In January 2007, I joined Steelcase Inc and, under the direction of Mark Greiner, SVP of WorkSpace Futures, my team began to envision a new type of workspace. Based on emerging work trends, enabling technologies, and emerging social norms, we designed an innovation platform called Workspring. Our first location opened in November 2008 in Chicago, IL. It's a beautiful space that's well worth visiting. If you get a chance, please stop on by! It will be an experience like no other.
Workspring is a full-service off-site meeting and retreat center. It is a place where the art and science of collaboration are in play, and that makes all the difference to productivity. Surroundings really do influence how people think and act: their willingness to listen, their confidence to speak up, their openness to absorb data, and their ability to find that positive place where great ideas are born.