT FOR DESIGN TO PLAY A MAJOR ROLE.” —Mark Shannon, Ind. IIDA

“THE ROLE AND SERVICE WILL BE SEEN AS MORE VALUABLE TO ORGANIZATIONS AS THE IMPACT OF DESIGN AND THE PHYSICAL SPACE ON ACHIEVING MISSIONS WILL BE MORE CLEARLY UNDERSTOOD.” —John Stephens, Ind. IIDA

“A declining need for brand new buildings [will require] a greater emphasis on adapting existing stock. Buildings will be repurposed and repositioned as businesses’ commercial footprint shrinks. [Adaptive reuse] will involve a wider team of disciplines, which may create an intersection of scope that will require careful navigation of the relationship between architecture and interiors.” —James Kerrigan, IIDA

“IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS, THE INTERIOR DESIGN PROFESSION WILL HAVE EVOLVED TO PRACTITIONERS BECOMING EXPERT PROBLEM SOLVERS, CONNECTING EXPERTS IN TECHNOLOGY, THE ENVIRONMENT, AND ACTIVISTS IN SOCIAL CHANGE.” —Jon Strassner, Ind. IIDA

2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

9

02

THE FUTURE IS A DESIGN PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED

The weekend’s conversation kicked off with a rewind to 1997, the year the roundtable debuted. Many of the characteristics that define the current-day workplace took root at that time. “Twenty years ago, commercial interior design was experiencing a transformative shift,” said moderator Cheryl S. Durst. “We began asking how people work instead of where they should sit. We started to think beyond the job title and consider how people relate to one another in the workplace. We saw that work and life were overlapping in new ways. And, we recognized that good design is the solution for optimizing work and productivity in this new era.” After rehashing some of the cultural and technological highlights of the ’90s (and Titanic and Harry Potter), talk quickly turned to the immediate future. What lies ahead— and to what extent can we predict and prepare for it—were the questions everyone sought an answer to. After all, the future does not yet exist. “It’s not a matter of discovering the future,”

10

said Ware. “It’s a matter of inventing it.” Interior designers can and should play a major role in that effort. Given our unique skill set, knowledge base, humanist approach, and aptitude for critical thinking, the industry has an opportunity and a moral obligation to help solve the many global crises we face, from climate change to food scarcity. “We need to take a moon shot at what we want the world to be,” said Eileen Jones. She set the bar high: “What if every design and act of construction made the world a better place? What happens when we think about systems and infrastructure and community the same way we’re starting to think about buildings? Who says we can’t create a planet restored through the positive actions we take every day?” Twenty years ago, the word “sustainability” was not yet widespread, and the movement’s primary focus was on the use of eco-friendly materials, waste reduction, and establishing an organic, nature-informed aesthetic. In two short

2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

“IT’S NOT A MATTER OF DISCOVERING THE FUTURE. IT’S A MATTER OF INVENTING IT.” —JIM WARE

decades our standards for sustainability in the built environment have blossomed into a multivalent preoccupation with the health and wellness of the ecosystem and society. “Sustainability is woven into our expressions,” said Jones. We won’t have 20 more years to solve climate change. “We are eroding a lot of what we have known in the past as stable environments,” Jones warned. It’s time to bring design thinking to bear on solving civilization’s most pressing problems.

WHO SAYS WE CAN’T CREATE A PLANET RESTORED THROUGH THE POSITIVE ACTIONS WE TAKE EVERY DAY? 2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

11

03 THE FUTURE IS NOW. GET ACQUAINTED WITH IT Designers are hired to build the future: an office slated for habitation in six months, a new corporate campus that will take years to complete. Given the length of time required to plan and construct a space from the ground up, designers must anticipate what the world will be like when those spaces come online, and beyond. For a workplace, that means accounting for emerging technologies and equipment, new ways of working, how the corporate culture and labor force might evolve, and more. Clients need and expect us to stay two steps ahead of the curve. So how can industry members best educate themselves about what’s ahead? Jim Young proposed a few options: going to conferences such as Realcomm and SHRM, attending CES and other electronics trade shows, inviting tech companies to our offices to present leadingedge prototypes, and scrutinizing media coverage devoted to scientific and technological advancements. Even checking out the DARPA Twitter feed can provide some futurist perspective. Some of the innovations Young believes may impact the future of interior design and that he encouraged industry leaders to keep abreast of:

3D PRINTING The adoption of 3D printing has already shaken up traditional manufacturing and supply chains. The technology can be used to fabricate consumer goods and structures alike. “With 3D printing, a 40-story building can go up in 15 days,” said Young. The technology promises to speed up construction, enable greater customization and on-site adjustments, and will likely transform labor. There have already been landmark developments in the workplace arena: The world’s first 3D-printed office, designed by Gensler, was completed in Dubai last year.

AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES A number of Young’s clients are already accom12

modating the driverless car trend by eliminating or scaling back on-site parking and rethinking the curbside-to-front entry arrival sequence. “I’m not sure how far off in the future [the broad adoption of self-driving cars] is,” said Young, “but it’s likely unavoidable.” Indeed, in February Uber brokered a partnership with Daimler to build a specialized fleet of self-driving vehicles, an alliance that could rapidly advance access to the technology.

