Have you ever wondered what role does architecture play in your company? How does the design of your office regulate the life course of your collaborators? This is probably not the topic of conversation you have in your day to day when you are focused on maximizing revenue and reducing operational expenses. However, the conversation between companies and architects has radically changed in order to design, as part of a business strategy, to maximize the potential of your team.

In the past, companies talked to architects about the need for open or closed spaces and the architect's mission was mainly to maximize the use of square meters. Today, design is based on comprehensive business information. Before starting to design, it is considered how to take advantage of the maximum creative potential of the staff, how the company differentiates itself and how the team brings this differentiation to the client, how collaborators can share knowledge more effectively, among others.

The architect's mission is to explore and discover the impact of the team's behavior, habits and patterns on the environment, as well as help them engage with the brand. Why is the architectural design of a company a business strategy to increase the degree of commitment and loyalty of its employees? A company's strategy cannot be separated from its corporate space, much less from its people.

According to a Gallup study, the disconnection and indifference of employees with their workplace costs companies in the United States between 450 billion dollars to 550 billion dollars per year. No matter how promising a business strategy is, its effectiveness will be compromised if the workplace doesn't make it easy for the team to execute.

Business profitability increases with engaged workers, as Gallup has identified through a study that indicates that companies with highly engaged workers outperform their competitors by 147% in earnings per share. Some company goals where architectural design decisions make a difference include:

1. More effective communication:

Unlike the United States, more open workspace design is a somewhat recent trend in Panama. Although open spaces can improve communication in the company, it is important to ensure a balance between more open communication and the need to maintain personal space for activities that require silence, such as a phone call. Not always knocking down all the cubicles is the workable solution for everyone.

2. Promote collaboration: When determining the location of desks in an office, it is necessary to analyze the tasks performed by the people who work in a certain area, considering if the team meets frequently or if you need individual spaces where concentration is required.

3. A team with a clear mission and vision:

One of the biggest challenges for companies is to communicate their mission and vision to the team, in such a way that their collaborators act according to these guidelines. Using environmental graphic design to tell a company's story and remind its people of its mission and vision makes them feel more like their team, given how often they reread them.

4. Tech support for those out of the office:

Technology allows us to be connected with our responsibilities, without the obligation to be in the office. Work is becoming a job, not a physical space. There is a need for meeting rooms within the office that include technology that allows easy virtual collaboration, and boards that allow interaction, sharing ideas and working in groups, without all being present in the same office, or even country.

The success of a company and the implementation of its business strategies depend mainly on its people. The team's commitment to the company's vision and collaboration among its staff members results in a company that outperforms its competitors and grows.

The architect's mission is to explore and discover the impact of behavior on the environment and design to help them be more engaged in their work. However, it is not so easy to make a design decision based on what is fashionable; for example: create open spaces and expect collaborative results. It is necessary to understand the business strategy that the company is trying to achieve -for example: productivity or creativity- and adapt the design to the needs of the company.