Culture

Facilities are not just a functional means of production, but also ‘cultural artefacts’. They tell a story about a company culture and corporate identity. Vice versa, facilities can help to shape cultural values and support cultural change, provided that physical change goes hand-in-hand with organisational change and management commitment. This chapter tries to operationalise the relationship between the physical environment and organisational culture. Furthermore it discusses typical interventions such as the implementation of new workplace concepts. Benefits can be found in the very visible and tangible nature of the physical environment, making it a powerful means of communication. Sacrifices may come from a ‘culture clash’ when the chosen interventions are too ‘alien’ to the organisation. The intangible nature of culture makes it hard to formulate and measure KPIs. The chapter suggests to conduct surveys and to ask people about their organisation’s culture and the extent to which there is a ‘cultural fit’ with the work environment. Concerning the future, it is interesting to assess how organisational cultures will evolve, if new generations of workers will adopt other cultural values, and how these cultural changes affect and are affected by buildings, facilities and services.