VIRTUAL CONCIERGE SERVICES This already ubiquitous technology is starting to infiltrate work environments, though it’s been slow to catch on. Jones also foresees broad applicability: “What if you were greeted [at the

2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

“YOU ARE DESIGNING FOR FIVE TO 10 YEARS OUT, AND THIS STUFF IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS. YOU HAVE TO BE WILLING TO ADMIT TO YOURSELF THAT, HOLY COW! THIS CRAZY STUFF IS HERE!” —JIM YOUNG

office every day] by a digital personal assistant? How would your workplace change to accommodate this technology?”

WEARABLES Nanotechnology and wearables will change how and when patients interface with doctors, as well as the design of their offices. “Fast forward three years: real-time monitoring— through sensored shorts, socks, shoes, bras—will be better [at diagnosing illnesses] than your own doctor,” said Young. Clunky diagnostic equipment in healthcare environments will be a thing of the past. “If you get hired to design a medical space for a 10- to 15-year lifespan, and you have a client who doesn’t believe in this stuff, ‘Oh, the X-ray machine is gonna go over there…’ then [you need to educate them and drive the change.]” Far from obviating the need to see a doctor,

GOOGLE THESE NOW Innovations and novelties that thought leaders name-dropped—and that are paving the way to the future:

wearables could enable a best-of-both-worlds scenario, combining the social benefits of a face-to-face visit and the boon of real-time data gathering. “Wearables can do the information gathering, allowing doctors to spend more time actually speaking to patients,” said Durst. “The social piece of medicine remains critical.” And irreplaceable.

VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY A combination of the two technologies is transforming how design concepts and schemes are presented to clients—to say nothing of the initial real estate hunt. Young noted that CBRE contracted with Google Earth to create immersive environments that obviate the need for office-hunters to tour every space they’re considering, saving time by honing down the list. Durst

noted that IIDA found its new headquarters this way: “I used VR glasses to eliminate about 10 spaces.”

TELEPRESENCE This genre of immersive virtual-reality-based technologies, with the aid of robots, helps create the feeling of being elsewhere—allowing people to attend off-site meetings and such “in person.” It’s like Skype or videoconferencing on speed. “Is the technology ready [for widespread adoption]? No,” said Young. “But should you be partnering with these companies so that, when it is ready, you can share with your most innovative client? Yes.” Offices could incorporate telemedicine portals, for instance, or enable virtual attendance at conferences. The technology’s most notorious proponent is political exile Edward Snowden, who makes frequent “appearances” in the U.S. via bot.

THE DIASPORA OF RETAIL Online and virtual shopping are already affecting highend bricks-and-mortar retail, which is in danger of extinction. “Kids these days”—who will be our clients in the not-too-distant future—“want to sit on their couch and try on clothes,” said Young. “Combine virtual shopping and 3D printing, and you’re gonna go to zero inventory.” Durst foresees a future where shopping portals are an amenity incorporated into the workspace. “A Guardian survey indicates that 30 percent of shopping happens at night—and 60 percent between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. That means most people are shopping at work! So do you fight that, or embrace it?” Young recommends the latter. “You can cut deals with retailers and create portals inside the office.”

Made in Space: A company pioneering 3D printing for use in anti-gravity environments. madeinspace.us

building infrastructure to communicate intelligently with each other, and is at the forefront of developing smart cities. living-planit.com

Moon Express: A commercial space company that is investigating the extraction of ice for potential use on Earth as a means to counteract global warming. moonexpress.com

Authentication pill technology: Motorola and Google are among the companies attempting to develop a stomach-acid-powered pill that, once swallowed, can transmit a password through your body to your fingers.

Crispr: The genome-editing tool capable of making synthetic DNA. StandardVision: A multimedia design company headquartered in Los Angeles that’s on the cutting edge of creating immersive environments. standardvision.com Living PlanIT: Among other innovations, this company has developed a smart operating system that enables

Navajo Bee Project: Uses native flora and fauna to bio-remediate toxic sites. Biocarbon Engineering: A company that uses drones and seedpods to promote healthy forestation. biocarbonengineering.com Zero-water agriculture: The future of sustainable farming. Tesla’s Solar Roof: These glass tiles look just like standard roof tiles when viewed from the street. tesla.com/solar 2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

13

WE MUST LOOK GLOBALLY AND ALIGN OURSELVES WITH WHAT’S GOING ON.

