Our Ideas
Our Books
Unworking: The Reinvention of the Modern Office
Jeremy Myerson and Philip Ross
Over the past hundred years, the office has been integral to the development of modern society. It has shaped the architecture of our cities, the behaviour of our organizations and the everyday movements of millions of people. In 2020, however, the global pandemic brought our attendance in the office to an abrupt halt and triggered a complete re-evaluation of the purpose of the workplace. This book offers a panoramic view of the office and explores what happens next. The authors advance a manifesto for ‘unworking’ – unlearning old habits and rituals established for an outdated office and creating new ones fit for an age of digital technology, design innovation and diverse workforces.
Space To Work: New Office Design
Philip Ross, Jeremy Myerson
Space to Work explores how the office is being reinvented to respond to the imperatives of knowledge work, as well as the changing social imperatives and technology of the new millennium. Setting its 43 international case studies within a unique conceptual matrix that provides a framework for thinking about new strategies for reinventing office space, the book identifies four ‘realms’ for knowledge work – the learning campus (ACADEMY); the professional cluster (GUILD); the public workplace (AGORA) and the live-work setting (LODGE).
21st Century Office
Philip Ross, Jeremy Myerson
This first comprehensive survey of workplace design for the new century captures emerging themes and ideas in office architecture and interiors around the world. Written and researched by the authors of The Creative Office, it advances the concept of increasing creativity in planning and design by exploring the new workplace models that are developing in response to rapid organisational, social and technological change.
The Creative Office
Philip Ross, Jeremy Myerson
A survey of the latest design and architecture solutions for the modern workplace.
Time And Motion
Jeremy Myerson
Time & Motion re-examines the relevance of our traditional notions of the eight-hour day – in particular, the effects of digital technology on patterns of working life and on digital public space – and seeks to redefine our understanding of working life by documenting and describing contemporary artworks commissioned on this theme, providing some theoretical building blocks with essays by key thinkers in the field.
New Public Architecture
Jeremy Myerson
The resurgence of interest and investment in public architecture has inspired a new generation of “magnet” buildings and interiors. This work examines more than 50 of the most outstanding of these projects, including libraries, museums, town halls, a synagogue, swimming baths, an aquarium and an embassy. The text chronicles the progress of a new spirit in design and architecture of public spaces and reveals how the traditional forms of the buildings are being reinvented by architects and designers around the world.
Life Of Work
Jeremy Myerson, Imogen Privett
Based on a five-year research project between the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design at the Royal College of Art and Haworth, this book sets out a template for the future of the workplace, taking lessons from the knowledge interactions of the academic library, the emotional landscapes of stage design, flexible temporary events in the city and intensive team environments in air traffic control and emergency medical departments.
International Interiors: 7: Vol 7
Jeremy Myerson
International Interiors provides a well-documented survey of worldwide commercial interior design projects completed between 1997 and 1999. Myerson provides a selection of 48 schemes covering a wide range of interiors, grouped according to function: offices, restaurants, bars, clubs, hotels, shops and leisure facilities.
The Age Of Paradox
Charles Handy
New developments in technology, radical changes in the global economy, and the relentless pursuit of productivity have altered forever our organizations, careers, and lifestyles. In this striking sequel to his best-selling book The Age of Unreason, Handy identifies the unintended consequences of change and provides a set of guiding principles to cope with the paradoxes of modern life, leading to a more balanced existence for individuals, greater rewards for organizations, and a more just society for all.
The Age Of Unreason: New Thinking For A New World
Charles Handy
We will not survive unless we adapt to the way the world is changing. The Age of Unreason is an inspiring vision of an era of new discoveries, new enlightenment and new freedoms. It helps us to understand what Tom Peters, the American business guru, has called the new ‘upside down’ competitive realities in the world of work and of leisure. It is a book to turn your understanding of the world on its head.
