WORKPLACE STRATEGY
Every organization across all industries are challenged with the need for continuous innovation and agility to be successful. At SmithGroup, our workplace design strategy process assists organizations in identifying what their future looks like within their enterprise and how best to use both place and processes to create solutions that enable success.
Solving the right problems well always begins with asking the right questions. Collaborative and insightful, our process integrates strategy with design. Our approach provides a deep understanding of every client’s organization and, along with the sharing of best practices and insights, informs a unique strategy for each. Interdisciplinary design thinking allows us to create solutions for today’s evolving organizations. By thinking across expertise and integrating business acumen, we develop innovative strategies and design award-winning places that create success on our client’s terms.
PROJECTS
Ally Financial Regional Headquarters
A company’s office tells a story. At its new regional headquarters in Detroit, Ally Financial brings its brand story and the local community’s resurgence to life.
The firm’s award-winning market creates design solutions at every scale, from innovative small workspaces to complex corporate campus developments for public- and private-sector clients.
MEET OUR TEAM
Across a global network, we unite a diverse team of more than 200 Workplace specialists with decades of experience and expertise.
WORKPLACE STRATEGY LEADERSHIP
Alexis Kim, Principal Workplace Design Strategist
Alexis describes one of her roles as taking "a deeper dive to understand the strategic goals of a client. That informs the kind of design strategies that are more holistic to help propel them into the future." Alexis is pleased to see architecture evolving, "to respond to a changing world that is much more connected. We have a unique position as catalyst, connecting the physical world to business and people in a broader way."
Amy Clark, Workplace Strategist
Amy has examined the statistics: Some studies estimate Americans will spend about a third of the total hours of their life working. “So any opportunity to improve a workplace—its space, its technology, its culture—is an opportunity to improve someone’s work experience,” she suggests. “That can result in real, positive change not only for the employee and the company, but also for our culture and society at large.”
Bob Varga, Vice President, Architect
The Michigan chapter of the American Institute for Architects named Bob its "Young Architect of the Year" in 2010, and no wonder. Before age 40, he had already designed a long list of award-winning and memorable projects, including The Christman Building, the rehabilitation of a 1928 office building on the National Register of Historic Places that earned three LEED Platinum certifications.
OUR EXPERTS
SmithGroup was instrumental to the success of our client’s major metro area consolidation project; including programming 1,400 employees in 12 floors of vertical space, developing new space and furniture standards for use companywide and delivering a fresh, engaging workspace for current and future employees.
Dana English
Senior Vice President, JLL for Ally Financial Regional Headquarters Project
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
To Be or Not to Be…in the Office? This is not the Question - It's not easy to implement a hybrid work model and all of its complexities. However, organizations can no longer stick with existing processes and hope for the best if they are to remain successful. Now is the time to invest in changes that help companies move beyond ‘to be or not to be…in the office.’
Working Outside: A Critical in the New Ecosystem of Work - While working from home, many individuals became accustomed to having on-demand access to nature and the outdoors. Now, employers and building owners are exploring opportunities to create a new range of outdoor workspaces that help to attract and retain top talent and support personal well-being.
Reinforcing Workplace Culture and Community in a Hybrid Future - As companies grapple with how to rebuild their once tried-and-true organizational communities – which sometimes feel like they’ve been unraveling in slow motion before our eyes – or take strides to maintain and build upon the organizational cultures that have evolved over the last two years, firm leaders must revisit their corporate values and assess if there’s a need to refine their company’s ethos.
The World has Changed, So Should Our Approach to Work - Almost immediately after remote operations were initiated a year ago, SmithGroup’s firm leaders formed a Reintegration Task Force to prepare a comprehensive framework plan for safely returning employees to physical offices at a yet-to-be-determined date.
OFFICE DESIGN AFTER COVID-19
As the world adopts new ways of working in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, SmithGroup’s Workplace Leaders are helping clients develop holistic approaches for returning to the office.
If this conversation resonates with you, please fill out the form below to learn how SmithGroup can help solve your company’s challenges.
Mark Adams
Vice President, Workplace Practice Director
(480) 302-0568
mark.adams [at] smithgroup.com