04

THE FUTURE IS GLOBAL Another way industry leaders can keep abreast of emerging technologies and innovations is by traveling to cities such as Shanghai, Mumbai, and Dubai. “They take the idea of yes to another level,” Young said. To understand best practices, we must look globally and align ourselves with what’s going on in the world. “Traveling to places like Seoul, where they are already living the digital lifestyle, is the best way to believe it’s going to happen here.” (Closer to home, try Toronto: “In my opinion, the most innovative city in North America,” Young said.) Why isn’t the U.S. in a leadership role when it comes to adopting emerging technologies—many of which we invented? Why aren’t we more innovative in practice? “Because we don’t have to be,” Young explained. “Necessity is the mother of invention. In Costa Rica, in the middle of nowhere, you find solar-powered LED-lit houses that are off the grid. Because they have to be. It takes people from other parts of the world to take our technology and really use it, and make it bigger.” Although designers can encourage clients to embrace leading-edge innovation, the majority are risk averse and want to see proof of concept; they don’t want to be guinea pigs. And will the recent immigration ban, still in flux at press time, keep even more innovation outside our country’s borders? It is quite likely, according to Silicon Valley companies who are pushing back forcefully against President Donald Trump’s agenda.

14

2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

15

05

“REAL-ESTATE TECH COMPANIES HAVE INVESTED BILLIONS IN DEVELOPING NEW WAYS TO TRANSACT, DESIGN, AND BUILD OFFICES—I.E., TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DISMANTLE EVERYTHING THAT YOU’VE SPENT YOUR CAREERS BUILDING.”

THE FUTURE OF PLACE

—JIM YOUNG

POPULATION: 2017:

7 BILLION 2050 (projected):

JUST UNDER 10 BILLION Young offered valuable insight about the intersection of real estate, space, and technology. He identified two phenomena that will have major consequences on the future of commercial real estate: 1) the continued disruption of supply chains in the face of digitization, and 2) a population boom that will strain natural and manmade resources to the brink, forcing buildings to be significantly more efficient from an energy and utilization perspective. The current population explosion, the effects of which are amplified by ever-increasing life expectancy, is exponential and unprecedented. “After being relatively

16

2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

ARABLE LAND ALREADY IN USE:

flat for thousands of years, population growth since 1800 has been a straight upward shot, from 1 to 7 billion,” said Young. “We need 10 planets to live the westernized lifestyle we’re accustomed to and that the rest of the world wants; we will not be able to have buildings that sit empty.” He points to hotels, which at any hour of the day are perhaps 30 percent occupied, and office buildings that sit empty all night. These spaces will have to be much better utilized to support our planet’s people. “I always ask clients, ‘Do you really need new space? How well are you using your existing space?’” said Young.

gone too far,” he said. “But Accenture has gone down to 15 square feet per person.” And CBRE has been rolling out its Office360 concept nationwide, a spatial solution that holds three times the amount of people as previous office designs. Advertising agency RG/A recently remodeled its own New York headquarters to abet hyperconnectivity—and now the firm has a consulting division advising clients on their own tech-centric redesigns. These are the sorts of realestate developments that could shake up the industry and chip away at our business or, for the savvy firm, be exploited as partnership opportunities.

Energy use is another ongoing concern. Even though buildings are unoccupied for large chunks of the day, they still have to be heated and cooled 24/7. Young has observed a stubborn resistance on the part of U.S. hotel operators even to use occupancy sensors in guest suites. “[Forcing the issue with your clients] would make energy efficiency a change management problem rather than a spatial problem.” He also advises that designers push the envelope on how electricity is delivered to a space. Low-voltage infrastructure and lighting and the next generation of high-efficiency solar energy could help us unplug from the grid, or even give back to it.

CO-WORKING AND THE NEW LEASING MODEL

Real estate needs are also shifting in lockstep with supply chains. “In every historical age, we created real estate to meet particular needs: farms and barns during the agrarian age, factories during the industrial era,” Young explained. “In the information age, we have bricks-and-mortar real estate being replaced by digital alternatives: from Blockbuster to Netflix, malls to Amazon. And their supply chains are being threatened, too, which will impact the kind of spaces we need to build.” Read: less on-site inventory and a larger distributed network of warehouses. Over the last 36 months, new technologies have redefined the workplace, Young asserted:

80%

2017

100% 2050 (projected)

FROM SMALL TO SMALLER Square footage allotment per person has shrunk to astronomically low figures. “Most companies went from 350 to 125 to 75 square feet per person, but then bounced back to 125, 225 once they realized they’d

Familiarize yourself with WeWork and Liquid Space, which are redefining corporate real estate by accommodating companies’ real-time workplace needs. These brands are already transforming how companies lease office space and secure conference rooms. Young marvels at how their concept kills two birds with one stone, matching demand with supply while also maximizing spatial efficiency. “WeWork is Uber for space: It’s 90 percent utilization,” he declared. Of course, it remains to be seen if their model is effective from a productivity standpoint. Providing square footage on demand is not the same thing as delivering a well-designed workspace tailored to an organization’s needs. “Are people getting their work done in these spaces? I don’t know! But this [signals] a shift in ownership of real estate,” said Young. Top investors are certainly taking note: The largest global tech fund announced in January that it is considering a $1 billion investment in WeWork, a business already valued at $17 billion. We would be foolish not to keep watch as well.