The Elephant And The Flea: New Thinking For A New World: Looking Backwards To The Future
Charles Handy
In an exploration of how individuals (the fleas) relate to multi-national conglomerates (the elephants), Charles Handy addresses how and why we work today, covering a range of preoccupations and issues including the increasing fear of big business: ‘it is easy to see why many observers… worry that these new corporate states are accountable to no-one – that their financial clout makes governments beholden to them … The elephants, people feel, are out of control.’
The Inspired Workspace
Marilyn Zelinsky
A must for architects, designers, managers, employees, business owners, CEOs and the self-employed everywhere, this book takes readers behind closed doors into the creative soul of more than forty successful firms, offering a rare and intimate look at work environments that contribute to the bottom line. From Paris to New York to Beijing, from the home studio to the office cubical to corporate headquarters, this book shows readers how to set the stage for creativity.
Leaders: Myth And Reality
Stanley McChrystal, Jeff Eggers, Jason Mangone
During his years serving in the US army, Stanley McChrystal worked with countless leaders and pondered an ancient question: “What makes a leader great?”, coming to the realisation that there is no simple answer. In this book, McChrystal profiles thirteen of history’s great leaders to show that leadership is not what you think it is—and never was. He uses their stories to explore how leadership works in practice and to challenge the myths that complicate our thinking about this critical topic.
The New Philanthropists
Charles Handy and Elizabeth Handy
Charles Handy and his wife Elizabeth, portray a new generation of practical philanthropists, men and women who have made their own fortunes and decided to move on from financial success to try to help those in need. They are doing so not simply by giving their money away to charities and agencies but by helping actively, working on the spot with the very people who need their aid, ensuring that the initiatives are sustainable in the longer term.
Team Of Teams
General Stanley McChrystal, David Silverman, Tantum Collins, Chris Fussell
When General Stanley McChrystal took command of the Joint Special Operations Task Force in Iraq in 2003, he quickly realized that conventional military tactics were failing, forcing him and his colleagues to discard a century of conventional wisdom in favour of a ‘team of teams’ that combined extremely transparent communication with decentralized decision-making authority. In this powerful book, McChrystal and his colleagues show how the challenges they faced in Iraq can be relevant to any leader.
The Elemental Workplace
Neil Usher
Do you tolerate a mediocre, uninspiring and dysfunctional environment, because that’s the way it’s always been? It doesn’t have to be. Everyone deserves a fantastic workplace in which to live, learn, grow, share and contribute. Yet it need not be difficult to create if you follow this simple and intuitive framework. An Elemental Workplace is a standard that everyone can attain; a book intended for all, offering a practical and accessible approach that will stand the test of time.
Future Office: Next Generation Workplace Design
Nicola Gillen
Despite decades of predictions that the office is on the verge of extinction, it is surviving and thriving. Of course, things are changing. Digital technologies are transforming not only the work we do, but also the ways our workplaces are designed, built and operated. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, this book discusses the impacts of these changes on the future of work and workplace, exploring latest technologies, from voice and digital twins, to new materials such as graphene and battery-powered buildings.
Build It: The Rebel Play For World Class Employee Engagement
Glenn Elliott, Debra Corey
The old way of treating people at work has failed. Only 30% of employees are engaged in their jobs, and in this fast-paced world that’s just not enough. The world’s best companies understand this and have been quietly treating people differently for nearly two decades. Now you can learn their secrets and discover The Engagement Bridge™ model, proven to build bottom line value for companies through sustainable employee engagement.
Power Your Tribe: Create Resilient Teams In Turbulent Times
Christine Comaford
This book offers a potent set of neuroscience-based tools to empower your team in uncertain times. Whether it’s diminished sales, increased competition, or corporate restructuring, change is a natural part of doing business in today’s high-speed, information-overload, instant-response environment. But inherent in human nature is resistance to change. In this ground-breaking guide, top leadership consultant and employee engagement expert Christine Comaford shows you how to bring your tribe together to tackle any challenge head-on.