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SPOTLIGHT: CORPORATE TECHNOLOGY
Higher Ed Classroom Revolution Informs
Corporate Space Planning for Millennials
Joseph Bocchiaro III, Ph.D., CStd, CTS-D, CTS-I, ISF-C
Principal Consultant, The Sextant Group
In 2015, millennials will become the largest generation in the
U.S. workforce. Since the majority of these millennials are tech- inventing new pedagogies for teaching, and this is reflected in
nologically adept, their expectations of when, where and how
we work are driving thinking on future office
space development. How will we accommodate
the most connected generation ever?
From Harvard to Stanford, in higher educa-
tion we are seeing trends toward active learn-
ing, more open work spaces and niche collab-
orative learning spaces. Driven in large part by
new understanding of how people learn, and
by rapidly evolving technologies that are influ-
encing building design and efficiencies, how
might we translate what we have discovered in
higher education learning environments and
apply these new best practices to the corpo-
rate workplace?
This article explores three aspects of the shifts New York Chair Noogler
in future employees’ behavior: 1) expectations, Image courtesy of Google
2) collaboration, and 3) environmental diversity;
and the preparations that can be made to maximize their pro-
ductivity and satisfaction.
Expectations
Expectations of Millennials are different from the previous
generations X and Baby Boomers, and how they differ depends
greatly on where in the world they are from. Much has been
studied and written on this topic, and higher education
institutions have been among the first to adapt to the
differences. The ease and familiarity that millennials have with
technology on an all-day-long basis, their comfort level with
social diversity and their grasp of the economic realities of
survival have brought a new kind of work ethic and adaptability.
The ‘entitled’ attitude seen in Gen-X that made it necessary to
pamper and pander is over, as Millennials had difficulty finding
jobs, know that there is global competition for those jobs, and
expect to work hard. The frugality and consumerism of the
Boomers is displaced by the reality of a shared economy; of
renting vs. accumulation in the Millennials. Collaboration and
transparency is expected: Millennials expect to understand why
they are doing things, and how they fit with the big picture.
Everything is interrelated, and interconnections are found on
their smart devices in an instant.
24 Realcomm
With these trends in mind, university faculty have adapted by
Higher Ed architectural spaces. Facilities planners are including
accommodations for the ‘flipped classroom’, and
building ‘active learning’ classrooms, ‘maker spac-
es’, ‘collaboration spaces’ and others. Because
they have adapted to these new pedagogies,
millennials expect that there will be group work,
sharing of research and knowledge, a require-
ment to communicate verbally, and constant
connectivity in their workplace. Because their
universities have committed to energy effi-
ciency and possibly zero net consumption,
millennials expect evidence of sustainability
in their workplace. They take for granted that
the previous generation has been innovating
and are surprised to find inefficiencies or waste.
They are familiar with green buildings, and have
grown up with recycling, occupancy sensors,
and programmable thermostats. They do not
necessarily expect that there will be an office for them, and for
some it is preferable not to have one at all.
Robert Simmons, Associate Vice Chancellor Administration at
the University of Missouri - Kansas City, said, “For our UMKC Henry
W. Bloch Executive Hall project, there was a lot of skepticism from
faculty about the ‘active learning’ aspects of the new classrooms.
We had several solid early adopters, but there were persistent
concerns expressed about how many faculty would want to
actually use such an environment. The results speak for them-
selves. It was clearly evident after the first semester that almost
ALL faculty wanted to teach in these environments and that they
were adjusting their course materials and structure to more fully
utilize the capabilities of the classrooms.”
Collaboration
Millennials are accustomed to being collaborators, navigating
their complex world of information overload and receiving
multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary education from their
universities. They have likely learned as much or more from
sharing their research with other students on projects, and
likewise from learning from their peers. They are likely to view
their teachers as mentors, facilitators, and wisdom-sharing
guides, rather than authoritarian information deliverers. As