Q. HOW HAS SPACE CHANGED OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS?

A. “From a physical place to a visceral experience.” —Barbara Dunn, FIIDA “From global to regional. There’s been a revival of appreciation for the culture of origin.” —Jackie Dettmar, Ind. IIDA “Space is laden with more emotional resonance than before.” —Scott Hierlinger, FIIDA

SMART BUILDINGS AND PORTFOLIOS Smart buildings, in which the systems (energy, water, telecommunications, etc.) are integrated, are the wave of the future. The key for our industry will be to make buildings that are not only highly efficient operationally but also engaging to be in. The U.S. is leading the way in the category, said Young. “Other countries are coming here to see where smart building is.” 2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

17

06

THE WORKPLACE WILL REMAIN TECHNOLOGY DEPENDENT Over the last two decades, said Durst, “technology has been the largest driver of how we think and work.” The defining feature of how we think and work being, well, mobility. Laptops, Wi-Fi, iPhones, and videoconferencing are the tools that liberated work from the workplace, allowing employees to do their jobs from anywhere and everywhere—a practice we are still refining, codifying, measuring, and by all accounts imperfectly managing. J ones noted that the original iMac, unveiled almost 20 years ago, did far more than simply inject curves and a dose of candy color—“delivered through the lens of transparency” —to the office scape. “It made us rethink how we work, our perception of furniture, and what we needed to support that kind of equipment,” Jones explained. Accommodating technology, both hardware and its attendant cabling and power needs, will continue to be a spatial design challenge even as our gadgets get exponentially smaller, sleeker, more virtual, and more wireless.

18

2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

It is hard to predict what form the next era-defining technology will take. For every Google there’s a Netscape, hailed as the wave of the future but now obsolete. What we do know is that tomorrow’s disruptive tech will exemplify convergence: “when two or more things come together to form a new whole around a common focus,” as Jones explained. Take, for example, the iPhone, which combines so many features that its phone-calling capability can seem incidental. Motorola may have pioneered the mobile phone, but it was Apple who took the technology a step further and pioneered mobility. “They changed the game by converging all those extra functions and features to allow us to be truly untethered,” Jones said. Of course, technology can be a double-edged sword when it comes to productivity. On one hand, tools like videoconferencing and Revit can help us save time and boost efficiency. On the other, the pace of

technological change is so fast—a never-ending barrage of new operating systems, new hardware, new software, app updates—that we have to continually re-learn it, upgrading the hard drives in our heads. “Technology is constantly improving, but staying up to date takes effort and learning, and there’s a lot of inherent stress built it,” said Ware. “We are newbies every week!” Even bricks-and-mortar real estate is forced to play catch-up to technology. “The average life of a building is about 60 to 80 years,” explained Young. “But a structure will inevitably be [defined by] whatever technology was available when it was designed. One of the challenges we face in commercial real estate is accommodating rapid technological change.” That calls for foresight and flexibility. “We need to design buildings, cities, and communities that can change and adapt,” explained Jones. “We need to design environments with built-in resilience.”

2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

19

07

MAN VERSUS MACHINE

One of the most promising but existentially ominous technologies that will likely affect all industries and occupations, including our own, is artificial intelligence: the next generation of computing, where machines learn on their own, from our data. As an indication of how advanced the technology is, the AI program DeepMind AlphaGo recently beat the world champion of Go, a highly complex game involving almost infinite iterations. Man’s defeat at the hand of machine in such an intellectual arena happened a good decade before scientists predicted it would. Shortly after AlphaGo’s victory, top tech companies including Microsoft and

08 THE HUMAN RESOURCE Google created the Partnership on Artificial Intelligence to Benefit People and Society, a public consortium to keep the technology in check. “Bill Gates, Stephen Hawking, and Warren Buffett are all on record saying that if we don’t control AI, it could destroy humanity,” Young warned. At the very least, it promises to seriously steal more jobs and potentially undermine an already fragile economy. “AI can [already] replace a $350,000-year Wall Street analyst,” Young noted. And, as Christopher Moyer wrote in The Atlantic: “The important thing…is not that DeepMind’s AI can learn to conquer Go, but that by extension it can learn to conquer anything easier than Go—which amounts to a lot of things. The ways in which we might apply these revolutionary advances in machine learning—in machines’ ability to mimic human creativity and intuition—are virtually endless.” Moving forward, we need to be careful and intentional about what we choose to automate and augment and what we protect as the unique capabilities of humans. “We are losing human knowledge about some pretty basic processes,” Ware warned. “There are assumptions built into every software. We are possibly embedding bad practices that are hard to undo.”

Ware is among the pundits who are convinced that, over time, automation creates more jobs than it kills; after all, it takes people to create, implement, and reprogram the technology that we are so reliant on. But those newly created jobs are of a very different stripe, requiring a more honed and higherlevel skill set: computer savvy, critical thinking, and an ability to analyze. “It’s much more difficult to find someone who can figure out how to adapt or modify a complex technology, someone who can be innovative,” said Julie B. Cummings. “They are jobs requiring innovation and creativity—people who can collaborate and think outside the box.” She describes this as a shift from transactional to tacit jobs, meaning that knowledge cannot be transferred so easily from one person to another. A New York Times article in January described just this phenomenon—particularly manufacturers having a hard time finding enough employees qualified for today’s factory jobs: “…At John Deere dealerships, which repair million-dollar farming machinery filled with several dozen computers….fixing tractors and grain harvesters now requires advanced math and comprehension skills and the ability to solve problems on the fly.”

