Agile Montage

Usually, a lot us sit on tables when we work unless some of us are lucky enough to be working in bed or sanded on beach. Another important part of a daily work routine is meetings, which are often carried out in environments that have lots of tables and chairs. Constraints of Space Recently I observed that almost all of the meeting tables are either rectangular or square in shape. Round is not a shape that's very popular in corporate environments, unless it's in the cafeteria or kitchen. My very educated guess is that it is due to space constraints; architectural layouts of most buildings do not allow for massive round tables to be accomodated. It's just not an optimal utilization of space. Or so one would think unless (s)he has an experience I recently had. We were all, seven of to be precise, in a meetings on a rectangular table where one of the participants had a lot to share and discuss and comment upon. But the layout of the table and how the participants were sitting on it made it extremely difficult for the speaker to be able to make eye contact or even look at the person sitting to his immediate left or the right until he turned the chair a little bit to the side that made most sense, facing a little towards the person sitting at the head of the table, which positioned his back towards me. This not only took me out from his view but also cut down his decibles for me. Reaction and result; frustration and loss of attention and focus. I would, actually, have been better of being on a phone meeting because the voice at least would have been clearer. The Second City I would not have otherwise written about this seemingly immaterial topic, but an event made me change my mind. Just yesterday I spent 6 hours with a group called the Second City (http://www.secondcity.com/) that is basically a theatrical group which has launched such brilliant careers as John Belushi and Mike Myers. My interaction was with their training and communications group that teaches improvization, acting, and other other skills. During the workshop it became quite clear that the business world today is facing a major challenge that the Second City folks are being paid top dollars for. Corporate North America wants its work force to get better at communication and bring some quality to it. And we as participants of this workforce are ignorant of our shortcoming in communication and people skills. Back to the round table Having had the experience that I had at Second City, first and formost I would recommend it to every consultant. But one of the points that I took home was a firm conviction that the design of furniture and facilities has a major role to play in the success of people and companies. If it hasn't affected you yet, it will start to in the months and years to come ahead. Rectangular tables have now become not only an eyesore to me but also a big no-no. They project an image of unproductive, broadcast (one way conversation) kind of a meeting environment that glorifies hierarchy. Round tables, on the other hand, radiate collaboration, high-energy and flatness in the group, which is mantra for success in any modern business. Image taken from: http://www.engage-em.org.uk/index.php?tab=index