Goott hing` do come in snall packages. Just ask rcsearch scientists

Goottthing' do comein snall
packages.Justaskrcsearch
scientistsat biotechnologltim
Hybfitechlncoryonted.
An eight-nenhetcancer
rcsearchtean ncked up such
imprcssiveprcdactitiv gains
altet novinginto thetuGonpact
Pesonalflafi ot* workspaces
thatyoacouldn'tget then oat
nowwitha uovbat.
H y b rite ch
Ca se
tllfice lurnitarcwrc notonDon
passes
popquiz.
Steelcase
Eilnnb nind thatcol.ldal backin
Grimm
andfourmembers
ofhistop
management
leamtraveled
withLange
to
'0urmainobjecSteelcase
headquarters,
tivewasto quizSteelcase
executives
face
processes,"
t0faceabout
theirquality
says
quality
BillCrean,
Hybritech's
consultant.
Andtheyweren't
disappointed.
January
1992whenhe stepped
oll
theSteelcase
corporate
ietandinto
ErandBapids,
Michigan.
ln lact, it
wasn'tevenonhisagenda.
Ailnn wasona qualityquest.
ChaimanoI biotechnology
tim
Hybfitech
lncoryonted,a San
Diego,Calitomia-based
suhsidiary
giantEliLiilh he
ol phannaceutical
wanhdto seeiustwhatkindot
conpanyhe'dheenbuyingSefies
9000wotkstations
ttun.
"Donis YeryqualityGonscious,"
saysnoyLange,accountnanager
at Steelcase
dealetBKM,San
Diego."lte oftenrisifsvendo,s
to
seethattlyhtihchis dealingwith
Gonpanies
whoarceqaailyqaality
conscioas.
ButwhenDonretatned
tnn a yisitto outconpetitionand
wantedtoknowwhyHybtihch
wasn'two*ingwiththen,I thought
it wastine hehadan in.depth
look
at Steelcase."
Steelcase
executives
described
their
procompany's
methods
forconsistently
ducing
reliable,
furniture.
durable
They
touredHybrltech
through
theContext
facpointed
toryand
outhowemployees
processes
goods
monitor
andinspect
production
thr0ughout
cycles.
Hybritech
could
seeforthemselves
thehighlevel
of
pride.
employee
Stu d y
A common work arca run be rustomized wirl.
mobile tables that pull apan for simuhaneous
meetings, mobilc partitions that offer Ereatel
pivacy during simubaneous meetings, and mobile
easels that go onywhere.
Grimm
likedeverything
hesawespecially
Personal
Harbor.
Heeven
tried
Then,
a couple
olfolksfromR&Dmet
ordering
200ol them.
Forasfatewould
withthevisitors
andfilled
theirheads
with
have
it,he'dbeen
mulling
a shifttroma
factsandtigures
workplace
about
trends.
product
process
linear
development
to
Thechemistry
wassogoodthatSteelcase
dedicated,
cross-f
unctional
teams.
The
t00kHybritech
onanunplanned
tripdown
product
average
biotech
takes
11years
tothebasement,
through
locked
doors,
fromconcept
tofinancial
break-even,
and
andintotheworldof Personal
Harbor"
Grimm
wanted
to slash
thatcycle
timeby
products,
andcommons'"
a prototype
70percent.
Putting
employees
incrossenvironment
ofprivate,
one-person
work
lunctional
ormultidisciplinary
teams
would
booths
surrounding
a communal,
meeting
help.Putting
theteamtogether
inPersonal
atea.
Harbor
andCommons
would
beaneven
greater
asset.
Steelcase
designed
Personal
Harbor
products
andCommons
aspartofthe
"l knew
instantly
it would
have
a posicompany's
on-going
exploration
into
tiveimpact
0nourbusiness,"
saysGrimm.
emerging
w0rkplace
issues.
Through
their
"0urscientists
have
twoworkspacesWorldwide
officeEnvironment
Index,
otlices
andlabs.
They
spend
mostoftheir
Steelcase
hastracked
a shiftinAmerican
timeinlabsanddon'treally
need
aslarge
business
toward
teamwork.
Personal
anoffice
asthey've
traditionally
been
products
Harbor
andCommons
address
given.
I thought
Personal
Harbor
would
privacy
thevaryinglevelsof
andcommunihelpusreduce
space
costs,
improve
space
cation
needed
bythese
increasing
numbers
utilizati0n,
andimpact
workllowina posiofemployees
whomustspend
some
time
tiveway."
working
alone
andsome
timetogether
in
Buttheproduct
wasstillunder
develteams.
opment
andSteelcase
hadnoplans
to
market
it.
"This environment has completely
changed how work gets done."
Don
Grimm,
Chairman
Pe$onal Haftor occupantscan nrylighting lev
els cotdoirflott, close o po&et doorfor conplete
pivacf, a,1dlook out ct tri dow into their sharcd
ttork arca. hldi,idualr ceded sis ilcan s(tuare
foot.tge )rhen tlrc'"novedfrom workstationsnto
PeNTMI Harbor wfispaces, but ther note than
Bairletlit witll th?it cotn 0t1s.
guinea
pigs.
Scientists
hecome
howit couldfacilitate
0urnewwayoI working,themoreI realized
howperfect
it was
lorourteam."
Senior
research
scientist
Bruce
Meiklejohn,
Ph.D.,
wasn't
so
sure,
either.
putHybritech's
Steelcase
name
ona list
"l'ma packrat,"hesays.
"l liketo have
all
0ltestsiteapplicants.