Fighting to keep manufacturing jobs in the U.S. is not enough to boost the economy if our labor force remains undereducated and underqualified to fill them. In his farewell address, President Obama contended that automation, not globalization, has been the root cause of job drain. For now, at least, creative problem solving is man’s competitive advantage over machine. “We have to hold onto the value of the human experience,” said Annie Chu. “We need to be that creative person that can synthesize neuroscience, psychology, etc. and look beyond data to the meaning.” Edwin Beltran echoed that sentiment, adding, “The interior design bandwidth needs to expand. In addition to the expressive mediums, we also need to understand ecology, psychology, and sociology”—and how they interweave. Pressure’s on. Of course, a culture that prizes creativity as the last bastion of humanism has positive implications for our own industry. “Design could be the most sought-after job: We can do what artificial intelligence cannot,” said Doug Shapiro. Indeed, a McKinsey-authored report, “Where Machines Could Replace Humans— And Where They Can’t (Yet),” discovered that the jobs least vulnerable to automation are those that involve decision-making, people management, and creativity. Such jobs comprised a mere 21 percent of the 800 they surveyed.

“THE INTERNET IS A DATABANK AND A RESOURCE, BUT WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THAT INFORMATION IS WHAT WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT NEXT.” —EILEEN JONES, IIDA

“WE NEED TO HARNESS TECHNOLOGY TO WORK FOR HUMANITY AND NOT AGAINST IT.” —CHERYL S. DURST, HON. FIIDA

20

2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

21

09

RECRUITMENT, MANAGEMENT, AND THE FIVE-GENERATION WORKPLACE

“WHOEVER ‘WINS’ THE FUTURE IS WHO AMPLIFIES AND MAXIMIZES PEOPLE.” —CHERYL S. DURST, HON. FIIDA

22

2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

So how do designers and manufacturers find employees qualified for the ever more complex jobs in our own industry? Twenty years ago, an executive assistant could post a listing on Monster.com and take their pick of the most promising applicants. “It was a one-sided process, and candidates didn’t push back,” explained Cummings. Now, human resources is a professionalized field, and those execs are navigating a social recruiting environment. “It’s all about reaching

new audiences and developing relationships on Dice, Twitter, and Glassdoor to attract people to our brand,” said Cummings. “The interview is collaborative, and benefits are no longer one-size-fits-all.” A more complicated and protracted hiring process is necessary to earmark the right candidates, those who align with the organization’s core values, priorities, and culture and have the highly specific skill set employers are inevitably looking for. These days, HR executives are also saddled with negotiating conflicts that stem from intergenerational disparity in work and communication styles, and differing value sets and perceptions of authority. Those conflicts will only become more prevalent as the millennials flood the work force, Gen Xers continue to be underrepresented (working for themselves in droves), and the “veterans,” many of whom lost money in the recession, delay retirement. (And, as Young pointed out, upward-trending life expectancy rates practically guarantee people will be working longer, well into their 90s.)

Industry leaders described workplaces in which each demographic bracket feels disrespected, or at least underappreciated, by the others. “I don’t see millennials accepting the wisdom and the effort of the older generations,” said Gabrielle Bullock. “They’re like, ‘I want your job tomorrow, just give me the chance, I don’t need the 30 years of experience.’” Millennials chafe against a top-down management style that gives short shrift to their skills and talents. Gen Xers and baby boomers, meanwhile, see underlings rewarded for their ambition, and are left to question their own blind acceptance of the corporate ladder climb, even while they are wont to reinforce it. Cummings stressed how important it is that we all try to get along and understand each other. “You have to learn to communicate differently and to find and engage common ground,” said Cummings. “We need to advocate for and support diversity of thought.” She offered a primer on the defining characteristics of each demographic, so we can get to know each other better:

MATURES/ VETERANS (THOSE BORN BEFORE 1946): This generation is transitioning out of the workplace but is still present in the office. “They lost a lot of stocks and retirement in the recession, and many still need to work.” • Defining traits: loyalty, discipline, sacrifice, and respect for authority • Tech of the times: fax machine

BABY BOOMERS (1946-64):

GENERATION X (1965-80):

This generation worked long hours in a hierarchical environment to climb the vertical ladder.

Gen Xers crave independence and the elusive work/life balance in equal measure. “They are more inclined than their elders to have been raised by two working parents; many were latchkey kids,” Cummings explained. Economic instability characterized their entry into the workforce; as a result, loyalty to employers fell by the wayside. “They witnessed the generation above them with nothing but a pink slip to show for their hard work.” As a result, many have chosen a self-employment path where they can set their own parameters.

