Pair up for productivity

In the most recent issue of Steelcase’s 360 e-zine is an article titled The Next Evolution of the Personal Workspace that suggests working in pairs (dyads) offers demonstrable increases in productivity, innovation, and workplace morale.

When pairs collaborate, they build on each other's thoughts and ideas in a process that psychologists call “laddering.” This process starts when we're young and is critical to how we learn. Dr. Charles Crook, a British psychologist and researcher, notes that how much people can learn is limited when they work alone, and that learning can be taken farther if people work and learn together. “Collaboration is critical to learning,” he says.

An interesting study, pointed out in the article, looked at travel agents (who often work in pairs with their clients) before and after their workplaces were changed to encourage dyadic work:

When a better workspace was created that allowed side-by-side collaboration and supported multi-connected displays, the results were clear:

• privacy was increased for the pair
• customers were more engaged and active customers could more easily track itineraries and costs
• redundant work was eliminated
• transaction costs decreased
• customers reported a better experience and more satisfaction due to the physical set-up
• transaction time was reduced to 5-10 minutes vs. the typical 30 minutes

Should lawyers and other professionals work more often in pairs?  The study seems to suggest a pretty significant improvement in efficiency and customer satisfaction.  Sadly, there was no study on how much clients liked being billed at two professionals’ hourly rates instead of just one’s.  (sarcasm intended)