How coworking office design increased new leadership by 84%

Office design can include the amount of people in one space, their social dynamics, and proximity to others. When effective, it can impact employee performance and affect productivity and success.¹ Offices of the future will likely include highly networked, shared, and multipurpose spaces that redefine boundaries and improve overall performance. 

Based on the case study of online retailer Zappos - which used physical design changes to nudge their employees toward more coworking interaction - it appears that organizations are already progressing toward this innovative approach.¹ As part of Zappos’ Downtown Project, the company developed its coworking spaces from a network of existing, non-professional spaces and ran an experiment in early 2012. After six months of increased exploration and energy, they saw a 42% increase in face-to-face encounters, a 78% increase in participant-generated proposals, and an 84% increase in the number of new leaders (who initiated work and collaboration and developed project scope and objectives).