• Defining traits: competitive, hard working • Tech of the times: personal computer

GENERATION Y, I.E. MILLENNIALS (1981-2000): The generation’s particularities are well documented—especially their need for immediacy and prioritization of community service, tolerance, and diversity. They’ve had a tough entry into the workforce, courtesy of the recession. Sometimes referred to as the “trophy generation.” • Defining trait: immediacy

GENERATION Z (AFTER 2001): The most cyberliterate generation. “They’ve been online since preschool; they’ve never not been exposed to technology,” said Cummings. They will soon start graduating from high school and entering the workforce in earnest. • Defining traits: hyperconnectivity, mobility • Tech of the times: iPhone apps

• Tech of the times: social media (Facebook) and Google

• Defining trait: self-reliance • Tech of the times: mobile phone

2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

23

10

THE FUTURE BELONGS TO MILLENNIALS The generation born during the 1980s is already in or reaching its 30s, and its members have already begun assuming leadership roles. Per the Pew Research Center, millennials constitute the largest percentage of the labor force, at more than 33 percent. Their hegemony is a new phenomenon. “The notion of a predominant generation in the workplace was not so much the conversation in the late ’90s, although the shift was starting to happen,” explained Durst. “Back then, the boomers were the predominant ones, although not identified as such.” These digital-savvy upstarts are already agitating for leadership positions in their workplaces, making up in drive, chutzpah, and tech know-how what they may lack in job experience (and, by all accounts communication skills). They do not put much stock in the traditional corporate climb, although their sideways career trajectories often expose them to a broader range of departments and provide useful context and perspective. “Young ’uns move back and forth a lot—it’s more of a lattice than a

ladder,” Cummings explained. “When key leadership positions come up, they can pull in different operational understanding. It may take them a little longer [to rise in an organization], but in the meantime they can dabble and hone an understanding about the overall.” One that’s quite valuable. But industry leaders feared that, with older generations aging out and Gen Xers going off on their own, millennials would need to step up to the plate sooner than they are ready. Though ambitious, they have a lot to learn still, and organizations are doing a subpar job of knowledge transfer. “Millennials are eager, but the skill set, the failures, and the professional buildup is not there yet,” said Cummings. The burden is on higher-ups to start teaching their underlings professional skills earlier. Employers have to get creative—and a bit uncomfortable. “What situation can we create that still engages the older generation and develops the successor? Maybe part-time or seasonal work that allows veterans to travel: ‘OK, in the

winters you can work remotely in St. Thomas for three hours a day.’” Or consider a lower associate-to-partner ratio so knowledge can be more easily handed down. Millennials have demands and different expectations of loyalty and work/life balance, which is requiring us to think differently, said Cummings. Here are some ways we might engage them:

CHANGE YOUR COMMUNICATION STYLE Millennials tend to think the workplace should change to accommodate their desires, meaning managers should adjust their leadership style accordingly. “Millennials expect leaders to alter the way we communicate,” said Bullock. “Learning how to communicate across generations is the biggest challenge in our offices.” Although others huffily agreed with that sentiment, Cummings issued a wake-up call. Unfortunately for millennials’ exasperated superiors, underlings “don’t have to accommodate to your style of leadership. Boomers do have to change the way they communicate. To be a good leader means adjusting communication styles depending on whom you’re talking to, so you can relate to anyone.” That being said, millennials must also make adjustments, and learn the nuances of professional interaction and communication, from body language to speaking and writing tone. But they’re not going to learn those soft skills without an assist from above.

EXPLAIN THE WHY Millennials often challenge authority, questioning received wisdom and protocol. Their superiors interpret this as disrespectful and rebellious, but the pushback may simply stem from not understanding the meaning and value of actions we’re trying to enforce. Cummings advised teaching a reluctant employee why it’s sometimes necessary to, say, be the yes man and do what the client asks—simply because the client asked. “Encourage them to think of the value the client provides, the revenue generated from that client, how long the client has been with your firm. Communicate why doing things this way is important, and how this affects the business. If they still push back, then you

24

2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

can lay down the law and say, ‘Well, I’m the leader and it needs to be done.’ But if they feel like they’re adding value, they’re generally going to comply.” Who knows: The act of explaining and breaking down the nuances of corporate protocol may spur leaders to rethink certain entrenched assumptions that in hindsight don’t make so much sense.

HELP THEM SUCCEED AT FAILURE Many roundtable participants noted that the 30-andunder set doesn’t handle failure well and is thin-skinned, which affects workplace performance. Durst noted that the top 10 business titles in 2016 were about failing: “failing gracefully, accepting failure, benefiting from failure, etc.” She and Cummings advised leveraging failure by using it as a teachable moment. Employers can provide younger staffers safe opportunities to mess up and learn on the job—although that’s easier said than done. “A central tenet of leadership is how much rope to give people,” said Ware. Cummings proposed allowing young staffers to lead in-house presentations to prep them for spearheading client-facing meetings. “Pull them aside afterward to give them input. This generation loves social learning and collaboration, and they value feedback. They crave opportunities to learn new skills and think differently.” We need to feed that hunger, not dismiss it as uppity.

