The Quarter of Curiosity - Daring to Know as We Learn How to Collaborate Better as a Team

As experienced office designers that specialize in creating innovative places to work, we are constantly making the effort to grow and learn as a team. That is why, as we herald ourselves into the final quarter of the year, we have decided to put our attention and effort into innovation.  

In the last quarter of the year, which we have named “The Quarter of Curiosity” we are internally devoting our time to exploring our core value: curiosity. Curiosity, for us, is to be inquisitive, dare to know, and be eager to learn. In 2022, we have seen the rapid growth of our team. Because we were taking on new people, each with different levels of industry experience, we recognize the necessity of training.  

We conducted a survey of our teammates and asked them for feedback on what they saw as a great, enthralling, and inspiring work environment. It was our intention to find out how to become better collaborators and get to know the needs of our teammates. We have arrived at a few exciting conclusions which, this quarter, we have put to action. 

We are learning from our new teammates: every department is committed to professional development and training 

Every person has a unique perspective of the world to share, and different ways they grow and learn. That is why each department at OFH is committed to professional development and training. We recognize that there are diverse learning styles, and we are offering many ways of learning. Individual coaching, in-person and online team training, individual video courses and Seminar courses. Top-down from leadership to operations, we are investing the time to train our departments and provide everyone with the resources to excel in their roles and bring real value back to our clients.  

• Since 2020, our team has been committed to following EOS Traction, and has been growing our knowledge, and improving our processes using its model. We are continuing to provide all members of the OFH team with training in EOS, our company operating system.  
• The Leadership team is participating in leadership training with The Arbinger Institute, to develop the Outward Mindset. 
• The Sales team is receiving Sandler Sales Training. Additionally, each week, they receive in-person weekly product, process, and procedure training, gaining access to and sharing essential resources related to every aspect of the office design process.  
• The Design department is gaining greater product knowledge, receiving extensive training from our key vendor partners about every aspect of their product lines including detailed product specifications. 

• The Operations and Design team has been focused on an intuitive curriculum in LinkedIn Learning. Learning important information about essential software and how to be better communicators, are just some of the ways our Operations team Is benefiting from the training.  

As we have grown, the most valuable translation of that growth has been demonstrated in our team-mates. With each new hire, we discover new ways we can improve internally and how we can grow and thrive alongside them. That is why we are committed to continuing to provide our teams with the resources to thrive. 

We are adopting new processes: we are improving workflow and are ensuring each member of our team receives adequate support to excel in their roles. 

Change is the most important component for growth. That is why, in addition to focusing on education and training, our leadership has turned its focus on how to improve the flow of tasks for each team member, while ensuring everyone receives adequate support. 

Collaboration does not happen in a vacuum. It occurs when the right people sitting in the right seats are helping each other achieve mutually beneficial goals. It requires trust, and adherence to a similar vision We have been scheduling more in-person meetings outside of the office, sharing activities together, and providing an environment where we can have casual conversations, share experiences, and learn from each other.  

By improving our workflow tools and by adopting new strategies, we are improving the ways our team can collaborate and be productive. Following our commitment to curiosity and ‘daring to know,’ we are opening our minds to change and are enabling ourselves to be better innovators and designers. Collaboration is not simply a shared knowledge or improvement of a process, but also a synthesis and cross-pollination of ideas. 

We understand that we are in this together. To create a beautiful environment for our clients, where every step of the path is clearly outlined and executed, it requires the steadfast dedication of our teammates who not only understand the individual processes of each task but also see how it fits into the big picture.  

Conclusion 

We are excited to share this part of our journey and will continue to share more insight into how we are evolving our practices to better serve our valued clients. Designing and creating beautiful offices begins with having a high functioning and healthy environment internally. It is also working alongside each other and enjoying the journey! We are thankful to our clients, who inspire us to build better collaborative environments and move towards new horizons.