How will modern challenges influence our workplaces? We asked Bo Johansson, workplace strategist who is responsible for activity-based workplaces at the Swedish Transport Administration.
The Covid-19 pandemic has greatly affected the pace of change, but even before that there were several fascinating theories about what future workplaces would look like.
The Swedish Transport Administration started investing in activity-based offices as early as 2014 and in 2017 Bo Johansson was hired to lead the way forward. We asked him for his thoughts on ABW and the future.
Will we think differently about activity-based workplaces in the future?
Workflows are changing very quickly, so providing different types of working environments is key. I’m convinced that activity-based working is here to stay and will continue to evolve.. It’s a part of the natural development.
After several months of remote work, some people are longing to return to the office. At the same time, a majority want the flexibility to do both. What are your thoughts about what that looks like?
I think that the activity-based office will have an important role as a meeting space for collaboration and interaction between different groups within the organization. Individual work can be carried out remotely, while work related to new ideas, development and innovation are easier to do face to face.
What do you believe is the key to successful change management?
It’s important to always be open and transparent when communicating, even when discussing challenges. We need to dare to think outside the box.
A big thank you to Bo for answering our questions. We also believe that ABW is here to stay! What do you think? Please leave a comment of what you think!