“ALL WORKPLACE CONVERSATIONS START WITH MILLENNIALS AND THE SHORTAGE OF GEN XERS.” —JIM YOUNG

TAILOR YOUR BENEFITS PACKAGE “Benefits are no longer one-size-fits-all,” said Cummings. Millennials expect a lot of perks, but it’s not always possible or financially feasible for a company to provide them. “We have to do a lot of analysis to determine what make sense to our people and gives us the biggest return on investment. What do employees really want? Is it a longer maternity leave—or is it more about being supported after they’ve become parents, to make the transition successful? Anyone can give you time off, but we will work hard to make sure you can successfully transition back.”

2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

25

11

OUR PROBLEMS BEGIN AND END WITH EDUCATION Mobility has sped up the pace of work, but it’s a double-edged sword: greater productivity, less thinking. Chu, a college professor, witnesses this in her students. “They often tell me that things are happening too fast and they don’t have time to think.” Indeed, the younger generation is not being taught how to think critically. This has dire implications for our industry, one that depends on a high level of creativity and innovation. It means a labor pool less equipped to problem solve—and greater competition for that smaller pool of qualified applicants. “There is a growing intellectual disparity between the tech elite and the rest of the populace,” said Young. Silicon Valley was founded on superior math skills (plus a heady dose of science and creativity), but the future of innovation in our country may rest on a generation of students less educated than their elders. Our students are currently ranked 40th in math. What was a rigorous high school education is now the freshman year curriculum at the average state school. The American education system is in trouble. We are able to teach machines how to learn, but we are having increasing difficulty teaching real kids how to learn. How did this happen to a former education powerhouse? “The U.S. has been an indulged consumer culture for the last 80 to 100 years. We’ve taken our eye off the ball,” said Young. “Our best defense is to get as smart as we can. Fixing the education system would solve every problem.” In this cultural landscape, the burden of higher education is shifting to employers. “Undergraduate education is now being transferred to corporations: Your advanced degree now happens where you work,” said Durst. Dream of becoming an expert in supply chain distribution? Get a job at Amazon. “Education is transforming into life-long learning,” said Barbara Dunn. Millennials have proved eager to continue their education on the job, with such benefits providing a major draw. “When recruiting, we talk to candidates about how many hours we commit to continuing ed, and how they can choose what’s applicable to them,” said Cummings. But in today’s world, the most critical skill to learn, she asserted, is how to teach yourself.

26

2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

FIXING THE EDUCATION SYSTEM WOULD SOLVE EVERY PROBLEM 2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

27

12

WORK IS BECOMING INVISIBLE AND HYPERCONNECTED

With sensors and big data, much that was formerly unmeasurable—productivity, for instance—we can see, or at least track or calculate, today. Yet in contemplating what “work” will look like in 20 years, Ware used the word invisible: “Digitization is creating a second economy that’s vast, automatic, and invisible. As we augment or automate work, we can’t see it any longer.” Meaning it’s all too easy to lose awareness of it—something we need to cultivate. At the same time, work is becoming ever more enmeshed with downtime. “Soon, work will no longer be a defined structure but very blended with life. It is becoming increasingly location independent and globally distributed.” In addition, mobile technologies have allowed us to stay connected while becoming more physically dispersed, even when working under the same roof. A mere decade ago, mobility meant that you were able to connect into the office if you were home with a sick kid. Now, you can be on the road for a week and telecommute in, connect with the office via WebEx in the airport. “Co-workers will become more of a collection of individuals that can connect when needed,” said Ware. Turns out we connect a lot in the network age, distinguished by rich, massively

collaborative networks and open-source problem solving. “If a millennial wants help with something, they throw it out to the world,” said Ware. “In the internet age, no one person is smarter than everyone: Knowledge is far too complex and distributed for any one of us to [master].” But telecommuting is not for everyone; some work well at home, others are far from productive. Do we overstate its effectiveness? The answer depends on a number of factors, from the type of work you’re doing to the kind of worker you are. But there is promising research that working remotely can be quite effective—and cost-effective for employers. Cummings sited a study of airline call center staffers, in which some reservationists were allowed to work from home. “Those who were not working in a call center, surrounded by thousands of people on headsets, got higher survey scores, demonstrating that they were more responsive.” At the very least, such research should help convince the most conservative employers that telecommuting is a viable option and can, under the right circumstances, boost productivity. And also help loosen the stillentrenched perception that if you’re not at your desk, you’re not working. And while there is a strong argument for physical presence in the workplace leading to a higher level of engagement, there is an equally strong case for the opposite. “The major thing is engagement,” said Ware. “Employees who are allowed to work from home are told they are being trusted.” Said Cummings, “To have successful results [in implementing a remote-working policy], you have to ask, ‘Who is the right person to work remotely, and how do you evaluate those characteristics?’ Is it about drive and discipline? We know people working from home can have access to just as much tech as in the office, but the fact remains that we don’t know how to manage people remotely very well. Ask what outcomes you want, and determine how to communicate and measure them. We have to learn how to manage employees by outcomes.”