Andoneyearlater,
papers
my
and
tools
easily
at
my
disposal,
gavehisblessing,
Shamel
wasforming
andSteelcase
itslirst
,ustasHybritech
and
I
was
afraid
Harbor
would
be
too
andLange
cross-f
wenttotheteam.
unctional
teams,
aneightSteelcase
was
"
small.
group
readying
member
representing
Personal
Harbor
research
Jorrelease.
and
development,
They'd
whittled
clinical
theirlistol applicants
regulatory,
operafrom
Theteamagreed
Personal
Harbor
sujted
100to nine,
lions,andmarketing.
andHybritech
wasnumber
theirnewwayofworking.
Sotheysetasjde
one.WasHybritech
stillinterested?
Yes!
theirskepticism
andmoved
intoa 780-sq."This
teamisa high-powered,
high-tech
ft.
quickly
r00m
which
they
"the
dubbed
group,
Lange
hall0fwhom
andsomeSteelcase
arePh.D.s,"
R&Dfolks
noles
dorm".
Theunitswerearranged
around
"W0rkplace
project
Lange.
metwithHybritech
issues
andfurniture
directors
who
three
sjdes
of
the
room.
Remaining
space
issues
wereforming
arenotamong
newteams.
theirdailyconcerns.
Lange
and
became
theircommons,
theirdedicated
They
Steelcase
areused
to conducting
discussed
research,
workllowconcepts
and
meeting
area.
0nly
this
team
canusethe
andmethods
forpr0moting
themto beguinea
communica- herewewereasking
c0mmons,
andtheycancustomize
it to
pigsin a newkindof workenvironment.
ti0nwithin
teams.
Theypresented
T0
scale
accommodate
changing
needs.
topit ofi,wewereasking
models
andphotographs
themt0 move
of Personal
out
HarborandCommons
workstations
invariousconfigura- 0t9O-sq.-ft.
andinto4o-sq.Sometimes,
teammembers
usetheir
ft.
workspaces."
tions.
Andtheyexplained
howthis
Personal
Harbor
formeetings.
Theyopen
environment
could
helpsupport
theirdoor,rolla smalltable
intothed00r"When
people
Some
balked.
wefirst
goal
Hybritech's ol reduced
cycle
time
way,andmeelacross
it.
sawPersonal
Harbor
wethought-closets
Themeeting
Kent.saysJimKilli0n.
Ph.D
drewa taker:
BlairShamel, forClark
Because
thisroomisa teslsite,a video
proiect
senior
research
director
forthebreast
scientist
and
breast
cancer camera
cancer
team.
monit0rs
space
use,furniture
use,
"Personal
"Bulweweretoldwecould
teamleader.
Harbor
didn'texcite
meatfirst
lry
andteamgrowth.
Team
leader
Killion
feeds
glance,"
themonanexperimental
"l didn't
saysShamel.
basis.
lf wedidn't back
wanttoask
to Steelcase
teamthoughts
about
the
people
goback
likethem,
to move
wecould
intosuchsmall
to ourcubes." environment.
Steelcase
hasalready
incorworkspaces.
porated
Butthemore
wetalked
aboul
some0fthisfeedback
intonext
generations
ofPersonal
Harbor's
design.
Hafi1g a shared wo* area that no one elte can
use has helped Hrbritech scie,rists developo diagnostic test in a third ofthe us al time.
Issues
resolved
onthespot.
0l course,
there
havebeen
a couple
of
adiustments,
likelowering
a shelf
lora PC
Turns
out,thePersonal
Harbor
environprecious
tositonto recaplure
deskspace.
mentishelping
theteamjustlikechairman
Andoneteammember
wouldprefer
a
thought
it would.
Grimm
larger
otfice.
"We're
talking
constantly
andresolving
Itwillbeyears
Hybritech
cansay
before
"Weleave
issues
onthespot,"
saysKillion.
forcertain
thatPersonal
Harbor
helped
memos
foreach
other
oneasels
inour
reduce
time,butthesigns
are
cycle
commons
andgetfaster
responses
than
promising.
"Thisenvironment
hascombefore,
Decision-making
timehasbeen
pletely
changed
howworkgetsdone,"
says
drastically
reduced.
Weeven
developed
a
"l
Grimm.thinkHarbor
andCommons
can
-that nordjagnostic
testinfivemonths
group
beapplied
toanysmall
ofpeople
mally
wouldhave
taken
14."
whoneed
toworkasa team.
lt'sworked
"l canpeek
to getmore
wellhere,
andweexpect
outofmyHarbor
andask
'When
going
you're
someone,
offthephone,
can
Personal
Harbor
units.
I thinkthey're
to begoodfora lotofpeople."
I have
10minutes?"'
addsDeby
Bowes,
product
"When
manager. I satwithmy
group10miles
funclional
away,
I'dhave
people
to schedule
a meeting
with
who
wereoverhereandwaste
timedriving
back
andforth."
Being
a packratturned
outnotto bea
problem
"Having
limited
either.
space
forced
metoworkmoreefficiently,"
says
"AndI don'thave
getMeikleiohn,
to keep
tingupforthings
thewayI didinmy
workstation.
I justturninmychair,
and
everything
isrightthere.
I can'timagine
going
to
back a cube."
al
la
!t
Recycle
thishandbook.
inkandisfullyrecyclable.
It is p nledwithvegetable'based
01994Steelcase
lnc.,Grand
Rapids
[,]l149501-1967
Printed
u.S.A.
Product
details
andotherdatasubjectto
change
withoul
notice.
Someprcducls
shown
inthispublication
maynolbeavailable
inallcountries.
provide
youwilhdetails.
Yourlocalrepresenlalive
willbehappyto
FormNo.S-4815