Leaning up the office

The main tenet of Lean centers around reduction of wasteful practices. In Lean manufacturing, this might mean cutting out a certain step in the production process. In other businesses, it could involve a better separation of responsibilities that results in more productivity.

However, there are other ways of applying the Lean mindset. One trend many American businesses are taking advantage of is making their physical workspaces much smaller, The New York Times reports. This enhances collaboration while also reducing other barriers. For example, a company that moves everyone to a single floor will have less down time with people going up and down stairs to talk to different employees.

“We wanted people to be able to work wherever the work is, in whatever style,” said Mike Grindell, the executive vice president of 22squared, a company that recently consolidated its office to two floors from three.

“You see and feel work happening all over the space,” he added. “There's better density, energy and productivity on two floors now than on two and a third before.”

It's important to remember that Lean has a variety of applications and doesn't always have to be used in regard to streamlining work processes.