28

2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

29

13

THE FUTURE IS UNPREDICTABLE

The four speakers emphasized that the future, though visible, is not yet in focus. In making predictions, we have the tendency to extrapolate forward from the now in a linear fashion. But the trajectory from today to tomorrow is not typically a straight shot, and ruptures often occur. “Technologies and advancements will become available to us that none of us would have imagined,” said Ware. As history has repeatedly proven, our ability to accurately predict what’s on the horizon, in particular the defining technologies, is limited. To wit: “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers,” IBM president Thomas Watson said in 1943. Little did he anticipate that, 70-odd years later, some 2 billion people would carry a personal computer, in the form of a smartphone, in their pocket at all times. Although we cannot accurately predict what the future holds, there are means of identifying the possible futures. Ware offered a framework for thinking ahead:

• Cultivate peripheral vision. “As you stand on the horizon, you never know what’s going to show up,” Ware cautions. So do your research, be open to a broad swath of intel, and be attentive to developments and innovations that may seem unrelated to what you do. “Things you don’t think are going to be important might prove to be.” • Embrace disruption. In The Innovator’s Dilemma, Clayton Christensen explains that when new technologies are being adopted, there’s an initial dip in efficiency before it rises. “This is the crucial period where you may need to hedge your bets,” said Ware. Not everyone is OK with that. He cited Kodak as a cautionary tale: “They invented digital photography but were too invested in their old technology to move forward.” • Tell stories about tomorrow. “I like to engage clients in scenario planning,” said Ware. “Pretend the future is going to go this way or that way, and then tell a story. That’s far more compelling than data.” • Build a shared vision. In The Future of Management and What Matters Now, management theorist Gary Hamel wrote that executives typically devote less than one day a week to thinking about the future—only half of that time on the future of the company specifically. “In most companies, leadership spends less than 3 percent of their time on building and sharing a vision of the future,” said Ware. To stay current, we need to spend more time contemplating what’s next, to be aware of developments, and act intentionally.

RESOURCES “THE DESIGNERS WHO SUCCEED WILL BE THE ONES WHO CAN REACT TO WHAT’S HAPPENING, PIVOT TO CHANGE, OPTIMIZE, AND REINVENT.”

Articles, links, and books for additional reading:

—BARBARA DUNN, FIIDA

“What You Should Know About Workplace360” http://www.cbre.us/services/brokerage/AssetLibrary/Issue%204_WorkplaceWire_What%20You%20Should%20Know%20About%20Workplace360.pdf

Simon Sinek: Millennials in the Workplace talk “Where Machines Could Replace Humans—and Where They Can’t (Yet)” http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/digital-mckinsey/our-insights/where-machines-could-replace-humans-and-where-they-cant-yet “R/GA Moves Into The World’s Most Connected Office” http://www.forbes.com/sites/michellegreenwald/2016/05/23/rgamoves-into-to-the-worlds-most-connected-office/#707cba576515

“The Smartest Building in the World: Inside the connected future of architecture” https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2015-the-edge-the-worldsgreenest-building/ “IT for Healthcare: The importance of low-voltage infrastructure” http://www.constructionspecifier.com/it-for-healthcare-the-importance-of-low-voltage-infrastructure/ “Edward Snowden’s Life As a Robot” http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/06/edward-snowden-lifeas-a-robot.html “First 3-D-Printed Office Building Rises in Dubai” http://www.interiordesign.net/projects/12562-first-3-d-printed-officebuilding-rises-in-dubai/ “How Google’s AlphaGo Beat a Go World Champion: Inside a man-versus-machine showdown” https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/03/the-invisible-opponent/475611/ “Wanted: Factory Workers, Degree Required” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/30/education/edlife/factory-workers-college-degree-apprenticeships.html IIDA Industry Roundtable Graphic Artist, Jim Nuttle http://www.iida.org/content.cfm/ir-20-charts

Photo Credits: Cover: Tom Merton/Getty Images P6-7: Photo by Ezra Bailey/ Getty Images P8: Norman Posselt/Getty Images P8: Hero Images/Getty Images P8: rilueda/iStock P9: monsitj/Thinkstock P9: Rawpixel/Thinkstock P9: Ociacia/Thinkstock P10-11: Rosan Harmens/Unsplash P12-13: Thomas Barwick/ Getty Images P14-15: SeanPavonePhoto/ Thinkstock P16: Kimon Maritz/Unsplash P16: Ivo de Bruijn/Stocksy P18-19: Caiaimage/Paul Bradbury/ Getty Images

30

2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

P20-21: muratsenel/iStock P20: FatCamera/iStock P22: Tom Chance/Westend61/ Offset P23: Erickson Stock/Offset P23: Maskot /Offset P23: Porta/iStock P23: Cavan Images/Offset P23: sturti/iStock P24: Cavan Images/Offset P25: Simone Becchetti/Stocksy P26-27: Tamarcus Brown/ Unsplash P28: Maskot /Unsplash P28-29: Hero Images/ Getty Images P30-31: fotovampir/iStock

2017 REPORT | IIDA INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 20

31

IIDA Headquarters | 111 E. Wacker Drive, Suite 222 | Chicago, IL 60601 | 312.467.1950 | iida.org